TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 ~ Preparing to conceive your baby
Feeling ready and your relationship • Financial and work considerations
Preparing your body for pregnancy
A nutritious diet • Vitamins and minerals • Lifestyle changes - what to avoid
• Physical activity before pregnancy
• Healthy weight range • Managing stress
• Preconceptual health check
Conceiving your baby
The female and male reproductive systems • A woman’s menstrual cycle •
Charting your fertility • Detecting the fertile days
• Timing sex for conception •
When conception is not straightforward • Choosing the sex of your baby
Difficulty conceiving
Causes of infertility • Investigating infertility • Treatment options
• Emotional considerations
Chapter 2 ~ A new pregnancy: Conception to 12 weeks
Your unborn baby’s growth and development
Confirming your pregnancy
Urine pregnancy tests • Blood pregnancy tests • Calculating your baby’s due date
Early pregnancy
‘Morning’ sickness • Your diet during pregnancy • Weight gain
• Exercise
Emotions in early pregnancy
Emotions for the woman • Emotions for the partner • Your relationship
Taking care
Lifestyle changes • Prescribed medications • Over-the-counter treatments
• Natural therapies • Environmental and occupational hazards
In the beginning
Announcing your pregnancy • Choosing a caregiver and birthplace
• Transfer for the woman or baby • What to expect at your first pregnancy visit
• Tests you may be offered • Genetic testing
Early pregnancy variations
Bleeding during early pregnancy • Miscarriage •
Ectopic pregnancy • Excessive vomiting • Retroverted uterus
Chapter 3 ~ The middle of pregnancy: 13 to 28 weeks
Your unborn baby’s growth and development
Middle pregnancy
Physical changes • Aches and pains • Growing belly •
Maternity clothes • Baby’s movements
Adapting to change
Emotions in the middle months • Body image, sexuality and libido
As the pregnancy progresses
What to expect at your pregnancy visits • Tests you may be offered • Ultrasounds
Middle pregnancy variations
High blood pressure • Asthma • Diabetes •
Epilepsy • Heart disease • Thyroid conditions • Blood disorders
• Urine infection
• Twin variations • Baby dying during pregnancy
FAQs
What about travel during pregnancy? • Can I lie on my back?
• What will I do with my belly piercing?
Chapter 4 ~ The final months: 29 weeks till birth
Your unborn baby’s growth and development
Physical changes in preparation for birth • The uterus •
The cervix • Membranes and amniotic fluid • The placenta
• The umbilical cord • The pelvis
• The pelvic floor muscles • The perineum
The final weeks
Physical changes • Aches and pains • Your baby’s movements
Emotions and sex
Emotions for the woman • Emotions for the partner • Sex during late pregnancy
Monitoring more closely
What to expect during the remaining pregnancy visits • Tests you may be offered
Getting ready for baby
Feeding your new baby • Sleeping arrangements • Buying for baby
• Cloth or disposable nappies • Planning childcare arrangements
Late pregnancy variations
Premature baby • Breech baby • Small baby •
Too much or too little fluid around the baby •
Pre-eclampsia • Gestational diabetes
•
Bleeding during late pregnancy • Isoimmunisation Cholestasis
FAQs
When should I stop work? • Do I need raspberry leaf? • Clicking or popping noises
• Cold belly
Chapter 5 ~ Preparing for birth
Final preparations
Childbirth classes • Do I need a support person? • Preparing your other children
• Considering a water birth?
• What to pack for the birth • Writing a birth plan
Prelabour
Physical signs of prelabour • Support strategies • Emotions •
What to expect from your caregiver during prelabour
• Admission to the delivery suite or birth centre • Should I stay or should I go?
Variations for prelabour
Waters breaking, no contractions • Dehydration and ketosis
Chapter 6 ~ First stage of labour
Early 1st phase • Active 1st phase • End of 1st stage or transition
• Physical signs
Support strategies
Support strategies for the woman • Support strategies for the partner/support person
Expectations for care
What to expect from your caregiver • Continuous monitoring
Variations for 1st stage
Continual vomiting • Fever • Difficulty urinating • Posterior labour
• Slow progress
Baby distressed • Anterior lip • Shoulder presentation •
Heavy bleeding • Cord prolapse
Chapter 7 ~ Second stage and birthing your baby
Resting phase • Active pushing phase • The crowning phase •
The birthing phase
Support strategies
Support strategies for the woman • Support strategies for the partner/support person
• Positioning for birth
Expectations for care
Vaginal examinations • Time limits
Variations for second stage
Tearing • Episiotomy • Fast birth • Baby distressed
• Baby’s presentation
• Forceps and ventouse • Shoulder dystocia
• Giving birth to twins •
Baby born before arrival at birthplace • Stillborn baby
Chapter 8 ~ Third and fourth stages of labour
The third stage
Natural vs active management • Clamping and cutting the cord •
Checking the placenta • Emotions • Issues and controversies
The fourth stage
Physical recovery • Emotions • Support strategies • Expectations
for care
Variations for third and fourth stages
Difficulty urinating • Feeling faint • Haematomas •
Primary postpartum haemorrhage • Retained placenta
• Third and fourth degree tears • Anal fissures • Uterine inversion
Chapter 9 ~ The pain of labour
The physiology of pain
The pain of labour and birth
The woman’s perception of her labour pain
Fears and concerns and expectations • Physiological approach and pain threshold •
Expectations Feeling in control • Social, cultural and spiritual beliefs
• Other factors • Exploring beliefs and perceptions • Helpful tools
Medical forms of pain relief
Gas • Narcotics • Epidural and spinal anaesthesia
Natural therapies and other methods of pain relief
Acupuncture • Acupressure, shiatsu and reflexology • Aromatherapy
Bach and Australian bush flower essences
• Breathing and birthing noises •
Herbs • Homeopathy • Hypnosis • Massage
• Movement • Music
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
• Visual focus • Visualisation • Water Water Injections
Chapter 10 ~ Inducing or augmenting the labour
Induction
Going ‘overdue’ • Readiness for labour
Induction methods
Pharmacological methods • Mechanical methods
• Risks and problems with medical inductions • Natural methods
• Coping strategies • Emotional considerations
Augmentation
Medical methods • Natural therapies • Support strategies
Chapter 11 ~ Caesarean birth
What a caesarean operation involves
Before the operation • Anaesthetic used • The operation • The recovery
room
Early care and physical recovery
First 24 to 48 hours • Next one to two weeks • Two to eight weeks • Two
months and beyond
Risks and problems associated with caesareans
Possible variations for the woman • Possible variations for the baby
Emotional reactions
Emotions for the woman • Emotions for the partner/support person
Vaginal birth after caesarean
Health factors relating to VBAC • Arguments for and against VBAC •
Achieving the optimal outcomes • Emotions when planning a VBAC
Chapter 12 ~ Your baby soon after birth
The role of the birthing environment
Routine procedures and possible interventions
The Apgar score • Routine interventions at birth • Identification and observations
• Weighing, measuring and bathing • Vitamin K
• Hepatitis B vaccination • Well babies needing further observations
Early parenting
Bonding with your baby • The first feed • Early parenting skills • Introducing the baby to their siblings
Your newborn baby’s physical appearance and behaviours
A newborn’s normal appearance • Early physical variations • Normal newborn behaviour • A newborn’s physical reflexes
What to expect from your caregiver
Newborn examinations • Routine screening blood test
Variations for the baby
Unwell baby • Jaundice
FAQs
Should my son be circumcised? • At what age can a newborn fly?
Chapter 13 ~ The woman’s recovery after birth
Physical recovery
Nutrition and good health • Exercise
Feeding your baby
Breastfeeding • Formula feeding • Sterilising feeding/expressing equipment
Emotional changes and support strategies
Support during the early weeks
Expectations for care
Your postnatal check • Unexpected outcomes/unmet expectations
Variations for the woman
Breastfeeding variations • Infections • Thrush or gardnerella •
Heavy bleeding • Thrombosis • Postnatal depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder • Postnatal psychosis
Chapter 14 ~ Transition to parenting
The birth of a parent
Realistic parenting expectations • Relationship survival tips
• When caring for your baby • ‘Advice’, take it or leave it? • Sibling rivalry
Sex, sexuality and contraception
Resuming your sexual relationship • Sexuality and intimacy • Contraception
Settling in with your new baby
Sleeping and feeding patterns • Getting your baby to sleep •
Settling your crying baby • Caring for twins, triplets or more
Lifestyle and breastfeeding
Expressing and storing breast milk • Breastfeeding while out and about
• Breastfeeding with work or study
• Weaning your baby from the breast
Returning to work or study
Partner returns • Mother returns • Stay-at-home dads
Variations
Breast milk supply
Appendices
Visualisation techniques • Acupressure points • Natural therapies
• Birth plan • Labour support guide