I’m up to my eyebrows in pregnancy books…

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I am a textbook Type-A Personality and I always have been…

In Elementary School, I would beg my Mom to start buying my school supplies in June.

In High School, if there was an A/P class, concurrent enrollment option, or scholarship, I was always the first to sign up.

In college, if there was a term paper to write, you better believe I had it written AND edited halfway through the semester.

When I got engaged, my entire wedding and honeymoon was planned within a week (impressive considering it was a destination wedding).

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when it came time to start my TTC journey, I bought every book and downloaded every app known to (wo)man. I read every page of those books as if my life depended on it, re-read every “Knowledge Base” tip on those apps more times than necessary, and memorized the TTC charts as if I was going to be tested on them.

Luckily, all that studying paid off and I (surprisingly) got pregnant on our second cycle TTC; however, instead of feeling relief when I saw those two pink lines, I felt panic. How in the world is 9 months enough time to learn everything I can about maintaining a healthy pregnancy; child birth; breastfeeding; sleep training; and, not to mention, keep up with how big my precious little baby was supposed to be (Is it a kiwi or a kumquat this week? And what in the world is a kumquat?!)?

Of course, I immediately downloaded every pregnancy app and bought every book I could get my hands on and google became my best friend!

  • Does a cramp on my lower left side mean I have an ectopic pregnancy? 
  • Will two Tylenol hurt the baby?
  • When should I feel my baby kick?
  • Will drinking caffeine during pregnancy cause my child to be hyperactive?

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As you can guess, I quickly annoyed my husband got overwhelmed! My pregnancy by the week books are now coffee table books that I occasionally look at if I can’t find anything on Netflix my husband bans me from binge watching Netflix.

My breastfeeding book is collecting dust on my nightstand and is occasionally used as a sleep aid (it will put your right to sleep, I swear).  My sleep training books are sitting on top of my dresser because, at the moment, my sleep is more important than my future child’s sleep.  And my apps are now checked once a day (if that) to see if there are any interesting articles and to remind me to do my daily Kegels.

And you know what? I am okay with that! This Type-A Mom-to-be has finally realized that nothing in those books will take my daily worries away because those worries aren’t from being unprepared–those worries are from being a mom! From the instant those lines showed up on the pregnancy test, I became a mom and my #1 job became to protect that baby (which, much to my surprise, is a natural instinct…not something you learn in a book)!

So, for my fellow Type-A TTC/early pregnancy women out there…

Don’t feel bad for choosing sleep over reading the books.

Do not let all of the information overwhelm you.

Do not let your husband convince you allow yourself to feel like a crazy person for wanting to research every little thing.

All you need to do is love that baby and protect it the best you can, everything else will fall into place!

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Alana Livingston
Alana is a small-town Oklahoma girl who now resides in Edmond with her husband and 1 year old daughter. She has a bachelor's degree in Business Management and an MBA in Marketing. Alana quit her job as a Marketing Director to be a SAHM when her daughter was born. She is a former Foster Mom with a huge passion for foster care. Alana loves to spend her time playing with her daughter, binge watching Netflix and Hulu, practicing yoga (practice being the key word), and hanging out with her husband.

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