Five Favorites: Pregnancy/Babies of the Internets

 

So, this baby is pretty close to getting here. How close? Well, my "sprinkle" is this weekend (don't think a sprinkle is a real thing because of how gross it sounds? Well it is. Proof at MODG, with pictures of her sprinkle. It's a little baby shower, and also something that happens when you are way too pregnant), which, yeah, is a little late, but I still might have time to get myself together before the little man makes his appearance. But like, that's my last actual go-out-in-public event that I have scheduled until at least Thanksgiving. The rest of this pregnancy is going to be spent "nesting" (by which I mean eating the middles out of Oreos), napping, and groaning about having to get out of my pajamas to do simple stuff like drop my daughter off at preschool. Because my whole family will be in town, I'm even going pumpkin picking on Saturday but guess what? No hayride for me. Cuz, you know, the bumps and being super-far from civilization and all. My mom decided that that really means I'm not actually pumpkin picking, in her opinion, but I say bah. Way to ruin Halloween, Ma.
BUT in the spirit of baby-nearness, I wanted to share with you the websites I've been visiting regularly to make sure I'm still at least somewhat competent at this new baby mothering thing (SURPRISE! not so much). Here are this week's five favorites. I hope you can make as much use of them as I have! (PS I'm linking up today for the weekly Five Favorites at MoxieWife.com. Check it out!)

1. The Pregnant Chicken blog. Funny and informative. Useful and silly. Tells me about products I didn't even know existed. Reminds me that pregnancy doesn't have to always be happiness and fairies and ice cream, and that I'm not the only one who thinks so. Also, pictures of cats sometimes, which is always a plus.
2. The Expecting Better: Pregnancy by the Numbers blog on Slate. So, it ended, there are not new posts, but it's a good resource anyway.  By the author of Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong, and What You Really Need to Know, which thankfully
   attempts to remove the panic that's become associated with modern pregnancy. This is a short series that looks at the statistics behind all of those awful things that "What to Expect" warns you could (and by their count, probably will) happen to you and your unborn child, in order to remove some terror. 
3. Lucie's List is really a registry checklist, but it's also a fabulous guide for soon-to-be and new moms. The postpartum page is especially useful because it outlines all of the fun things that happen in the hospital which you may have forgotten about between babies (like how they "massage" the fundus until you want to pass out, and how sometimes they "forget" to take your IV out like, forever). The author, Meg Collins, tries to make sure that other new moms avoid the issues that come along with not knowing what they need (and not knowing what they are getting themselves into). Good stuff!
4. The Keeper of the Home blog. Not specifically about childbirth/pregnancy/babies, but there is a section just about mothering, and an ongoing series that chronicles days in the life of different mothers in different situations (like, moms with a zillion kids, work-at-home moms, all kinds of ladies doing it better than me!). Lots of posts about natural and organic family living and lots of recipes, with emphasis on health of the whole family.
5. Cute Baby Animals tumblr. What, you honestly thought I only meant baby humans? Come on, you should know me better than that by now. I'm pretty sure that when I'm once again staring at a baby human all day every day (not to mention all night every night), just the sight of cuddly, adorable, not screaming baby animals will calm me down a little bit and make everything just that much easier. PS-there's a feature here that lets you pick the baby animal you want to look at, so if you want to see just kittens or just goats or whatever, you totally can.

How about you? Any super-useful sites for new (or second-time) moms, or resources you wish you found earlier? Tell me about them in the comments!