Pregnancy and Baby Books

I declare that there is no doubt why the book What To Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff is the Number 1 Bestselling Pregnancy Book there is.

This is super perfect for "praning" (then) mothers-to-be like me. It accompanied and saw me through my pregnant days. Aminin niyo, especially when it's your first baby, both of you are scared and praning that you guys wish that your OB lives with you, right?!

But, when you have this book, I swear, everything will be okay. It is packed with answers to hundreds of questions and worries expectant parents have. It's so easy to use because it is arranged in a per month format which starts with what you will expect during that month's prenatal visit to how the mother and child are growing and changing to questions parents may have during that month.

The book starts with planning a pregnancy chapter to the nine months of pregnancy, finishing off with information regarding six weeks after a mother's delivery. It also has a nutritional section (which i didnt follow hehe) and a section dedicated for the future dads. I strongly suggest you make your husband read this chapter so that he can understand why you changed from the post honeymoon loveydovey wife to an emotional and very irritable mother to be.

I so loved this book! It lessened my pestering with my OB because if I have questions (which i do all the freaking time!), all I needed to do was to look for my particular concern in the index and there, I am pacified. I knew what to expect every month. I knew how to control my vomiting bouts. I learned about breastfeeding, postpartum depression, bakit mas maganda ako sa mga ibang buntis, and then why I became super swollen that I resembled a hippopotamus already and how to decode the different tummy pains that I had. We were shy to ask our doctor if it was still okay to have sex so we turned to the book instead =) Believe me, it has answers to ANY of your questions. The book is super comprehensive, convenient and easy to use.

Also, this book saved me from having early labor in my 6th month. Buti na lang I read sa book the symptoms about it and we rushed agad to the hospital. Kung wala yung book, I would have thought na the pains were wala lang and tiniis ko na lang and Anika would have been born prematurely. I really thank God for this book.

Its medyo expensive, around Php 800 pero worth it. Promise.

The book now that I cannot live without is What To Expect in the First Year which is a sequel to the What to Expect When You're Expecting.

Obviously, I bought agad the book because I was so happy with the first one. It has super comprehensive information from Anika's birth until she reaches 12 months. Like the first book, it devotes a chapter to every month of your baby's first year.

You will learn about the milestones your child may be reaching during that month, what to expect during your scheduled doctor's visit and have answers to almost all your concerns and tips for your baby.

This book is literally my bible nowadays. Its perfect especially if this is your first baby and you don't have any elders living with you. It taught me to decode the different cries of the baby, how to burp her, decoding the different poops (super helpful), how to handle a colicky baby and a lot more.
 
You can just imagine me reaching for this book in the middle of the night, cramming to read why Anika wouldn't stop crying. It is also through this book where I learned how to bathe her, dress her (di pala dapat balot na balot) and how to know if she has fever (temperature of 37degrees and above). I leared that pacifiers are okay to use as long as you break the habit in a considerable time preiod. Most importantly, I learned about SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Although experts are yet to determine the exact cause of SIDS among babies, they have helpful tips to lessen the risk.
 
For first time parents, I strongly suggest you invest in buying this book. Hindi talaga kayo magsisisi. If you are like me na gusto agad may explanation about what's happening sa baby ko, this book is definitely for you =)