Near the end of 1999 my husband and I decided that I would stop taking my birth control pills on New Years Day 2000 and we would try for a second child. In March 2000 I found out that I was pregnant. We were thrilled. Our first son was 6 years old and I knew he would be a great big brother. This was such an exciting time for all of us.
Of course I started looking at all of the different books and information on the subject. It felt like it had been forever since I had been pregnant so I was trying to read everything I could. While at Walmart The What to Expect When You're Expecting Pregnancy Organizer jumped out at me. I've always enjoyed journals, notebooks and anything to write it. This seemed like the perfect thing for me. So of course off to the shopping cart it went. It was $9.71.
This book is by Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi E. Murkoff, and Sandee E. Hathaway, B.S.N. It is 239 pages. This is the only pregnancy diary that you will need. It has a page for anything and everything.
From the cover: A place to keep track of doctor appointments, prenatal classes, and diet; record test results and obstetrical history; note baby names, baby needs, and baby gifts; and preserve pregnancy and childbirth memories.
Let's go over the different parts...
Part One: Prenatal Care
Record your first signs of pregnancy...when you found out, date pregnancy test was taken, your reaction, your spouse's reaction, other children's reaction, grandparent's reaction, family, friends, how you celebrated, your practitioner's info, personal health history, your practitioner's recommendations, results of tests.
There is a place to record each visit with your doctor. You put the date, time, your weight, blood pressure, pulse, any tests, fetal heart rate and comments. There is a place to list all medications that you are taking. Be sure and tell your doctor of any medicines you take. List your pregnancy-related finances. There is a section all for your insurance information and any other financial information that you would like to list.
Part Two: Your Pregnancy Journal
This section has weekly pregnancy pages. You can record your thoughts and feelings. Be sure and put down things that your partner says also. His input is very important. List your milestones and special events. There is a chart for fetal movement recording. It has a place to keep track of all movements.
There are charts called "Your Daily Dozen Diary". In this section you can record the number of servings that you had from each group. Here are the daily dozen recommended amounts:
Calories: enough calories to keep you gaining 1 pound a month in first trimester, 3/4 to 1 pound per week in the 4th through 8th month and 1 to 2 pounds per week in the 9th month for a total of 25 to 35 pounds.
Protein Foods: Four servings daily
Vitamin C Foods: at least 2 servings
Calcium Foods: at least 4 servings
Green Leafy Vegetables and Yellow Fruits and Vegetables: at least 3 servings
Other Fruits & Vegetables: at least 2 servings
Whole Grains and Other Complex Carbohydrates: 5 to 11 servings daily
Iron-Rich Foods: some needed daily
Fat: get 30% of calories from fat.
Salt: Some salt is needed. Salt your foods to taste in cooking, but avoid salty foods such as potato chips or pickles.
Fluids: at least 8 to 10 ounces of water, juice or milk daily.
Nutritional Supplements: a pregnancy supplement daily
There is also a place in this section to list your pregnancy wardrobe. It will help you figure out what you need to buy.
Part Three: Getting Ready for Baby
It will give you a detailed list of everything you need for your baby. It is a checklist and it called Baby Essentials. It includes the layette, toiletries, medicine chest, feeding supplies, furnishings and for baby's outings. There is a column for what you have and for what you need.
There is a section for comparison shopping. Make notes while you are out and compare prices. There is a lot of places to list the item, store, make, size, color, price, availability and features.
There is a section for potential baby doctor notes. Interview the doctors. It has a guide sheet for you. Name, address, phone, specialty, hospital affiliation, office hours, waiting time, call hours and many other questions.
Part Four: Getting Ready for Childbirth:
There are plenty of pages to record your childbirth education class notes. Plan your birthing plan before the actual day. This will help to not have misunderstandings later. This area has 30 topics for you to record. Also there is a huge area for any other comments.
This section also includes: a hospital checklist, going home checklist, who to call when labor begins, who to call after delivery, and any other notes.
Part Five: Baby's Arrival:
There is a labor diary. Record all the details about the contractions, how your partner acted, other children, when you called the doctor, when you went to the hospital, what instructions were given to you. Next is a childbirth diary. Record the details of the first stage (labor) and the second stage (delivery). Meet the Baby is the next area for writing. Write down anything and everything that you'd like to record about your new bundle of joy. It is so much fun later reading through all of these things. You can't imagine how much you actually forget about the whole process until you re-read it. Write down your baby care instructions from your doctor. Now tell all about going home. There is 4 pages to record your birth announcements. Next is a page to list all baby gifts. This is helpful when sending thank you cards. You don't want to forget anyone. There is also a page for your six-week checkup information. You can also include any special pictures or notes that you'd like. This is your book so fix it anyway that you want!
Also from these authors:
What to Expect When You're Expecting, What to Expect the First Year and What to Expect the Toddler Years.
This book is easy to use and won't let you forget a thing. It lets you record every bit of information from the start to finish. You will be so glad that you kept up with this book years from now. It will be a keepsake and something that you and your child will enjoy in future years. I had a great time writing in my journal. I hope that you will too.
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