Before You Conceive

Now completely revised and updated, the classic guide that helps mothers- and fathers-to-be conceive more easily and boost the odds of a healthy pregnancy Covering preconception and interconception (between-pregnancy) well-being for women and men, Amy Ogle and Lisa Mazzullo draw on new research from their complementary fields of expertise and reveal how good preconception health can lower the risk of pregnancy complications and improve lifelong health. Why a ninety-day guide? It takes that long for sperm to mature, and at least that much time for the prospective mother to ensure that her body becomes pregnancy-ready. In a warm, intelligent style, the authors address up-to-date topics such as age, heredity, vaccinations, supplements, and weight. In easily accessible chapters, this guide covers such topics as • Nutrition: meal makeovers plus new facts (and fiction) about fish, omega-3s, vitamins, and herbs • Personal readiness: how to assess emotional, financial, and physical readiness, including a preconception-friendly exercise program, plus advice for avid athletes • Becoming an informed patient: choosing a doctor, insurance coverage, baby-friendly medications, and the latest genetic screening guidelines • Women’s health: expanded coverage of gynecologic and medical conditions affecting fertility and pregnancy (including bariatric surgery and physical disabilities), and steps to create a welcoming womb by optimizing immune health • Environment: a roundup of environmental exposures and travel tips • Men’s health: practical lifestyle advice for men to help maximize the number and health of sperm • Conception: clear signs that predict when to “start trying,” and the truth behind common myths • Infertility: reassuring options for reproductive assistance • Interconception health: the best plan for pregnancy recovery, before trying for another • Resources: questionnaires for your preconception medical visit, and charts to track fertility signs

Prospective parents learn how they can lay the foundations for a healthy, happy family life even before their children are conceived. This guide shows parents how they can optimize children's physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Illustrations.

The new comprehensive guide to healthy conception, pregnancy, and postpartum that every woman over thirty must read More and more women are choosing to have children later in life, but since fertility declines starting at age thirty, many moms-to-be face conception and pregnancy with fear, uncertainty, and anxiety. Women thirty and older who wish to conceive naturally are often told it is a "bit too late" for easy conception, or they are forced to turn to invasive, expensive treatments. But there is a better way! With How to Concieve Naturally: And Have a Healthy Pregnancy After 30 readers will discover that it's possible to have a healthy pregnancy in your thirties or early forties. Experts Christa Orecchio and Willow Buckley share their vast knowledge of holistic health, nutrition, and fertility in this powerful program that has helped thousands of women conceive naturally and quickly. From a 12-week preconception fertility detox to a postpartum plan to rebalance hormones, this book empowers women to take charge of their fertility at any age. Orecchio and Buckley present the most current research in nutrition and homeopathy to equip women with the wide-ranging knowledge they'll need on each step of the journey to having a baby naturally, from preconception to postpartum. /DIV

Drawing on the experiences of hundreds of real parents and the expertise of doctors, midwives and other birth and baby pros, this indispensable resource is filled with the most accurate and up-to-date information about having and caring for a baby, including: Decisions, Decisions: A judgment-free breakdown of every major choice, including prenatal testing, natural vs. medical childbirth, circumcision, breast or bottle feeding, and work/life options The Endless No: What not to eat, take, and do when you’re pregnant-get the real facts behind the prohibitions I Want My Life Back: Anxiety, regret, ambivalence, and other rarely discussed postpartum emotions Parents and partners: A look beyond the one-size-fits-all approach to family, with strategies for minimizing perfect-parent pressure and managing your real-life relationships through the changes Sorting Through the Voices: A user-friendly guide to the dueling gurus, trendy techniques, and conflicting theories that confuse new parents A forward-thinking book that includes a wide range of voices and approaches, From the Hips reflects the many ways of being pregnant and parenting without suggesting that there is one right way.

"If you are pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant, this guide is for you! Having a baby can be a wonderful experience, but it can also be a time of uncertainty. Many parents have questions and concerns as they face all the changes that pregnancy brings. With advice coming from everyone, it's tough to know who to listen to. That's why having accurate information is so important! This guide will help you to make good decisions about how to take care of yourself before, during and after your pregnancy"--Page 1.

Comforting and intimate, this “girlfriend” guide to getting pregnant gets to the heart of all the emotional issues around having children—biological pressure, in-law pressures, greater social pressures—to support women who are considering getting pregnant. Trying to get pregnant is enough to make any woman impatient. The Impatient Woman’s Guide to Getting Pregnant is a complete guide to the medical, psychological, social, and sexual aspects of getting pregnant, told in a funny, compassionate way, like talking to a good friend who’s been through it all. And in fact, Dr. Jean Twenge has been through it all—the mother of three young children, she started researching fertility when trying to conceive for the first time. A renowned sociologist and professor at San Diego State University, Dr. Twenge brought her research background to the huge amount of information—sometimes contradictory, frequently alarmist, and often discouraging— that she encountered online, from family and friends, and in books, and decided to go into the latest studies to find out the real story. The good news is: There is a lot less to worry about than you’ve been led to believe. Dr. Twenge gets to the heart of the emotional issues around getting pregnant, including how to prepare mentally and physically when thinking about conceiving; how to talk about it with family, friends, and your partner; and how to handle the great sadness of a miscarriage. Also covered is how to know when you’re ovulating, when to have sex, timing your pregnancy, maximizing your chances of getting pregnant, how to tilt the odds toward having a boy or a girl, and the best prenatal diet. Trying to conceive often involves an enormous amount of emotion, from anxiety and disappointment to hope and joy. With comfort, humor, and straightforward advice, The Impatient Woman’s Guide to Getting Pregnant is the bedside companion to help you through it.

Announcing the prequel. From Heidi Murkoff, author of America's bestselling pregnancy and parenting books, comes the must-have guide every expectant couple needs before they even conceive—the first step in What to Expect: What to Expect Before You're Expecting. An estimated 11 million couples in the U.S. are currently trying to conceive, and medical groups now recommend that all hopeful parents plan for baby-making at least three months before they begin trying. And who better to guide wanna-be moms and dads step-by-step through the preconception (and conception) process than Heidi Murkoff? It's all here. Everything couples need to know before sperm and egg meet up. Packed with the same kind of reassuring, empathetic, and practical information and advice and tips that readers have come to expect from What to Expect, only sooner. Which baby-friendly foods to order up (say yes to yams) and which fertility-busters to avoid (see you later, saturated fat); lifestyle adjustments that you'll want to make (cut back on cocktails and caffeine) and those you can probably skip (that switch to boxers). How to pinpoint ovulation, time lovemaking, keep on-demand sex sexy, and separate conception fact (it takes the average couple up to 12 months to make a baby) from myth (position matters). Plus, when to seek help and the latest on fertility treatments—from Clomid and IVF to surrogacy and more. Complete with a fill-in fertility journal to keep track of the babymaking adventure and special tips throughout for hopeful dads. Next step? What to Expect When You’re Expecting, of course.

“This is an outstanding book for anyone thinking of having a baby.”—Lee Salk, Ph. D., author of The Complete Dr. Salk: An A-to-Z Guide to Raising Your Child A classic in the field of preventive medicine, here is an authoritative and comprehensive guide to reducing the risks to your baby before you get pregnant. Written by a pioneer in pregnancy medicine and a New York Times feature writer, Before You Conceive is aimed at parents and includes: • A prepregnancy guide to nutrition: what you should eat—what to avoid • Safe and easy-to-follow exercise guidelines before and during pregnancy • What you should know about over-the-counter and prescription drugs • The importance of your family medical history • Advice on fertility enhancement • How toxins and unsuspected hazards in the workplace and in homes may affect your pregnancy • Immunizations that may help prevent birth defects • Reducing the effects of preexisting medical disorders on your pregnancy • PLUS, information on irregular menstruation, reversing tubal ligation and vasectomy, smoking and passive smoking, alcohol and drugs, your biological clock, and much more! “Prepregnancy planning is an idea whose time has come. This book is a ‘should read’ for those women and couples thinking about pregnancy who want to prevent problems and paln for an optimal result.”—Timothy R. B. Johnson, M. D., Director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine