Resources I Used During Pregnancy

This is a part of a series of blog posts sharing my experiences as a young Ghanaian working mother. I looked for a Ghanaian voice as I walked this journey but barely found any so I have decided to share to begin a conversation among others in this beautiful journey.

This is the fourth in the series.

Google my beloved friend! You know, all through out my pregnancy, I always wondered how our mothers and grandmothers survived being pregnant without Google. I googled everything!

“Pawpaw in pregnancy”

“Sobolo in pregnancy”

“KFC in pregnancy”

“Do it yourself maternity jeans”

“How to wear your seat belt with baby bump”

Yes, everything! One thing this experience taught me was that there is no question under the sun that someone else has not asked before. It’s amazing!

So for adhoc advice, I always googled and picked the most interesting result. However, on a weekly basis, there were some resources I used to keep me informed about the little angel growing in me and what to expect or do during that week.

YourDueDate.com (http://www.yourduedate.com/)

I think this was the first resource I used. It gave a clear picture of where we were each week. This included the estimated weight of the baby, estimated length, how many weeks we had left, what was happening with baby, what was happening with me, etc. I liked it for the way it presented its information clearly although it is a pretty basic website.

FitPregnancy (https://www.fitpregnancy.com/)

I liked this because it gave a bit more information and it also had more pictures and other resources you could check out that were related to the week you were in. One particular resource I found here that I really liked was the pregnancy confidential podcasts which I will talk about next.

Pregnancy Confidential: A Week-by-Week Pregnancy Podcast (http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/pregnancy-confidential-a-week-by-week-pregnancy-podcast/)

Okay, this was really fun. Pregnancy Confidential is a less than 30 minute podcast that carries a conversation about what goes on around you during the pregnancy rather than in you. From topics such as “Hi, Boss. I am pregnant” to “Due Dates are Dumb”, I found each podcast did a good job of anticipating the kind of stuff on your mind as the pregnancy progressed. It is hosted by ladies who either already have kids or are pregnant so there is a lot of practical advice there.

Mama Natural – Natural Pregnancy Week by Week (https://www.mamanatural.com/pregnancy-week-by-week/)

This I found very interesting as well. I think first of all because what is known as “natural” pregnancy abroad is pretty much what happens here in Ghana. Most people, as far as I know go into labour naturally and give birth without pain medication. C-sections are still considered as “taboos” and so you find very few people even going as far as having an elective C-section. But well, that is as far as I know, correct me in the comments below if I am wrong.

Yeah, so as the name suggests, these are videos (max 8 mins) where Genevieve who is all about using natural stuff and going through a natural pregnancy gives updates about how her pregnancy was going and how you can keep things very natural without medical interventions. I learnt a lot from these videos and her site in general. There are things I definitely wouldn’t do (eating placenta 😳😳😳) and there are things that I want to learn how to do in a country where being “too known” can make you an enemy (telling a doctor you think an ultrasound is not important at a particular week)

BabyCentre (https://www.babycentre.co.uk)

Considering how much I use BabyCentre now, I can’t believe I didn’t notice it early on in my pregnancy. I mean, I am sure it came up in Google search results but I happen never to click on it for some strange reason. Someone mentioned it on a WhatsApp group I’m on somewhere in my later weeks and I found it very resourceful. I must say I have used it more postpartum and found it very useful in the entire new mama phase of my life.

So there you have it. The five resources I found most useful during my pregnancy and postpartum. Someday, I will like to see something Ghanaian in a list of this nature. And that is why I started this series. To begin the conversation online among young Ghanaian mothers. So don’t leave without saying something. Drop some words in the comments below. Together let’s get more info out there that other Ghanaian preggers can find useful.

Maybe one day, we will birth http://www.babycentre.co.gh. Who knows? 😊