Pregnancy & Childbirth

Preparing for a New Baby
Caring for Your Baby and Youn: Birth to Age 5
by Steven P. Shelov, M.D., The American Academy of Pediatrics
Pregnancy is a time of anticipation, excitement, preparation, and, for many new parents, uncertainty. You dream of a baby who will be strong, healthy, and bright--and you make plans to provide her with everything she needs to grow and thrive.

There's a reason they call it labor
The Fourth Trimester: And You Thought Labor Was Hard ... Advice, Humor, and Inspiration for New Moms on Surviving the First Six Weeks-and Beyond
by Amy Einhorn
Recovering from labor is the closest thing most women come to recuperating from a heavyweight fight. Chances are you were pushing for hours on end, you didn't sleep a bit, and you feel like you've been run over by a truck.

What You Must Know About Infertility
Making a Baby: Everything You Need to Know to Get Pregnant
by Debra Fulghum Bruce, Samuel Thatcher, M.D., Ph.D.
Many people dream of having a family some day, even before they meet Mr. or Miss Right. In fact, most of us assume that making a baby the old-fashioned way is a natural birthright. After all, we are made to be sexual beings, so anyone can get pregnant

There's No Such Thing as Infertility
The Infertility Cure: The Ancient Chinese Wellness Program for Getting Pregnant and Having Healthy Babies
by Randine Lewis, Ph.D.
While the question When does life begin? has been debated throughout the ages, one issue that is virtually undebatable is the intense desire of most women to bear children. Young girls jump rope singing, First comes love, then comes marriage

Birth Control Pill Safety Concerns
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
When the birth control pill was first introduced in 1960, the response of many Americans was like love at first sight. But soon, safety concerns took the blush off the romance, leading to reformulation and the safer lower doses now available.

The First Month
What to Expect When You're Expecting, Third Edition
by Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg, Sandee Hathaway
Congratulations-and welcome to your pregnancy! Though you almost certainly don't look pregnant yet, chances are you're already starting to feel it. Whether it's just tender breasts and a little fatigue you're experiencing, or every early pregnancy symptom

Birth Stories
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
by Ina May Gaskin
There is extraordinary psychological benefit in belonging to a group of women who have positive stories to tell about their birth experiences. This phenomenon is exactly what developed within our village. So many horror stories circulate about birth

The First Trimester
Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-be
by Rebecca Eckler
Rebecca Eckler is a popular newspaper columnist who lives the fabulous life and gets paid to write about it. So when a tipsy romp with her fiancé on the night of their lavish engagement party leaves her unexpectedly expecting

The Effects of Tobacco Use During and After Pregnancy
by National Institute of Health
Alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy have both been associated with a number of adverse effects on the growth, cognitive development, and behavior of the exposed child.

Will I Have a C-Section?
What If I Have a C-Section?
by Rita Rubin
A look at some of the common medical reasons for C-Sections. In 2002, 261 out of every 1,000 babies born in the United States were delivered by C-section - the highest rate ever, although not nearly as high as in Brazil and some other Latin American

On Deciding to Become a Father
Breathe: A Guy's Guide to Pregnancy
by Mason Brown
Unlike marriage, fatherhood is not something to be entered into lightly or unadvisedly. You must understand the full range of responsibilities and duties it entails. Having a baby is a full-time job.

Metabolic Programming: The New Science
Program Your Baby's Health: The Pregnancy Diet for Your Child's Lifelong Well-Being
by Dr. Barbara Luke
Suppose a pregnant woman could take a pill that would program her unborn baby for a long and healthy life free of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, asthma, allergies, and even obesity. Wouldn't every mother-to-be in the country clamor for

Things You'll Need
Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care : 8th Edition
by Benjamin Spock, M.D.
Buying things ahead of time. Some parents don't feel like buying anything until they have their baby. The idea that shopping for things ahead of time might cause the pregnancy to come to a bad end is common in many cultures.

Before Your Child Is Born
Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care : 8th Edition
by Benjamin Spock, M.D.
Fetal development. When you think of all the incredible changes that go into turning a fertilized egg into a newborn baby, how can you not feel awe? By the time most women realize they're pregnant, about five weeks after their last menstrual period

Getting Ready for Bebé
Waiting for Bebé: A Pregnancy Guide for Latinas
by Lourdes Alcañiz
Every time my mother peels an apple, a tomato or a peach, she buries the peels in her garden. Well-nourished soil, she says, yields healthy plants. And she must be right because there's always disputes among our neighbors and family to see who gets

Third Trimester
Love Works Like This: Travels Through a Pregnant Year
by Lauren Slater, Ph.D.
'Is even the most clenched heart capable of it?' Lauren Slater asks about love, in this original and illuminating book about how we discover what love truly is. Slater charts her own personal journey about having a child.

If the Stick Is Blue, You Know What to Do!
The Conception Chronicles : The Uncensored Truth About Sex, Love & Marriage When You're Trying to Get Pregnant
by Patty Doyle Debano, Courtney Edgerton Menzel, Shelly Dicken Sutphen
When we first started down the baby-making path, we thought we'd be pregnant in no time. We'd just toss out our birth control pills and before we knew it, we'd be rocking our little one to sleep. Little did we know what was in store for us, or the energy

Chapter One
Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic
by Martha Beck, Ph.D.
This is a tale about mothering a Down syndrome child that opts for sass over sap, and it's a book of heavenly visions and inexplicable phenomena that's as down-to-earth as anyone could ask for. This small masterpiece is Martha Beck's own story-of leaving

Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine
by George M. Gould, M.D., Walter L. Pyle, M.D.
In the consideration of prenatal anomalies, the first to be discussed will be those of extrauterine pregnancy. This abnormalism has been known almost as long as there has been any real knowledge of obstetrics. In the writings

A Complementary View of Fertility
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Getting Pregnant: Boost Your Fertility with the Best of Traditional and Alternative Therapies
by Raymond Chang, M.D., Elena Oumano, Ph.D.
If you're struggling to conceive, you may be surprised to learn that there are many simple fertility-enhancing strategies that are painless, health-promoting, and inexpensive-and can result in pregnancy.