From books and blogs to favorite websites, this post contains the resources I reference most frequently when I am looking for some pregnancy-related information or just want to read about what other women have experienced during this exciting time!
Favorite Pregnancy Websites
Below you will find a handful of my favorite pregnancy websites. Each website is a little different and I check all of them for different reasons. Big thanks to you guys for recommending Lucie’s List as a quality resource for everything related to baby gear!
Favorite Pregnancy Books
A few of the books that I’ve personally found helpful during pregnancy are listed below!
A Child Is Born is my favorite pregnancy-related book I’ve read so far! It includes in-utero pictures captured with endoscopy and three-dimensional ultrasound technology that are absolutely fascinating, especially for someone like me who is very visual. After reading so many pregnancy updates that said things like “Today your baby is the size of a radish,” I was dying for some real images and this book delivered! I also loved all of the scientific information.
Your Pregnancy Week By Week was actually sent to me by our insurance company. I love the way it breaks everything down and gives you bits of valuable information in a less overwhelming way.
Panic Free Pregnancy was a refreshing read, especially for a somewhat nervous first-time mom-to-be. The book discusses common questions about pregnancy “shoulds” and “should nots” and the why behind all of this information.
What To Expect When You’re Expecting has a ton of information… it’s actually somewhat overwhelming! I found the book very informative and enjoyed having a bunch of information ready at my fingertips during the first few weeks when I felt like I needed to read everything about pregnancy and wanted it to come from a reliable source.
Favorite Pregnancy Blogs
When I first announced I’d be sharing weekly pregnancy recaps on this blog, I said that I’d be doing so because I found pregnancy recaps from other bloggers extremely helpful… Especially during the first few weeks of pregnancy when Ryan and I were still keeping our news a secret and I felt like I didn’t have anyone to talk to about what I was going through.
I bought some pregnancy books, downloaded pregnancy apps and read a ton of articles about pregnancy and what to expect, but the blogs written by real women ended up being my favorite resource because they talked about pregnancy in a relatable way. They highlighted emotions and symptoms I was experiencing and I started to feel like I was having a conversation with a pregnant friend over the internet as I read all the recaps I could find!
Below you will find a small handful of my favorites. And if you are a blogger who shared (or are currently sharing!) your pregnancy journey, please drop a link to your blog in the comments section of this post. I’d love to check out your blog, too!!
- Daily Garnish – Emily Malone
I always tell Emily that Cullen, the little boy she gave birth to back in October 2011, is the first “blogger baby” I ever followed. At this time in my life, I was usually skipping pregnancy recaps if bloggers wrote about pregnancy since I was nowhere near ready for a baby yet, but for some reason, Emily’s recaps totally sucked me in. (She is a fantastic writer, so that undoubtedly helped!) Every week, Emily posted a pregnancy update and a photo of her growing bump alongside a piece of fruit or the vegetable that was supposed to represent the size of her baby. When I got pregnant, Emily’s blog was the first blog I went back to re-read. Her recaps started early at 9 weeks which was fantastic for a first-time pregnant woman like me who wanted to read about the early stages of pregnancy, too!
- Lunchbox Diaries – Colleen Nichols
Colleen was well into her pregnancy with her baby boy (she gave birth at the end of March) when I first found out I was pregnant and I found all of her pregnancy-related blog posts so refreshing. She often made me laugh out loud and didn’t shy away from blogging about some of the uncomfortable changes and emotions many pregnant women experience. With blog posts like “10 Things Not To Say To A Pregnant Woman” and “No One Talks About The Darkness,” Colleen blogs about pregnancy and life with a newborn in a way that totally draws you in.
- A Healthy Slice of Life – Brittany Dixon
Brittany is one of the most positive, thoughtful and upbeat people I’ve ever met in real life (we became fast friends when I moved to North Carolina) and I fell in love with her blog shortly after we met. Since Brittany is the mother of two adorable girls, her blog documents two pregnancies and also features lots of tips and tricks regarding motherhood and life with a newborn. She’s been a wonderful sounding board for me to chat with during pregnancy as well since she is always so open and realistic about everything.
- Sweet Tooth Sweet Life – Courtney Horan
Courtney is one of the first bloggers I connected with offline years ago since we started blogging around the same time and have so much in common. She actually told me she was pregnant with Lucas a few days after she found out and I loved checking in with her pregnancy updates throughout her journey. She has all of her pregnancy blog posts very well organized on the Pregnancy page of her blog which made it really easy for me to click her weekly recaps and check out what she was feeling each week as I was going through it, too! I’ve found Courtney’s recaps the most relatable for me personally as we seem to have experienced similar emotions and symptoms around similar times.
Currently Pregnant Bloggers
And if you’re looking for more bloggers who are documenting their pregnancies in “real time” right now, here are some blogs I love written by bloggers who are currently expecting:
- My Food and Fitness Diaries – After giving birth to a boy a couple of years ago, Ashley is pregnant with a little girl right now and her blog features triweekly updates that are so fun to read!
- The Fitnessista – Gina is currently pregnant with baby number two and touches on a variety of pregnancy-related topics, including her love for doulas, pregnancy supplements and more. She’s the blogger who introduced me to the Snoogle and I will love her forever and ever for that!
- Katy Widrick – You can feel Katy’s excitement surrounding her second pregnancy in every blog post she writes. Her personal/baby blog is Bug Child.
- Meals and Miles – Meghann is pregnant with her “rainbow baby” and she shares incredibly touching and emotional posts on her blog that are very raw and very real. I’m so happy for her!
Question of the Day
- Mamas/Moms-to-be: What were/are some of your favorite pregnancy resources? Favorite books? Websites? Apps? Blogs? Podcasts?
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