Susan Warhus - Countdown to Baby: Answers to the 100 Most Asked Questions About Pregnancy and Childbirth

An Addicus Nonfiction Book

Copyright 2004 by Susan P. Warhus, M.D. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information, write Addicus Books, Inc., P.O. Box 45327, Omaha, Nebraska 68145.

ISBN# 1-886039-68-2

ISBN# 978-1-886039-68-1

Updated 2011

Cover design by Peri Poloni

Illustrations by Jack Kusler

Typography by Linda Dageforde

This book is not intended to serve as a substitute for a physician nor is it the authors intent to give medical advice contrary to that of an attending physician.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Warhus, Susan P., 1955

Countdown to baby : answers to the 100 most asked questions about

pregnancy and childbirth / Susan P. Warhus.

p. cm.

ISBN 1-886039-68-2

1. PregnancyPopular works. 2. PregnancyMiscellanea. 3. ChildbirthPopular works. 4. ChildbirthMiscellanea. I. Title.

RG551.W374 2003

618.2dc22

2003016803

Addicus Books, Inc.

P.O. Box 45327

Omaha, Nebraska 68145

www.AddicusBooks.com

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

To all the women whose prenatal care and childbirth experience Ive had the honor of sharing. Thank you for allowing me to participate in such a magical time in your lives.

Index

I would like to thank my wonderful husband Larry for always being my pillar of strength and loving partner in life. I know that I am blessed to share my life with you. I also thank my awesome son Kevin. You are a bright, great kid. I appreciate both of you for being so understanding and patient when I was always on the computer.

A huge thanks to Jennifer, who is the most amazing nurse Ive ever known. I appreciate your efforts to make this book a great success. I value you as a supportive and caring friend.

I also acknowledge my former partner Mary Ellen, an incredible doctor, who took the time out of her insanely busy schedule to review this manuscript for accuracy and completeness. Thanks, also, to my favorite midwife and new mother, Ana, for providing special insights and information for this book.

Ive always enjoyed working with the outstanding professionals at Scottsdale Healthcare Womens Center, both the administrative and nursing staff. Thank you for supporting my goal to pursue womens health issues and patient education.

Finally, I would like to thank the staff at Addicus Books. Thank you, especially, to Rod and Susan for believing in me and guiding me through this process when others would not take the chance with a first-time author.

I was motivated to write this book by my own experiences, both personal and professional. First, my own pregnancy and childbirth did not go the way I had hoped. I happened to be finishing medical school at the time of my delivery. (In fact, I actually missed the graduation ceremony because I was in the hospital.) I thought I knew a lot more about labor and delivery than I really did. I was disappointed and felt that I had been misled about the pain of childbirth, the role of my own physician, and several complications that eventually required me to have a Cesarean section. I hope I can help you avoid some of those same pitfalls.

As a doctor, its my goal to provide you with the best information available so that you can have the most rewarding pregnancy and childbirth experience. I am a board-certified OB/GYN physician and have delivered more than 3,000 babies. During my almost fifteen years in clinical practice, I provided medical care to thousands of pregnant women. Most of these patients already owned one of those large reference books on pregnancy. However, during their prenatal visits, they always had many additional questions and concerns to discuss with me. I noticed that the same questions were being asked over and over again. I decided to keep a list of the most common questions, and that process was the genesis of this book. It focuses on the pregnant womans most frequently asked questions and her top concerns. Ive tried to answer the questions fully, yet concisely.

I hope that you enjoy this book and find it helpful. I am pleased to be able to offer help during this special time in your life. I wish you all the best on your continued journey toward motherhood. Your life is about to miraculously change forever.

C ongratulations, youre pregnant! What an exciting time in your life! Now that youre pregnant, you have lots of things on your mind and many things to do. Be assured that it is perfectly normal to experience a wide range of emotions. Some days you may be bursting with delight and excitement; at other times you may feel frightened and overwhelmed. You can reduce some of the stress you might be feeling by getting organized and making some important decisions. Your top priority right now is to establish excellent prenatal care for yourself and your unborn baby. You need to find the best doctor (or midwife) to care for you during your pregnancy and upcoming delivery. You also need to review diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits that are important to maintain during your pregnancy.

You are about to embark on your amazing journey toward motherhood, and your life will never again be quite the same. Best wishes to you during your pregnancy. It is such a special time.

Your due date is calculated based on the first day of your last menstrual cycle. Thats why its important to keep a record of your periods when you are trying to get pregnant. You become pregnant when your body is ovulating. Ovulation is the releasing of an egg from one of your ovaries. The egg can only be fertilized within twenty-four to thirty-six hours of ovulation. If you have intercourse during ovulation time, there is a good chance that one of the millions of sperm released during your partners ejaculation will fertilize your egg. Most women cycle approximately every 28 days and ovulate on or about day 14. The easiest way to determine your menstrual or fertility cycle is to begin counting on the first day of your period; this is day one. Continue to count each day until you reach day 14. For most women, day 14 is ovulation day and the most likely day for you to become pregnant. After day 14, continue to count each day. If you are pregnant, you wont have another period. If you are not pregnant, continue to count (usually until about day 28) until your next period begins and the cycle starts all over again with day one.

The due date of a full-term pregnancy is based on 40 weeks from the first day of your last period. Another way of looking at it is to say that your due date is about 38 weeks after conception. However, the medical profession uses the 40 weeks from your last period method. Those little gestational wheels used to calculate due dates that you see in your doctors office are based on the same 40-week term method. Ask your doctor to show you how it works.

In some cases, it may be difficult to determine your due date. Perhaps you dont remember when your last period was, or maybe your periods are irregular. In these cases, the doctor will often order an ultrasound to assist in determining the due date.

The decision to tell others about your pregnancy is entirely up to you. Most women immediately share the news with spouse, partner, or a close friend. This is usually a good idea because it enables you to discuss your excitement and share your concerns with a close and supportive person in your life. However, before you announce the big news to your entire family and all your friends, and coworkers, you may want to consider a few important issues.