Here’s something for all the expecting mommas out there, and a great read even if you have already experienced your own pregnancy journey. Expecting Perfect: My Bumpy Journey to Mommyhood by Nadine Bubeck, is a tell all journal of Nadine’s pregnancy. It’s a perfect balance of laughter, tears, struggles, and most importantly a candid look of what a pregnant women goes through, during a not so perfect pregnancy.
In her book, Nadine starts off with her “Legs in the air. Leaning her feet on the wall behind her bed. Hoping sperm will swim safely and swiftly into her uterus.” What better way to start a pregnancy journal. After all, I can bet 90% of you reading this, did the exact same thing when you started the baby-making process. And that’s exactly what it becomes right? A process? Nadine goes on to say ” Obviously my husband and I have regular sex, but now that there’s a baby on our mind, intercourse has a whole new meaning, schedule, and plan of action. ” She also talks about different wives tales of how to increase the chances of making a baby. Coca Cola to make the “semen shoot out stronger”, oysters as an aphrodisiac, and gender specific positions are some of the things Nadine jokes about. Again, all of which I’m sure you all have researched and put into practice yourselves.
Things weren’t all fun and games for Nadine during her pregnancy. Once pregnant, things were “perfect” for only a short time. At 20 weeks thing took a turn. Nadine struggled with a condition called Placenta Previa. Basically, her placenta attached to the lower portion of her uterus, blocking the cervix, making it nearly impossible to have a vaginal delivery. Nadine talks about how this affected her, and shares with us her deepest fears and anxieties throughout her pregnancy. She talks about her experience on complete bed rest, and giving birth to a premature baby who ended up in the NICU immediately after birth. Nadine shares her entire emotional journey with us.
I connected with Nadine’s story on a personal level. Not because of the fact that both of our babies are strong Leos born in August, but because their entrance into this world was anything but what others would call “perfect”. For those of you that read about my Traumatic Labor, know that my picture perfect labor quickly went down the drain. I felt disappointed and robbed of the perfect labor I had envisioned. Not knowing where to turn to for advice, I researched blogs and forums in hopes of connecting with someone that had gone through the same experience. Nadine’s book, gives us exactly that. The gift of connecting with a complete stranger through a book that bares all. It’s a story that so many women can easily relate to. Very few pregnancies are “perfect”, and Nadine helps us realize, that’s ok.
This book is for women that are trying to conceive, women who are pregnant, and women who have already been through pregnancy. Expecting Perfect: My Bumpy Journey to Mommyhood, is a must read. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Before I conclude my review, I want to thank Nadine for sharing her story. I laughed and I cried throughout the book. It provoked the kind of emotion and connection, I have long been searching for after my crazy labor experience. I expected to read and write a review about a book that I thought would be fitting on my baby blog. Instead I got so much more out of this opportunity. I got to connect with another women, just like myself, who had gone through an emotional pregnancy and birth journey. But the most powerful part of this book, is the message behind it. No matter how hard you prepare and plan to get pregnant. No matter how “OCD” you are about making sure you do everything right, sometimes you don’t get to choose what happens next. “You have a vision of how pregnancy and birth are suppose to go, and then you’re thrown a curveball, and forced to accommodate”. Thank you Nadine, for helping me, and all the women reading this book, accept that life is not perfect, but it does have perfect moments.
Nadine Bubeck is a mom, wife, TV personality, host, blogger, & author.
Expecting Perfect: My Bumpy Journey to Mommyhood, can be purchased here:
http://www.expectingperfect.com
Connect with Nadine!
Facebook Page
Twitter Page
All Things Mama. An online mommy show
Nadine on the Scene. Nadine’s lifestyle website.
