O'Reilly logo

Stay ahead with the world's most comprehensive technology and business learning platform.

With Safari, you learn the way you learn best. Get unlimited access to videos, live online training, learning paths, books, tutorials, and more.

Start Free Trial

No credit card required

Pregnancy For Dummies, 4th Edition

Pregnancy For Dummies, 4th Edition

by Joanne Stone, Keith Eddleman, Mary Duenwald
Publisher: For Dummies
Release Date: July 2014
ISBN: 9781118825594
View table of contents
Start reading

Book Description

The reassuring guide to a happy, healthy pregnancy

This new edition offers soon-to-be moms and dads detailed, friendly information on preparing and planning for pregnancy. You'll find guidance on the basics, as well as special considerations like age, multiple births, complications, illness, labor and delivery, postpartum care, and everything in between.

Now in a portable, handy trim size that makes it easy to keep with you on the go, Pregnancy For Dummies, 4th Edition is your go-to guide on everything you'll encounter during the first, second, and third trimesters—and beyond. Packed with new information and the latest developments in medical technology, it puts your mind at ease by offering straightforward answers to all the questions you may have about pregnancy, including health risks during pregnancy, fertility problems and solutions, "on demand" cesarean sections, weight gain during pregnancy, the correlation between mercury and autism, ways to stay emotionally and physically healthy during pregnancy, and much more.

  • Includes a complete guide to pregnancy, through all three trimesters and beyond, including a week-by-week account of what to expect during pregnancy

  • Covers the latest information related to healthcare and pregnancy, including the latest on vaccinations, fertility problems, and prenatal diagnoses

  • Offers advice on picking a doctor, planning prenatal visits, and designing a birthing plan

  • Explains the stages of labor and how to care for yourself and your newborn after childbirth

    • If you're an expectant parent, Pregnancy For Dummies, 4th Edition covers everything mom and baby experience before, during, and after childbirth.

    Table of Contents

      1. Introduction
        1. About This Book
        2. What’s New in This Edition
        3. Foolish Assumptions
        4. Icons Used in This Book
        5. Beyond the Book
        6. Where to Go from Here
      2. Part I: Getting Started with Pregnancy
        1. Chapter 1: Seeing Double Lines: I Think I’m Pregnant!
          1. Recognizing the Signs of Pregnancy
          2. Determining Whether You’re Pregnant
            1. Getting an answer at home
            2. Going to your practitioner for answers
            3. Calculating your due date
          3. Selecting the Right Practitioner for You
            1. Considering your options
            2. Asking questions before you choose
          4. Keeping Your Medicines and Vaccinations in Check
            1. Reviewing your medications
            2. Recognizing the importance of vaccinations and immunity
        2. Chapter 2: Your Pregnancy at a Glance: Overview of Pregnancy Week-by-Week
          1. Weeks 0–4
          2. Weeks 5–8
          3. Weeks 9–12
          4. Weeks 13–16
          5. Weeks 17–20
          6. Weeks 21–24
          7. Weeks 25–28
          8. Weeks 29–32
          9. Weeks 33–36
          10. Weeks 37–40
          11. Weeks 40–42
          12. Common Tests during Pregnancy
        3. Chapter 3: Preparing for Life during Pregnancy
          1. Planning Prenatal Visits
          2. Preparing for Physical and Emotional Changes
            1. Coping with mood swings
            2. Living through leg cramps
            3. Noticing vaginal discharge
            4. Putting up with backaches
            5. Handling stress
          3. Understanding the Effects of Medications, Alcohol, and Drugs on Your Baby
            1. Taking medications
            2. Smoking and its risks
            3. Drinking alcohol
            4. Using recreational/illicit drugs
          4. Looking at Lifestyle Changes
            1. Pampering yourself with beauty treatments
            2. Relaxing in hot tubs, whirlpools, saunas, or steam rooms
            3. Traveling
            4. Getting dental care
            5. Having sex
          5. Working during Pregnancy: A Different Type of Labor
            1. Considering occupational hazards
            2. Understanding pregnancy and the law
        4. Chapter 4: Diet and Exercise for the Expectant Mother
          1. Looking at Healthy Weight Gain
            1. Determining how much is enough
            2. Avoiding weight obsession
            3. Understanding your baby’s weight gain
          2. Taking Stock of What You’re Taking In
            1. Using the USDA Choose My Plate
            2. Supplementing your diet
          3. Determining Which Foods Are Safe
            1. Eyeing potentially harmful foods
            2. Debunking popular food myths
          4. Considering Special Dietary Needs
            1. Eating right, vegetarian-style
            2. Staying healthy, vegan-style
            3. Maintaining a gluten-free diet
            4. Combating constipation
            5. Dealing with diabetes
          5. Working Out for Two
            1. Adapting to your body’s changes
            2. Exercising without overdoing it
            3. Comparing forms of exercise
      3. Part II: Pregnancy: Countdown
        1. Chapter 5: The First Trimester
          1. A New Life Takes Shape
            1. Following the numbers: How the embryo grows
            2. Take two: Noting how twins develop
          2. Adapting to How Your Body Changes
            1. Breast changes
            2. Fatigue
            3. Any-time-of-day sickness
            4. Bloating
            5. Frequent urination
            6. Headaches
            7. Constipation
            8. Cramps
          3. Going to Your First Prenatal Appointment
            1. Understanding the consultation
            2. Considering the physical exam
            3. Eyeing the standard tests
          4. Considering Options for Detecting Genetic Abnormalities in the First Trimester
            1. Looking at age
            2. Chorionic villus sampling
          5. Recognizing Causes for Concern
            1. Bleeding
            2. Miscarriage
            3. Ectopic pregnancy
          6. For Partners: Reacting to the News
        2. Chapter 6: The Second Trimester
          1. Discovering How Your Baby Is Developing
          2. Understanding Your Changing Body
            1. Forgetfulness and clumsiness
            2. Gas
            3. Hair and nail growth
            4. Heartburn
            5. Lower abdominal/groin pain
            6. Nasal congestion
            7. Nosebleeds and bleeding gums
            8. Skin changes
          3. Checking In: Prenatal Visits
            1. Second-trimester blood tests
            2. “Looking” at sound waves: Ultrasound
            3. Testing with amniocentesis
            4. Other prenatal tests and procedures
          4. Recognizing Causes for Concern
            1. Bleeding
            2. Fetal abnormality
            3. Cervical insufficiency/Incompetent Cervix
            4. Knowing when to seek help
          5. For Partners: Watching Mom Grow
        3. Chapter 7: The Third Trimester
          1. Your Baby Gets Ready for Birth
            1. Movin’ and shakin’: Fetal movements
            2. Flexing the breathing muscles
            3. Hiccupping in utero
          2. Keeping Up with Your Changing Body
            1. Accidents and falls
            2. Braxton-Hicks contractions
            3. Carpal tunnel syndrome
            4. Fatigue
            5. Feeling the baby “drop”
            6. Hemorrhoids
            7. Insomnia
            8. Pregnancy rashes and itches
            9. Preparing for breast-feeding
            10. Sciatica
            11. Shortness of breath
            12. Stretch marks
            13. Swelling
            14. Urinary stress incontinence
            15. Varicose veins
          3. Hitting the Home Stretch: Prenatal Visits in the Third Trimester
            1. Taking Group B strep cultures
            2. Gauging lung maturity
            3. Assessing your baby’s current health
          4. Preparing for Labor
            1. Making a birth plan
            2. Going back to school: Classes to take
            3. Asking for a c-section on demand
            4. Timing labor
            5. Using perineal massage
          5. Getting Ready to Head to the Hospital
            1. Packing your suitcase
            2. Determining who’s coming to the hospital
            3. Choosing — and using — a car seat
          6. Recognizing Causes for Concern
            1. Bleeding
            2. Breech presentation
            3. Decreased amniotic fluid volume
            4. Decreased fetal movement
            5. Fetal growth problems
            6. Leaking amniotic fluid
            7. Preeclampsia
            8. Preterm labor
            9. When the baby is late
          7. For Partners — Getting Down to the Wire
      4. Part III: The Big Event: Labor, Delivery, and Recovery
        1. Chapter 8: Honey, I Think I’m in Labor!
          1. Knowing When Labor Is Real — and When It Isn’t
            1. Noticing changes before labor begins
            2. Discerning false labor from true labor
            3. Deciding when to call your practitioner
            4. Checking for labor with an internal exam
          2. Getting Admitted to the Hospital
            1. Settling into your hospital room
            2. Checking out the accommodations
          3. Monitoring Your Baby
            1. Fetal heart monitoring
            2. Other tests of fetal health
          4. Nudging Things Along: Labor Induction
            1. Medically indicated induction
            2. Elective induction
            3. Inducing labor
            4. Augmenting labor
          5. Getting the Big Picture: Stages and Characteristics of Labor
            1. The first stage
            2. The second stage
            3. The third stage
          6. Handling Labor Pain
            1. Systemic medications
            2. Regional anesthetics
            3. General anesthesia
          7. Considering Alternative Birthing Methods
          8. Delivering without anesthesia
          9. Giving birth at home
          10. Using a doula
          11. Immersing yourself in a water birth
        2. Chapter 9: Special Delivery: Bringing Your Baby into the World
          1. Having a Vaginal Delivery
            1. Pushing the baby out
            2. Getting an episiotomy
            3. Handling prolonged second-stage labor
            4. The big moment: Delivering your baby
            5. Delivering the placenta
            6. Repairing your perineum
          2. Assisting Nature: Operative Vaginal Delivery
          3. Having a Cesarean Delivery
            1. Understanding anesthesia
            2. Looking at reasons for cesarean delivery
            3. Recovering from a cesarean delivery
          4. Congratulations! You Did It!
            1. Shaking after delivery
            2. Understanding postpartum bleeding
            3. Hearing your baby’s first cry
            4. Checking your baby’s condition
            5. Cutting the cord
            6. Banking cord blood and tissue
            7. Finding out about new uses for your placenta
        3. Chapter 10: Hello, World! Meet Your Newborn
          1. Looking at Your Bundle of Joy
            1. Varnished in vernix
            2. The shape of the head
            3. Black-and-blue marks
            4. Blotches, patches, and more
            5. Baby hair
            6. Extremities
            7. Eyes and ears
            8. Genitalia and breasts
            9. Umbilical cord
            10. Newborn size
            11. Seeing how your baby breathes
          2. Knowing What to Expect in the Hospital
            1. Preparing baby for life outside the womb
            2. Understanding baby’s developing digestive system
            3. Considering circumcision
            4. Spending time in the neonatal intensive care unit
          3. Checking In: Baby’s First Doctor Visit
            1. Considering heart rate and circulatory changes
            2. Looking at weight changes
          4. For Partners: Home at Last — with the New Family
        4. Chapter 11: Taking Care of Yourself after Delivery
          1. Recuperating from Delivery
            1. Looking and feeling like a new mom
            2. Understanding postpartum bleeding
            3. Dealing with perineal pain
            4. Surviving swelling
            5. Coping with your bladder
            6. Battling the hemorrhoid blues
            7. Understanding postpartum bowel function
            8. Continuing to recover at home
          2. Recovering from a Cesarean Delivery
            1. Going to the recovery room
            2. Taking it one step at a time
            3. Understanding post-cesarean pain
            4. Dealing with post-op pain
            5. Getting ready to go home
            6. Continuing to recover at home
          3. Going through More Postpartum Changes
            1. Sweating like a … new mom
            2. Dealing with breast engorgement
            3. Understanding hair loss
            4. Chasing away the baby blues
            5. Recognizing postpartum depression
            6. Checking your progress: The first postpartum doctor visit
          4. Returning to “Normal” Life
            1. Getting fit all over again
            2. Losing the weight
            3. Pondering your postpartum diet
            4. Taking your vitamins
            5. Doing Kegel exercises
            6. Having sex again
            7. Choosing contraception
        5. Chapter 12: Feeding Your Baby
          1. Deciding between Breast and Bottle
            1. Sizing up the advantages of breast-feeding
            2. Checking out why some moms may choose bottle-feeding
          2. Latching onto Breast-Feeding
            1. Looking at the mechanics of lactation
            2. Checking out breast-feeding positions
            3. Getting the baby to latch on
            4. Orchestrating feedings
            5. Maintaining your diet
            6. Looking at birth control options
            7. Determining which medications are safe
            8. Handling common problems
            9. Breast-feeding multiples
          3. Bottle-Feeding for Beginners
            1. Stopping milk production
            2. Choosing the best bottles and nipples
            3. Feeding your baby from a bottle
          4. Dealing with Baby’s Developing Digestive System
      5. Part IV: Dealing with Special Concerns
        1. Chapter 13: Pregnancies with Special Considerations
          1. Figuring Out How Age Matters
            1. Over-30-something moms
            2. Not-so-young dads
            3. Very young moms
          2. Having Twins or More
            1. Looking at types of multiples
            2. Determining whether multiples are identical or fraternal
            3. Screening for Down syndrome in pregnancies with twins or more
            4. Conducting genetic testing in pregnancies with twins or more
            5. Keeping track of which baby is which
            6. Living day-to-day during a multiple pregnancy
            7. Going through labor and delivery
            8. Covering special issues for moms with multiples
            9. Monitoring for preterm labor in twins
          3. Getting Pregnant Again
            1. Realizing how each pregnancy differs
            2. Giving birth after a prior cesarean delivery
          4. If You’re a Nontraditional Family
          5. Preparing Your Child (or Children) for a New Arrival
            1. Explaining pregnancy
            2. Making baby-sitting arrangements for your delivery
            3. Coming home
        2. Chapter 14: When Things Get Complicated
          1. Dealing with Preterm Labor
            1. Checking for signs of preterm labor
            2. Stopping preterm labor
            3. Preventing preterm labor
            4. Delivering the baby early
          2. Handling Preeclampsia
          3. Understanding Placental Conditions
            1. Placenta previa
            2. Placental abruption
          4. Recognizing Problems with the Amniotic Fluid and Sac
            1. Too much amniotic fluid
            2. Too little amniotic fluid
            3. Rupture of the amniotic sac
          5. Describing Problems with Fetal Growth
            1. Smaller-than-average babies
            2. Larger-than-average babies
          6. Looking at Blood Incompatibilities
            1. The Rh factor
            2. Other blood mismatches
          7. Dealing with Breech Presentation
          8. Pondering Post-Term Pregnancy
        3. Chapter 15: Pregnancy in Sickness and in Health
          1. Getting an Infection While Pregnant
            1. Bladder and kidney infections
            2. Chickenpox
            3. Colds and flu
            4. Seasonal allergies and hay fever
            5. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections
            6. German measles (rubella)
            7. Hepatitis
            8. Herpes infections
            9. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
            10. Listeria
            11. Lyme disease
            12. Parvovirus infection (fifth disease)
            13. Stomach viruses (gastroenteritis)
            14. Toxoplasmosis
            15. Vaginal infections
          2. Handling Pre-Pregnancy Conditions
            1. Asthma
            2. Chronic hypertension
            3. Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus
            4. Diabetes
            5. Fibroids
            6. Immunological problems
            7. Inflammatory bowel disease
            8. Seizure disorders (epilepsy)
            9. Thyroid problems
        4. Chapter 16: Coping with the Unexpected
          1. Surviving Recurrent Miscarriages
          2. Coping with Late-Pregnancy Loss
          3. Dealing with Fetal Abnormalities
          4. Finding Help
          5. Beginning to Heal
      6. Part V: The Part of Tens
        1. Chapter 17: Ten Things Nobody Tells You
          1. Pregnancy Lasts Longer than Nine Months
          2. Other People Can Drive You Crazy
          3. You Feel Exhausted in the First Trimester
          4. Round Ligament Pain Really Hurts
          5. Your Belly Becomes a Hand Magnet
          6. Hemorrhoids Are a Royal Pain in the Butt
          7. Sometimes Women Poop While Pushing
          8. The Weight Stays On after the Baby Comes Out
          9. Postpartum Bonding Really Does Happen
          10. Breast Engorgement Really Sucks, and Breast-Feeding Can Be a Production
        2. Chapter 18: Ten Healthy Snacks for Pregnant Women
        3. Chapter 19: Ten Key Things You Can See on Ultrasound
          1. Measurement of Crown-Rump Length
          2. The Face
          3. The Spine
          4. The Heart
          5. The Hands
          6. The Foot
          7. The Fetal Profile
          8. Three-Dimensional Image
          9. It’s a Boy!
          10. It’s a Girl!
      7. About the Author
      8. Cheat Sheet
      9. More Dummies Products