Preparing for pregnancy
1.1 How to prepare for pregnancy 1
1.2 Guidelines to help you conceive 35
Am I pregnant?
2.1 Confirmation that you are pregnant 49
2.2 How to determine your due date 51
2.3 Deciding who will deliver your baby and where 55
Early pregnancy
3.1 Antenatal visits: What they are and when you should start them 57
3.2 Some side effects of early pregnancy 61
3.3 What are the chances of having a miscarriage? 63
3.4 Management of a threatened miscarriage 79
3.5 Management of an inevitable miscarriage 81
3.6 Management of an incomplete miscarriage 83
3.7 How to know if your baby will be normal 85
Monitoring the progress of your pregnancy
4.1 How to know if your baby is growing normally and how to chart your baby’s growth 101
4.2 How to estimate your baby’s birth weight 115
4.3 How to keep your weight under control 125
4.4 Signs that your pregnancy is healthy 129
Insights into labour and childbirth
5.1 Indications your baby might come early 153
5.2 How to tell if your membranes have ruptured 157
5.3 How to know if your baby is in the correct position 161
5.4 Indications for induction of labour 169
5.5 How to know when your labour has started 183
5.6 How long your labour should last 187
5.7 Management of your labour pains 206
5.8 Will you have a normal birth? 223
5.9 The actual process of a normal vaginal birth 235
5.10 Indications for an episiotomy 241
5.11 Indications that you might need a forceps or vacuum extraction to deliver your baby 247
5.12 Indications for a caesarean section 251
5.13 Vaginal birth after a caesarean section (VBAC) 265
After delivery – the postnatal period
6.1 What happens after your baby is born 267
6.2 Potential complications after birth 273
6.3 Breastfeeding 279
6.4 Other signs and symptoms you may notice after your birth 285
6.5 Postnatal depression and perinatal depression 289
6.6 Postpartum contraception 295
Frequently asked questions 301
Conclusion 325
Glossary 327
Index