The Books That Keep Me Sane (And Those I Would Gladly Light On Fire)

There was a used bookstore in Nashville called McKay that I was totally in love with. Everything was SO cheap! So, I basically bought every baby and fertility book I could find. Some are horribly depressing, and I've considered ceremonially burning them. Some were legitimately helpful, though. :)

The book I most wanted to burn:

       Seriously, this book was the most disheartening thing I've ever read. It basically felt like it was telling me all the reasons I would never, ever get pregnant no matter how hard I tried. Obviously, that's not their intent, but they don't come across well. Any woman reading a fertility book needs hope and support, not to be cut down even more. On the plus side, that baby on the cover is freaking adorable.

I haven't found a pregnancy book I want to burn... Yet.

Books I Actually Like:

       I actually picked this book up at Half Price Books on my way to the airport the last time I flew back to Tennessee. I ended up reading the whole thing on the plane. It's literally just 1 fact per page, so it's a super easy read. It gave some great tips. A lot I already knew, but a few things I didn't. It's helpful without bombarding you with too much information. It's probably the best book if you're thinking about trying, but not yet concerned you're going to have problems.

       This is a good general reference book for pregnancy. You just read as you go along. A chapter a week is a lot easier for many women than reading an entire book at once. All the information can get overwhelming if taken in high doses. This book did cause one major freak-out b/c it said the sicker you are, the less likely you are to miscarry, and I hadn't gotten sick yet. There are a few other alarming facts thrown in, but that will happen with any book. I try to just let it go. There's not much you can do to control half the things it mentions anyway. 

Books I Absolutely LOVE:
    
       This book was a serious life saver. Or, at least, a serious sanity saver. It's co-written by three best friends who all had a different kind of fertility problem. It's really informal (in fact, a lot of it is emails between them) but it makes it feel a lot more friendly than most books. It offers a lot of practical advice while also comforting you. It's like having a friend that understands where you're coming from (it even has a chapter on how to deal with real life friends that DON'T get it, which is most people). I actually didn't finish it because I found out I was pregnant half-way through and switched to pregnancy books, but I definitely recommend it, and I will probably end up finishing it anyway.

       This is kind of the same concept as the previous book, but for pregnancy. It's basically all the things your doctor doesn't mention but your girlfriends totally wouldn't shut up about in pregnancy. There's nothing medical to it and she repeatedly tells you to check with your doctor about your unique situation, but I love that about it. Most pregnancy books weigh you down with all the horrible things that can happen, but this one just focuses on the real-life stuff most people really face in pregnancy. I don't necessarily agree with everything she says, but she is hilarious. I'm pretty sure if I wrote a pregnancy book, it would end up something like this. Too bad she beat me to it! It's the book I recommend most to my pregnant friends, just because it's the most down-to-earth and least terrifying. I'd much rather hear about my inevitable stretch marks than the possibility of a molar pregnancy.


There will probably be more books as I continue through this process, but these are the ones that are on my mind right now. Hopefully they're helpful to someone. :)