Kelly's Essential Resources from Pregnancy to Toddlerhood

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From Pregnancy to Toddlerhood – Unveiling the Lifesaving Resources That Shaped My Motherhood Journey

Being a mom in the digital age comes with a flood of information, and let's face it, the struggle to find the right resources is real. Whether you're a new mom, a seasoned pro, or someone facing new challenges, I (Kelly) wanted to share a roundup of my absolute favorite resources that might just make your motherhood journey a bit smoother.

Pregnancy: The Birth Hour, Evidence-Based Birth, and Emily Oster

For me, pregnancy was a whirlwind of emotions and questions. The Birth Hour podcast became my sanctuary, sharing diverse birth stories that prepared me for every possible scenario. There's something empowering about listening to different women tackle the wild ride of pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

Evidence Based Birth was my go-to for research-backed information. They have lots of resource sheets for common topics you'll discuss with your care provider, like the research behind induction practices and due-dates. Another research-backed resource was Emily Oster's book, Expecting Better... it was my pregnancy bible. I love how she presents the information and lets you make a decision. No preaching, no righteousness! Collecting information was my game, and these resources paved the way for decisions that felt right for my family.

Postpartum: KellyMom – Saving Me From The Land of Limitless Googling

Postpartum is a rollercoaster (hello leaky boobies, sleep deprivation like you've never experienced, and waterfalls of tears when you least expect it!), and Google can be a maze of information that would lead me into a spiraling hell of jumping to conclusions and doom scrolling. 😩

Enter KellyMom – my literal beacon of sanity. With its wealth of reliable information, it's my first stop for deciphering baby nuances and understanding what's normal or not. When Google overwhelms, KellyMom guides. It became a way to show myself a little bit of self-care in those extremely tough postpartum days so I could avoid the negative noise that straight-up searching brought me.

Breastfeeding: La Leche League International and The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding, a journey of its own. Reading The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, taking a class through our hospital, and leveraging the onsite lactation consultant set my foundation. Once I was home, joining La Leche League International's Facebook Group brought invaluable support. It was comforting to read the posts from so many different women experiencing different (and similar!) things in their breastfeeding journeys. When I needed extra support, I posted in that group and received insight from LLI leaders and fellow breastfeeding mothers.

I had a unique breastfeeding journey in that I breastfed our oldest throughout my entire pregnancy with my second. Once our daughter was born, I tandem breastfed our toddler and baby until they were 2.5 years old and 7 months, respectively. I didn't know anyone directly who had done the same, so I felt a bit lonely and unsure at times. The La Leche League Tandem Nursing Facebook Group was an essential resource. I couldn't have done it without that group!

It helped filling my Instagram feed with accounts that helped me during this time, too. A favorite? Legendairy Milk. The content was amazing! I still follow and support this account and business.

Feeding Baby: SolidStarts – A Graphical Guide to Baby's Culinary Adventures

Purees, Baby Led Weaning, Milk til 1… there are SO many resources out there when it comes to feeding your baby. I have always loved the SolidStarts website and Instagram account. My favorite feature? They take each food and put it in a beautiful graph of the best way to serve that specific food for the age your baby is at. Tons of information on allergens and picky eating plus recipes to prepare. It takes a lot of the headache, overwhelm, and confusion about this (oftentimes) stressful period of time. Believe it or not, I’ve used this resource for each baby because somehow, even after doing it 3 times, I still forget a good plan on how to introduce solids!

Toddler Parenting: Gentle Parenting Resources and Modern Parenting Books

Having kids has really shown me stuff about myself that I need to work on.😅 I learned that I wanted to take a more gentle approach to parenting. Two accounts I couldn't live without? Dr. Siggie and Dr. Becky. I save pretty much every single thing they post, and it has helped me to re-write how I view consequences, discipline, and compassion as a parent. 

Keeping the kids entertained without breaking the bank? Enter Busy Toddler. Susie’s amazing resources and deadpan humor bring me so much joy (and allow me to sittervise more often than not). I couldn’t do it without her. 

I'm an avid reader and audiobook listener, and just like in pregnancy, I loved Emily Oster’s book, Cribsheet. A data-driven approach that provides me with the research summaries so I can make an educated decision about what works best for our family? Sign me up. I also loved Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff because it gave me a lot of tools to approach modern-parenting dilemmas with insight from historical cultures.

These are just some of the resources I’ve used over the years. Mothering in 2023 can feel really lonely at times. We live in the era of the “must be everything to everyone” parent and the death of the village…(you know, how everyone says it takes a village and then that village basically just never shows up?). But, with great resources and a concerted effort with a friend or two, stepping into motherhood can feel less overwhelming and more beautiful. If you’re open to it, it’ll be hard as hell but will transform you for the better. 🌟🤱

😎 Disclaimer: forget those fancy parenting books and baby whisperers. We're self-proclaimed experts in the "School of Hard Knocks" and proud graduates of "Mommy University." Our qualifications? Well, we've survived more tantrums than you can count, and we can fold a fitted sheet in under three minutes (sometimes). This blog shares our opinion, experiences and tips that have worked for us; not everyone's experiences will be the same (obvi).