Pope - Mommy IQ: the complete guide to pregnancy

To my Nana, whose spirit has always and will always inspire me.

To my husband, whose unwavering support has made this all possible.

To my children, for teaching me every day how to be a better mom.

Dr. Amos Grunebaum

I knew I wanted to be around babies from the time I was five years old. Growing up in Cologne, Germany, I often accompanied my father, a professional photographer, as he took pictures of newborns in the local hospital. It was when I was at his side, snapping close-ups of new babies, that I was inspired to become an obstetrician.

In my experience, obstetrics is the most exciting medical specialty. Pregnancy and childbirth are two of the most amazing things that happen in this worldand who wants a boring job? Just think: over the course of nine months, a woman can turn just two tiny cells into a thriving, breathing babyor two, or sometimes more. My respect for women and mothers increases with each delivery I perform. I love the passion and thought women bring into their pregnanciesyes, even when those passions and thoughts result in 3 a.m. phone calls.

The other reason Im a doctor? I am a child of the 60s and grew up with the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Kinks, the Who, and Bob Dylan. For a very short time I played bass in a local rock group. I loved being on stage, but it quickly became apparent that I was tone-deaf and a terrible singer. Naturally, the next best thing was to become a doctor. The British term for an operating room is the operating theatre, so I found another opportunity for performingno singing required. I do enjoy returning to my musical roots, though, even if I never made it as a rock star; as long as it makes my patients comfortable, I now play music during deliveries, and my preferred song is Beautiful Day by U2.

Over the last 30-plus years, I have delivered over 3,000 babies. And still, each and every time I take care of a pregnant woman and deliver her baby, I am amazed. Each experience is different. With todays technology, many details of a pregnancy can be predicted ahead of time, such as the babys sex, weight, and other physical characteristics. But there is still one mystery that is only revealed when the baby emerges from the uterus: the childs hair color. At the present time, there is no medical test in the world that can determine the hair color ahead of the delivery. When my daughter Emma was born with a shock of red hair, not only were we happy that she was healthy, we reveled in the beauty of her unique appearance. It may seem like a small detail, but it goes to show you there will always be an element of surprise in the delivery room.

I also enjoy being an obstetrician because I find that pregnant women exemplify selflessness, something many people believe has disappeared from our culture. I have the great privilege of witnessing a pregnant womans selflessness every day. A mother-to-be needs and deserves to be fully informed about what is happening both to her body and her baby. She needs the freedom to make smart, informed, and often selfless decisions for her family based on that information.

Many pregnant women are reluctant to ask their doctor too many questions. But rememberdoctors are not mind readers. Dont be afraid to ask about the issues that concern you. Any good doctor will welcome your questions with open armsespecially because sometimes the smallest concerns, the ones you think are probably nothing, may need medical attention right away. For this reason, I openly encourage my patients to ask me every question they can think of, and I encourage them to do it the modern way: by email. However, I do admit, there are some questions I may not be able to answerlike who will win next years Super Bowl. You might want to ask Rosies husband about that one.

Which brings me to Rosie herself. I delivered Rosies three children. Rosie has asked more questions than almost any mother Ive ever metbecause she knows shes not just asking them for herself, she is asking them for all of you mothers-to-be out there! Rosie is adamant that every mother deserves the highest quality of care and the most thorough, up-to-date information at every step along the way, but she has also maintained a real sense of wonder about pregnancy and deliverydespite having already gone through the whole process three times. I knew from the moment Rosie mentioned the idea for this book that it would really speak to the women I see every day in my office: women who are busy, ambitious, with a full plate of responsibilities, and who are both overjoyed and sometimes a bit scared about their transition to motherhoodwomen who need the facts, but who also need a friendly guide through this period of change, excitement, and hope.

My prescription for all women who are pregnant or trying to conceive is to have Rosie Pope in their lives. However, because she is only one womanand because I think her family would miss her quite a lot if she spent all her time with my patientsI will instead prescribe this book to you.

Among Rosies wisdom on in-laws, due-date anxiety, and, yes, even fashion, you will find the same up-to-the-minute medical information and statistics that I give my patients as Director of Obstetrics and the Chief of Labor and Delivery at the New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. My hope is that this information will make you feel more confident and sure of yourself as you progress throughout your pregnancy.

This book is by no means intended to be a replacement for a strong, communicative relationship with your doctor, but as a companion to your journey, one that will help you learn and perhaps laugh a little, too. I wish you all the best of health in your pregnancy.

H ey there! Whether youre trying for a baby, youre already a mommy-to-be, or youre a full-fledged mama getting ready to welcome another new member to your family, welcome! Im so excited, and honestly humbled, to play a part in your pregnancy journey. To start things off, I want to take a minute to explain why Ive written this book. Sure, its my job to help women enjoy a happy, healthy pregnancyand of course I wanted to share everything I knowbut the real reason is because Ive been in your fabulous shoes before. I dont often tell the story of my oldest son, J. R.s, first (absolutely crazy!) 72 hours of life because I think it makes me seem like a really clueless mom. But the thing is, I was kind of a clueless mom back thenI didnt have the slightest idea as to how to be a good one yet.

Lets go back to Labor Day weekend 2008. Wed been hearing rumblings that the firm where my husband worked, Lehman Brothers, was about to go bankrupt, the contractor Id hired to build my first Rosie Pope Maternity boutique in New York was way behind schedule (the store was due to open just after Labor Day weekend), and, um, I was carrying a baby on the brink of arrival. Daron and I were home in our New York City apartment when I realized my minute-long contractions were coming every five minutesexactly what the doctors had said would signal the start of labor. Everything around us may have been chaos, but I was determined that my son would have a perfect birth. I cruised into the bathroom, gave myself a mini-blowout and put on fresh makeup (I