Caught in the Web

Pregnancy on the Web

Recommended Websites for Expecting Parents on Everything from Breaking the Big News to the Breaking of the Water

Pregnancy is a very serious, magical, and emotional event in a woman�s life. It is a major life-changer for most women, and its impact touches the lives of those close to expectant mothers. More than just about pickles and ice cream (or swollen feet and soda crackers), pregnancy is a time when a woman experiences a gamut of emotions, ranging from wonder and excitement to nervousness and anxiety.

While family stories and books are great resources, the World Wide Web should also be a handy source for quick, convenient information on a wide variety of pregnancy-related topics (even those things pregnant women are too embarrassed to ask about). If you Google �pregnancy,� you will find over 117,000,000 search results. That�s a lot of information to wade through � so make it easy on yourself, and check out these top websites. They�re all good resources for information, encouragement and ideas for the earliest stages of pregnancy right through to when the much-anticipated bundle-of-joy comes home. Whether you�re about to become a new parent or grandparent, these sites will give great insight into the world of pregnancy.

Childbirth.org concentrates on the naturalness of pregnancy and provides detailed information on a wide variety of pregnancy issues. Topics include the basics (common terms, dating the pregnancy, etc.), complications, emotions, frequently asked questions, labor, lifestyle, and pregnancy week by week. This website is quite helpful, presenting extensive, in-depth, easy-to-read information for all those involved in the life of a pregnant woman.

This website offers expecting mothers a comprehensive source with a lot of information to navigate and search. There�s information on such topics as nutrition, labor and childbirth, preparing for the baby, baby development, traveling, sleeping, and expectations. There�s also a section dedicated to soon-to-be-fathers, called the �dad�s zone,� where fathers can explore their concerns and read articles and answers written by other fathers. In addition, Babycenter.com allows expecting mothers to track the baby�s development on a day-to-day scale and talk to the experts about issues or concerns.

When it comes to interesting articles with a humorously candid twist, this website is a great find. The titles of the articles, though serious, are good for a little belly laugh. Here are some: �Have Belly, Will Travel,� �The Ten Biggest Perks About Being Pregnant,� �Looking For Dr. Right,� �The Ten Biggest Lies About Being Pregnant,� �The Overdue Blues,� and �The Complaint Department.�

Having-A-Baby.Com contains other information on everything from breaking the big news to breaking of the water � such as how to tell your boss you�re pregnant, pregnancy aches and pains, how to stay sane during bed rest, positive self-image during pregnancy, skin changes during pregnancy, food cravings, and much more. If you know someone who is expecting or are expecting yourself, this website is definitely worth a visit.

The National Women�s Health Information Center, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, has created a very informative resource for all of those touched by the onset of pregnancy (to include women, fathers, children of the mother-to-be, etc.). The website concentrates on illustrating the information in layman�s terms, with links to information on what to expect during the three trimesters, family planning, preparation for the baby, a due-date calculator, and resources in Spanish.

There are many issues that women face during pregnancy, and this website explores those issues in great detail � including information on labor and birth, health and fitness, nutrition, effects on siblings, choosing names, and expecting multiples. There�s also information on the various means of contraception and conditions that may arise, such as in-vitro pregnancies, tubal pregnancies, teen and midlife pregnancies, and overdue pregnancies. With a wide variety of pregnancy photographs available for viewing, this website gets a thumbs-up.

A fun and interactive website, StorkNet includes articles, forums, and other resources to help pregnant women and their families stay informed for the duration of their pregnancy. There are links to information on trying to conceive, growth and stages, taking care of the pregnant woman, birth stories, diaries, and a customized due-date scheduler.

This website comes from the best-selling author of the book What To Expect When You�re Expecting. Track your pregnancy week-by-week, chat with other moms and moms-to-be, and find answers to questions on toddler development, baby development, and pregnancy symptoms. The website�s homepage is divided into sections: preconception, pregnancy, first year, and toddler. Under each of these categories is a great amount of helpful information � everything from your legal rights as a pregnant woman in the workplace to developing a birth plan.

It seems only fitting to end this column with a pregnancy joke: A pregnant woman from Northern Virginia is in a car accident and falls into a deep coma. Asleep for nearly 6 months, when she wakes up she sees that she is no longer pregnant and frantically asks the doctor about her baby.

The doctor replies, �Ma�am, you had twins! A boy and a girl. Your brother from Maryland came in and named them.� The woman thinks to herself, �No, not my brother ... he�s an idiot!�