Mother of All Pregnancy Books (eBook)

Ann Douglas is an award-winning journalist and the author of The Mother of All Baby Books, The Mother of All Toddler Books, The Mother of All Parenting Books, and The Mother of All Pregnancy Organizers. Known for her lively anecdotes and real-world advice, Ann makes frequent appearances on both radio and television and is regularly quoted in such publications as Parenting, Parents, Fit Pregnancy, American Baby, and Working Mother.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER • VACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • XIIIINTRODUCTION • 1CHAPTER 1: ARE YOU REALLY READY TO HAVE A BABY? • 5A Question of Timing • 6What it really costs to raise children • 8; Career considerations • 11; The age issue • 13A Baby? Maybe... Protecting Your Fertility • 17Now or never? The health wild card • 22; I get so emotional, baby • 23The Truth About Baby Fever: Not Everyone Catches It • 25When you and your partner don’t agree • 26; When Mother Nature has other plans • 27CHAPTER 2: YOUR PRE-GAME PLAN • 29Training For the Big Event • 29Watch your weight—but not too carefully • 30; Do a nutrient check • 34; Kick your smoking habit • 39; Pass on that glass of wine • 42; Just say no to drugs • 43; Kick your coffee habit • 44; Don’t douche • 45; Keep your stress level down • 45; Delegate the dirty work • 47; Watch out for workplace hazards • 47; Dad’s the word: More reproductive health issues for fathers-to-be • 48Your Pre-Conception Checkup: The Insider’s Guide • 50CHAPTER 3: SPERM, MEET EGG • 66The Numbers Game • 66The Science of Conception • 68A tale of two phases • 70; The sperm connection • 74; What you can do to increase your odds of conceiving quickly • 77; Know thy cycle • 78; Make love on the right days • 85; Have unbelievably great sex • 86; Don’t get too much of a good thing • 86; Create a “sperm-friendly” vaginal environment • 87CHAPTER 4: MISSED CONCEPTIONS • 90Do You Have a Fertility Problem? • 90The infertility workup • 91The Major Causes of Infertility • 100The Brave New World of Assisted Reproduction • 107Damned lies and statistics • 108; Reading between the lines • 109Riding the Infertility Roller Coaster • 111If You Don’t Manage to Conceive • 114; If You Do Manage to Conceive • 115CHAPTER 5: WINNING AT BABY ROULETTE • 117A Little Bit Pregnant • 117Testing, one, two, three . . . • 121; How you may feel about being pregnant • 122; Sharing your news with the world • 125; Sharing your news at work • 126; Choosing the right caregiver • 129; Hospital, birth center, or home birth? • 134Your First Prenatal Checkup • 141What your due date really means • 142Early Pregnancy Worries • 145I’m worried that I’ll experience a miscarriage • 146; I don’t feel pregnant anymore • 147CHAPTER 6: OPERATION HEALTHY MOTHER, HEALTHY BABY • 149The No-Worry Guide to Eating During Pregnancy • 149The basics • 150; Dietary fiber • 151; Fruits and vegetables • 151; Healthy fats • 151; Meals and snacks that will go the distance • 152; Water • 153; The big five: the nutrients you need most during pregnancy • 155; The supporting cast: other key nutrients • 165; Vegetarian and vegan diets • 168; Not wanted at the dinner table: avoiding food-borne illness • 169Your Pregnancy Gain Plan • 172Wrapping your head around the idea of gaining weight • 173; New pregnancy weight-gain recommendations • 173; Too much of a good thing • 176; The best-laid plans • 178; Gaining too little • 179Work It, Baby: Prenatal Fitness • 183Quitting Time: Smoking, Drinking, and Drugs • 192Smoking • 192; Drinking • 195; Drugs • 196Sleeping for Two • 197Sleep and health • 203(Don’t Get Too) Stressed About Stress • 205Depression during pregnancy • 209Staying Healthy During Pregnancy • 211Take steps to avoid illness • 211; Other steps to staying healthy • 218Staying Safe at Home • 221Medications • 222; Herbal products • 223; Toxins • 228; Diseases carried by pets and other animals • 231; Accidents and falls • 232; Domestic violence • 233Staying Healthy at Work • 236CHAPTER 7: THE PREGNANCY ROAD MAP • 242The Complaint Department • 242What’s normal and what’s not • 243Pregnancy Complaints From A to Z • 243Abdominal muscle separation • 247; Acne • 248; Backache • 248; Belly button soreness • 250; Bleeding gums • 250; Bleeding and spotting, vaginal • 251; Braxton Hicks contractions • 252; Breast tenderness and enlargement • 252; Breathlessness • 254; Carpal tunnel syndrome • 255; Constipation • 255; Cramping • 256; Cravings • 257; Ear changes • 257; Eye changes • 258; Faintness and dizziness • 258; Fatigue • 259; Food aversions • 260; Gassiness and bloating • 260; Headaches • 261; Heartburn (a.k.a. refl ux) • 262; Hernia, hiatal • 263; Hemorrhoids • 263; Hip soreness • 264; Insomnia • 265; Itchiness (abdominal) • 266; Laryngitis, pregnancy-induced, and voice changes • 267; Leg cramps • 267; Morning sickness (a.k.a. nausea and vomiting of pregnancy) • 267; Nasal changes • 274; Perineal aching • 275; Pubic-bone pain (osteitis pubis) • 276; Rashes • 277; Restless leg syndrome (rls) • 278; Round ligament pain • 279; Saliva, excessive (ptyalism) • 280; Sciatica • 280; Skin changes • 281; Smell, heightened sense of • 284; Stretch marks • 284; Sweating • 285; Swelling and fluid retention • 285; Thirstiness • 286; Urinary incontinence • 287; Urination, increased frequency of • 287; Vagina, changes to the • 288; Vaginal secretions, increased • 288; Varicose veins • 289; Weepiness • 290; Yeast infections • 291CHAPTER 8: YOUR INCREDIBLE GROWING BABY • 293The First Trimester: The Beginnings of Life, and the Start of a Whole New Way of Life • 294Pre-embryonic stage: The first three weeks of development • 294; Embryonic stage: Your baby begins to develop human characteristics • 297; Fetal stage: Your baby’s body systems mature • 300; The second trimester: Goodbye nausea, hello maternity jeans • 302; The third trimester: Your incredible growing belly • 304CHAPTER 9: THIS IS YOUR (SOON-TO-BE) LIFE • 308Decisions, Decisions . . . • 309Pregnant and chic • 309; Prenatal classes: Who needs them? • 312; Umbilical cord blood banking • 315; The circumcision decision • 318; Deciding to breastfeed • 321; The name game • 327; Planning for your maternity leave • 331; Planning your “babymoon” • 333Other Things You Can Do to Make the Early Weeks Less Stressful • 339Put your support team in place • 339; Consider hiring a postpartum doula • 343; Stock your home with healthy, easy-to-prepare foods • 344; Keep on top of chores on the home front • 347; Get the rest of your life in order • 349Sex and Relationships: Top Worries • 357Sex during pregnancy • 357; The last hurrah • 362; Oops, we did it again . . . • 370; The stuff of which pregnancy nightmares are made • 373CHAPTER 10: WHEN PREGNANCY ISN’T PERFECT • 376To Test or Not to Test? • 377What prenatal testing can—and can’t—tell you • 378; Is prenatal genetic testing the right choice for you? • 379; Screening tests versus diagnostic tests • 384; What to do if the test brings bad news • 390What Does the Term “High-Risk Pregnancy” Really Mean? • 392The Unique Challenges of a Multiple Pregnancy • 403Preterm Labor • 407Possible health problems • 408; Risk factors • 408; Prevention • 410; Welcoming a premature baby or a baby with special needs • 413When A Baby Dies • 416What can go wrong • 417; Miscarriage • 418; Ectopic pregnancy • 426; Molar pregnancy • 428; Stillbirth • 430; Intrapartum death • 433; Neonatal and infant death • 434Grieving the Loss of Your Baby • 438Preparing for Another Pregnancy • 445CHAPTER 11: LABOR DAY • 450Eight Months and Counting • 451Pre-labor symptoms • 453Decision Time • 455Pre-birth planning • 456; Why doulas are a mom’s best friend • 464; Writing a birth plan • 466; What’s up down there? • 469; Pain relief during labor • 473The Top Labor-Related Worries • 482Going Overdue • 497Is my baby at risk? • 498; To induce or not to induce? • 499; What to expect during an induction • 501What Labor is Really Like • 502The three stages of labor • 502; What other mothers want you to know • 503; The great cesarean debate • 510; Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) • 516; How you may feel about meeting your baby • 518Parting words • 519APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY • 520APPENDIX B: PLANNING FOR YOUR BIRTH • 536Birth Wishes • 537Personal information • 537; About your labor support team • 537; Labor environment • 537; Choices about the labor • 538; Laboring positions • 538; Pain relief • 538; Induction/augmentation of labor • 539; Delivery • 539; After the birth • 539; Cesarean section • 540; Circumcision • 540; Length of stay (if you’re having a hospital birth) • 540; Birthing philosophies • 541APPENDIX C: EMERGENCY CHILDBIRTH PROCEDURES • 542Emergency childbirth supplies to have on hand • 542; How to deliver your baby if you’re alone and without assistance • 542; How to assist a woman who’s about to give birth • 543APPENDIX D: ONLINE RESOURCES • 545APPENDIX E: PRENATAL RECORD • 551INDEX • 555ABOUT THE AUTHOR • 584