My Parenting and Pregnancy Library, Part 2 (and an U/S update)

See part 1 here.

1. Taking Charge of Your Fertility-- I didn't get my hands on this book till after I was already pregnant, but had heard so much about it from women on the message boards on The Nest that when I saw it at the library's book sale a while back I had to buy it. I've only just started reading it, and it really does seem to be required reading for all women, whether you're trying to get pregnant or not, whether you're wanting to try natural birth control methods or not. We all deserve to know what's going on in our bodies and when, and it's astounding how many myths and how much misinformation floats around out there even from credible sources like, say, your gyno.
   
2. The Nursing Mother's Companion-- I guess I can't quite say how useful this book will be until I'm actually trying to breastfeed, but it sure seems like a good thing to have this information ahead of time and have some realistic expectations establishing and succeeding at breastfeeding.
3. The Modern Girl's Guide to Motherhood-- Flaky at times, but does have some good info and I really like her advice on how to communicate with your child and discipline in Chapter 7.
4. In The Womb-- Found this book by chance, after having heard lots about the documentary its based on. It's so incredible to learn more about what baby's going through during all 9 months of pregnancy!
   
5. The Birth Book-- Amazing. I loved this book. It's written by a doctor and a nurse, so obviously people who know and respect the medical establishment, yet still feel that many of the interventions that are so common today in childbirth (early induction, Pitocin, c-sections...) are unnecessary and possibly even detrimental to having a safe and satisfying birth. Not too crunchy-granola, either. Really inspired me to seek out the kind of birth I'd prefer to have for my child (while also being realistic about the need for Plan Bs, and they acknowledge that each of these interventions can be good and necessary in certain situations, just that they tend to be over-used today). I just lent this to another pregnant friend here, and when I get it back I'm making Zach read it so he can follow along with the tips for supporting me in labor.

Yes, I've built up quite a library... ; ) But I'm sure they'll get plenty of use as they get passed around after I'm done with them...

By the way, I had an u/s today to check baby's position (see if he's head-down yet, which he is... now stay that way!). Since the whole purpose of the scan was just to see how he was positioned I wasn't sure if the tech would give me much more info, but she was really nice and showed me all his little parts again. I got to see feet (even have a picture of his toes, which I plan to scan in and show off soon) and his hand and fingers waving, and got a glimpse at his face... and the HAIR that's on his head! She also mentioned more than once how he's kind of a big baby. My weekly emails say that the average weight for a 32-week-old fetus is about 3.5-4lbs, but she estimated today that Loki's at about 5.5lbs! She said that projected outwards this could mean he could be as big as 9lbs by the time he's born. She mentioned (jokingly, I think) that it'd be good if he decided to come a couple weeks early so he could be smaller, I laughed and told her I'd talk to him about it. Now I guess these u/s weight estimates can be off by as much as a pound or 2, but still... doesn't seem like he's gonna be taking after me or my siblings in the weight department (we were all petite babies). Oh well. The tech said he looks to be a very well-nourished baby, and that I must have an excellent placenta. =P