What To Expect When You’re Expecting and more!

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So I bet you thought we disappeared on you!  We didn’t!  I promise.  Summer time is always busy for our families.  We spend a lot of time traveling, outdoors, and just every day busy stuff.  This summer was made even more eventful by the arrival of my sweet little surprise!  I know what you are thinking…”didn’t she just have a baby?!”  Well I did, our sweet baby girl will be 18 months in just a few days.  And while we thought we were done at four, there were bigger plans in motion and we had surprise baby #5.  Welcome to the family Mr. Sutton!  He was born on June 19th and has been such a sweet addition to our family!

I don’t know about you, but when I’m pregnant somethings feel “old hat” and other things make me feel like I’m experiencing it for the first time.  I’m constantly searching out information to see if what I’m feeling is normal or to be expected.  One of my favorite resources is my What To Expect When You’re Expecting book.  Not only is it the bestselling pregnancy book recommended by moms AND doctors, it’s also the longest running book on the New York Times Bestsellers List!  600+ weeks!!  That’s pretty amazing!

These books are full of amazing information.  It covers the span of preconception all the way to postpartum.  There is even a section for expecting dads to gain a little insight on what’s in store.  My favorite part of What To Expect When You’re Expecting is the embarrassing questions that are answered that you don’t want to actually have to ask out loud.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to be quizzing people on how long postpartum bleeding lasts and hemorrhoids!  I seriously haven’t had one topic that wasn’t covered in this book…crazy dreams?  Check!  Coloring your hair?  Check!  Pains and lumps?  Check and Check!

The best thing is that the information doesn’t stop after you get passed the first 6 weeks!  I was so excited when I received my What To Expect The First Year and What To Expect The Second Year books!

Having an 18 month old along with an infant, in addition to my 12, 7, and 4 year olds…I kind of feel like I’m not quite on top of things.  Little Miss can’t decide if she’s happy about having a new baby in the house or not.  I love being able to read about this stage in her life and being able to know if she’s having a little bit of new baby jealousy or if it’s just regular toddler stuff.

I’m sure you’re saying “Come on Paula, this is your fifth baby, surely you have to know what you are doing by now!”  Honestly, I don’t!  I’m sure you’ve heard it time and again, every pregnancy, every child is different.  You might think you have it all figured out, but in reality we are just learning as we go!  What worked with your first child might not with your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th child.  These book are a great reference to help you along the way and give you a little bit of comfort that what you think might only be happening to you is really fairly normal and something lots of parents go through.

I would seriously encourage anyone to pick up these awesome books.  They are so helpful!  Especially if it’s your first pregnancy, but as I said…I was on number 5 and still referring to What To Expect When You’re Expecting.  Trust me, you won’t regret having this information at your fingertips!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.