Expectant Parents – New Resource from Focus on the Family {And, iPad Mini Giveaway!}

Expectant Parents is a new book from Focus on the Family that was written by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin.  It is designed to help both husbands and wives be prepared for the birth of a new child (mostly for first time parents).   Keep reading to find out how you can enter the giveaway.

This new book includes 12 chapters with eight helpful appendices.  The chapters cover many helpful topics to help couples prepare for their new bundle of joy, such as doing special things as a couple that you won't be able to do so easily after having children, keeping your relationship strong once you become parents, keeping communication open between husband and wife, and taking into consideration what your spouse is going through on the journey to parenthood.  It even covers topics such as hormones, cravings, and weight gain; emotions and pregnancy fears; preparing for the delivery; the first few weeks of being new parents, and much more.

Things I liked:

The author asks many probing questions to get husbands and wives thinking about the decisions they will have to make in the coming months, like who will be allowed in the delivery room?  Suzanne Hadley Gosselin gives a lot of great tips on preparing to become parents.  It is nice to have a Christian resource for this information.  Suzanne goes even goes into the emotional and spiritual side of preparing for a new baby.  There are questions for the couple to discuss at the end of each chapter that really get you thinking and planning.  There is advice for both mothers- and fathers-to-be.  Even if only one spouse was able to read this, I believe it would be helpful as long as the other spouse was involved and cooperative with planning, preparing, and discussion.

Things I did not like:

Suzanne Hadley Gosselin does not hold to the scripture of women being keepers at home.  She devotes an entire chapter to "Planning Post-Baby Career Decisions".  She states that it is up to each couple to decide who should stay home with the baby, either the husband or wife, or even hire a babysitter.  This does not fit with Titus 2:5, 1 Timothy 5:14, or other areas of Scripture where Christian women are admonished to guard and guide the home, and keep it, nor does it fit in with the Scriptural mandate for husbands to be the breadwinners of the family.  If you can overlook this area, you may find this book very helpful when preparing for a new child.

While many books for new parents focus on prenatal development and the health of a mom-to-be, Suzanne Hadley Gosselin's Expectant Parents ' core purpose is to help new parents understand key issues related to the arrival of a new child in the home, offering practical assistance as they prepare themselves for long-term family success.

Learn ways to strengthen your marriage relationship, set plans and expectations for parenthood, increase communication, and prepare for the new stage of your family life. Pick up a copy for yourself or for expectant friends and enter for a chance to win an iPad Mini!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini
• Expectant Parents from Suzanne Hadley Gosselin and Focus on the Family

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 2nd. Winner will be announced November 3rd on Suzanne's website here.

About the book: 

Many books focus on prenatal development and the health of a mom-to-be. While Expectant Parents  does touch on important issues of pregnancy, its core purpose is help expectant parents understand key issues related to the arrival of a new child in the home, offering practical assistance as they prepare themselves for long-term family success.

It's often said that babies don't come with an instruction manual. This book actually provides parents with information and practical steps for writing their own---as they work to create the kind of home and family they choose to build. This includes strengthening their own marriage relationship, setting plans and expectations for parenthood, increasing communication, and preparing for the new stage of their family life that is just ahead. Ideal for first-time parents, this book would also be helpful for couples wanting to explore and prepare for the emotional, physical, and spiritual life changes that come with the arrival of any new child into the family.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/Csb4w

About the author: 

Suzanne Hadley Gosselin is the former editor of Clubhouse Jr. magazine for Focus on the Family. She is now a regular contributor to Thriving Familymagazine and Boundless.org, and the recipient of several Evangelical Press Association awards for her writing and editorial work. Gosselin writes children's resources for David C Cook, Zondervan and Harvest House. She is also the author ofFaithgirlz Handbook: Let Your Light Shine Through and is currently working on the God's Got an Answer for That children's devotional and activity books to be released in January 2015. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and biblical theology from Multnomah University. Suzanne and her husband, Kevin, who is a children's pastor, have three children and make their home in Colorado.

Find Suzanne online: website, Facebook, Twitter

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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