Pregnancy Readership

I've met two kinds of expectant parents: those who live the pregnancy with more information than even the doctors, and those who get by with at least recognizing when things go wrong. The former research every little event they observe and may even know the biology and chemistry behind it all. The latter just know that cramping is not good and that drinking alcohol is bad. I read a study once that suggested the happiest pregnancies are more on the uninformed side, mostly because they don't know about everything that could go wrong or what should be happening, which can be overwhelming and discouraging. In other words, how much should you endeavor to know about your pregnancy without losing the joyful experience that it is?

We are middle-of-the-road: know enough about what's happening so you know what to expect, can comfortably explain what is happening to you, and won't be alarmed about normal pregnancy events. Since I am the researcher in our home, I took on the responsibility of being in the know, not only because it is my personality, but also because I wanted this to be one of the ways I remain actively involved in the pregnancy.

So every Thursday morning during breakfast, we have been reviewing baby progress: we talk about the baby's development, and what should be happening to the mother. We review any upcoming procedures and appointments or areas of concern. We give ourselves some tasks and educate ourselves about various pregnancy topics (since this is our first). But mostly, we sync up on how our lives are changing, and what we should be doing to ensure a successful pregnancy.

I have read the usual lot of books (as shown in the image), but I settled for weekly newsletters that deliver just the nugget of progress we need to focus on that week. The websites send additional advertisement and special articles from time to time, so beware of an increase in emails when you sign up. Also, each author may have a different understanding of, say, "30 weeks": do they mean you have finished 30 weeks, or that you are in your 30th week? Are they counting gestational or developmental weeks (which is off by 2 weeks)? Some use weeks that end on the day of the week when your due date is (like our weeks end on Wednesdays), others use the weekend. Some begin sending the weekly progress newsletter in the middle of your week, others wait until you have finished the week. There are a lot of pregnancy tracking websites, but they provide almost the same information. My list below has a few that have relatively in-depth articles, and a few that I use to confirm what other websites are saying.

Baby Center (http://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy).
What To Expect (http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/landing-page.aspx).
American Pregnancy (http://americanpregnancy.org/week-by-week).
Pregnancy Corner (http://www.pregnancycorner.com/being-pregnant/pregnancy-week-by-week.html).
Parenting (http://www.parenting.com/pregnancy/week-by-week).
The Bump (http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy-week-by-week.aspx).
Baby Zone (http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy-week-by-week/).
Pregnancy Symptoms Week By Week (http://www.pregnancysymptomsweekbyweek.org/).
BabyGaga (http://www.babygaga.com/calendar/pregnancy).
Countdown My Pregnancy (http://www.countdownmypregnancy.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-week-by-week.php).
Everyday Family (http://www.everydayfamily.com/pregnancy-calendar/).
Parents Connect (http://3dpregnancy.parentsconnect.com/calendar/1-week-pregnant/).
Lamaze International (http://www.lamaze.org/YourPregnancyWeekByWeek).
Netmums (http://www.netmums.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-week-by-week-guide).

I also like this one that's delivered everyday:
* Family Education (http://pregnancy.familyeducation.com/).