While many books for new parents focus on prenatal development and the health of a mom-to-be, Suzanne Hadley Gosselin‘s Expectant Parents core purpose is to help new parents understand key issues related to the arrival of a new child in the home, offering practical assistance as they prepare themselves for long-term family success.

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Learn ways to strengthen your marriage relationship, set plans and expectations for parenthood, increase communication, and prepare for the new stage of your family life. Pick up a copy for yourself or for expectant friends and enter for a chance to win an iPad Mini!

One grand prize winner will receive:

  • An iPad Mini
  • Expectant Parents from Suzanne Hadley Gosselin and Focus on the Family

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 2nd. Winner will be announced November 3rd on Suzanne’s website here.

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My Review:

This book has a very cute cover which attracted me immediately and since I am writing my own pregnancy book, I wanted to read it. I soon learned that this book went a totally different way than my book will be going!

This book is written to expectant parents, no matter if they are experienced or not, but more focused on the parents that are #1-3.  It is practical advice for dads and moms learning to cope with the changes that pregnancy brings, how to deal with the annoying comments people make and planning post baby careers.

For me, I found the layout a bit distracting. The chapters are broken up with boxes of text with stories, poems, and interesting blog post quotes. I was more expecting a focus on the physical side of coping, and while that is addressed briefly, it more focused on the emotional side of parenting. The self doubts  that almost every parent faces, the frustration with the physical changes, and false information that others can give you about what to expect, is addressed in here. There are many topics addressed directly to dads, and how they found coping, pitching in and other ways to be the best father possible.

The one thing  I didn’t find as helpful was the breastfeeding advice. There was a suspicious lack of it. I realized towards the end, that perhaps the author did not have a successful breastfeeding relationship, but that was the extent of the advice. There was also advice from a dad that said how they kept their marriage strong was to have the baby not sleep in their room and go on multiple date nights a week.  While this may work for some parents, it can undermine a good breastfeeding relationship, just as simple as that.

I did like the coverage of doulas that were briefly mentioned in the book, although it didn’t cover anything as far as care providers or birth choices in any detail, it was briefly mentioned, which was great! There was a doula even quoted in the book!

Overall, it was a great book for the parents that are readers and looking for some guidance on the new journey they are about to embark on.

tippetts

tippetts

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