Kelly M. Shanahan - Your Over-35 Week-by-Week Pregnancy Guide: All the Answers to All Your Questions About Pregnancy, Birth, and Your Developin g Baby

Copyright 2000 by M. Kelly Shanahan

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from Random House, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York.
Member of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
www.crownpublishing.com

THREE RIVERS PRESS and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Originally published by Prima Publishing, Roseville, California, in 2001.

The information provided in this book is not intended to be a substitute for professional or medical advice. Readers should consult a qualified physician concerning their particular pregnancy. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a result, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

Illustrations by Steve Larson, M.D., and Mike Fiedler
Interior photos by M. Kelly Shanahan, M.D., Jeff Turney, and Karen Linsley of Image Angels Photography

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shanahan, M. Kelly.

Your over-35 week-by-week pregnancy guide: all the answers to all your questions about pregnancy, birth, and your developing baby / M. Kelly Shanahan.
p. cm.
1. Pregnancy in middle age. 2. Pregnancy in middle ageMiscellanea.
3. Childbirth in middle ageMiscellanea. I. Title: Your over-thirty-five week-by-week pregnancy guide. II. Title.

RG556.6.S53 2000

618.24dc21

00-050171

eISBN: 978-0-307-78178-9

v3.1

INTRODUCTION

I DEDICATE THIS book to my mother, Barbara Dunn Shanahan. I used to call you an old fart because you had me when you were 35. I am older and wiser now, and am eternally grateful for everything you have done for me, Mom.

And to my husband, Jeff Turney. Without you, I wouldnt even have thought of having a child. Thank you for keeping me young at heartand I promise I wont reveal your true age! Thank you for not only putting up with my normal contrariness, but for never complaining when I neglected my wifely duties writing this book.

And, mostly to my daughter, Hunter Katherine Shanahan Turney. Because of you, the M.D. after my name now stands for Mommy-Doctor. You are my little miracle, and I love you more than words can say. Thank you for being such a great kid and going to bed without a fuss so I could get to the computer. Thank you for not coloring, shredding, or otherwise destroying the research materials that cover every square inch of floor around my desk. Thank you for just being.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

IT WAS FATE when I was approached in early 2000 by Prima Publishing to write a book; in our familys annual holiday letter just a few weeks before, I had closed the letter with the comment that the only thing I hadnt yet done was to write a book! The proposed subjecta week-by-week guide to pregnancy after the age of 35was fate as well. Not only am I a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, but the year before, at age 38, I gave birth to my first child. Been there, done that, write a book about it!

And writing this book was a lot like being pregnant. After the initial exhilaration (Guess what, honey, they want me to write a book!), there was the first-trimester anxiety (What the heck am I going to write about? What did I get myself into?). Then came the second-trimester honeymoon period, during which I was energized and could finish a chapter every day or two. But then came the third trimester (I have to go sit in front of the computer again. I cant wait until this damn book is done!). If youve already had a baby, youll know what I mean, and if this is your first, the understanding will unfold, week by week.

Why did I want to write a book in the first place? Partly because I love to pass on what I know as an ob-gyn to other women. I could have limited my work to seeing my own patients four days a week, like most doctors do, but for the past few years Ive been writing on the Internet, answering questions and writing articles for iVillage (allHealth.com), drugstore.com, and obgyn.net. I find great fulfillment in helping other women find answers to their questions and solutions to their problems. Writing a book, I felt, would be a logical extension of what I already love to do.

Why this book on pregnancy after 35? The time was ripe, for one thing. While in 1960 it was considered quite unusual that my mother had me, her first child, at age 35, today it is anything but uncommon. Today, more and more women are waiting until their mid- to late thirtiesor even fortiesto start a family. Some women who had their first children at a younger age complete their childbearing, either through choice or happenstance, after 35. There are special challenges and considerationsand, I believe, special joysin being pregnant in our middle years. We have issues about chromosomal abnormalities that younger women dont. We are more likely to be troubled by complications like diabetes or high blood pressure. And, I think, we are more likely to be grateful to have the opportunity to be pregnant, and treasure each moment of it. When I started this book, my daughter was 14 months old. My experiences as an over-35-year-old pregnant woman were fresh in my mind. I wanted to pass on what I know as a doctor, to allay your fears and answer your questions. I also wanted to pass on what I know as a woman who had the same fears about being an older mom, the same questions about having genetic testing or not, the same joy in finally having a child. I went through infertility testing and treatments and two miscarriages before I was given the gift of being pregnant and having my daughter. I really have been there, done that.

This book is a resource for all women who find themselves with child at age 35 and beyond, whether they are first-time moms-to-be or veterans. It is arranged week-by-week; each chapter discusses what your baby is doing as well as what you are doing. Special considerations for each week are detailed, with emphasis on concerns of mid-life moms. Ive included excerpts from the journal I kept when I was pregnant, because I thought the nine months of pregnancy were awesome, and I want to share that with you.