Day 14: A Nonfictional Book

Right now, I'm reading The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. My mom, who has been a labor and delivery nurse for the better part of twenty years, bought the book for me after showing the video to her patients for the last few years. Basically, Dr. Karp makes the case for what he calls "the missing fourth trimester," or the first three months of a newborn's life, and how to calm your baby and make her transition from the womb to the world a smooth one that's painless (well, relatively) for everybody. He uses examples from non-western societies where colic is rarely, if ever, experienced, making the case for baby-wearing, swaddling, breastfeeding, shuushing, and basic cuddling. 

 As a first-time mommy to be, I'm really enjoying reading this book. I've been reading it since May, so I'm definitely taking my time and really absorbing what Dr. Karp has to say. The thing I'm really not sure about as far as if I'm going to be able to do it is swaddling. I remember my mom trying to teach me how to swaddle my baby dolls when I was little and I could never get the hang of it. If I couldn't swaddle a baby doll that didn't move, how am I ever going to swaddle a real life baby that wiggles all over the place? I know they have products to help make swaddling easier, but I really want to save as much money as I possibly can, especially since I won't be getting paid between Thanksgiving and the middle of January. 

Overall, I think what Dr. Karp offers is really good advice, and I'm so glad my mom got this book for me! As always, if you have any advice or tips, please leave them in the comments!