Pregnancy, birth and baby care: advice, topics and issues Books

Book SynopsisWomen are over four times more likely to have a caesarean birth now than they were thirty years ago and eight times more likely than they were fifty years ago. However, as this book explains, many of these caesareans are not necessary and are often carried out for non-medical reasons, of no benefit to mother or baby. Written for expectant mothers and health professionals How to Avoid an Unnecessary Caesarean provides information to help women give birth in the way they want to. The book provides suggestions for constructive ways to achieve a natural childbirth, when this is the right option for mother and baby. As well as detailed explanations of all the pros and cons of caesarean birth, the book contains several real-life birth stories, a comprehensive glossary of terms and essential information for parents-to-be.

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Book SynopsisDo bottle fed babies sleep better and feed longer than breastfed babies? Are modern formula milks as good as breastmilk? Are breastfed babies woozies that want picking up all the time? And is it really easier and more convenient to bottle-feed? Many women thinking about breastfeeding their babies are put off by rumours and myths. In their award-winning, beautifully illustrated book infant feeding specialist Val Finigan and embroidery artist Lou Gardiner's tackle commonly held beliefs about breastfeeding with wisdom, warmth and wit.

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Book SynopsisBursting with practical ideas, reassurances and collected wisdoms, "When Your Baby Cries" will restore your sanity. Bestselling childcare author Deborah Jackson reminds us that babies soak up all the love we have to give. Here are ten effective ways to care for even the most distressed baby, while looking after your own needs as well as boosting your confidence. You can learn how to relax, become your own expert and deal with unwanted advice. You can find out how crying works and why it gets out of control. You can discover babies' secret signals and how to cope with colic. Crying babies and harassed parents everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief: here is a way to restore the harmony of family life. It comes with a new foreword by the author.Table of ContentsRelax Become your own expert Let your baby get a word in edgeways Hold the tears Turn up the heat Let the fun begin Give generously! Give in to good sleep Wear your baby well Upholster your soul

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Book SynopsisYour Baby Skin to Skin gives parents a fresh, empowering approach to parenting. It takes parents on a reassuring and practical journey through your baby's first year. You are invited to contemplate your baby from a different perspective from the usual. One which can bring calm and solace along with many "lightbulb moments" of recognition.This book has at its heart the delightful truth that your baby is a highly evolved human, pre-set instinctively to survive. You can simply step back and let your baby show you how to parent by understanding the inbuilt reflexes and instinctive cues. Instincts are not learned, need no practice and can never be wrong. After all, no-one taught us to sneeze, we can't get better at sneezing through practice and we can't sneeze "wrong"! Likewise, a newborn baby comes ready-primed to feed, sleep and learn perfectly well and cannot get these things wrong, so turn down your anxiety and learn from your little instinctive expert.Taken from conversations with thousands of parents over 30 years, Your Baby Skin to Skin speaks about the real baby before your eyes. Not some mythical creature you have yet to meet. It reflects you as a real parent and releases you from the need to wrestle with your baby's nature and instead, allow yourself to sink naturally together into parenthood. By stepping back, accepting that your baby really can't get the business of being a baby wrong, you can finally rid yourself of the need to teach your newborn the basics of life. Parenting can be about watching evolution unfold before your eyes, safe in the knowledge that there are millions of years of natural selection wrapped up in your child and you ensuring that both of you will respond to each other naturally and correctly. So, don't panic. All is as it should be. Millions of years of evolution have got us here safely and now you can relax and get to know your baby.Trade Review“Rachel is an inspirational midwife. This book will be essential reading for all new mothers.” * Zita West *“Rachel's like the best mother, doula, midwife and best friend all rolled into one. With a new baby, you'd want her by your side." * Joanna Page *

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Book SynopsisBirth Like a Man is a field guide for future fathers or non-birthing partners. This pocket-sized book is filled with tips, reminders and summaries to help you support your partner's pregnancy process; from helping with morning sickness, setting up a birth plan, going out for the first time or changing diapers. See this book as the cheat-sheet to your parenting and partner exam, but unlike any other school exam, the parenting-school-year hasn't even begun. This book is for everyone who thinks they have a more active, supportive role to play in the delivery of their child than those millennia old stereotypical gender roles teach us. It is a short, snappy and easily navigable guide to make being a true parenting partner just a little bit easier.

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Book SynopsisBreastfeeding is a human bodily function that differs in practice across cultural and historical boundaries, yet is framed as natural and morally virtuous. Breastfeeding and the Pursuit of Happiness rejects the dichotomy of right versus wrong, exploring the historical, political, and symbolic roots of this sacrosanct belief in breast is best from allusions to biblical milk and honey to contemporary claims of parenting and wellness experts.Within disparate contexts such as medieval Europe, eighteenth-century France, contemporary Indonesia, and the mommy blogosphere, Phyllis Rippey finds that infant feeding prescriptions often serve the interests of the powerful rather than meeting the needs of women, infants, and families. Upending some of our most cherished beliefs about the maternal breast, Rippey reveals the ways historical and contemporary debates over breast versus bottle feeding distract from the underlying issues of poverty, environmental destruction, and violencTrade Review“Breastfeeding and the Pursuit of Happiness offers an innovative interdisciplinary challenge to the normative dimensions of breastfeeding promotion and its demand on women to save the world. The book is a must-read for those interested in how women's bodies have been used, abused, and rendered saviours of the human condition.” Bernice L. Hausman, author of Viral Mothers: Breastfeeding in the Age of HIV/AIDS“Phyllis Rippey offers a highly provocative account of breastfeeding as a socially-constructed practice central to gender oppression. Her arguments are sure to incite vigorous and renewed debate.” Linda Blum, author of At the Breast: Ideologies of Breastfeeding and Motherhood in the Contemporary United States“Breastfeeding and the Pursuit of Happiness draws on a diverse range of feminist and critical theories to cut through the well-worn debates over breastfeeding’s liberatory versus oppressive potential for women. This innovative and accessible book uses a range of methods to tell an important story about power, gender, and breastfeeding narratives. It makes a significant contribution to a scholarly thinking in this field, and is a wonderful read.” Fiona Robinson, author of The Ethics of Care: A Feminist Approach to Human Security“Phyllis L. F. Rippey covers a lot of ground in her book Breastfeeding and the Pursuit of Happiness. She takes us on an intellectual and philosophical journey through the history and politics of breastfeeding and their intersections with the treatment of women, the many forms of feminism, politics, ethics, morality, and the structures of power. Rippey’s contribution to this area of research and debate demonstrates her strength as a storyteller, a compelling writer, and a thorough researcher.” Journal of Human Lactation

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Book SynopsisAnswers to one of the most important decision a family can make This groundbreaking book offers answers to crucial questions that have a large impact on family success and well-being. The author has been researching and treating couples for more than twenty years, addressing such critical issues as: When should you have kids? How many and why? Can you afford a family? What''s the best interval between children''s birth in a family? How does your work life influence how many kids to have? What''s the impact of divorce, remarriage and blended families on the decision to have more kids? How does your family of origin,ethnicity, race, culture, and sexual preference influence the choices you have regarding these questions ofnumber and spacing of childbirths. Filled with common sense advice for the dilemmas most couples grapple with when starting a family Based on solid research from a noted family therapist Alan Singer has appeared on the Fox MorningTrade ReviewAs a licensed family therapist and eighth child in his family, Singer has the experience to guide couples in choosing whether and how many children to have. The essence of the book is a series of comprehensive self-assessment quizzes dealing with physical and mental health, financial situations, family background, and so forth. He guides couples in considering their ideal family size, the spacing of children, and the best time to have children, if at all. Singer skillfully fills a void in the literature on this topic without judgment, and would be of assistance to any individual or couple considering having children. (Library Journal, July 2011)Table of ContentsAcknowledgments. Introduction. 1 Why Do You Want to Have Children? 2 When Is the Best Time for You to Have Children? 3 How Many Children Can Your Relationship Hold? 4 Small, Moderate, Large . . . What's Your Ideal Family Size? 5 How Do Old (and New) Family Traditions Affect Your Family Size? Epilogue. Self-Tests: Family Size Choice. Notes. Selected Resources. Bibliography. About the Author. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe rights of pregnant workers as well as (the lack of) paid maternity leave have increasingly become topics of a major policy debate in the United States. Yet, few discussions have focused on the U.S. military, where many of the latest policy changes focus on these very issues. Despite the armed forces' increasesto maternity-related benefits,servicewomen continue to be stigmatized for being pregnant and taking advantage of maternity policies. In an effort to understand this disconnect, Megan McFarlane analyzes military documents and conducts interviews with enlisted servicewomen and female officers. She finds a policy/culture disparity within the military that pregnant servicewomen themselves often co-construct, making the policy changes significantly less effective. McFarlane ends by offering suggestions for how these policy changes can have more impact and how they could potentially serve as an example for the broader societal debate.Trade Review"This book will be of interest to readers who examine gender and the military as well as issues related to gender and work, pregnancy discrimination, and masculinity and femininity more broadly. McFarlane also creates a useful conceptual framework that she labels the ‘continuum of maternity’ which understands maternity including pre-pregnancy and pregnancy planning phases, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and postpartum mothering. This framework not only shows how different maternity phases shape and constrain women’s lives and workplace experiences but also reveals the importance of policies and benefits at each stage and could easily be applied to other workplaces." * Gender and Society *"An intriguing, refreshingly accessible study with far-reaching appeal…Any person with an interest in exploring the intersection of maternity and hierarchical power structures will undoubtedly find valuable insight in Militarized Maternity." * Women & Language *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. Examining the Pregnancy Continuum in the U.S. Military 2. Contextualizing Military Maternity Experiences 3. Hyperplanning Pregnancies 4. Performing Macho Maternity 5. Negotiating Postpartum Policies 6. Redefining Military Maternity Appendix A Research Participants: Demographics Appendix B Profiles: Enlisted Servicewomen Appendix C Profiles: Female Officers Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisHaving a baby is surely one of the pinnacle events of a woman's life. The resulting depression - how it is experienced, and how it might be relieved - is the subject of this volume, which recounts the stories of new mothers caught between a cultural ideal and a far more complex reality.Trade ReviewMauthner...has collected stories of postpartum women's experiences over the last ten years. She includes interviews of women from the US and England, giving a more global perspective...Certainly it is timely...Mauthner does offer some advice for women experiencing postpartum depression. This advice includes the most frequent theme of the book: to realize the significance of interaction among postpartum women. The majority of all new mothers considered this the most important support they received as they experienced depression. -- S. C. Grossman * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction

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Book SynopsisStern’s research into mother-infant interaction has had an enormous impact on psychotherapy and developmental psychology. Now a noted authority on early development, Stern first reviewed his methods and observations in this book. Intended for parents, therapists, and researchers, it offers a lucid, nontechnical overview of the author's key ideas.Trade Review"When I reread The First Relationship I was astonished to find in it almost all the ideas that have guided my work in the subsequent decades. At first I didn't know whether to be depressed or delighted. As I thought it over, I am encouraged by the realization that I had some basic perspective at the very beginning that was sufficiently well founded to guide twenty-five years of observation and ideas... This book makes it possible to see, or foresee, the unfolding of an intrinsic design." - from the new introduction by Daniel Stern"Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Learning about Things Human 2. The Caregiver's Repertoire 3. The Infant's Repertoire 4. From Laboratory to Real Life 5. Where Do the Steps Lead? 6. Structure and Timing 7. From Interaction to Relationship 8. Missteps in the Dance 9. Finding Your Own Path Notes Index

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Book SynopsisCaesarean section is often seen as an unnecessary medical intervention or even as a personal failure for a woman, and is an option often feared by expectant mothers. Here, the authors emphasize the joy of delivering a baby, whatever the method, explaining all the issues surrounding Caesareans.Trade ReviewCongratulations to the authors of this sensible book, which gives information to dispel the myths and settle the arguments surrounding cesarean section in a nonthreatening way... I recommend all pregnant women take the opportunity to read this book and discuss its content with their doctor or midwife. -- Professor Ian Jones MedicineTable of ContentsContents:Acknowledgments IntroductionPart I. The Why, What, and When of Cesarean Section Chapter 1. Why are Cesarean Sections Performed? Chapter 2. A Brief History of Cesarean Section Chapter 3. What Happens in Cesarean Section and Who Performs the Surgery? Chapter 4. When Is a Cesarean Section an Emergency? Chapter 5. When Is a Cesarean Section Not and Emergency? Chapter 6. Considering the Risks of Cesarean SectionPart II. What's Next? After a Cesarean Section Chapter 7. Going Home: You and Your Family Chapter 8. Portpartum Depression Chapter 9. Contraception Chapter 10. Vaginal Birth after Cesarean SectionAppendixes Appendix A. Questions to Ask Your Doctor Appendix B. The Apgar Scale Appendix C. Calcium-rich Foods Appendix D. Iron-rich Foods Appendix E. My Baby DiedGlossary Resources Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisShows new parents how to capture the story of their baby's first year with 40 'photo recipes' anyone can do, with any camera. This book inspires new parents and grandparents with easy, step-by-step photo ideas for capturing developmental milestones and special moments, from tiny yawns to first smiles, learning to sit up and much more.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis edition makes an excellent contribution to scholarship on midwife Louise Bourgeois, who provides an incisive eyewitness account of a turbulent period in early modern France and a rare female perspective on the city of Paris from the “poorest she” to the world of the court. Alison Klairmont Lingo’s introduction, supporting notes, and medical glossary offer precious apparatuses for the presentation and interpretation of the text. Stephanie O’Hara’s translation demonstrates mastery of the scientific, technical, and colloquial vocabularies of the period, capturing the spirit of Bourgeois’s words while making them widely accessible.—Susan BroomhallDirector, Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, The University of Western AustraliaThe Diverse Observations of Louise Bourgeois is a fascinating and rare source on women’s lives and the history of obstetrics in early modern France. In vivid prose, Bourgeois leads us deep into the ups and downs of childbirth and her own discoveries as a celebrated midwife. Many thanks to Alison Klairmont Lingo and Stephanie O’Hara for this splendid translation and this wide-ranging introduction to Bourgeois, her writing, and her craft.—Natalie Zemon DavisHenry Charles Lea Professor of History emeritus, Princeton University"This edition makes an excellent contribution to scholarship on midwife Louise Bourgeois, who provides an incisive eyewitness account of a turbulent period in early modern France and a rare female perspective on the city of Paris from the 'poorest she' to the world of the court. Alison Klairmont Lingo’s introduction, supporting notes, and medical glossary offer precious apparatuses for the presentation and interpretation of the text. Stephanie O’Hara’s translation demonstrates mastery of the scientific, technical, and colloquial vocabularies of the period, capturing the spirit of Bourgeois’s words while making them widely accessible." -- Susan Broomhall, The University of Western Australia"The Diverse Observations of Louise Bourgeois is a fascinating and rare source on women’s lives and the history of obstetrics in early modern France. In vivid prose, Bourgeois leads us deep into the ups and downs of childbirth and her own discoveries as a celebrated midwife. Many thanks to Alison Klairmont Lingo and Stephanie O’Hara for this splendid translation and this wide-ranging introduction to Bourgeois, her writing, and her craft." -- Natalie Zemon Davis, Princeton UniversityTable of ContentsIllustrations xvAcknowledgments xviiEditor’s Introduction, by Alison Klairmont Lingo 1The Writings 1Life and Times 30Reception and Afterlife 47Louise Bourgeois’s Approach to Health and Disease 58Translator’s Introduction, by Stephanie O’Hara 67Translating an Early Modern Medical Text: Theory and Practice 67French Editions of Observations diverses 72The Compleat Midwifes Practice (1656) versus Observations diverses 73A Note on the Text 76Diverse ObservationsVolume 1 79Volume 2 187Glossary of Materia Medica, by Alison Klairmont Lingo 313Chronology 389Appendices 393A. Sonnet to Madame Concini, Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen 393B. Examples of Gynecological and Obstetrical Instruments and Devices 395C. Birthing Scenes and Related Images 399Bibliography 403Index 433

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Book SynopsisA collection of essays that underlines the central place pregnancy and childbirth hold in American Women's writing. Covering three centuries of prose and poetry, it traces the evolution of American maternity literature, exploring the difficulties mothers faced as they transformed themselves.

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Book SynopsisThe hands-on guide that addresses the common barriers to achieving pregnancy and offers tips to maximize your potential for fertility For millions of people, starting a family is a lifelong dream. However, many face challenges in welcoming children into the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 12% of women in the US from ages 15 to 44 have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant. A variety of factors exist that can contribute to infertility, such as ovulation disorders, uterine abnormalities, congenital defects, and a host of environmental and lifestyle considerations. But infertility is not just a female problem. For approximately 35% of couples with infertility, a male factor is identified along with a female factor, while in 8% of couples, a male factor is the only identifiable cause. Fortunately, there are many treatment options that offer hope. Getting Pregnant For Dummies discusses the difficulties related to infertili

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Book SynopsisEverything expectant mums need to know, trimester by trimester Both new and seasoned parents alike have questions and concerns over the course of the nine-month adventure. Pregnancy For Dummies offers comfort and reassurance while serving as a guide to what mother and baby experience before, during, and just after birth. Here, you'll find expert advice on diets and exercise when you're pregnant; guidance on following your baby's development, trimester by trimester; tips on how to prepare for the big day; techniques for taking care of yourself before and after delivery; and support for caring for a newborn baby. Pregnancy For Dummies gives parents-to-be authoritative, friendly, up-to-date advice on every aspect of pregnancy and childbirth. This new edition offers all of the latest information expecting parents want to know, including medical and nutritional information and updated resources/changes in NHS practice, so that new mums will feel prepared and Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 What You’re Not to Read 2 Foolish Assumptions 3 How This Book Is Organised 3 Part I: The Game Plan 3 Part II: Pregnancy: A Drama in Three Acts 4 Part III: The Big Event: Labour, Delivery and Recovery 4 Part IV: Special Concerns 4 Part V: The Part of Tens 4 Appendix 5 Icons Used in This Book 5 Where to Go from Here 6 Part I: The Game Plan 7 Chapter 1: From Here to Maternity 9 Getting Ready to Get Pregnant: The Preconception Visit 9 Taking a look at your history 10 Evaluating your current health 11 Answering Commonly Asked Questions 12 Getting to your ideal body weight 12 Reviewing your medications 13 Considering herbal remedies and vitamin supplements 15 Recognising the importance of vaccinations and immunity 16 Quitting contraception 18 Introducing Sperm to Egg: Timing Is Everything 19 Pinpointing ovulation 20 Taking an effective (and fun) approach 21 Chapter 2: I Think I’m Pregnant! 23 Recognising the Signs of Pregnancy 23 Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 24 Getting an answer at home 24 Going to your GP for answers 25 Antenatal and Labour Care – What’s Available? 25 Where to have your baby 25 Looking at your options: Private or NHS? 27 Who’s Who? The Varying Roles of Health Care Professionals 28 Your GP 28 Your midwife 29 Independent midwives 29 Your obstetrician 29 Maternal-foetal medicine specialists 30 Your paediatrician 30 Your health visitor 30 Chapter 3: Preparing for Life during Pregnancy 31 Working Out Your Due Date 32 Planning Antenatal Visits 33 Preparing for Physical Changes 36 Spotting breast and bladder changes 36 Coping with mood swings 36 Living through leg cramps 37 Noticing vaginal discharge 37 Putting up with backaches 38 Handling stress.38 Understanding the Effects of Medications, Alcohol and Drugs on Your Baby 39 Taking medications 39 Smoking 40 Drinking alcohol 41 Using recreational/illicit drugs.41 Looking at Lifestyle Changes 43 Pampering yourself with beauty treatments 43 Relaxing (or not) in hot tubs, saunas or steam rooms 44 Travelling 45 Getting dental care 46 Having sex 47 Working during Pregnancy: A Different Type of Labour 48 Chapter 4: Checking Out Your Rights and Welfare Benefits 51 Your Rights When You’re Having a Baby 52 Discrimination against pregnant women 52 Ordinary and additional maternity leave 52 Financial Benefits during Pregnancy 53 Statutory Maternity Pay 54 Maternity allowances 54 Sure Start Maternity Grants 55 You and your Mat B1 55 Entitlements as a New Parent 55 Child Benefit 55 Working Tax Credit 56 Child Tax Credit 56 Statutory Paternity Pay 56 Chapter 5: Diet and Exercise for the Expectant Mother 57 Looking at Healthy Weight Gain 57 Determining how much is enough 58 Avoiding weight obsession 59 Understanding your baby’s weight gain 60 Taking Stock of What You’re Taking In 61 Using a healthy eating pyramid 61 Supplementing your diet 63 Determining Which Foods Are Safe 65 Debunking popular food myths 65 Identifying potentially harmful foods 65 Considering Special Dietary Needs 68 Eating right, vegetarian-style 68 Combating constipation 68 Dealing with diabetes 69 Working Out for Two 69 Adapting to your body’s changes 70 Exercising without overdoing it 71 Comparing forms of exercise 72 Part II: Pregnancy: A Drama in Three Acts 75 Chapter 6: The First Trimester 77 A New Life Takes Shape 77 Adapting to Pregnancy: Body Changes in the First Trimester 80 Breast changes 81 Fatigue 81 Any-time-of-day sickness 82 Bloating 83 Frequent urination 84 Headaches.84 Constipation 85 Cramps 85 Booking Baby In: Your First Antenatal Appointments 86 Understanding the consultation 86 Considering the physical examination 90 Looking at standard tests 90 Your booking appointment – now it’s your turn! 93 Recognising Causes for Concern 94 Bleeding.94 Miscarriage 95 Ectopic pregnancy 97 Chapter 7: The Second Trimester 99 Discovering How Your Baby Is Developing 99 Understanding Your Changing Body 101 Forgetfulness and clumsiness 102 Wind 102 Hair and nail growth 102 Heartburn 103 Lower abdominal/groin pain 103 Nasal congestion 105 Nosebleeds and bleeding gums 105 Skin changes 105 Checking In: Antenatal Visits 107 Recognising Causes for Concern 107 Bleeding 107 Foetal abnormality 108 Incompetent cervix 108 Identifying other potential problems 109 Chapter 8: The Third Trimester 111 Your Baby Gets Ready for Birth 111 Movin’ and shakin’: Foetal movements 113 Flexing the breathing muscles 113 Hiccupping in utero 114 Keeping Up with Your Changing Body 114 Accidents and falls 114 Braxton-Hicks contractions 114 Carpal tunnel syndrome 116 Fatigue 116 Piles 117 Insomnia 118 Feeling the baby engage 118 Pregnancy rashes and itches 119 Preparing for breast-feeding 120 Sciatica 121 Shortness of breath 121 Stretch marks 121 Swelling 122 Urinary stress incontinence 122 Varicose veins 123 Thinking about Labour 123 Writing a birth plan 124 Timing labour 124 Using perineal massage 125 Hitting the Home Stretch: Antenatal Visits in the Third Trimester 125 Preparation for Parenthood Classes 126 Recognising Causes for Concern 126 Bleeding.127 Breech presentation 127 Decreased amniotic fluid volume 128 Decreased foetal movement 128 Foetal growth problems 128 Leaking amniotic fluid 129 Pre-eclampsia 130 Preterm labour 130 When the baby is late 130 Getting Ready to Head to the Hospital 131 Packing your suitcase131 Choosing – and using – a car seat 132 Chapter 9: Understanding Antenatal Testing 135 Non-Invasive (Screening) Tests 136 Screening for alpha-foetoprotein 136 Screening for Down’s syndrome 137 Screening with ultrasound scans 138 Understanding screening accuracy 139 Invasive Tests for Foetal Abnormalities 140 Amniocentesis 141 Chorionic villus sampling 144 Other Antenatal Tests and Procedures 145 Foetal echocardiogram 145 Doppler studies 145 Cardiotocography 145 Doppler velocimetry 146 Foetal blood sampling 146 Part III: The Big Event: Labour, Delivery and Recovery 147 Chapter 10: I Think I’m in Labour! 149 Knowing When Labour Is Real – and When It Isn’t 149 Noticing changes before labour begins 150 Telling false labour from true labour 151 Deciding when to call the labour ward or your practitioner 152 Checking for labour with an internal examination 153 Getting Admitted to the Hospital 154 Monitoring Your Baby 155 Foetal heart monitoring 155 Other tests of foetal health 156 Nudging Things Along: Labour Induction 156 Inducing labour 158 Augmenting labour 158 Getting the Big Picture: Stages and Characteristics of Labour 159 The fi rst stage 159 The second stage 162 The third stage 162 Handling Labour Pain 163 Breathing exercises 163 TENS 164 Gas and air 164 Pethidine and meptid 164 Epidural 164 General anaesthetic 166 Considering Alternative Birthing Methods 166 Delivering without drugs – natural childbirth 166 Giving birth at home 167 Immersing yourself in a water birth 167 Chapter 11: Special Delivery: Bringing Your Baby into the World 169 Having a Vaginal Delivery 169 Pushing the baby out 171 Getting an episiotomy 173 Handling prolonged second-stage labour 175 The big moment: Delivering your baby 175 Delivering the placenta 176 Repairing your perineum 176 Assisting Nature: Operative Vaginal Delivery 177 Having a Caesarean Delivery 178 Understanding anaesthetics 179 Looking at reasons for caesarean delivery 180 Recovering from a caesarean delivery 181 Congratulations! You Did It! 182 Shaking after delivery 182 Understanding postpartum bleeding 182 Hearing your baby’s first cry 183 Cutting the cord 183 Checking your baby’s condition 183 Chapter 12: Hello, World! Your Newborn 185 Looking at Your Bundle of Joy – Goo, Blotches and All 185 Vernix caseosa 186 Caput and moulding 186 Black-and-blue marks 187 Blotches, patches and more 187 Baby hair 188 Extremities 188 Eyes and ears189 Genitalia and breasts 189 Umbilical cord 190 Newborn size 190 Baby begins to breathe 190 Knowing What to Expect in the Hospital 191 Preparing baby for life outside the womb 191 Understanding baby’s developing digestive system 192 Considering circumcision 192 Spending time in the neonatal intensive care unit 193 Checking In: Baby’s First Doctor’s Visit 194 Considering heart rate and circulatory changes 194 Looking at weight changes 195 Bringing Baby Home 195 Settling Baby in at Home 196 Bathing 196 Burping 197 Sleeping and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) 198 Crying 199 C is for colic 200 Newborn jaundice 200 Dummies (For Dummies) 201 Preventing newborn injuries 201 Shopping for the baby 201 Registering Your Baby’s Birth 202 Recognising Causes for Concern 203 Chapter 13: Taking Care of Yourself after Delivery 205 Recuperating from Delivery 206 Looking and feeling like a new mum206 Understanding postnatal bleeding 206 Dealing with perineal pain 207 Surviving swelling 209 Coping with your bladder 209 Battling the haemorrhoid blues 210 Understanding postnatal bowel function 210 Continuing to recover at home 211 Recovering from a Caesarean Delivery 211 Going to the recovery room 211 Taking it one step at a time 212 Understanding post-caesarean pain 213 Dealing with post-op pain 214 Getting ready to go home 214 Continuing to recover at home 214 The Party’s Not Over: More Postnatal Changes 216 Sweating like a new mum 216 Dealing with breast engorgement 217 Understanding hair loss 217 Chasing away the baby blues 217 Recognising postnatal depression 219 Returning to ‘Normal’ Life 220 Getting fi t all over again 220 Losing the weight 221 Pondering your postnatal diet 222 Doing pelvic floor exercises 223 Having sex again 223 Choosing contraception 224 Chapter 14 : Feeding Your Baby 225 Deciding between Breast and Bottle 225 Considering the advantages of breast-feeding 226 Checking out the benefits of bottle-feeding 227 Latching onto Breast-feeding 228 Looking at the mechanics of lactation 229 Checking out breast-feeding positions 230 Getting baby to latch on 230 Orchestrating feedings 232 Maintaining your diet 234 Looking at options for contraception 235 Determining which medications are safe 235 Handling common problems 235 Bottle-feeding for Beginners 239 Stopping milk production 239 Choosing the best bottles and nipples 239 Feeding your baby from a bottle 240 Dealing with Baby’s Developing Digestive System 242 Part IV: Special Concerns 245 Chapter 15: Pregnancies with Special Considerations 247 Figuring Out How Age Matters 247 Over-35 (or older) mums 247 Not-so-young dads 248 Very young mums 250 Having Twins or More 250 Looking at types of multiples 251 Determining whether multiples are identical or fraternal 251 Down’s syndrome screening in pregnancies with twins or more 252 Genetic testing in pregnancies with twins or more 252 Keeping track of which baby is which 253 Living day-to-day during a multiple pregnancy 254 Going through labour and delivery with twins 255 Covering special issues for mums with multiples 256 Getting Pregnant Again 259 Realising how each pregnancy is different 260 Giving birth after a prior caesarean delivery 261 Preparing Your Child (or Children) for a New Arrival 262 Explaining pregnancy 263 Making baby-sitting arrangements for your delivery 264 Coming home 264 Chapter 16: When Things Get Complicated 267 Dealing with Preterm Labour 267 Checking for signs of preterm labour269 Stopping preterm labour 269 Preventing preterm labour 269 Delivering the baby early 270 Handling Pre-eclampsia 270 Understanding Placental Conditions 271 Placenta praevia 272 Placental abruption 273 Recognising Problems with the Amniotic Fluid and Sac 274 Too much amniotic fluid 274 Too little amniotic fluid 275 Rupture of the amniotic sac 275 Describing Problems with Foetal Growth 276 Smaller-than-average babies 277 Larger-than-average babies 278 Looking at Blood Incompatibilities 279 Dealing with Breech Presentation 280 Pondering Post-Date Pregnancy 281 Chapter 17: Pregnancy in Sickness and in Health 283 Getting an Infection during Pregnancy 283 Bladder and kidney infections 283 Chickenpox 285 The common cold 286 German measles (rubella) 287 Herpes infections 287 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 287 Tummy bugs (gastroenteritis) 288 Vaginal infections.288 Handling Pre-Pregnancy Conditions 289 Asthma 289 Chronic hypertension 290 Deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus 290 Diabetes 291 Fibroids 293 Seizure disorders (epilepsy) 293 Thyroid problems 294 Chapter 18: Coping with the Unexpected 297 Surviving Recurrent Miscarriages 297 Coping with Late-Pregnancy Loss 299 Dealing with Foetal Abnormalities 299 Finding Help 300 Beginning to Heal 301 Part V: The Part of Tens 303 Chapter 19: Ten Things Nobody Tells You 305 Pregnancy Lasts Longer than Nine Months 305 Other People Can Drive You Crazy 306 You Feel Exhausted in the First Trimester 306 Round Ligament Pain Really Hurts 306 Your Belly Becomes a Hand Magnet 307 Piles Are a Royal Pain in the . . . 307 Sometimes Women Poo While Pushing 307 The Weight Stays On after the Baby Comes Out 308 Hospital Towels are Relics from Your Mother’s Era 308 Breast Engorgement Really Sucks 308 Chapter 20: Ten (Or So) Old Wives’ Tales 309 The Old Heartburn Myth 309 The Mysterious Umbilical Cord Movement Myth 309 The Curse Myth 310 The Heart Rate Myth 310 The Ugly Stick Myth 310 The Coffee Myth 310 The Myth of International Cuisine 310 The Great Sex Myth 311 The Round Face Myth 311 The Ring Myth 311 The Moon Maid Myth 312 The Belly Shape Myth 312 The Ultrasound Tells All Myth 312 Chapter 21: Ten Landmarks in Foetal Development 313 The Baby Is Conceived 313 The Embryo Implants Itself 313 The Heart Begins Beating 314 The Neural Tube Closes 314 The Face Develops 314 The Embryonic Period Ends 314 The Sexual Organs Appear 314 Quickening Occurs 315 The Lungs Reach Maturity 315 A Baby Is Born 315 Chapter 22: Ten Key Things You Can See on Ultrasound 317 Measurement of Crown-Rump Length 317 The Face 318 The Spine 319 The Heart 319 The Hands 320 The Foot 321 The Foetal Profile 321 The Stomach 322 It’s a Boy! 322 It’s a Girl! 323 Appendix: The Pregnant Man: Having a Baby from a Dad’s Perspective 325 Reacting to the News 325 Knowing What to Expect from the First Trimester 326 Watching Mum Grow – the Second Trimester 327 Under Starter’s Orders – the Third Trimester 327 Dad in the Delivery Room 328 Home at Last – with Your New Family 330 Index 331

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Book SynopsisThe essential guide to understanding fertility and improving your pregnancy chances. The journey to fertility can be daunting and filled with obstacles. In The Expert Guide to Fertility, OB-GYNs Joseph S. Sanfilippo, MD, MBA, and Aarti Kumar, MD, offer the information you need in your journey to achieve pregnancy. They provide an overview of the human reproductive system, describe issues that may impede conception or cause infertility, and explain various medical, surgical, and lifestyle interventions shown to improve one's chances of becoming pregnant. Sanfilippo and Kumar offer important information on: A broad variety of assisted reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization Diagnostic tests and what to expect throughout your fertility journey Fertility-preserving options for people diagnosed with cancer and people with recurrent miscarriages, polycystic ovaries, a low egg supply, or endometriosis Fertility options for LGBTQ+ readers, single parents, and military perTrade ReviewI recommend this book to patients and their families. The content is evidence-based and includes up-to-date diagnostic and treatment modalities.—Melanie Ochalski, MD, Shady Grove FertilityTable of ContentsPrefaceChapter 1. Christie's Story: A Personal Infertility ExperienceChapter 2. Enhancing Your Chances: Optimizing Natural FertilityChapter 3. Against All Odds: Female InfertilityChapter 4. We're Part of It, Too: Male InfertilityChapter 5. The Embryo Just Won't Stick: Reproductive ImmunologyChapter 6. Not Tonight, Wait till Ovulation: Sexual DysfunctionChapter 7. No Periods for Me: AmenorrheaChapter 8. I Just Can't Stop Bleeding: Abnormal Vaginal BleedingChapter 9. Painful Periods, Nobody's Listening: EndometriosisChapter 10. I Have Acne, I'm Hairy, and I Just Can't Get Pregnant: Polycystic OvariesChapter 11. No Room for the Fetus: Uterine FibroidsChapter 12. Too Little, Too Early: MiscarriagesChapter 13. Wrong Place, Painful Conception: Ectopic PregnancyChapter 14. Help Is Here: Assisted Reproductive TechnologyChapter 15. Keep My Eggs Ripe: Social Egg FreezingChapter 16. Cancer Can't Stop Me: Fertility PreservationChapter 17. Building a Nontraditional Family: Nonbinary FertilityChapter 18. Building a Family while Serving the Nation: Military Fertility ServicesChapter 19. Help Me Preserve My Sanity: Managing StressChapter 20. How to Pay for It All: Financing the Infertility JourneyChapter 21. The Nontraditional Conception: Donor Insemination, Adopting Embryos, and BeyondChapter 22. The End Is in Sight: You're Pregnant—What's Next?Final WordsAcknowledgmentsResourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe essential guide to understanding fertility and improving your pregnancy chances. The journey to fertility can be daunting and filled with obstacles. In The Expert Guide to Fertility, OB-GYNs Joseph S. Sanfilippo, MD, MBA, and Aarti Kumar, MD, offer the information you need in your journey to achieve pregnancy. They provide an overview of the human reproductive system, describe issues that may impede conception or cause infertility, and explain various medical, surgical, and lifestyle interventions shown to improve one's chances of becoming pregnant. Sanfilippo and Kumar offer important information on: A broad variety of assisted reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization Diagnostic tests and what to expect throughout your fertility journey Fertility-preserving options for people diagnosed with cancer and people with recurrent miscarriages, polycystic ovaries, a low egg supply, or endometriosis Fertility options for LGBTQ+ readers, single parents, and military perTrade ReviewI recommend this book to patients and their families. The content is evidence-based and includes up-to-date diagnostic and treatment modalities.—Melanie Ochalski, MD, Shady Grove FertilityTable of ContentsPrefaceChapter 1. Christie's Story: A Personal Infertility ExperienceChapter 2. Enhancing Your Chances: Optimizing Natural FertilityChapter 3. Against All Odds: Female InfertilityChapter 4. We're Part of It, Too: Male InfertilityChapter 5. The Embryo Just Won't Stick: Reproductive ImmunologyChapter 6. Not Tonight, Wait till Ovulation: Sexual DysfunctionChapter 7. No Periods for Me: AmenorrheaChapter 8. I Just Can't Stop Bleeding: Abnormal Vaginal BleedingChapter 9. Painful Periods, Nobody's Listening: EndometriosisChapter 10. I Have Acne, I'm Hairy, and I Just Can't Get Pregnant: Polycystic OvariesChapter 11. No Room for the Fetus: Uterine FibroidsChapter 12. Too Little, Too Early: MiscarriagesChapter 13. Wrong Place, Painful Conception: Ectopic PregnancyChapter 14. Help Is Here: Assisted Reproductive TechnologyChapter 15. Keep My Eggs Ripe: Social Egg FreezingChapter 16. Cancer Can't Stop Me: Fertility PreservationChapter 17. Building a Nontraditional Family: Nonbinary FertilityChapter 18. Building a Family while Serving the Nation: Military Fertility ServicesChapter 19. Help Me Preserve My Sanity: Managing StressChapter 20. How to Pay for It All: Financing the Infertility JourneyChapter 21. The Nontraditional Conception: Donor Insemination, Adopting Embryos, and BeyondChapter 22. The End Is in Sight: You're Pregnant—What's Next?Final WordsAcknowledgmentsResourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisAn important analysis of the difference class makes in reproductive health choicesCan you run a marathon, drink coffee, eat fish, or fly on a plane while pregnant? Such questions are just the tip of the iceberg for how most pregnant women's bodies are managed, surveilled, and scrutinized during pregnancy. The Reproduction of Inequality examines the intense social pressure that expectant and new mothers face when it comes to their health and body-care choices. Drawing on interviews with dozens of pregnant women and new mothers from poor, middle-class, and mixed-class backgrounds, Katherine Mason paints a vivid picture of the immense weight of expectation that comes with the early stages of motherhood. The women in Mason's study universally sought to give their children a healthy start in life; however, their chosen approaches varied based on their socio-economic class. Whereas middle-class mothers attempted a complete lifestyle change and absolute devotion to the achievement and maintTrade ReviewFrom gestational diabetes to drinking coffee, The Reproduction of Inequality maps how pregnant bodies are subject to increasingly high levels of medical and moral scrutiny. Theorizing pregnancy, birth, and post-partum conditions through the lens of gendered, classed, and racialized 'reproductive body projects,' Kate Mason captures the contradictions in the expectations for perfect designer pregnancies in the face of eroded infrastructures for healthcare, childcare, and general support for childbirth and childrearing. Based on rich interviews, this book tells moving, in-depth personal stories while contributing to important debates in sociology, gender studies, and health-related fields * Miliann Kang, author of The Managed Hand: Race, Gender and the Body in Beauty Service Work *For everyone who cares deeply about maternal and child health and addressing health inequities, this book is a gift. Delivering an insightful and sophisticated analysis of how biological reproduction is intertwined with social reproduction, Katherine Mason elegantly reveals the cultural meanings and stakes of reproductive body projects in the twenty-first century. The Reproduction of Inequality is a truly wonderful book. * Miranda R. Waggoner, author of The Zero Trimester: Pre-Pregnancy Care and the Politics of Reproductive Risk *The Reproduction of Inequality shows how adopting so-called ‘healthy lifestyles’ during pregnancy and post-partum is not just about health. It provides privileged mothers a way to display their social status and transmit it to their children, while worsening gendered inequalities at home. A must-read for anyone interested in social inequality, gender, family, and health! * Abigail C. Saguy, author of Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are *The Reproduction of Inequality provides a much-needed demonstration of the ways that ‘health’ has become a rigid moralized ideology reinforcing racialized class divides between mothers. Professor Mason insightfully instructs that while nearly all mothers and pregnant people want what is best for their babies, only those with resources and privilege are trusted to make the “right” choices -- self- sacrificing, responsible, well-informed decisions – on everything from having a cup of coffee while pregnant to regaining control over a postpartum body, and perhaps most important, to inculcating a near-religious devotion to 'health' in one’s children. * Linda M. Blum, author of At the Breast: Ideologies of Motherhood and Breastfeeding in the Contemporary US *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Of all the books, articles, documentaries and discussion on this topic, this is the one. Rudrappa has gone the furthest, deepest and most thoughtfully into this troubling issue." -- Barbara Katz Rothman,author of A Bun in the Oven: How The Birth and Food Movements Resist Industrialization"This is a book many of us have been waiting for: a serious ethnography on commercial surrogacy. Sharmila Rudrappa utilizes the best social and cultural analysis to get inside the heads of the surrogates, the parents, medical professionals and the middlemen that participate in this growing international industry. Rudrappa shows there is no easy answer to the moral and ethical dilemmas raised in the brokering of reproduction. Discounted Life elicits debates on who the winners and losers are in commercial surrogacy. It is a must read for anyone interested in the field of reproductive labor and reproductive inequalities in the 21st century." -- Rhacel Salazar Parreñas,author of Servants of Globalization: Women, Migration and Domestic Work"Discounted Life makes a compelling read and will appeal to academics interested in the transnational trade of reproductive labour...A particular strength of the book is the explicit, transparent, and reflexive account of participant recruitment strategies and struggles...[T]his is a truly excellent book and a crucial contribution to the field of assisted reproduction in a global market." -- Christina Weis, De Montfort University * Sociology of Health & Illness *"This is an engaging and well-written ethnography that will be interesting to scholars of labor markets, reproduction, and India. I would also recommend it for teaching general sociology and methods courses." * American Journal of Sociology *"Discounted Life is compassionate, critical and somehow as heart-warming as it is heart-breaking...Sharmila Rudrappa takes us into the socially and economically precarious worlds of the garment-factory workers in urban Bangalore who also constitute the recruiting ground for a lucrative global business turning poverty in India into babies for the West." * BioNews *"Discounted Lifeis compassionate, critical and somehow as heart-warming as it is heart-breaking. Most of all it is an utterly captivating look into the lives of women who made the production line of Indias surrogacy industry at a time when it was still legal and booming." * BioNews *"Discounted Lifeis a detailed ethnography on the industry of commercial gestational surrogacy in Bangalore, India. Describing the women who engage with the transitional surrogacy business as ambitious and witty instead of poor and exploited, Rudrappa offers a counter-narrative to the common discourse on Indian surrogate mothers." * Sociology of Health & Illness *

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Book SynopsisTransnational Reproduction traces the relationships among Western aspiring parents, Indian surrogates, and egg donors from around the world. In the early 2010s India was one of the top providers of surrogacy services in the world. Drawing on interviews with commissioning parents, surrogates, and egg donors as well as doctors and family members, Daisy Deomampo argues that while the surrogacy industry in India offers a clear example of stratified reproductionthe ways in which political, economic, and social forces structure the conditions under which women carry out physical and social reproductive laborit also complicates that concept as the various actors in this reproductive work struggle to understand their relationships to one another. The book shows how these actors make sense of their connections, illuminating the ways in which kinship ties are challenged, transformed, or reinforced in the context of transnational gestational surrogacy. The volume revisits the concept of Trade ReviewAccessibly written, it could be taught in undergraduate courses or modules on transnational surrogacy or assisted reproduction and social/economic inequality at lower and upper levels. The book promises to be an important resource for scholars of global markets in reproductive services. * Medical Anthropology Quarterly *Building upon the classic feminist concept of stratified reproduction, Deomampo is the first to offer a powerful critique of the racialization inherent in transnational surrogacy practices. Combining detailed ethnography with critical medical anthropological perspectives, Transnational Reproduction is both hard-hitting and provocative, challenging the race, class, and gender inequities underlying Indias commercial gestational surrogacy scene.- -- Marcia C. Inhorn,author of Cosmopolitan Conceptions: IVF Sojourns in Global DubaiDeomampo shows in exquisite detail how racialized fantasies, stereotypes, and prejudices knot together the long-distance, cross-border threads of intimate commerce and citizenship involved in Indian surrogacy. European, North American, Australian, and other commissioning parents are connected to their Indian surrogates and entrepreneurial providers through diverse legal and social connections, yet all involve prior powerful notions of race at the heart of transnational family-making. This focus enriches and complicates discussions of Indian surrogacy. -- Rayna Rapp,New York UniversityI highly recommend this book to any person interested in surrogacy, race and kinship in India and beyond. -- Noémie Merleau-Ponty,Research Associate, Reproductive Sociology Research Group, University of CambridgeDaisy Deomampo’s ethnography shows how particular imaginations and workings of race undergird the political economy of commercial surrogacy. Her book brings together previous work on ‘stratified reproduction’ – which describes the differential conditions that made reproduction possible – with recent studies on commercial surrogacy. * Social Anthropology/Anthropologie sociale *

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Book SynopsisWinner, American Sociological Association Asia and Asian America Section Best Book on Asia/Transnational AsiaFinalist, 2015 C. Wright Mills Award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems India is the top provider of surrogacy services in the world, with a multi-million dollar surrogacy industry that continues to grow exponentially, as increasing numbers of couples from developed nations look for wombs in which to grow their babies. Some scholars have exulted transnational surrogacy for the possibilities it opens for infertile couples, while others have offered bioethical cautionary tales, rebuked exploitative intended parents, or lamented the exploitation of surrogate mothersbut very little is known about the experience of and transaction between surrogate mothers and intended parents outside the lens of the many agencies that control surrogacy in India. Drawing from rich interviews with surrogate mothers and egg donors in Bangalore, as well as twenty straight and gay couples Trade ReviewOf all the books, articles, documentaries and discussion on this topic, this is the one. Rudrappa has gone the furthest, deepest and most thoughtfully into this troubling issue. -- Barbara Katz Rothman,author of A Bun in the Oven: How The Birth and Food Movements Resist IndustrializationThis is a book many of us have been waiting for: a serious ethnography on commercial surrogacy. Sharmila Rudrappa utilizes the best social and cultural analysis to get inside the heads of the surrogates, the parents, medical professionals and the middlemen that participate in this growing international industry. Rudrappa shows there is no easy answer to the moral and ethical dilemmas raised in the brokering of reproduction. Discounted Life elicits debates on who the winners and losers are in commercial surrogacy. It is a must read for anyone interested in the field of reproductive labor and reproductive inequalities in the 21st century. -- Rhacel Salazar Parreñas,author of Servants of Globalization: Women, Migration and Domestic WorkDiscounted Life makes a compelling read and will appeal to academics interested in the transnational trade of reproductive labour...A particular strength of the book is the explicit, transparent, and reflexive account of participant recruitment strategies and struggles...[T]his is a truly excellent book and a crucial contribution to the field of assisted reproduction in a global market. -- Christina Weis, De Montfort University * Sociology of Health & Illness *This is an engaging and well-written ethnography that will be interesting to scholars of labor markets, reproduction, and India. I would also recommend it for teaching general sociology and methods courses. * American Journal of Sociology *Discounted Life is compassionate, critical and somehow as heart-warming as it is heart-breaking...Sharmila Rudrappa takes us into the socially and economically precarious worlds of the garment-factory workers in urban Bangalore who also constitute the recruiting ground for a lucrative global business turning poverty in India into babies for the West. * BioNews *Discounted Lifeis compassionate, critical and somehow as heart-warming as it is heart-breaking. Most of all it is an utterly captivating look into the lives of women who made the production line of Indias surrogacy industry at a time when it was still legal and booming. * BioNews *Discounted Lifeis a detailed ethnography on the industry of commercial gestational surrogacy in Bangalore, India. Describing the women who engage with the transitional surrogacy business as ambitious and witty instead of poor and exploited, Rudrappa offers a counter-narrative to the common discourse on Indian surrogate mothers. * Sociology of Health & Illness *

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Book SynopsisYour Strong, Sexy Pregnancy: A Yoga and Fitness Plan combines yoga, resistance training, cardiovascular training, and nutrition to guide pregnant women through a fit and healthy pregnancy.Trade Review“Professional, passionate, and patient, Desi Bartlett is the total package. Your Strong, Sexy Pregnancy will give expecting mothers and new mothers alike the peace of mind, body, and spirit they need for years to come!”—Liz Vaccariello, Editor in Chief of Parents Magazine“Desi Bartlett’s commitment to empowering women throughout their pregnancies is reflected on each page of this book. Mothers everywhere will benefit from her compassionate advice, the intelligent sequencing, and her ability to blend the ancient practice of yoga with modern-day fitness principles. A wonderful gift for all expecting women and new moms.”—Mike Soenen, CEO of Manduka“As an ob-gyn, it is the biggest honor and joy to be able to observe and accompany the patient’s transition from pregnancy to becoming a mom. As a mom, giving birth was the most amazing experience ever. I never thought my body had that much strength and power in a moment. When I was more than exhausted, my body knew exactly what to do. Thanks to Desi and her prenatal yoga class, I learned to focus on my body, to trust and believe in its strength and power, and to keep on breathing calmly in the biggest pain. Thank you, Desi! I can’t put it into words how much you helped us.”—Conny Fendler, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology Physician“It is not an exaggeration to say that Desi Bartlett is my role model. She's one of those women who seems to have it all together—her family, her kids, her attitude, her body. Yet she's relentlessly positive and will do anything to uplift the people around her. Desi's secret to success is her yoga practice. In Your Strong Sexy Pregnancy: A Yoga and Fitness Plan, you get Desi's fitness plan to give you the tools to thrive during pregnancy. Desi offers advice that is accessible, yoga sequences for every body, and the practical kind of information that is road-tested—or, well, mat-tested. Become your own best role model by following Desi's yoga and fitness plan for better health and vitality for pregnancy and beyond.”—Felicia Tomasko, RN, Editor in Chief of LA Yoga and Boston Yoga, and President of Bliss Network“Desi Bartlett gave me one of the most beautiful gifts during my pregnancy. She coached me using her yoga expertise, and brought me on a spiritual journey that connected me to my little girl as she grew inside. I love this woman!”—Kate Hudson“I had the distinct pleasure of working with Desi at Gaiam, where she innovated new concepts for fitness and yoga equipment. Desi has the innate ability to distill complex information into relatable and approachable methodologies. Her passion and gentle nature radiate through her words and actions and embody her essential being. Desi’s work with new moms provides a safe place for women going through what is likely to be both a challenging and an exhilarating time in their lives. There is no better person to guide women along their physical and emotional journey to motherhood.“—Susan Haney, Former Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for GaiamTable of ContentsPart I. Plan for a Strong PregnancyChapter 1. Strong Is the New Skinny Live fit from the inside out Learn the secret of a strong core Become strong and sexy throughout your pregnancy Chapter 2. Three Plus One Total Body Fitness Use various forms of movement to create your total body fitness program Combine yoga, resistance training, cardio, and nutrition for a healthy pregnancy Chapter 3. Mama Knows Best Connect with your body and become fully present in your pregnancy Use meditation to bond with your baby Cultivate an awareness of your own and your baby’s needs Part II. Prepare for Birth and BeyondChapter 4. First Trimester: Increase Endurance Learn how exercise can carry you through your pregnancy Use yoga, meditation, and cross-training to fight off fatigue Chapter 5. Second Trimester: Build Strength Get strong for the rest of your pregnancy Find a rhythm and establish a regular exercise routine Chapter 6. Third Trimester: Prepare to Push Learn about the power of the pelvic floor Train your pelvic floor muscles for labor, delivery, and recovery Chapter 7. Happy Birth Day! Use your body and mind to be present and aware Create a birth plan to prepare and eliminate fear Part III. Practices for Recovery and ResultsChapter 8. New Mama Recovery Workout Incorporate gentle moves and practices into your new life Strengthen and tone your abdomen and pelvic floor after giving birth Chapter 9. Mommy and Me Exercise with your baby to strengthen your bond and both your bodies Learn how to hold your baby properly during exercise Chapter 10. Belly Blaster Series Try deep core work to redefine your abdominal area Use core exercise to gain the functional strength needed to care for your baby Chapter 11. Self-Care for Moms Take care for yourself so you can better care for your baby Create a daily routine that includes proper sleep and exercise Chapter 12. Insights for Moms Over 40 Be aware of the unique challenges of being a mom over 40 Strengthen and tone your body to combat loss of muscle mass

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Book SynopsisNative women and women of color poignantly share their pain, revelations, and hope after experiencing the traumas of miscarriage and infant loss What God Is Honored Here? is the first book of its kind—and urgently necessary. This is a literary collection of voices of Indigenous women and women of color who have undergone miscarriage and infant loss, experiences that disproportionately affect women who have often been cast toward the margins in the United States of America. From the story of dashed cultural expectations in an interracial marriage to poems that speak of loss across generations, from harrowing accounts of misdiagnoses, ectopic pregnancies, and late-term stillbirths to the poignant chronicles of miscarriages and mysterious infant deaths, What God Is Honored Here? brings women together to speak to one another about the traumas and tragedies of womanhood. In its heartbreaking beauty, this book offers an integral perspective on how culture and religion, spirit and body, unite in the reproductive lives of women of color and Indigenous women as they bear witness to loss, search for what is not there, and claim for themselves and others their fundamental humanity. Powerfully and with brutal honesty, they write about what it means to reclaim life in the face of death.Editors Shannon Gibney and Kao Kalia Yang acknowledge “who we had been could not have prepared us for who we would become in the wake of these words,” yet the writings collected here offer insight, comfort, and, finally, hope for all those who, like the women gathered here, have found grief a lonely place.Contributors: Jennifer Baker, Michelle Borok, Lucille Clifton, Sidney Clifton, Taiyon J. Coleman, Arfah Daud, Rona Fernandez, Sarah Agaton Howes, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Soniah Kamal, Diana Le-Cabrera, Janet Lee-Ortiz, Maria Elena Mahler, Chue Moua, Jami Nakamura Lin, Jen Palmares Meadows, Dania Rajendra, Marcie Rendon, Seema Reza, 신 선 영 Sun Yung Shin, Kari Smalkoski, Catherine R. Squires, Elsa Valmidiano.Trade Review"Pregnancy loss is a most enigmatic human sorrow, unique to every woman who suffers it. These stories of resilience, grief, and restoration are essential, for to understand is to heal."—Louise Erdrich"What God is Honored Here? is the hardest and most important book I've read about parenting, loss, and imagination. It's also the most frightening book in my world, but not because it is horrific: it is about the terrifying possibilities of love."—Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy"Together these writers have created a sacred space, a temple, in which the unspeakable can be shared in a way that honors their losses and the women they are, women who endured, who fought, who lost, who grieve . . . and the individual and collective healing that can come from allowing survivors to remember. A book of astounding grace and strength."—Thi Bui, author of The Best We Could Do"These writers have pierced the silence that too often surrounds miscarriage and infant loss, crafting hallowed stories from thoughtful, honest prose. As readers we are invited to witness the heart-mending love of mothers as they share memories of their lost babies, and in the telling offer solace in community."—Diane Wilson, author of Spirit Car and Beloved Child"Premised on how Native women and women of color writers write about pregnancy and loss, this collection unspools from the start as a wrenching look at grief, refracted through the prism of race, religion, and class in the context of war, migration, and displacement. A unique contribution to the writings of women of color, this anthology brings together a range of women’s literary voices who write against the idea that grieving must be experienced as a solitary act. It reminds us of our resolute ties to one another and asks us to honor our experiences of joy and grief, love and pain, with story, song, and narrative."—Lan Duong, coeditor of Troubling Borders: An Anthology of Art and Literature by Southeast Asian Women in the Diaspora"Pregnancy loss experienced by Native women and women of color is both alarmingly common and shamefully devalued—and even criminalized—in America today. The stories these women tell in What God Is Honored Here? offer heartbreaking insights into their pain while affirming the unbreakable bonds between them and their children. With this anthology, Shannon Gibney and Kao Kalia Yang illuminate an important yet often overlooked aspect of reproductive health, lives, and justice."—Dorothy Roberts, author of Killing the Black Body"To remember is an act of will and courage, an affirmation of hope and a dreamed-for life. These stories and poems, heart-rending and often traumatic, reveal the resilience that transcends the pain of loss. What God Is Honored Here? consecrates personal and collective sacrifice and contributes to the validation that is essential to adapt to and heal from significant loss."—Susan Gibney, founder, University of Michigan NICU Hospitals Bereavement Program and Walk to Remember, MS, LLP, RN "A profound collection reflecting the contributors' "claim on [their] lives as indigenous women and women of color who have experienced infant and fetal loss, in its many forms." Though each piece of this collection—edited by Gibney (See No Color, 2015) and Yang (The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father, 2016, etc.)—shares the common theme of infant mortality, each woman's story grips readers with its individuality and its gut-wrenching pain and sorrow. These tales of loss—from miscarriage, stillbirth, misdiagnosis, ectopic pregnancies, and sudden infant death—all carry the weight of the woman's heartbreak. They also show abundant love and the honor they felt to be pregnant, regardless of the outcome."—Kirkus Reviews"A compelling collection that encourages readers to hold writers and their stories, both told and untold, in their hearts with every page."—Library Journal"If you have ever miscarried, the book will rain down a million poignant memories that you may or may not be ready for. If you and your partner sailed through healthy pregnancies to produce thriving infants, the book will give you reason to thank God repeatedly for those blessings."—The Circle"I think everyone will gain immeasurably from reading all or part of What God is Honored Here? It’s one of the most moving, passionate, painful, eye-opening, and ultimately, valuable books I’ve ever read."—Hometown Source"I’ve read a lot of creative nonfiction but this anthology is riveting. The essays are moving. They are also poignant, edgy, down to earth. I rarely if ever comment on writing, but the essays here—I had to."—Psychology Today"What God is Honored Here? is more than memories about the specifics of losing a child. It’s also about the loved ones who surrounded the writers, their devotion to their living children, and their family backgrounds that informed how they would deal with their ache for a child that never drew breath."—Pioneer Press"They’re memories of an Anishinaabeg woman, a Thai refugee, a black woman with white in-laws, an Asian American woman, a wife of a Mongolian man who didn’t speak his language enough, each left with empty arms, dealing with “a tiny baby” in a way that makes sense at the end of something that makes no sense at all. Each wondering what happened, and getting answers that left them angry, stunned, satisfied that it wasn’t their “fault,” or without answers altogether. And yet — there’s hope in this book."—Caribbean Life"This work is opening a discussion that has long shunned Native Women and Women of Color from inviting one another to learn the truth behind how grief is carried by one another."—The Corresponder "What God Is Honored Here? is an empathetically written and edited collection of twenty-seven stories and poems of remembrance. Each woman, whether a professional author or a Mrst-time writer, contributes her voice and experience to “build bridges of hope and healing.”"—Spectrum"Yang and others write precisely because the language we have for reproductive experience is so paltry and imprecise."—Boston Review "This is a meditative volume—one whose various essays and poems and stories and photos can be read and reread, turned to for comfort, and turned to in anger and grief. It isn’t a volume for the faint of heart—but rather a book by, and for, the full-of-heart."—American Indian Culture and Research Journal

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Book SynopsisNew parents’ schedules necessarily revolve around tending to their infant’s essential needs day and night, whatever the hour. Here are hour-by-hour columns for breast and bottle feedings, nappy changes, sleep, and special notes – was baby fussing, and how are you feeling? - information that’s particularly helpful to record when babies are in their earliest months and on an every-three-hours feeding schedule. In addition to daily pages spanning baby’s first six months, the journal includes places to note important phone numbers and immunisations and to chart baby’s growth – ensuring that parents will have these essentials at hand for visits to the doctor.

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Book SynopsisBreastfeeding mums, and expectant mothers who are deciding whether to breastfeed, share a common concern: Will I make enough milk? In Boost Your Breast Milk, lactation expert Alicia C. Simpson offers practical and clearguidance on nursing, how to recognize low milk supply, and what to do if it happens, including: breastfeeding basics--preparing to nurse, latching techniques, and scheduling feedings; the causes of low milk supply and milk slumps; in-depth information on nursing mothers' nutritional needs; and 75 recipes that make the most of lactogenic, or milkboosting, ingredients. Oats, whole grains, beans and legumes, and papaya are just some of the foods that support milk production. (And they are all plant-based, so Simpson keeps the recipes vegan--her specialty!) These are dishes that the whole family can enjoy, with the added benefit of keeping Mom healthy and well supplied with milk for baby.

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Book SynopsisWhen Nicole Nared-Washington got pregnant, she knew she was going to miss Bellinis with her girlfriends and wine with dinner. Then she realised this was an opportunity to stay social and fun without the booze. In Baby Proof, she shares the 50 recipes that got her through dinner parties, barbecues, date nights and even morning sickness. You don’t need the spirits to enjoy the cocktail!

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Book SynopsisIn the US and around the world, people are striving to close the gender gap. Ranked fifth globally for gender equality, Sweden is doing something right. But to truly close the gap, Swedish experts Kristina Henkel and Marie Tomicic know that we have to start at the beginning, with the daily gender traps and stumbling blocks that cause us to view our children one-dimensionally and limit their potential. In The Swedish Way to Parent and Play, Henkel and Tomicic share practical strategies and tips covering play and friendship, emotions and self-esteem, and language and body, to help parents and teachers support children’s development as unique individuals. The point is not that boys should wear dresses and girls can’t play with dolls, or that all children should be the same. Gender equality is about variety; it’s about showing children 100 possible ways to be instead of just two.

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