B. J. Snell - The Healthy Pregnancy Book: Month by Month, Everything You Need to Know from Americas Baby Experts

In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

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This book is intended to supplement, not replace, the advice of a trained health professional. If you know or suspect that you have a health problem, you should consult a health professional. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

Copyright 2013 by William Sears and Martha Sears

Cover design by Lindsey Andrews; photograph by Tim Hale/Getty Images

Cover copyright 2013 Hachette Book Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

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First ebook edition: September 2013

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ISBN 978-0316-25071-9

The A. D. D. Book

The Attachment Parenting Book

The Autism Book

The Baby Book

The Baby Sleep Book

The Birth Book

The Breastfeeding Book

The Discipline Book

The Family Nutrition Book

The Fussy Baby Book

The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood

The Healthy Pregnancy Book

The N. D. D. Book

The Portable Pediatrician

The Pregnancy Book

The Premature Baby Book

The Successful Child

The Vaccine Book

Sears Childrens Library

Baby on the Way

Eat Healthy, Feel Great

What Baby Needs

You Can Go to the Potty

Other Sears Books

Prime-Time Health

The Omega-3 Effect

James

Robert

Peter

Hayden

Erin

Matthew

Stephen

Lauren

William and Martha Sears

Matthew

Jeanz

Elizabeth

Linda Holt

Christopher

Jeffrey

BJ Snell

W elcome to the Sears Parenting Library! Because pregnancy is one of the most important events in a mothers life, this could be the most important book you will read.

Assembling the right birth book team for you. In planning this book we interviewed expectant mothers, asking them, What do you most expect from the authors of a book on pregnancy? We found out that what they want most is authors with experience and credentials.

Naturally, readers want the advice of an experienced mother. We have just the person: Martha Sears, mother of eight (seven of whom she gave birth to), childbirth educator, and registered nurse. Martha has been thereand done thata lot.

Next, expectant mothers want advice from an experienced obstetrician. So, our team includes Dr. Linda Holt, mother, obstetrician, University of Chicago professor of obstetrics, and birth attendant at some three thousand deliveries during her thirty-one years as an obstetrician.

The ultimate goal of a healthy pregnancy is a healthy baby, so we have Dr. William Sears, a pediatrician of forty years, former director of a university hospital newborn nursery, and specialist who has attended more than a thousand challenging births.

To complete this team, we have a certified, experienced midwife. Dr. BJ Snell, mother of two, has been a certified nurse midwife for twenty-five years and has experience delivering and caring for more than three thousand babies. We believe that she is one of the most credentialed and experienced midwives in America. We love having Dr. BJs contribution to this book since midwives offer a balanced approach: they regard pregnancy not as a disease full of fear, but rather as a normal physiologic process.

What expectant mothers want to read. We also asked expectant mothers, What do you most want to read in a pregnancy book? They told us that they want the most up-to-date information on what they can do to enjoy a healthy pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby. So we begin this book with a strong focus on health tips and then follow with the usual month-by-month format of what you should expect on your way to having a baby.

And because mothers told us they really dont understand or appreciate the beautiful hormonal happenings going on inside their bodies while giving birth, we orchestrated a must-read section: The Hormonal Symphony of Birth ().

Pregnancy is not the time for textbook-type reading. Mothers want to keep it simple and make it fun. As you will see, our goal is to make you smile on every page. We hope you enjoy our frequent baby bubbles, as you imagine your little pregnancy coach inside nudging you with health tips.

Finally, we asked obstetricians, What type of pregnancy book do you most want your expectant mothers to read? They replied, A book that shows mothers how to better care for their pregnant bodies and increase their chances of having healthier pregnancies, easier deliveries, and healthier babies.

We begin our journey by taking you inside the womb to watch a baby grow. We show you whats happening inside your body and inside your baby, and tell you what you can do to increase the chances of your birth wish coming true: delivering a healthy baby.

Over the past ten years new research has revealed that the health habits of the mother, for better or worse, can influence not only the health of her newborn baby but the lifelong health habits of her adult child. In putting together our maternal health program, we wondered why so many books and childbirth classes had left out some of these new insights on what a mother could do to safeguard her childs health.