Pregnancy franziska | 22 Aug 2011
I am still here!
I know I have not blogged for many many weeks 
. I have had to hit “pause” on some projects to keep up with a healthy pregnancy (#1 priority) and work. I miss blogging and will be back on a more full-time basis again once baby arrives and I get settled into a schedule. I very much want to continue to focus on healthy eating tips to incorporate into any one’s lifestyle, easy recipes as well as keeping up with a pregnancy and “beyond” page. For the past 39 weeks ( I am due Sunday 8/28 
)I have been stowing ideas, tips, and things I have learned from my own pregnancy as well as feedback from a lot of moms and moms to be and will share all this with you soon.
For now here are some resources I have found helpful thorughout my pregnancy:
Now, this is my first pregnancy and I have not given birth yet but I have enjoyed reading these books and feel very calm, self-assured and positive about my the birth experience to come.
1. Great Expectations: Your All-in-One Resource for Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sandy Jones and Marcie Jones – a simple guide which I liked at the beginning to read about all the changes your body is going though – has a nice week by week section and if used this as a resource when I had a cold, headaches etc and found very helpful suggestions (like a nasal flush for nasal congestion)
2. I also signed up for weekly updates via BabyCenter.com – gives you a weekly email of what week pregnancy you are in – again fun to read weekly and I sent to close family members and everyone has loved it
3. Birthing From Within by Pan England and Rob Horowitz - loved loved this book – opened up my mind to think about the birth process. Before reading this I just assumed that if my mom could do it so could I (which is true) but this gave me a deeper understanding of birth, history of birth and what birth encompasses – this is also the book that almost every mom and midwife I have talked with has recommended. It also provides a nice discussion on different types of birth and birth interventions (cesarean, drugs etc).
4. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin – reading this book now. I started reading the 2nd half of the book first (1st half is birth stories) and again an informative look at birth and focus on slightly different aspects than Birthing from Within. Barbara mentioned the “Sphincter Law” from this book in class a few weeks ago. The birth stories are also wonderful to read.
5. Mindful Motherhood by Cassandra Vietan – not a typical pregnancy or motherhood book – the subtitle is “practical tools to staying sane during pregnancy and your child’s first year” great mindfulness exercises, very easy to pick up and read whenever – short chapters and I have found quite helpful with all the life throws at you – pregnancy or not!
6. I also subscribed to Fit Pregnancy Magazine and that has been helpful and fun to flip through. It comes out every other month. I like magazines to casually read here and there, before bed, at the breakfast table etc. Plus the magazine helped me stay motivated to stay active!
I hope some moms and moms to be (as well as partners) find the above resources helpful and please comment on this post if you have books that connected with you during and after pregnancy.
Until next time . . . thank you for reading as always and for your support during this amazing new phase in our lives!!! 
