For some people, information creates stress.  Not so for the Collegemans.

One of the greatest sources of stress during Wifey’s pregnancy has been a lack of information.  Wifey actually has quite a bit of experience with hospitals and babies.  In Mexico she was studying to be a doctor, and her public service (a requirement of her high school education) was four hours at an orphanage, every Friday, for three years.

Still, there have been a number of aspects of her own pregnancy that have been a bit murky.  For one, we have elected to have a few tests run at the end of the first trimester (this week, in fact).  These tests may, at a later stage, necessitate an amniocentesis - essentially a sampling of the amniotic fluid.  Needless to say, the idea of using a needle to sample fluid from the womb is scary.

Another source of anxiety is in knowing that Wifey will most likely need to deliver through Cesarean section, this due to some unfortunate problems she had with her bowels as a child.  As routine as it may be, delivering through an incision is somewhat more invasive than natural delivery, and implies a longer recovery time.

Dummies to the rescue

I never thought I’d see the day.

A Dummies book?  More helpful than real experience?  More useful than a text book, or something written for folks with better than average vocabularies?  Well, yes, actually.

More specifically, it was the video version of Pregnancy for Dummies that brought the most relief to Wifey’s mind (and by extension, my own).  The four-part series is well put together, and is on par with the likes of Discovery Health.  The series takes you from conception to birth to the first three months of life.  It is very informative, entertaining, and not the least bit dumbed down.

If you have a Netflix account, you’re in luck: you can watch the entire series instantly, online.

Perhaps this will be the first and only Dummies book I buy?