There is an overwhelming amount of resources out there for mamas these days. It makes me wonder how people gained so much knowledge hundreds of years ago before these resources were available!

When I first got pregnant, I did a TON of research, because I was in freak out mode because I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Then the research tapered off, and I didn’t really do any reading about pregnancy or childbirth for a couple of months. Now that I’m getting near the end, I started to feel this need to do more research and reading so I had a solid understanding of what was happening to my body.

I’ve had books given to me by friends and doctors that have been very handy! I find the internet to be incredibly overwhelming for so many reasons, so I haven’t really been using it all that much. However, I recently came across this book Common Sense Pregnancy by Jeanne Faulkner (I don’t even really remember how I found it) and bought it on a whim after reading some reviews! I am SO glad I bought this book!

I think that most new mamas are most terrified and unsure about labor and that time period right after giving birth to their baby – I know I am! This book was great because it really goes in depth about that aspect of motherhood!

Here’s what I really enjoyed about this book:

• It was conversational. It was like the author was just talking to me over coffee. There wasn’t a ton of medical jargon, and where there was she broke it down really well and explained what it meant.
• She definitely has a sense of humor. I liked this book a lot because there were some parts that she really injected humor into it, because she gets it. She’s a labor nurse for several years, runs a column answering questions, and has four kids of her own. There were definitely times when I actually laughed out loud, and that was pretty neat!
• It doesn’t have a ton about the actual pregnancy portion. This was nice because the other books I have cover primarily week by week what’s happening and don’t really have a lot of information about the “other” stuff! She does talk about it though!
• The author really does a great job explaining labor, birth, and the postpartum period. Things I didn’t even know were a thing were explained in this book! I really liked how she broke down all the possible doctors you’d be working with; the various options available to you during labor; what tests are run on baby after birth; and so much more! This part of pregnancy I’ve been really sort of anxious about, and now I feel empowered with education! There is also research cited in the book that backs up what the author says!
• It gave me things to discuss with my doctor that I never thought of. I love being able to go in and ask my doctor a lot of questions, but lately I haven’t really had any questions because I didn’t know what to expect. Now I’ve got a list of questions about labor ready to go!
• She promotes encouragement and understanding. Jeanne talks a lot about supporting other mamas, encouraging them, and building them up even if their choices are different than our own. I am ALL about supporting others so I really like that she did too!

Seriously, I think from here on out, when my friends get pregnant I want to give them this book as a gift, because I found it was so valuable! I wanted to share this today because it could potentially be helpful to new mamas!

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