The New Well Pregnancy Book covers the physical and emotional stages of pregnancy, labor, and delivery, including information on relaxation and natural childbirth techniques; the mother's experience of labor and delivery; cesarean section, pregnancy in women over 35, and high-risk pregnancies; breastfeeding - how to prepare and how to get started; and full information on the effects of nutrition, exercise, sex, smoking, caffeine, drugs, and environmental substances during pregnancy. The New Well Pregnancy Book also contains the latest information on the new prenatal tests and medical procedures, and the changing attitudes and preferences of new mothers, all in the down-to-earth, accessible style that the authors are known for. Their ultimate goal is to give parents a positive view of pregnancy and childbirth and help them experience the joys of this wonderful time.

ContentsSection I An OverviewCHAPTER 1 IntroductionWhy This Book Was WrittenHaving a Baby TodayCHAPTER 2 Birth in Different CulturesCultural Patterning of ChildbirthSpiritual Views of BirthHow Cultures Handle Different Aspects of ChildbirthSection II PregnancyCHAPTER 3 Anatomy and Physiology of the MotherUnderstanding the Sensations of PregnancyFemale AnatomyFemale EndocrinologyChanges in Maternal Anatomy and Physiology During PregnancyCHAPTER 4 Development of the BabyVisualizing DevelopmentProduction of the Egg and SpermDevelopment of the FetusConceptionThe First Two WeeksThe EmbryoThe FetusLunar Month 4Lunar Month 5Lunar Month 6Lunar Month 7Lunar Month 8Lunar Months 9 and 10CHAPTER 5 Nutrition During PregnancyDietary GuidelinesLow-Birth-Weight BabiesNutrition and Fetal GrowthThe Present Focus of Nutrition for Expectant MothersNutritional Assessment for Pregnant Women/Nutritional Advice for Pregnant WomenCHAPTER 6 Exercise and Sex During PregnancyThe General Value of ExerciseEffects of Exercise on Pregnant WomenEffects of Exercise on the Unborn BabyExercising for PregnancyAerobic Fitness During PregnancySex During PregnancyMedical Concerns About IntercourseCHAPTER 7 Environmental Agents That Affect the Baby During PregnancyThe Baby Is Not IsolatedCritical Periods in DevelopmentEvaluating the RisksEffects of Smoking During PregnancyEffects of Alcohol During PregnancyEffects of Caffeine During PregnancyEffects of Life-style Drugs During PregnancyEffects of Medical Drugs During PregnancyEffects of Environmental Chemicals During PregnancyCHAPTER 8 Stress During PregnancyPregnancy -- A Transformative ExperienceStress and the Autonomic Nervous SystemStress and DiseaseStress and the BabyLife Events and the Perception of StressEffects of SupportSupport, Stress, and Pregnancy ComplicationsRelaxation and SupportCHAPTER 9 Relaxation and Prepared Childbirth TechniquesThe Rationale for Prepared ChildbirthHistorical Roots of Prepared ChildbirthRelaxation TechniquesVisualization TechniquesCHAPTER 10 Preparing to Breast-feedWhat Doctors RecommendNutritional Differences Among MilksImmunological Differences Among MilksPreventing AllergiesPreventing ObesityBreast-feeding and BondingThe Decision to Breast-feedConcerns About NursingPreparing to Breast-feedCHAPTER 11 Choices for ChildbirthChoosing the Doctor or MidwifeThe Importance of Constant CompanionshipThe Place of BirthHome BirthsAlternative Birth CentersThe Hospital Delivery RoomSiblings and the New BabyCHAPTER 12 Prenatal Care and Medical ConcernsPrenatal CareThe Physical ExamDiagnostic Tests Sometimes Used During PregnancyUltrasoundAmniocentesisThe Question of AbortionFetal Well-being Tests During PregnancyMedical Concerns During PregnancyPregnancy over 35High-Risk PregnanciesInfectionsColds and FluRubellaGenital Herpes SimplexToxoplasmosisFirst Trimester Bleeding or Spontaneous AbortionEctopic PregnancyThird Trimester BleedingPremature LaborPremature Rupture of the MembranesHigh Blood Pressure During PregnancySection III Labor and DeliveryCHAPTER 13 The Physiology of LaborLabor as a Natural BridgeEarly Signs of LaborThe Beginning of Real LaborThe Autonomic Nervous System and LaborUterine ContractionsDilation and EffacementThe Friedman Curves for LaborDescentThe Baby's Position During LaborDelivery: The Baby's Passage Through the Birth CanalExpulsion of the PlacentaCHAPTER 14 The Mother's Experience of Labor and How It Is ManagedThe Mother's Feelings Before LaborSigns of Impending LaborAdmission to the Hospital or Alternative Birth CenterEarly Labor: The Latency PeriodPositions for the Active Phase of LaborSupporting the Mother During the Active PhaseThe End of the Active Phase and the Beginning of TransitionThe End of TransitionBreathing Techniques for TransitionEntering the Second StagePositions for Second Stage PushingCHAPTER 15 The Mother's Experience of DeliveryThe End of the Second Stage of LaborPositions for DeliveryEpisiotomiesThe Baby Is BornThe First Minutes After BirthThe Third Stage: Delivering the PlacentaThe Fourth Stage of LaborCHAPTER 16 Fetal MonitoringTypes of MonitoringFetal Heart Rate PatternsThe Value of MonitoringSide Effects of MonitoringThe Monitoring ControversyCHAPTER 17 Cesarean BirthMaking Cesareans a Positive Birth ExperienceThe Rise in the Cesarean Birth RateIndications for a Cesarean SectionDystociaBreech PresentationRepeat CesareanFetal Distress as a Cause of CesareanRisks in Cesarean DeliveryPlanned and Unplanned CesareansDetermining Gestational Age in a Planned CesareanThe Types of Cesarean IncisionThe AnesthesiaThe OperationCesarean BondingRecuperation from a CesareanPostcesarean ExerciseFeelings About Cesarean DeliveryThe Value of Support for Cesarean MothersEffects of the Cesarean Experience on the BabySection IV After the Baby Is BornCHAPTER 18 The Mother's Physiology After ChildbirthReturning to the Nonpregnant StateLoss of Weight After DeliveryHow the Pelvic Organs Return to NormalPostpartum Changes in the AbdomenPostpartum Changes in Blood, Breathing, and HormonesThe Physiology of NursingCHAPTER 19 Concerns of the First Few Weeks After DeliveryBirth as a Rite of PassageCaring for the New MotherAfterbirth PainsConstipationPerineal CareRest and RecuperationOutside Help and SupportPostpartum ExercisePostpartum SexPostpartum EmotionsDealing with Feelings of DisappointmentCauses of the Baby BluesDealing with the Baby BluesCHAPTER 20 The NewbornThe Newborn's PresenceNewborn Size and ProportionsThe HeadThe Baby's First BreathsThe Baby's CirculationThe AbdomenThe Genital and Urinary SystemsCircumcisionThe LimbsThe SkinCapabilities of the NewbornThe Newborn's States of AttentionParent-Infant BondingCHAPTER 21 Breast-feedingBreast-feeding -- Learned and InstinctualBeginning to NurseNursing SchedulesFactors That Affect NursingBreast-feeding TechniquesPositions for NursingWhen the Milk Comes InNursing ProblemsDealing with EngorgementDealing with Sore NipplesGetting the Baby on the NippleCHAPTER 22 EpilogueFinal ThoughtsFuture TrendsNOTESBIBLIOGRAPHYINDEX