Notes:
– Some parts seem to be over information, like talking about henna, but they have all bases covered in the book. I’ve tried to include all the extra subjects and subheadings with the contents which can be found in italics.
– Pica (eating disorder) in some mothers-to-be have them craving petrol and if I heard correctly, there are doctors who will recommend a minimal amount for drinking.
– Couvade syndrome aka sympathetic pregnancy is where the father experiences similar symptoms as his expecting wife from weight gain, nausea, sleeping patterns and hormone levels. I spoke to a few fathers and not all feel it but I certainly did.
– Subjects for fathers include: Older dads, your secondhand smoke, helping ease her quease, when she’s gotta go … all the time, anxiety over life changes, those crazy cravings, sympathy symptoms, rolling with her mood swings, your pregnancy mood swings, libido now, it’s your hormones (really), feeling left out, the sex fear factor, expectant sex explained, when she can’t sleep, labour and delivery worries, picking up the slack(s), daddy dreams, take one for the team, prepping for a C-section, when father knows breast, a push present for your baby mama?, rookie nerves, emergency delivery tips for the coach, handling the sight of blood, what you can do during early labour, what you can do during active labour, what you can do during transitional labour, what you can do during pushing and delivery, what you can do after delivery, bonding with baby, being there, no breasts no problem, your baby blues, keep an eye on her mood, postpartum sex?, handling bed rest, you’re grieving too.

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Contents
PART 1: FIRST THINGS FIRST
Chapter 1: Are You Pregnant?
What You May be Wondering About
– Early pregnancy signs: Already feel pregnant, tender breasts and nipples, darkening areolas, bumpy areolas, spotting, fatigue, urinary frequency, nausea, smell sensitivity, bloating, rising temperature, missed period.
– Diagnosing pregnancy: Home pregnancy test, blood test, medical exam.
– Testing smart, testing for the irregular, pregnancy testing and fertility treatments.
– The faint line, no longer positive, a negative result, turning a negative into a positive, making the first appointment, your due date.
All About: Choosing and Working with Your Practitioner
– Obstetrician? Family Practitioner? Midwife? Paging Dr. Google? Certified nurse-midwife, direct-entry midwives. Division of labour.
– Types of practices: Solo medical practice, partnership or group practice, combination practice, maternity centre or birthing centre practice, independent CNM practice. Centring Pregnancy. Finding a candidate. Making your selection.
– Where will you give birth? In a hospital, at a birthing centre, at home,.

Chapter 2: Your Pregnancy Profile
Your Gynecological History
– Birth control during pregnancy, conceived while using condom/spermicides, using IUD, fibroids, endometriosis, colonoscopy, previous abortions, HPV, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, HIV infection, herpes.
Your Obstetrical History
– IVF, the second time around, keeping up with the kids, back-to-back pregnancies, repeat miscarriages, breastfeeding while pregnant, having a big family, preterm birth.
– Your pregnancy profile and preterm birth: too little or too much weight gain, not enough nutrients, too much standing or heavy physical labour, extreme emotional stress, alcohol and drug use, smoking, gum infection, cervical insufficiency, history of preterm berth, multiples, premature cervical shortening, pregnancy complications, chronic maternal illness, general infections, age. Rh Incompatibility, Expecting deployment.
Your Medical History
– Obesity, underweight, an eating disorder, pregnancy after weight loss surgery.
– Chronic conditions: Diabetes, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, sickle cell anemia, thyroid disease, depression, ADHD, having a baby after 35, older dads, not for fathers only, genetic screening. Immunizations in pregnancy, uninsured, pregnancy and the single mom.
All About: Prenatal Diagnosis
– Screening tests, noninvasive prenatal screen after 9 weeks, nuchal translucency screening 10 to 13 weeks, combined screening 11 to 14 weeks, knowing the negatives of false positives, integrated screening 1st and 2nd trimesters, quad screening 14 to 22 weeks, level 2 ultrasound 18 to 22 weeks, diagnostic tests, mistakes happen, chorionic sampling 10 to 13 weeks, amniocentesis 16 to 20 weeks, if a problem is found.

Chapter 3: Your Pregnancy Lifestyle
What You May Be Wondering About
– Working out, caffeine, caffeine counter, drinking, smoking, secondhand smoke, help quitting, marijuana use, prescription for a healthy pregnancy, cocaine and other drug use, domestic violence, mobile devices, wild rides, microwaves, hot tubs and saunas, the family cat, toxoplasmosis.
– Household hazards: cleaning products, lead, tap water, pesticides, paint, BPA, phthalates, air pollutions.
All About: Complementary and Alternative Medicine
– Acupuncture, acupressure, moxibustion, chiropractic medicine, massage, reflexology, hydrotherapy, meditation, visualisation, relaxation techniques, hypnotherapy, biofeedback, herbal remedies, CAM caveats.

Chapter 4: Nine Months of Eating Well
Nine Basic Principles for Nine Months of Healthy Eating
– Bites count, all calories are not created equal, starve yourself, starve your baby, efficiency is effective, carbohydrates are a complex issue, sweet nothings are exactly that, good foods remember where they came from, healthy eating begins at home, bad habits can sabotage a good diet.
– Try these instead, skip that side of guilt, 6-meal solution.
The Pregnancy Daily Dozen
– Calories, protein foods: 3 servings daily (animal-free protein options), calcium foods: 4 servings daily, Vitamin C foods: 3 servings daily, green leafy and yellow vegetables and yellow fruits: 3-4 servings daily, other fruit and vegetables: 1 to 2 servings daily, whole grains: 6 or more servings a day (white whole wheat), iron-rich foods: some daily, fat and high-fat foods: about 4 servings daily (omega-3 fatty acids), fluids: as much as you need.
– What’s in a supplement?
What You May Be Wondering About
– Milk-free diet, pasteurised please, red-meat-free diet, vegetarian diet, don’t be D-eficient, low-carb diet, raw diet, diet don’ts, walk down the healthy food aisle, shortcuts to healthy eating, junk food junkie, eating out, cholesterol concerns, reading labels, sushi safety, fish safety, spicy food, spoiled food, sugar substitutes, fermented foods, herbal tea, chemicals in foods, what to know about GMOs, pick and choose organic.
All About: Eating Safely for Two
– The lowdown on listeria.

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PART 2: NINE MONTHS & COUNTING FROM CONCEPTION TO DELIVERY
Chapter 5: The First Month (Approx 1 – 4 Weeks)
Your Baby This Month
– What Week Am I In, Anyway?
Your Body This Month
– Symptoms? Starting Soon: Physically, Emotionally. Your body this month.
What You Can Expect at Your First Prenatal Visit
– Make the pregnancy connection. Confirmation of your pregnancy, a complete history, a complete physical exam, a battery of tests, an opportunity for discussion, what’s a rubella titer?
What You May Be Wondering About
– Breaking the news, prenatal supplements, the downside (and flip side of telling early, fatigue, morning sickness, helping ease her quease, your nose knows, excess saliva, metallic taste, frequent urination, when she’s gotta go … all the time, breast changes, when you call your practitioner, lower abdominal pressure, spotting, no worries, hCG levels, stress, anxiety over life changes, expect the best, relaxation made easy.
All About: Your Pampered Pregnancy
– Your hair, a day at the spa, your face, making up for pregnancy, your teeth, your body, your hands and feet.

Chapter 6: The Second Month (Approx 5 – 8 Weeks)
Your Baby This Month
Your Body This Month
What You Can Expect at This Month’s Checkup
What You May Be Wondering About
– Heartburn (and other indigestion), bringing up reflux, food aversion and cravings, those crazy cravings, sympathy symptoms, visible veins, spider veins, varicose veins, an achy, swollen pelvis, breakouts, dry skin, eczema, come-and-go belly, a pregnant pose, belly piercings, losing your shape, first-trimester ultrasound, difficulty urinating, what’s a corpus luteum cyst?, mood swings, rolling with her mood swings, pregnancy depression, panic attacks, your pregnancy mood swings.
All About: Weight Gain During Pregnancy
– How much should you gain?, Why more (or less) weight gain isn’t more, breaking down the weight gain, at what rate should you gain?, weight gain red flags.

Chapter 7: The Third Month (Approx 9 – 13 Weeks)
Your Baby This Month
Your Body This Month
What You Can Expect at This Month’s Checkup
What You May Be Wondering About
– Constipation, another reason for being tired, moody, and constipated, lack of constipation, gas, headaches, heading off headaches, stretch marks, body art for two?, first-trimester weight gain, boys will be boys, showing early, baby’s heartbeat, I heart girls (or boys), sexual desire, at-home dopplers, libido now, cramp after orgasm.
All About: Pregnant on the Job
– When to tell the boss, the pregnant worker’s rights, making the announcement, the juggling act, staying comfortable on the job, working with carpal tunnel, staying safe on the job, quiet, please, getting all the facts, staying on the job, changing jobs, unfair treatment at work.

Chapter 8: The Fourth Month (Approx 14 – 17 Weeks)
Your Baby This Month
Your Body This Month
What You Can Expect at This Month’s Checkup
What You May Be Wondering About
– Dental problems, expecting x-rays?, a gum bump, breathlessness, nasal stuffiness and nosebleeds, snoring, snooze or lose, allergies, breathing easier with asthma, peanuts for your little peanut? vaginal discharge, elevated blood pressure, sugar in the urine, it’s your hormones (really), fetal movements, body image, maternity clothes, trimming tricks, unwanted advice, unwanted belly touching, forgetfulness.
All About: Working Out When You’re Expecting
– Your main squeeze, the benefits of exercise, working in workouts, exercising the right way, exercise smarts, choosing the right pregnancy workouts, 30 minutes plus?, basic pregnancy exercises, when workouts are out.

Chapter 9: The Fifth Month (Approx 18 – 22 Weeks)
Your Baby This Month
Your Body This Month
What You Can Expect at This Month’s Checkup
What You May Be Wondering About
– Heating up, dizziness, when too much is too much, anemia, symptoms of anemia, backache, carrying older children, pregnant with scoliosis, abdominal aches (round ligament pain), foot growth, an itchy situation, fast-growing hair and nails, the new skin you’re in, vision, fetal movement patterns, finding out baby’s sex, second trimester ultrasound, it’s a … gender reveal, placenta position, sleeping position, class womb?, approaching parenthood, feeling left out, wearing a seat belt, travel, mosquitoes find pregnant women delicious, over the (baby) moon, don’t drink the water, mile-high pregnancy, how safe is security?
All About: Sex and the Pregnant Couple
– Sex through the trimesters, the ins and outs of sex during pregnancy, the sex fear factor, what’s turning you on (or off)?, sexercise, expectant sex explained, position matters, enjoying it more, even if you’re doing it less, when sex is off the table.

Chapter 10: The Sixth Month (Approx 23 – 27 Weeks)
Your Baby This Month
Your Body This Month
What You Can Expect at This Month’s Checkup
What You May Be Wondering About
– Troubles sleeping, when she can’t sleep, an umbilical hernia, popped belly button, baby kicking, posting pregnancy, measuring large or small, when something just doesn’t feel right, itchy belly, clumsiness, numbness in the hands, leg cramps, bleeding in mid or late pregnancy, hemorrhoids, diagnosing preeclampsia, breast lump, glucose screening test, cord blood banking, home birth and cord blood banking, childbirth pain, labour and delivery worries, labour inhibitions, hospital tours.
All About: Childbirth Education
– Benefits of taking a childbirth class, another class to take, choosing a childbirth class, for information on pregnancy/childbirth classes, childbirth education options, classes for second-trimester.

Chapter 11: The Seventh Month (Approx 28 – 31 Weeks)
Your Baby This Month
– Baby brain food.
Your Body This Month
What You Can Expect at This Month’s Checkup
What You May Be Wondering About
– Fatigue revisited, picking up and slack(s), swelling, take them off, while you can, strange skin bumps, lower back and leg pain (sciatica), count your kicks, lightning crotch, restless leg syndrome, fetal hiccups, snap crackle pop mom?, orgasm and baby’s kicking, accidental falls, dreams and fantasies, daddy dreams, preparing fido and whiskers, handling it all, baby the 3D movie, a birth plan, passing the birth plan (to a new shift), signs of preterm labour, don’t hold it in, water birth, doulas: best medicine for labour?, Tdap vaccine, take one for the team.
All About: Easing Labor Pain
– Managing your pain with medications, pushing without the pain, moms in recovery, managing your pain with CAM, just breathe, labour disputes, making the decisions.

Chapter 12: The Eighth Month (Approx 32 – 35 Weeks)
Your Baby This Month
Your Body This Month
What You Can Expect at This Month’s Checkup
What You May Be Wondering About
– Braxton hicks contractions, aching ribs, shortness of breath, choosing a pediatrician, morning sickness again, lack of bladder control, how you’re carrying, oh my aching pelvic bones, the gender guessing game, your size and your delivery, your weight gain and the baby’s size, baby’s position, breech baby, face forward, other unusual presentations, turn baby turn, how does your baby lie?, cesarean delivery, reasons for a scheduled C, C-Section decision during labour, prepping for a C-section, repeat cesareans, scheduled classes for scheduled C’s, vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), elective cesareans, group B strep, lifesaving screenings for newborns, taking baths now, driving now, popping placenta, travelling now, sex now, preparing for the unexpected, your twosome.
All About: Breastfeeding
– Why breast is best, prepping for breastfeeding, got pierced?, when father knows breast, breastfeeding after breast surgery, making the choice to breastfeed, when you can’t (or choose not to) breastfeed.

Chapter 13: The Ninth Month (Approx 36 – 40 Weeks)
Your Baby This Month
Your Body This Month
What You Can Expect at This Month’s Checkup
What You May Be Wondering About
– Urinary frequency – again, lactating blood, leaky (or not leaky) breasts, going down?, spotting now, prelabour water breaking, baby dropping, baby’s crying already, how is baby doing?, what’s considered term, changes in baby’s movements, a push present for your baby mama?, nesting instinct, massage it mama, sounds like a plan, when will you deliver?, do-it-yourself labour induction?, the overdue baby, what to take to the hospital or birthing centre, your birthing room guest list, can you eat your way to labour?, being a mom, rookie nerves, stocking up.
All About: Prelabor, False Labor, Real Labor
– Prelabour symptoms, ready or not, false labour symptoms, real labour symptoms, when to call the practitioner.

Chapter 14: Labor and Delivery
What You May Be Wondering About
– Mucous plug, bloody show, your water breaking, darkened amniotic fluid, low amniotic fluid during labour, irregular contractions, calling your practitioner during labour, emergency delivery if you’re alone, not getting to the hospital in time, having a short labour, back labour, emergency delivery tips for the coach, labour induction, membrane stripping, eating and drinking during labour, routine IV, fetal monitoring, episiotomy: no longer a common cut, artificial rupture of membranes, vacuum extractor, forceps, labour positions, being stretched by childbirth, handling the sight of blood, the sight of blood, delaying cord clamping, wear and tear during delivery, lotus birth.
All About: Childbirth.
Stage One: Labor
– Phase 1: Early Labour. Stages and phases of childbirth, call your practitioner if …., what you can do during early labour, on to the hospital or birthing center.
– Phase 2: Active Labour. Don’t hyperventilate, when labour slows down, what you can do during active labour.
– Phase 3: Transitional Labour. What you can do during transitional labour, baby’s movements during labour, labouring down.
Stage Two: Pushing and Delivery
– What you can do during pushing and delivery, a baby is born, a first look at baby.
Stage Three: Delivery of the Placenta
– What you can do after delivery.
Cesarean Delivery
– Tying your tubes after delivery, don’t forget to cover baby.

Chapter 15: Expecting Multiples
What You May Be Wondering About
– Choosing a practitioner, fraternal or identical, midwife care for multiples?, pregnancy symptoms, seeing double – everywhere?, eating well with multiples, weight gain, what to gain when you’re gaining for multiples, exercise, multiple timeline, extra extra!, mixed feelings, multiple connections, insensitive comments, safety in numbers, pregnancy reduction, bed rest, vanishing twin syndrome.
All About: Multiple Childbirth
– Labouring with twins or move, delivering twins, position position position, delivering triplets (or more), multiple recovery.

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PART 3: AFTER THE BABY IS BORN
Chapter 16: Postpartum: The First Week
What You May Be Feeling
What You May Be Wondering About
– Bleeding, puff mama part 2, afterpains, perineal pain, welcome back ibuprofen, delivery bruises, when to call your practitioner, difficulty urinating, that first bowel movement, should I stay or should I go?, excessive sweating and hot flashes, fever, engorged breasts, engorgement if you’re not breastfeeding, where’s the breast milk?, bonding, breast milk timeline, bonding with baby, recovery from a cesarean delivery, give it time, rooming-in rules, coming home with baby, being there.
All About: Beginning Breastfeeding
– Getting started breastfeeding, bottle baby, eating when you’re feeding, feeding time, no breasts no problem, breastfeeding 101, breastfeeding multiples, breastfeeding after a cesarean delivery, breastfeeding the NICU baby.

Chapter 17: Postpartum: The First 6 Weeks
What You May Be Feeling
– Expect the unexpected postpartum.
What You Can Expect at Your Postpartum Checkup
What You May Be Wondering About
– Exhaustion, hair loss, postpartum urinary incontinence, help for leaks that won’t let up, fecal incontinence, postpartum backache, baby blues, your baby blues, wearing away the baby blues, postpartum depression, keep an eye on her mood, getting help for PPD, thyroiditis got you down?, beyond postpartum depression, losing weight postpartum, C-section recovery continued, feeling down with let-down, resuming sex, postpartum sex?, breastfeeding as birth control?, birth control options.
All About: Getting Back into Shape
– Workout rules for the first 6 weeks, first weeks after delivery, close the gap, after your postpartum checkup.

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PART 4: STAYING HEALTHY WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING
Chapter 18: If You Get Sick
What You May Be Wondering About
– The common cold, sinusitis, flu season, flu shot for two, fever, strep throat, urinary tract infection, yeast infection, bacterial vaginosis, stomach bugs, staying well when you’re expecting, CMV, fifth disease, chicken pox (varicella), measles, mumps and rubella, hepatitis A, protecting against zika virus, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, lyme disease, bell’s palsy.
All About: Medications During Pregnancy
– Keeping current, common medications, get smart about antibiotics, medication and lactation, making the most of your meds, if you need medication during pregnancy.

PART 5: THE COMPLICATED PREGNANCY
Chapter 19: Managing Complications
Pregnancy Complications
– Subchorionic bleeding, bleeding during pregnancy, threatened miscarriage, you’ll want to know…, wait and see, hyperemesis gravidarum, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, the reasons behind preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, intrauterine growth restriction, placenta previa, placenta abruption, chorioamnionitis, oligohydramnios, hydramnios, preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM), preterm labour/delivery, predicting preterm labour, pelvic girdle pain (PGP) or symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), cord knots and tangles, two-vessel cord.
Uncommon Pregnancy Complications
– Eclampsia, cholestasis, deep venous thrombosis, cancer in pregnancy, placenta accreta, when home birth isn’t best, vasa previa.
Childbirth and Postpartum Complications
– Fetal distress, cord prolapse, shoulder dystocia, serious perineal tears, uterine rupture, uterine inversion, postpartum hemorrhage, postpartum infection.
All About: If You’re Put on Bed Rest
– What kind of rest?, before you head to bed, the downsides of resting, staying up with you’re lying down, handling bed rest, bed rest and the rest of your family, moms helping moms, when the rest is over.

Chapter 20: Pregnancy Loss
Types of Pregnancy Loss
– Early miscarriage, are you spotting?, types of early miscarriage, age and miscarriage, molar pregnancy, choriocarcinoma, ectopic pregnancy, if you’ve had an early pregnancy loss, late miscarriage, lactation suppression when a baby dies, stillbirth.
All About: Coping with Pregnancy Loss
– Coping with first trimester loss, a personal process, postpartum depression and pregnancy loss, coping with second trimester loss, coping with repeat miscarriages, the difficult process of coping, a surrogate pregnancy, a personal loss, coping with loss during or after birth, coping with the loss of one twin, you’re grieving too, palliative care for your baby, trying again after pregnancy loss.

Index