Pregnancy and birth quotes

A ship under sail and a big-bellied woman,are the handsomest two things that can be seen common.

- Benjamin Franklin

Somewhere on this globe, every ten seconds, there is a woman giving birth to a child. She must be found and stopped.

- Sam Levenson

Sleep now, you'll never be able to again

My primary piece of advice for all expecting parents is to sleep now while you have the opportunity.

The days leading up to the birth of a child are all a buzz with excitement as you rush around prepping for your new bundle of joy. This is all well and good, but sleep is better. Make sure you don't tire yourself out; YOU CAN'T CATCH BACK UP ON SLEEP LIKE YOU USED TO.

Sleeping in a chair in the hospital after the delivery will not give you adequate rest. Waking every couple of hours to crying for weeks on end will not rejuvenate you either. Walking your child to quiet him or her until you've worn through a pair of socks does not provide much rest either.

As long as you have a place for him or her to sleep, food for him to eat and diapers to keep him clean, the rest is all just inconsequential icing on the proverbial baby cake. Keep in mind that infants will not care how well-decorated a room is or whether or not their clothes match. Much of the advance preparation for babies is done for the parents' sake.

What will impact them most is having a well-rested, SANE parent who is not teetering on the edge of fatigue-induced clinical insanity.

So if you listen to one piece of advice, rest up now.