Parenting Excerpts

Mothers Know Best: Real Moms Share 1001 Tips on Pregnancy, Birth and the First Year by Connie Correia Fisher and Joanne Correia

Reprinted with permission by Small Potatoes Press.
In this book compiled by mother-daughter team Joanne and Connie, real moms share 1001 tips on pregnancy, birth and the first year of baby’s life. The tips are wide ranging and are short and concise. You can take this book in small doses and absorb the tips at your leisure. It’s a great bathroom book! Here are some random tips I found in just the first 63 pages of the book:

I had a mantra I kept saying to myself during my first pregnancy and unmedicated delivery: “I trust the wisdom of my body and the instincts of my baby.” I found it to be soothing and reassuring. I have been using it during this pregnancy as well. I find it reconnects me to the birthing legacies of centuries of mothers who’ve gone before. (Katherine)

The most important tip I can think of is TIME: time to enjoy every aspect of your pregnancy; all of the feelings of this unknown soul growing inside of you. Every sense, every emotion is to be cherished. Once your little bundle of joy has emerged, treasure every moment of new growth and discovery, for every moment is a precious gift not to be taken for granted or cast aside. Relax – do not stress. Just sit back and hold this special gift in your arms and thank your God for blessing you with this creation. The greatest gift we can give our children is our time, our full attention, and our unconditional love. (Heidi)

I thought the more I read, the better prepared I would be. This is true to an extent. But sometimes, too much knowledge can make you more terrified than you already are. Read enough to educate yourself about where you are. Don’t start to read about the delivery while in your first few months: it can be too much. Pace yourself on a need-to-know basis. (Christine)

When you begin to feel nauseous, take a raw lemon and cut it in half. Squeeze and slowly drink the juice directly from the lemon. I tried just about everything else, and this really did take the edge off the nausea. (Kathi)

Use seabands. They make you look like a fool, but they worked WONDERS for me. (Jill)

Ginger snaps or ginger ale work wonders. Wintergreen lifesavers also help. (Carlene)

Don’t let yourself “go” when you’re pregnant and say, “I can eat like I always wanted to because I’m pregnant.” When the pregnancy is over, then you’re just fat. (Leigh)

This was the most difficult part of the pregnancy – always being hungry. Have plenty of good snacks – nuts, fruit, crackers, protein bars, shakes – for when you have not cooked and for in between meals. You need to eat more than you think. (Diane)

Remember…you ARE eating for two, but it’s one adult and one baby. (Jennifer)

I have taught prenatal and postnatal yoga for 10 years. It is a foundational practice for mothers and their babies. It strengthens the physical body, stabilizes the mental body, and quiets and focuses the mind – thus allowing the brain to be calm. (Shosha)

Fresh air may help you avoid headaches. I had frequent headaches with my first two pregnancies. After getting the second one in my third pregnancy, I realized I hadn’t been outside for two days. I took a walk every single day after that and never had another headache. (Susan)

You can not poke your baby’s head. You can not crush, jostle or otherwise harm your baby by having (sexual) relations while you are pregnant. But you may have to find new positions, locations, or even endure a kick or a poke reminding you that you are no longer alone anymore! (Jennifer)

Use a nurse midwife! They will work to make your birth the experience you wish it to be. They take time to get to know you, listen to your concerns, and provide the level of support you need – all within a safe and caring environment. You can labor without medication or with an epidural. And afterwards, you will feel like your birth was the special event it was meant to be. (Ronni)

During your pregnancy, hire a doula! Doulas can provide support before and after the birth as well as during. It’s extra support and nurturing for the mom and her partner during their transition into parenthood. A doula can help a woman feel empowered to make choices, and we all know that moms always have lots of choices to make! (Lori)

Look into home birth as an option. There are many studies published on the safety of home birth. Hospital birth is not always the safest option. Home birth allows MUCH more freedom and options. It’s YOUR birth, not theirs. (Emily)

Pain control is all about mind control. Hypnobirthing classes and hypnosis therapy was extremely helpful in gaining control over those thoughts and feelings that can make you tense and thus make labor more uncomfortable. I was able to labor at home and deliver drug free with my first child. (Kathleen)

Do not pack or give away your maternity clothes at the end of your pregnancy. You can plan to still need to wear your maternity pants for at least a couple more months. Going home in your pre-pregnancy clothes is a cruel myth. (Leigh)

For your first baby let it (the gender) be a surprise. It is a great feeling and a great surprise when you don’t know what the sex of the baby is until you have him or her. (Michelle)

I decided to find out my baby’s sex before the birth. I liked the idea of being able to choose a single name, start decorating the nursery, and begin buying gender specific clothing right away. It saved me a lot of stress after the birth, because my baby already had lots of clothing, and her nursery was set up perfectly for a little girl. (Lorraine)

The best piece of equipment I bought was my sling. The worst piece I bought was the crib…it’s a very expensive toy chest. (Amanda)

You can see/purchase the book here:

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