No question about it, when you are an expectant or new parent, everybody has an opinion, a book, a website that they want to share with you! How do you decide what to believe and which information will work for you?
You can ask yourself:
- What is the source of this information? Is it reliable?
- Is it evidence-based?
- Is it biased? (does it promote only one viewpoint or product?)
- Is it current?
- How will I feel if I follow this advice? Will it work for me and my family?
Check out these websites for more tips on evaluating health information on the internet.
Healthy Parents Healthy Children
NOTE: While the following list of books and websites is by no means exhaustive, it does include material from credible sources.
Pregnancy and birth
Pregnancy and Birth – Book one in the two part Healthy Parents Healthy Children series – Alberta Health Services
(free to all expectant families Alberta)
The Mother of All Pregnancy Books: An All-Canadian Guide to Conception, Birth & Everything In Between – Ann Douglas
The Birth Partner (Third Edition) – Penny Simkin
Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn – Penny Simkin
The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth – Henci Goer
Birthing From Within – Pam England
Baby care and parenting
The Early Years – Book two in the two part Healthy Parents Healthy Children series – Alberta Health Services
(free to all new families in Alberta)
The Happiest Baby on the Block – Dr. Harvey Karp
Bring Up Baby, Three Steps to Making Good Decisions in Your Child’s First Years – Claire Lerner and Amy Laura Dombro
(available from wwww.zerotothree.org)
http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca
http://www.cps.ca/ (Canadian Pediatric Society)
http://www.myhealth.alberta.ca
http://www.calgaryschild.com/
http://www.humanservices.alberta.ca/documents/choosing-child-care.pdf (Choosing Child Care)
Breastfeeding
The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers Revised and Updated: The Most Comprehensive Problem-Solving Guide to Breastfeeding from the Foremost Expert in North America – Dr. Jack Newman and Teresa Pitman
Breastfeeding Made Simple–Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers – Nancy Mohrbacher and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding – La Leche League International
www.lllc.ca (La Leche League Canada)
For parents of multiples
Mother Multiples: Breastfeeding & Caring for Twins or More! – Karen Kerkhoff Gromada
Expecting Twins, Triplets and More – Rachel Franklin, MD
Having Twins and More: A Parents Guide to Multiple Pregnancy, Birth and Early Childhood – Louis G. Keith, Elizabeth Noble and Leo Sorger
For dads
Crouching Father, Hidden Toddler: A Zen Guide for New Dads – C.W. Nevius
Dadditude: How a Real Man Became a Real Dad – Philip Lerman
Father’s First Steps: 25 Things Every New Dad Should Know – Robert Sears and James Sears
The Everything Father’s First Year Book – Vincent Lannelli
Post partum
Life after Gestational Diabetes: https://breeze.ucalgary.ca/aftergdm