Research: It Does The Body Good

I'm feeling amazing - I mean really amazing. The whole thing about the 2nd trimester making you feel like you're "SuperWoman", totally true. The glowing skin??? Not so much. I have gotten more pimples in the last few weeks than I did as a teen. Especially on my back and on my neck - which WTF?? My Neck?!

I'm on my 8 millionth pregnancy book and my nightstand is beginning to look like a libraries drop box after a holiday weekend.

Here's the books I've read so far and my brief reviews:

• The Girlfriend's Guide To Pregnancy: Loved this book! LOVED it. I laughed my everylovin ass off and that was during the first trimester when nothing could make me feel like laughing. More importantly it gave me something important. It gave me the right to have whatever kind of pregnancy I wanted to have. It talks a bit about doing what makes you feel good - not following every single rule and guideline. You'll drive yourself crazy if you do that.
• What To Expect When You're Expecting: Of course this book is an ongoing read since its broken out by month. I'm not so much a fan of all the rules and regulations, I don't really like the uber-medical nature of the book and the question answer series at the end of each chapter is not always helpful. I guess it was a good book to get my hands on right away before I saw my OB to get my immediate questions answered - but too much guilt and shame for my tastes.
• The Pregnancy Journal: This is a very sweet little book that my friend loaned me. The nicest thing about it is that she wrote in it all through her pregnancy so I get to read her little notes and her thoughts all the way through. I recommend if you have a circle of close girlfriends and everybody is popping out babies to share a journal like this. It helps to read those things and think "Hey - I'm feeling that too!" It makes me feel very close to her and our bond is growing stronger through the experience. The actual book is not just a journal though - its day by day descriptions of what is happening to you and your baby growth wise. I liked this part - except that I'm an impatient child and skip ahead all the time.
• From First Kicks To First Steps: I really liked this book because it didn't assume too much about the reader. It's voice is scientific and uses language that spoke to me being a college educated working woman. The reason for this I believe is that most books are afraid to get too technical because they're trying to appeal to the masses. I want to know things like how the baby breaths amniotic fluid and if they respond to light - why? I also liked the sections that talked about research done regarding child development. What can I say - I'm a researcher by trade it's part of who I am.
• Creating Your Own Birth Plan: I just got this book last night but was already to Chapter 4 when I finally decided to buy the dang thing and leave the book store after an hour! The trouble with me is I'm incredibly subjective - when I read a book that promotes OBGYN's and hospitals - I'm all about going to the hospital for delivery. When I read a book like this one that promotes midwives and birthing centers - I turn into a crunchy granola empowered Earth Momma. Either way I like the realistic picture it paints for all scenarios. If you go to the hospital they may not honor your wishes for: no episiotomies, minimal vaginal exams, no fetal heart moniters, and no IV's. However, if you go with a midwife they too may not honor other things. I'm working on finding what makes me feel most comfortable but something about being able to move around, be on hands and knees, squat, stand, lean, etc makes a lot of sense to me.
• Breast Feeding After Breast Reduction Surgery - Defining Your Own Success: I'm in the final chapters of this book and it has totally and completely blown me away. I feel empowered, I feel in control of my body, and I feel like breastfeeding can be what I make of it. If I can only get colostrum out - then so be it. If I can't keep my daughter completly nourished with breastmilk alone - I'm ok with that. Regardless I'm going to pursue this goal like nothing I have ever put my mind to before. I'm not much on effort - I've always relied on my smarts - not this time. This time I'm all about diggin in and putting as much effort in as I can muster. I'm confident in my body's ability to figure this out.
• Baby Proofing Your Marriage: I have to say I couldn't get past the first few chapters of this one. It depressed the hell out of me. Maybe its better for when you've already got a problem with your marriage with the recent addition of children so you read it and feel like people must understand you and you're not the only one. I on the other hand - am a newlywed. At this juncture I can not imagine hating my husband and I can not imagine him hating me. We love each other - we respect each other and I fully reserve the right to eat my hat next October if I need to. For right now though - I just couldn't read the hateful words of what they say I may feel towards him after my daughter comes into this world. I'm not saying this book has nothing to offer - because clearly it must since it's received such acclaim. For me - it's just not what I need right now, its been put into my drawer for later if I need it.
• The Expectant Father: Mr. M is reading this book and he says it goes chronologically along with my pregnancy month by month. He seems to like that its logical and gives the science behind whats happening to me during this gestational time. I have to laugh because when I was 14 weeks pregnant and feeling bummed that I couldn't feel her he quipped, "The book says you shouldn't feel her till 16 - 18 weeks!" Many times he's quoted the book and I think he likes having that knowledge. I can't imagine what it is like not carrying your own child, being the partner who doesn't know who the hell replaced his lovely wife with this oversized complaining whiner.

Like I said - I'm a researcher and I love to read everything I can get my hands on when it comes to pregnancy and birth. I read birth stories addictively and watch Youtube births on the weekends. I'm not totally proud of all of this - I realize its a bit neurotic but I can't stop! I don't have the fear I did when I first got pregnant about birth. I attribute that to all the reading I've done. I feel like I can do it - like I'm capable and powerful and I AM WOMAN RAAAWWWWRRR. hehehe. Hormones.