Nursing Some Good Reads

I nurse, therefore I read…

Am I the only one who does a whole lot of reading in those first few months with a baby?  While I don’t have nearly the time that I did with my first baby, I still find myself reading a lot when I am nursing my babies.  I have tendencies to get easily distracted and am usually in the middle of a couple of books.  The sleep deprivation or fluctuating hormones must be accenting that because I’m dabbling in more than usual.

I’m always curious to see what others are reading, so I figured I would share my current reads.  Since I think I’ve nursed her in almost every room in the house, I thought I would share the books I have located in each spot!

My Backpack Bible ~ This tiny Bible with a snap closure received its nickname when I bought it in college.  It travelled back and forth to school with me daily and has been a staple in my diaper bag.  I’ve been keeping it handy downstairs because I can hold it with one hand making reading it while nursing possible.  It is the Bible we grabbed when we did the first day of our advent devotional and pictured here.

The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains
I knew I was starting my climb out of the post-partum fog when I started reading this book.  What can I say, brain research excites me as long as I’m not too sleep deprived.   This fascinating read delves into how surfing the Internet is actually changing the way we think and re-wiring our brains…  I’m sure some people are more effected than others.  A friend posted a recent CNN article about ‘popcorn brain’ on facebook this summer and it really challenged me.  So when I saw this book, I knew I wanted to read it.

A Family of Value
My dad found this when it was offered as a free Kindle book.  He liked it so much he bought a paper copy for each of his daughters.  I wish I had read something like this several years earlier.  It is just common-sense, old fashioned parenting.  The author is a psychologist who bought into the ‘nouveau’ ideology advanced by mainstream psychology until their firstborn reached the age of three.  They realized that instead of creating their dream of a the loving democracy that a dictatorship had arisen and the 3 year old was in charge.  That’s when they realized that they needed to return to time-tested parenting models.  His book hinges on the concept of raising children who “were endowed with traits of character that constituted good citizenship: specifically respect for persons in positions of legitimate authority; a willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own social behavior as well as assignment from authority figures; and resourcefulness, a hang-in-there, tough-it-out, try-and-try again attitude toward the many challenges of life.”  So far it has been eye-opening, convicting and intensely practical.  While he is a believer this is not a specifically Christian book.

A Natural Guide to Postpartum Health
I’m a science junkie who is fascinated with the health aspects surrounding fertility, pregnancy and babies. I’ve also had a growing interest in the area of post-partum care of women and nutrition. 
This book explains how the most common postpartum complaints are actually a result of nutrient and hormonal depletion and imbalance.  I found this book fascinating. It is changing the way I want to help women. I have been having conversations with my sister and a few friends over the years about how we can best care for each other post-partum and this book was very helpful. I checked it out through inter-library loan, so unfortunately had to skim through the last several chapters because I didn’t have enough time to read all of it. But with the science emphasis, I didn’t always have the brainpower for this kind of reading… I’m cutting myself slack though and reminding myself that I’m going through those very hormonal changes talked about and suffering from a bit of sleep deprivation. I would love to buy this book sometime so that I can use it as a resource when my friends and sisters have children!

Cure Tooth Decay Naturally: Heal and Prevent Cavities with Nutrition
I’ve been researching nutrition a lot over the last year and making more adjustments with how we eat.  When I came across this book during a library search for something else, it piqued my curiosity.  It is a fascinating book and while I don’t think his recommendations are very reasonable for those on a tight budget, I’ve found changes we can make and it has challenged how I’ve viewed oral health…

The Black Stallion
We’ve been working our way through the Black Stallion.  One of my favorite times to read chapter books to them is at the kitchen table.  Sometimes I read while they are wrapping up lunch or during afternoon smoothies.  Other times, I give them paper and turn them loose drawing while I read.  Busy hands make for more focused minds.  Even the three year old can pay attention sometimes…  

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
She isn’t sleeping in the nursery at night yet, but when I’m in this room, sleep is on my mind.  Hence I reach for this book that I’ve read with each of my children.  This book really taught me how to read my children’s sleep cues and find a routine that worked for each of them.  It is always such a relief when I start to figure my kids out and when they reach the age of slipping into a routine.  That time is just around the corner for us!

My regular Bible is on my nightstand.  I find I can read it at night for a bit while I nurse Greta one last time.

In the days after Greta was born and I was attempting to stay in bed, I also enjoyed rereading C.S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet.  His vocabulary is amazing and I felt stretched in a good kind of way.  I couldn’t help but reflect on how reading really helps boost and build one’s vocabulary.  This is what probably inspired me to try and increase my time spent reading books over the last 2 months.

While I’ve promised myself to not start anything else until I finish these, I’m always looking for new book recommendations!  I’m thinking a novel would be a nice break for my next book.  So I’d love to hear what books are being read at your home.