Seven of My Favorite Pregnancy Resources

Are you anxiously counting down the days in anticipation of your little one's arrival? If that is you, remember to use your precious time wisely during these months of waiting.  I cannot stress enough the importance of preparing for your baby's birth and gaining full knowledge of what your body is about to go through. (Yes, I just might be suggesting you use this time to create a birth plan, gasp!) Alright, alright, let me be clear. I know that it is impossible to know every detail of the journey that lies ahead and regardless of how much you plan, the sovereign Lord will "determine your steps" (Prov. 16:9). BUT that doesn't mean we should forgo developing goals and making future preparations. It is wise to make financial plans ("live like no one else now so that you can live like no one else later"--thank you Dave Ramsey); wedding plans (when you're engaged preferably), and trips-to-visit-the-in-laws plans. The difference is as Christians we hold our plans with open hands and trust that God has the best plans for us no matter how our story unfolds. Of course, this is much easier said than done and must be a mentality that we ask God to give us and embrace on a daily basis.

I know there are soooo many blogs and books out there on bearing babies, but I thought I'd get you started in your research by sharing some of my favorite resources that best equipped me for the arrival of our sweet little Emmaline.  You may notice these suggestions are primarily geared toward my preference of having a natural childbirth in a hospital setting, which, I might add, was not at all something that interested me until well into my pregnancy after watching an enlightening and just-a-bit-too-dramatic presentation called...

1. The Business of Being Born

2. Natural Hospital Birth: The Best of Both Worlds

3. Passionate Homemaking 

4. Mama Natural 

5. Your Best Birth 

6. The Humbled Homemaker 

7. Wellness Mama