The Ultimate Pregnancy Resource
Preparing for a new baby can be exciting and stressful. From monitoring your babies growth inside the womb, choosing a name, choosing a childbirth method and location, to recovering and adjusting to a new family dynamic, there are many things to consider. Fortunately, learning as much as possible about pregnancy, delivery and recovery will help you become more comfortable with the entire process.
This guide will introduce some interesting facts about pregnancy, a comprehensive list of resources, and online communities where you can discuss your concerns with other parents.
Quick Facts - Planning - Nutrition & Fitness - Health - Fun Stuff - Birthing Options - Recovery - Family Relations - Complications - Online Communities
Quick Facts
- A developing fetus’s heart begins to beat at 18 days gestation. (justthefacts.org)
- Conjoined twins occur in approximately 1 out of 100,000 births. (justthefacts.org)
- Fewer than 10% of babies are born on their due date. Approximately 50% of babies are born within 1 week of their due date and 90% are born within 2 weeks of the due date. (Random Facts)
- Home pregnancy tests, when taken at the proper time and before the test’s expiration date, are about 99% accurate. (Health Tree)
- In 1970, the average age for a first-time mother was 21. By 2005, the average age for a first-time mother was 25. (Expecting Words)
- The average size of full term babies in the U.S. is 8 pounds, up from 6 pounds 30 years ago. (Random Facts)
- The C-section rate has increased by 50% over the last 10 years. (Expecting Words)
- The pregnancy rate among teenagers fell 40% between 1990 and 2005. (March of Dimes)
- There are approximately 6 Million pregnancies in the U.S. every year, meaning that about 4% of U.S. women are pregnant at any given time. (Random Facts)
Planning for Pregnancy
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: ACOG presents news and research on all aspects of pregnancy and parenting.
- American Pregnancy Association: American Pregnancy Association offers resources on pregnancy planning, birth plans and delivery options, finding an OB/GYN, planning for your baby’s arrival and other useful information.
- Childbirth Connection: Childbirth Connection helps women make informed decisions about pregnancy and childbirth. The site includes information on conception, pregnancy, childbirth, health-related matters and more.
- Epigee: Epigee presents information on health, nutrition and wellness during pregnancy, an a variety of other pregnancy-related topics.
- Keep Kids Healthy: The Keep Kids Healthy Pregnancy Planner is a collection of resources on conception, pregnancy, health and parenting.
- Palo Alto Medical Foundation: The Palo Alto Medical Foundation presents information on how to maintain a healthy pregnancy through diet and lifestyle.
- Women’s Health: This site, presented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, includes information on health and wellness before and during pregnancy, as well as adoption and foster care.
Nutrition & Fitness
- BabyFit: BabyFit includes information on pregnancy health, fitness and health topics, in a variety of formats, including lists and articles.
- Fit Pregnancy Food & Nutirtion: Fit Pregnancy Food & Nutrition offers tips on diet, vitamins, what to eat and what not to eat, and more.
- Home & Family Network Pregnancy Nutrition: The Home & Family Network site on pregnancy nutrition includes recipes, checklists, articles and quizzes to help expectant mothers learn about proper nutrition.
- IVillage Pregnancy Fitness & Nutrition: IVillage presents information on pregnancy fitness and nutrition in article and question & answer format.
- Just Mommies Pregnancy: Just Mommies Pregnancy site helps expectant mothers learn about nutrition and fitness, vitamins, what to eat and what to avoid, how to incorporate exercise and more.
- Pregnancy.org: Pregnancy.org Health and Fitness offers information on diet, exercise, weight management and more to help pregnant women stay healthy.
- Revolution Health Pregnancy: The Revolution Health Pregnancy site is a comprehensive resource for pregnancy diet and fitness information.
- What to Expect Pregnancy Fitness: What to Expect’s Pregnancy Fitness site offers articles, week by week guides and workout ideas for expectant mothers.
Health
- American Medical Network Pregnancy Health Center: The Pregnancy Health Center presents information on all aspects of health and wellness, including specific health conditions.
- Fit Pregnancy Health: Fit Pregnancy Health is a collection of articles on all aspects of health for expectant mothers, including sun protection, changes in your body, travel, health conditions and more.
- Health Guru Pregnancy: Health Guru Pregnancy includes videos, surveys, quizzes articles, and information on specific health conditions, covering virtually all aspects of pregnancy health.
- Just the Facts Baby: Just the Facts Baby presents information on food, exercise, and other health concerns during pregnancy.
- Kids Health Staying Healthy During Pregnancy: This site includes information on how to stay healthy during pregnancy, including what to expect, health care schedules, nutrition, delivery options and a number of other topics.
- Mayo Clinic Pregnancy Week by Week: Mayo Clinic provides information on having a healthy pregnancy, including what to expect in each trimester, complications, expert answers and more.
- MSN Health & Fitness Pregnancy: This site presents articles, question and answer, videos and more on health and fitness during pregnancy.
Fun Stuff
- Babies Online: Babies Online includes a variety of resources for new and expectant mothers, including lost of fun stuff. Visitors will find due date and birthday calculators, week by week pregnancy information, baby names and more.
- Baby Zone: Baby Zone offers a number of fun pregnancy tools, including an ovulation tracker, due date calendar, baby horoscopes, baby names, cards and product reviews.
- BabyFit Baby Names: The BabyFit enables users to read lists of popular baby names, search for names and their meanings, and browse baby names alphabetically.
- BabyNames.com: BabyNames.com is the comprehensive source for baby names. The site offers lists, surveys, historical information, a name search function, celebrity baby blogs and many more fun, interactive features.
- Fit Pregnancy Freebies: Fit Pregnancy’s Freebies pages include product reviews, product giveaways, sweepstakes and other free resources for pregnancy.
- Pregnancy.org Products: The Pregnancy.org Products site presents reviews of a variety of pregnancy and parenting related books, safety gear, bedding, toys, cleaning products, and other products to help parents good decisions before they buy.
- Social Security Administration Popular Baby Names: The Social Security Administration presents lists of popular baby names by year, drawn from social security records.
Birthing Options
- A Dream of Childbirth: A Dream of Childbirth presents detailed information about various childbirth options and how to choose, and also includes videos and links to other resources.
- Childbirth Resource Center: The Childbirth Resource presents detailed information and statistics, on various childbirth options and includes photos of childbirth.
- Choices in Childbirth: Choices in Childbirth is a comprehensive resource provided by a non-profit organization that strives to improve maternity care by helping women make informed decisions. The site includes information about childbirth, surveys, events, and a provider directory.
- Lil Sugar Six Birth Options to Consider: This site presents, in slide show format, six popular childbirth options. There are also links to other articles and pregnancy resources.
- Parents.com: This site, on preparing a detailed birth plan, discusses birth and delivery options and includes a helpful checklist.
- Pregnancy Info Childbirth Options: This site explains what happens during labor and delivery, including what to expect with various birthing options.
- Project CABO: The official site of the Community Alliance for Birth Options, Project CABO supports efforts to retain options for non-interventive and natural childbirth. The site includes news, articles and information on community activism.
- WebMD Health & Pregnancy: This WebMD site discusses birthing options and how to choose the right option for you.
Recovery
- About.com Postpartum Recovery: This About.com site presents information on recovery after childbirth, including rest and health immediately after birth, caesarian section recovery, signs and symptoms of potential complications and more.
- California Pacific Medical Center: California Pacific Medical Center provides information on postpartum nutrition, with advice on vitamins and minerals and specific guides for breastfeeding mothers.
- Health.com Labor, Delivery and Postpartun Period: Health.com presents information on postpartum recovery and health issues, including emotional and sexual issues.
- Kristen’s Guide Postpartum Recovery: This site presents advice on what to expect during postpartum recovery, delivered in a conversational, irreverent tone that makes it easy to read as well as informative.
- Motherwell Maternity Fitness: Motherwell Maternity Fitness shares tips for fitness after childbirth and includes links to other articles on postpartum fitness.
- Parenthood.com Speed Your Postpartum Recovery: Parenthood.com provides information on postpartum health issues, how to deal with them, and what to expect at every stage.
- Post-Natal Abdominal Exercise: WomenFitness.net presents this step-by-step guide on post-natal abdominal exercises to help you get back in shape after birth.
Family Relations
- Berkeley Parents Network: This site provides a venue for parents to ask questions and share advice on how to tell children about new siblings and how to prepare your family for the new baby.
- BetterParenting.com: This article by Better Parenting offers advice on how to tell your kids about the new baby, based on children’s ages and personalities.
- Childbirth Connection Relationships: This site includes information and advice on family and marital relationships when planning a family, during pregnancy and delivery, and during early parenthood.
- Expecting Words: The author, Laurie Puhn, offers advice and strategies to help expectant couples communicate more effectively and resolve conflict surrounding pregnancy and parenting.
- Families.com Pregnancy Advice: Families.com gives advice on pregnancy and marriage, and includes to other articles on similar topics.
- Just for Dads: This site, from The March of Dimes, helps new dads-to-be become involved and prepare for pregnancy, delivery and parenting.
- Kids Health Preparing Your Child for a New Sibling: This Kids’ Health site gives useful advice for preparing your children for their new sibling, including how to prepare during pregnancy and how to acclimate after birth.
- Paternity Angel.com: Paternity Angel’s “The Father’s Role in Pregnancy” provides information on how fathers can take an active role in pregnancy and assist in childbirth.
Complications
- About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth: This About.com site presents information on a number of specific pregnancy and childbirth complications as well as birth stories, advice and more.
- AmericanPregnancy.org Pregnancy Complications: This site presents detailed information about the occurrence, symptoms and treatment for a number of pregnancy complications.
- Discovery Health Pregnancy Complications: This Discovery Health site provides information on a variety of complications, through articles, videos and more.
- Facts About Miscarriage: This site provides information on the signs and symptoms of miscarriage, medical treatments, and advice on healing and coping with loss.
- GYNOB.com Pregnancy Complications: GYNOB.com provides information on a number of illnesses and complications during pregnancy.
- Merck Manual: This site, by the Merck Manual, includes information on and prevention and treatment for various complications occurring during labor and delivery.
- Spinning Babies Rebozo Shifting or Jiggling: This site explains, in detail, the process of “sifting” to help a breech baby get into proper birth position, avoid medical intervention and Caesarian section.
Online Communities & Forums
- American Pregnancy Association Forum: The American Pregnancy Association Forums are free but require registration prior to reading or posting.
- Babies Online Message Boards: The Babies Online message board includes forums on conception, pregnancy, parenting, and off-topic chat.
- Baby Zone Community: The Baby Zone Community is an all-inclusive message board about pregnancy and parenting topics, as well as home, living and off-topic discussion.
- BabyNames.com Message Boards: This message board includes an extensive list of pregnancy, parenting and family topics.
- Epigee Forums: The Epigee Forums provide a place for women to discuss pregnancy, fertility, birth control, women’s health, relationships, and other topics.
- Fit Pregnancy Community: The Fit Pregnancy Community includes message boards on conception, pregnancy, parenting and local and regional message boards.
- IVillage Message Boards: The IVillage Message Boards provide a venue for women to discuss all aspects of pregnancy and parenting.
- Pregnancy.org Community: The Pregnancy.org Community goes beyond typical pregnancy and childbirth topics, covering parenting, family relationships and other issues.
- What to Expect Community: The What to Expect Community includes message boards on almost every pregnancy and parenting topic, including “Moms in college”, “Green Parenting” and local and regional message boards.
