As of an hour ago, two little blue lines have appeared that have turned my world upside down.
It’s very early days, so I’m holding myself back from streaking up and down the high street (wooooooooo hooooooooo!), but it’s definitely true - I’m newly pregnant, and we’re very very happy about it.
Oh - and I’m completely mentally scrambled - now what? er… what can’t I eat again? And what is going on with my enormoboobs already? Help!!
If any dopers can recommend good websites/books that they’ve found helpful I’d be really grateful.
Another funny thing - all weekend I’ve suspected, and all weekend my little cat Kink has been hanging round me rather than going hunting. He slept all curled up on my belly last night and he hasn’t done that since he was a kitten. Funny huh? Cats know stuff.
Congratulations!
Heh, I remember the big sore boobs. That was something that tipped me off when I was very newly pregnant, before I’d even missed a period (many years ago - my baby will be 10 tomorrow!).
I like to sleep on my stomach, and all of a sudden I couldn’t. It was like, “Wow, my boobs really hurt when I do that! I wonder why?”
… crickets chirping …
:smack: “Oooooh. I wonder if I’m pregnant?”
Let’s just say it has a slightly annoying tone that can turn you panicked because OMIGOD I MIGHT HAVE EATEN MEDIUM RARE MEAT OR HAD A SIP OF WINE BEFORE I KNEW I WAS PREGNANT AND HOLY SHIT MY KID’S GOING TO COME OUT WITH THREE HEADS!
I stopped reading it about a week after I found out I was pregnant because of that. I much preferred Your Pregnancy Week By Week.
And if you want a non-serious, don’t-do-what-she-did-but-this-book-is-a-riot kind of pregnancy book, I recommend “Knocked Up” by Rebecca Eckler. She’s kind of the anti-‘What To Expect", and she’s certainly not someone I’d turn to for advice on pregnancy, but the book is freakin’ hysterical.
Let me second lorene there. WTEWYE is horrendous, IMO. I’ve got three Silverjuniors and was given that book as a shower gift when pregnant with my first. I did read it, did much eye-rolling during and afterwards, and promptly sold it to the used book store.
I’ll second, third or fourth the thumbs-down on “What to Expect…” If you are in the least prone to “headache = brain tumor” kind of thinking (who? me?? ), this is NOT a good thing to read.
I can recommend a really good book about new motherhood: Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year by Anne Lamott. Very funny. Very moving.
Nothing’s wrong with it, if you’re the right kind of person for it.
Do you like to plan ahead for contingencies? Do you like to know everything that could possibly go wrong so you can sort out what you’ll do ahead of time? Do you like medical stuff and understanding not only your own pregnancy, but pregnancy in general? Then you’re the kind of person for whom *What to Expect… *is written. It’s incredibly thorough and covers all sorts of possible medical events that are incredibly unlikely, but may make some people feel empowered to know about. They also cover general fetal development, what to expect at each pre-natal visit, nutrition (including lots of great recipes), labor and delivery, lactation and the first six post-partum weeks. Everything in there that I’ve indepentantly verified has been accurate.
On the other hand, are you the kind of person who puts trust in the process and the universe to smooth out the rough bumps? Would you rather not think about unpleasant things, or deal with them “if they come up”, but not before? Will hearing about unlikely problems make you sick and anxious? Do you trust your doctor or midwife to tell you everything you need to know, and leave the worrying to them? Then you’re most definitely NOT a *What to Expect… *person.
I totally understand that it’s not a book for everyone, but I loved it, because I’m the first type. I tend to get annoyed with people who say it’s an awful book. Just because it’s not the book for you doesn’t mean it’s an awful book!
I will second “Your Pregnancy Week by Week” and the next in the series, “Your Baby’s First Year Week by Week.”
I’ve got What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Baby’s First Year, AND The Toddler Years. I don’t think I ever cracked any of them
My favorite question from WTEWYE is something like “I’m a cheap crack whore and I’m pregnant. Do I need to stop smoking crack? How long can I still turn tricks and not hurt my baby? If I get gonorrhea while I’m pregnant, will that hurt my baby?” Not enough :rolleyes: in the world!
First, let me say congrats, my wife and I are awaiting delivery of our 2nd child any day now. As far as books, we have a great book that we got from our State Farm Insurance Company, it was the “Mayo Clinic Complete Guide to Pregnancy and the First Year”. You can find it at amazon and I would highly recommend it. It has a ton of info, easy to read, and covers all types of situations.
The book is a bit outdated (1994), but a great deal of the information is still useful. You can try contacting a State Farm Agent to see if they still give out copies of this for free. Our friends weren’t customers, but State Farm gave them one anyway…
I also forgot to mention, stay away from the litterbox (you said you had a cat). Although very unlikely, you can be infected with a parasite that will cause great damage to an unborn child from your cats feces. This means stay away from outside sandboxes and wear gloves while working in the garden or flowersbeds…
Congratulations yingtongtiddleipo! 
), this is NOT a good thing to read.