Denyse Kirkby - My Mini Midwife: Everything You Need to Know about Pregnancy and Birth

MY MINI MIDWIFE

Copyright Denyse Kirkby, 2014

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publishers.

Denyse Kirkby has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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DISCLAIMER

My Mini Midwife is intended for use as a guide only. It is not to be used in place of a consultation with your maternity healthcare professional.

Although all maternity care practices are safe and appropriate to meet the needs of pregnant women, newborns and new parents, services offered at maternity units can vary widely. So you may find that the care you receive and the options you are offered are different to those available elsewhere.

About the Author

Denyse Kirkby is a registered midwife (RM), registered midwifery teacher (RMT), Higher Education Academy (HEA) fellow and United Kingdom Public Health Register (UKPHR) registered public health practitioner (PHP).

She finished her three-year midwifery training in 1997 and since then has enjoyed the privilege of working as a registered midwife in delivery, antenatal and postnatal suites in a number of different hospitals, as well as working as a community midwife and a specialist antenatal and newborn screening midwife. In 2008 Denyse decided that she wanted to share her knowledge and help shape the working practices of future midwives, and so began her training to become a registered midwifery teacher. One thing led to another and she now has three qualifications: midwifery, midwifery teaching and public health practitioner.

She lives in the south of England in a home otherwise filled with males husband, boys and pets: she writes books for adults and children to escape the testosterone. Using the pseudonym D. J. Kirkby she wrote Without Alice , My Dream of You and Special Deliveries: Life Changing Moments and wrote the Portal Series for children as Dee Kirkby. In her spare time she enjoys family time, reading, baking and running.

Find out more about D. J. Kirkby on her websites:

• Writing for adults: www.djkirkby.co.uk
• Writing for children: www.deekirkby.co.uk

Follow D. J. Kirkby on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/djkirkby

Find D. J. Kirkby on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/DeeJKirkby

PREFACE

You may be planning your pregnancy or you may be already pregnant and you probably have a lot of questions. Whether this is your first pregnancy or your fourth, each one is different and My Mini Midwife is designed to help you answer those questions. Youll be going through physical and emotional changes during this exciting and unique time of your life. You may have questions about what is normal, or why your body is doing things at certain stages.

My Mini Midwife is designed to suit your needs and those of everyone to whom your pregnancy is important. It is designed to be practical in nature: you can use it to find clear answers to questions as and when they arise, dip into it for guidance as to what you should do in certain situations, or read it from cover to cover. Tucked away inside My Mini Midwife you will find advice on planning your pregnancy and on taking control of and making the most of your pregnancy, labour and birth, and more. With your copy of this book as a reference and in partnership with your real-life midwife, general practitioner (GP) and other healthcare professionals such as an obstetrician or other specialist, you will be able to make the most of this memorable time in your life. If you would like to read the most up-to-date guidance, there is a section for this on my website: www.djkirkby.co.uk/my-mini-midwife .

The anecdotes in My Mini Midwife have been fictionalised in order to maintain the anonymity of those I have cared for and worked with throughout the years. Therefore any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

CONTENTS

THE COUNTDOWN STARTS HERE

At least twelve months before you begin trying to conceive a baby its advisable to try to get into the best possible shape and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Ideally you should aim to stop smoking and drink alcohol in moderation only by this I mean no more than two units in a week, with at least a day off before you drink alcohol again. The current guidance to women is to avoid alcohol while trying to conceive and while pregnant. If you have tried, and failed, to stop smoking in the past please dont be disheartened and do try again. One of these times it will work!

During your countdown phase you should also make an appointment to see your GP, so that you can tell him/her that you are planning to become pregnant. Make a list of things to discuss with your GP, which should include:

• Any prescribed medications you currently take and if they are suitable for pregnancy and breastfeeding (also inform your GP if you are using any recreational drugs because these will have an effect on you, your baby and how your body copes with your pregnancy; your doctor will keep this information confidential).
• When to stop using a hormonal contraceptive and which other contraception method you should use, and for how long.
• When you should have your next cervical smear test.
• If all your immunisations are up-to-date.
• If you need any other screening for infections like chlamydia or syphilis (which can take a long time to show any symptoms), or for illnesses such as diabetes.
• Is your weight within a healthy range to encourage conception and/or sustain a pregnancy?
• Do you need genetic screening for such diseases as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell and thalassaemia? This will be offered by your midwife if you fit the screening criteria (for example, if you have a family history of these disorders), but the earlier you can have these tests, the better.
• Many women who do not plan their pregnancies have no knowledge of the fact that they are pregnant for the first few weeks, and yet this is the time when many fetal problems related to lifestyle or chronic diseases such as diabetes are thought to occur.