Books and Websites
Books on Pregnancy, Birth, Babies, and Parenting
I wrote a list & summary of the books we’ve found useful using the “So You’d Like To… Guide” feature on amazon.com, and I’ll try to keep it updated as we learn about other good books:
Websites with Good Information
- General
- Berkeley Parents Network: newsletters and forums on all topics
- BabyCenter Family Finance Basics
- Breastfeeding videos from The Pump Station
- Ask Dr. Sears (pediatrician/book author)
- Kellymom breastfeeding & parenting info
- For toxins/safety
- Environmental Working Group (EWG)
- Environment California’s Environmental Health section
- HealthyChild.org
- Cosmetic Safety Database (created by EWG)
- Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (they have fact sheets)
- SafeFetus.com drug database
- HealthyCar.org rates cars and car seats on levels of toxic chemicals
- HealthyToys.org tests and rates toys on levels of toxic chemicals
- Consumer Reports Babies & Kids has safety and quality ratings of kids’ products
- “Ask an Organic Mom” blog has some useful posts
- Nutrition
- Northwestern Nutrition Fact Sheets (scroll down to see sheets for each vitamin/mineral)
- Linus Pauling Institute info on multivitamins
- Center for Science in the Public Interest article on multivitamins
- Information on choline (important for fetal brain development; quick info is, eat lots of eggs during pregnancy — protein in the white, choline in the yolk):
- Mayo Clinic articles on pregnancy nutrition: healthy eating, essential nutrients, foods to avoid.
- Exercise during pregnancy
- ACOG education pamphlet
- BabyCenter’s 13 Rules
- Yoga pregnancy exercises, by trimester plus some neck stretches (these are good to do at home, but what you’d do/learn in a prenatal yoga class is much better)
- Swimming is supposed to be the best cardiovascular exercise during pregnancy, because you can still do it as you get big & your joints get funky.
- For LA or Santa Monica locals:
- Santa Monica Birth & Beyond – Childbirth classes and more, doula resources, lactation consultants, nursing supplies. They don’t have regular store hours, so you have to contact Cheryl if you want to shop, or just shop when you’re there for a class.
- Santa Monica Yoga – I really like Shayna Reid’s prenatal/postnatal yoga classes. For the non-pregnant, Romy Phillips is a great instructor.