Pregnancy

The Gallagher Guide to the Baby Years, 2005 Edition
by Stephanie Gallagher

Real moms. Real advice. Real fast.

The experts tell you what you should be doing.
But they don't know what you're really going through. We do. We're real moms.

When you're so sleepy you can't remember the last time you brushed your teeth, and you find yourself crying at diaper commercials, you know you're a new mom. And the only thing you need right now — besides a housekeeper, a personal trainer, a masseuse, and a very long nap — is a crash course in mommy know-how.

Look no further! The Gallagher Guide to the Baby Years gives you the straight skinny on everything from coping with morning sickness to making potty training a breeze. It's a handy reference of indispensable product ratings, brand recommendations, and advice that's been tested in the trenches. All ranked, rated, and ready for you to use right now! Discover:

• how real moms cope with morning sickness, heartburn, and bed rest

• the one infant car seat no mom should be without

• the ten most important features to look for in a stroller

• why you don't have to buy a pricey high chair — and what to get that's cheaper and better

• eight sure-fire strategies for getting baby to sleep through the night

• seven secrets for getting dad to help out more

• incredible tools for time-crunched moms

...and much, much more in this essential "cheat sheet" for the twenty-first century mom.

From Kapolei, Hawaii, to Kent, England, the 200 moms — including 30 doctor-moms — who contributed to the book come from all over the world.

Chapter 1

Oh, the aches and pains of it all! We may love the idea of growing a human being, but pregnancy also means morning sickness, weight gain, stretch marks, leg cramps, and an inability to go more than twenty minutes without peeing (okay, not really, but it feels like that).

The worst part about going through it the first time is that you don't know what to expect. Then, when you go through it again, you're a veteran, except you discover that every pregnancy is different (if you didn't have morning sickness the first time, you could have it for nine months the second), and that your body doesn't bounce back nearly as fast as it did the first time. Here is our best wisdom for getting through those nine (really, ten) months with ease.

The Five Most Effective Ways to Cope with Morning Sickness

1. Crackers, especially Saltines and especially when eaten first thing in the morning.

2. Ginger anything — ginger ale, ginger tea, ginger snaps.

3. Lemon anything — lemon drops, lemonade, lemon verbena oil, lemons.

4. Eat small, frequent meals.

5. Eat protein.

"I'm on an e-mail loop of moms, and one of the ladies suggested ginger. Anything with ginger works. I liked ginger snaps because they put a little something in my stomach, and that helps morning sickness also. But you can get ginger candy and gum also. It's the best-kept secret."

— Brenda Brown, Kapolei, HI

"One of the many books I read when I was trying to conceive mentioned that lemons, lemon drops, and lemon oil can be helpful in taming nausea. I purchased lemon verbena oil (an essential oil you can get at any health food store) the weekend I found out I was pregnant. It smells like very concentrated lemons. I would just crack the top on the vial of oil and sniff anytime I felt sick. Ninety-nine percent of the time, my stomach would calm right down. It worked wonders."

— Colleen Grace Weaver, San Lorenzo, CA

"I had horrible morning sickness until about week 18. I craved protein and bought a Burger King egg and cheese bagel or croissant almost every morning. The sandwiches tasted great and I didn't have to smell the eggs cooking."

— Kimberly Mercurio, M.D., Downers Grove, IL

"I always tried to make sure I had something in my stomach. It helped to munch on crackers, bread, etc., and to drink lots of water."

— Stephanie Zara, Boonton Township, NJ

"Eat something (like a cracker or two) BEFORE getting out of bed (have someone bring it to you, or leave it on your nightstand the night before). It always seemed easier to avoid nausea by eating little amounts frequently than to stop nausea once it starts."

— Chelsea Hamman, M.D., Providence, NC

Nine Easy Ways to Relieve Heartburn and Acid Reflux

Just when you thought you were past the hard part — the morning sickness — bam! You get hit with heartburn. Some of us had it through our whole pregnancies. But there's no need to wait for the baby to be born to get relief. Here are our nine favorite remedies.

1. Take Tums or another over-the-counter heartburn remedy (with your doctor's approval).
2. Elevate your head and shoulders while sleeping.
3. Drink lots of water.
4. Avoid spicy foods.
5. Eat smaller, more frequent meals.
6. Eat sour foods, like lemonade or sour candy.
7. Eat popsicles.
8. Try papaya extract or papaya enzyme (with your doctor's permission).
9. Drink milk.

"Take Tums antacid tablets every day. My obstetrician recommended it for the calcium and the heartburn."

— Jennifer Young, Bethesda, MD

"I raised the head of my bed four inches and slept with a pillow wedge to keep upright. I also stayed away from tomato-based foods."

— Becky Messerli, Chesterfield, MI

"I don't believe in taking medications at all. I try to treat everything naturally, so what I would do is not eat until I was full. Also, I would eat smaller meals often. I never ate and lay down, and I drank tons of water."

— Jaimelin Liddell, Roseto, PA

"Anything sour will help with heartburn and nausea. I ate sour ball candy and drank a lot of lemonade."

— Wendy Douglas, Margate, FL

"My cousin's mother-in-law is a 'Holistic Healer' and recommended taking papaya extract for heartburn and acid reflux. You can find it in most health food stores. Some may even carry a chewable tablet, kind of like Chicklets. Not only do they kick heartburn and acid reflux, but they are pretty tasty as well. I'd recommend them to anyone, pregnant or not."

— Lamiel Oesterreicher, Brooklyn, NY

Your Essential Maternity Wardrobe

The best thing about early pregnancy is that you get to keep it a secret if you like. You get to decide who to tell, when to tell, and how to break the good news. By the fourth or fifth month, however, it's no longer a secret. And if you haven't noticed it yet, you begin to get distracted by the fact that NOTHING IN YOUR CLOSET FITS YOU ANYMORE. What to do? Veteran moms know that being comfortable is key. Regardless of the season, you'll need a basic wardrobe that will take you from work to play to evening in comfort.

The Only Five Rules You Need to Know for Buying Maternity Clothes

1. Make it comfortable.
2. Make it black.
3. Good underwear, including a good bra, is essential.
4. Buy pieces that don't have the maternity panel or a seam in the tummy area.
5. Invest in one nice outfit for special occasions and dinners out.

"Think about whether some of your maternity clothes can be worn after you have the baby. They make no-panel and low-rise pants now that are great for that transitional period when you're too big for your old clothes and not big enough to keep wearing panel maternity pants."

— Angel Smith, Brooksville, FL

Copyright © 2002, 2004 by Sound Bite Press, Inc.

About the Author

Stephanie Gallagher is an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in such magazines as Redbook, McCall's, and Woman's World. She is the publisher of Sound Bite Press and author of Money Secrets the Pros Don't Want You to Know, Fabulous Bargains, and The Everything Baby Resource Guide.