Ruby Matley - 9 Months: The Essential Australian Guide to Pregnancy

THE ESSENTIAL AUSTRALIAN
GUIDE TO PREGNANCY

It is incredible that as women we have the ability to develop, nourish and grow another human being. It seems like yesterday that I discovered I was pregnant with my firstborn. I remember feeling scared beyond words, yet so excited at what was ahead.

Professionally speaking, I have a science degree and have worked in clinical settings. I am also curious by nature, so as soon as my pregnancy was confirmed, I set about learning everything I could. There are countless things that no one tells us when we are pregnant and many of which I wish I had known. Pregnancy, like parenthood, has a steep learning curve and there is a copious amount of information to digest. Everything is medicalised and the terminology can be confusing. I felt this even with the knowledge I already had.

So having a close friend whod already had a child was invaluable for me. She answered all my questions, no matter how silly they seemed. I could divulge my biggest fears to her, too. With my second pregnancy, I felt more prepared, but I soon learned that every pregnancy is different and I discovered there was so much more to learn.

This is what encouraged me to write this book. I wanted to be a friend who can answer those awkward questions you may have.

But I also wanted to offer the expertise of a professional. This is where David comes in.

While living in Byron Bay, I was unsure what route I wanted to take to birthing. I was somewhat hesitant to see an obstetrician, because I believed I wouldnt have my own say when it came to birthing options. This may sound a little nave, but I had no idea what pregnancy and the birthing experience entailed.

In the end, I decided to have an obstetrician mostly because family and friends who had babies recommended it and, in hindsight, I am thankful that I did. Continuity for me was what made me feel most comfortable, reassured and supported throughout my pregnancy and postpartum period.

Davids office is set in northern New South Wales. His rooms are in a large old Queenslander converted into offices that make you feel at ease as soon as you walk through the front door. After meeting David, I instantly felt comfortable, trusted and relieved. David has encyclopaedic knowledge and a soothing manner just what I needed.

It is easy to focus on the development of the baby and forget about how you are feeling and what you may be experiencing and remembering to be kind to yourself because, after all, you are growing a human.

David and I hope that this book will answer many of the niggling questions you have about pregnancy and birth. That it will reassure you that you are not alone and that it will help you feel at ease, excited, prepared and informed about what to expect during your pregnancy.

People are connected now more than ever through the internet and social media. While these tools are excellent, they can create more anxiety, pressure and uncertainty. I hope this book enables you to trust your instincts, to celebrate all the changes that pregnancy brings, and to make informed, nurturing choices for you and your baby.

David

Birth never gets old.

I have been in the room for thousands of births, each with its own mix of calm, crazy and magical. On every single occasion, I have felt privileged to bear witness to these precious moments in a familys life.

I have also continued to be humbled by the gratitude expressed by women, their partners and families for the most unexpected reasons. There have been so many births in which my sole purpose was simply to be there. Often, these are the times when people feel the most thankful for their doctor or midwife, when they are simply there to encourage, empower, reassure and let birth happen.

The speciality of obstetrics is built around predicting risks, where possible, and then dealing with problems if they arise. The unfortunate result of this is that modern pregnancy has become a series of medical hurdles (or screening tests) and the definition of a healthy pregnancy is when the woman manages to make it through the obstacle course of investigation unscathed as a low risk patient. Increasingly, women are keen to move away from the medicalisation of birth. I can appreciate this sentiment.

The truth is, most women do not need a doctor to give birth. A lot of complications of pregnancy and birth are more like precautions things found by practitioners which have a chance to cause trouble, but often wont if acknowledged and treated with care. Some things that go wrong are what we call iatrogenic, which is a medical term roughly meaning the disease was caused by the treatment. We, as doctors, need to limit these occurrences.

Ive tried to write the medical sections of this book in the same way that I talk to the hundreds of women I help through pregnancy and birth each year. Where possible, I have avoided using complicated statistics or confusing scientific jargon. Everything we do in medicine is leaning towards an evidence-based approach. We want you to know that the things we recommend are based on scientific research, but we also recognise that most of you arent scientists.

This book, then, is based on experience, backed up by science, and filtered through common sense.

Importantly, however, I am not your obstetrician. That means that you should consult the person looking after you personally before making any decisions about what to do when you are pregnant. There often is no right way. Every woman and every birth is unique. The key to making it safer, calmer and more satisfying is having the right people around you when it happens.

Happy birthing!

Every womans preparation for pregnancy will be different. Some will become pregnant without time to prepare, while others will spend several months improving their health before actively trying to get pregnant. When preparing for pregnancy, the following steps are recommended:

• Start taking folic acid and iodine (see page 21) or a pregnancy supplement that contains a range of key vitamins and minerals.
• Cease or limit alcohol consumption.
• Get professional help for addictions such as smoking and drug use.
• Speak to your doctor about any medications you are taking to check whether these are safe to continue taking prior to and during pregnancy.