Donna K Stevens - Pregnancy & Childbirth: Everything You Need To Know From Conception To Labor And Delivery

Pregnancy & Childbirth

Everything You Need To Know From Conception To Labor And Delivery

Table of Contents

This book is a guide to pregnancy from conception to birth and everything in between. You will learn about methods for diagnosing pregnancy, tests used to determine how your baby is developing and the importance of communicating with your practitioner. You will also discover the importance of the pregnancy diet, prenatal vitamins and what things should be avoided during pregnancy, from tobacco and alcohol use to the use of illegal substances and caffeine, all of which pose negative risk factors for the development of your baby.

You will also be provided with an outline of the next nine months of your life, including what you may be feeling emotionally and mentally, reassuring you that crying over spilled milk during pregnancy is often acceptable. Further, there is information on what you may be experiencing physically, from being exhausted and having to constantly pee to feeling nauseous and constipated all in the same day, again reassuring you that this is perfectly normal.

The goal of this book is to provide you with the information you need to conduct a safe and healthy pregnant environment for your baby to grow and develop in. It is not meant, however, to scare you out of your mind with the different complications that can occur during pregnancy. If at any time you are reading this and you begin feeling overwhelmed by the information or are unsure about anything, ask your practitioner. After all, you chose this individual because of their expertise and experience in the field of pregnancy.

With that said, sit back, put your feet up and enjoy learning about the life you should live for the next nine months while there is a child growing inside you, completely dependent on you taking care of them. Relaxation, rest, adequate nutrition and fluid intake are essential. So, grab a glass of water, read a few pages, take a nap, read a few more and become the best pregnant mom you can be! Oh, and don't forget to go pee, because it's likely you need to after reading this introduction, even though you just went five minutes ago!

As the mother of two beautiful and amazing young children an almost 6-year old son and a 4-year old daughter and an aunt to many gorgeous girls, with another niece or perhaps a nephew on the way, I know all about pregnancy.

You see, more than nine years ago, I was in the room with my sister when the first of our younger generation was born. Birth is an amazing experience, albeit somewhat scary. My niece had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and was having troubles. Only seconds before an emergency C-section was conducted, did my sister's obstetrician save the day, by flipping the umbilical cord from around her neck.

My own experience was slightly more scary. When I had my son almost six years ago, everything was going great the pregnancy was healthy, I was healthy, our baby boy was healthy. My delivery was scheduled for May 3 I was being induced. Everything seemed to be going well and about an hour into the induction, I needed something for the pain at this time in my life I was kind of wimpy so they did an epidural and moved me to the delivery room.

After hours of pain and agony, even with the epidural, my doctor came in again to check on me. After my obstetrician tried to stretch my cervix and use a vacuum to suck my son out, as my cervix was not dilating, she decided to wait a little longer to see if that would help.

Unfortunately, not much later, the nurses were having trouble finding our baby's heartbeat and my husband and I were scared why is it hurting? where is the heartbeat? is everything going to be okay? these were the questions running through our minds. My obstetrician came back in and she declared an emergency C-section was necessary no other options.

Having only been married a short time, and this being our first baby, my husband was scared and he wasn't allowed to come in with me. My doctor and nurses moved me quickly I don't even remember getting to say I love you my husband and he had to sign papers, choosing between my life and the baby's. It was awful. The last thing I remembered before being put under anesthetics was hearing my obstetrician tell the girls to scrub in my baby had no heartbeat, or at least one they could find.

After a period of time I really have no clue how long, due to the medications everything was fine my baby boy was healthy and so was I. What had apparently happened, was when my obstetrician broke my water, his little bum molded to my uterus and the pain I kept feeling was him trying to make his way out the birth canal with my uterus! But everything was perfect in the world again we were together our family of three, thanks to the amazing quick decision-making of my obstetrician and her team!

A year later, we were blessed with another baby a girl, but this time we scheduled a C-section, so that I could be awake and my husband could hold my hand. During this delivery, we also opted to have a tubal ligation performed, as our family as now complete two boys & two girls.

Pregnancy and childbirth is a beautiful thing. Having the knowledge you need to carry a healthy baby to full term and keep yourself healthy in the process, is what this book is meant to provide. I have background information on a variety of topics, from either my own experience or from being a part of someone's journey who is close to me. This includes vaginal births, cesarean sections, infections after surgery, tubal ligations, miscarriages, and more. Everything has been included in this book for your benefit.

I think knowing about what is important in pregnancy and what you can expect as you progress through your pregnancy is how healthy babies are made. While not everything is in our hands our faith is a lot of it we need to do our part as mother's to protect our children from the moment we know they are on the way!

You are probably only looking at this book because either you or someone close to you is pregnant. So, I want to take the time to raise my glass with you glass of milk that is and say congratulations and here's to a happy, healthy, safe pregnancy and the birth of your baby!

Pregnancy is a very vast medical condition, featuring a wide variety of risks, complications, rules and regulations, and in the end a reward. However, because pregnancy has so many subtopics associated with it, it can be quite overwhelming for an individual who is pregnant, especially for the first time. However, becoming educated about pregnancy is the first step to having a healthy pregnancy.

A lot has changed since your grandmother and even your mother were both pregnant. This book is designed to give you the basic information you need during pregnancy, what you should be concerned about and how to communicate with your practitioner. There is no one right answer for every pregnancy and every expecting individual. This book serves as a guideline to what is normally seen during pregnancy.

Chapter one focuses on methods for diagnosing pregnancy and the signs and symptoms of pregnancy that might lead you to suspect you might be pregnant. In this chapter, you will also learn about the pregnancy timeline and how a due date is calculated, although the only person who really knows when your baby will be born is your baby.

In chapter two, you will learn about choosing your practitioner, as there are many types available. You will also discover how important communication with your practitioner is in having a safe and healthy pregnancy.

Chapter three brings to light some of the different screenings, tests and procedures conducted during pregnancy, as well as the importance of discussing medications with your practitioner. Although this section does not encompass all possible methods and tests used to detect certain things during pregnancy, it does provide you with a background of what you could possibly expect to need test-wise during pregnancy.