baby books i am glad i read...

my husband thinks i am funny cause i literally am crazy right now with the 

influx of baby/birth info at our house...

i will sit and read and read and eventually stop only to babble off some soap box something that i have been reading to which he usually does a great job at feigning interest...

{i guess he often is, when i bring up the studies, risks, 

and the price differences of some of these things...}

the books i finished today were these:

 

both are books i will lend out forever, i can already tell..

heck- these would make priceless gifts.

thank you a million times to the fellow blogger that referred me to 

ina may's guide to childbirth.

as far as "what you need to know before you labor and deliver"

this has been the most empowering, comforting, reassuring book i could have read.

if you would have asked me a year ago,

i would have told you i was terrified of the whole process:

afraid of the pain, of complications, of delivery...

and that was when i would never have dreamed of going au natural.

{i also realized that most of the "stories" i heard were from women that were induced, or had the aid of various techno-birthing stimulants or tools... none had really had the natural experience, and therefore couldn't accurately vouch for a positive experience}

turns out, birth isn't a disease, and only 10% of women that deliver, actually need some form of aid in birth, unfortunately, that isn't the case.  too many women are just letting doctors make decisions because, "they know best..."

turns out, it is very expensive to have all the extra interventions too 

{IV= $150, epidural= $800-$1500...etc...}

turns out, birth can be incredibly satisfying and empowering...

i am a firm believer in the god-given power to birth 

and have full confidence now in what my body can do.  

the more i read, the more i am convinced that childbirth and motherhood is one of the greatest mysteries and blessings God gives to women. 

now that i have 12 weeks to go i say,

"bring it on!"

as i have been reading about birth and delivery, 

i have picked up a handful of gems on what to do after...

namely, babywise, which has helped me feel confident about babies and sleep.

sure, i think there are a lot of factors that play into how early a baby will sleep through the night, but i am a firm believer in the studies circulating babywisers... another book that i will keep as a manual up until i am sure i will purchase the toddler version... 

let the great experiment begin!