The Post-Pregnancy Handbook The Only Book That Tells What the First Year After Childbirth Is Really All About---Physically, Emotionally, Sexually

by Brown, Sylvia; Struck, Mary Dowd

• ISBN13: 9780312316266
• ISBN10: 0312316267
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-11-08
• Publisher: Griffin

Summary

Women buy many books on being pregnant, but after having the baby, they're left wondering, 'what do I do now?' Finally, here's a book filled with practical advice for new mothers about surviv-ing that first year after delivery. Including both conven-tional medicine and alternative remedies, The Post-Pregnancy Handbook gives the whole truth about: The First Few Days: -Recovering emotionally and physically -Possible immediate medical complications The First Few Weeks: -Developing new lifestyles and routines, including returning to sex -Difficulties encountered in breast-feeding The First Year: -A complete physical recovery-how to get back in shape from the inside out. No other book on the market offers more thorough and comforting guidance on the post-pregnancy period.

Author Biography

Sylvia Brown wrote The Post-Pregnancy Handbook in response to her own frustration at the lack of comprehensive information on the mother in the weeks and months after childbirth. This is her first book.

Trained as a nurse midwife at Columbia University, Mary Dowd Struck,RN, MS, CNM has been Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island since 1986 and has been a Teaching Associate in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brown University School of Medicine since 1994. Before her current appointment, she was both a nurse and administrator at hospitals across Rhode Island and New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xiii
Classical Medications and Alternative Remedies	1	(18)
Classical Medications	1	(1)
Alternative Remedies	2	(17)
Homeopathy	4	(2)
Herbal Remedies	6	(2)
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine	8	(2)
Manual Therapies	10	(9)
I THE FIRST FEW DAYS
1. A Great Physical Upheaval	19	(9)
The Hormonal Revolution	20	(2)
The Reproductive System	22	(1)
The Recovery Process	23	(5)
2. Caring for the Genital Organs	28	(14)
The Uterus	28	(3)
The Birth Canal	31	(2)
After an Episiotomy	33	(9)
3. Your Bodily Functions After Childbirth	42	(10)
Urination	42	(2)
Fluid Retention	44	(1)
The Digestive Tract	45	(4)
Your First Exercises After Childbirth	49	(3)
4. Coping with the Side Effects of Childbirth	52	(15)
The Common Side Effects of Childbirth	52	(5)
Circulatory Problems	57	(1)
Hemorrhoids	58	(4)
After an Epidural	62	(5)
5. After a Cesarean Section	67	(11)
The Operation	67	(3)
Discomfort After a Cesarean	70	(6)
The Baby Born by Cesarean	76	(2)
6. Reclaiming Your Body	78	(6)
Rehabilitating the Pelvic Floor Muscles	79	(1)
Recovering Pelvic Balance	80	(4)
7. Possible Postpartum Complications	84	(11)
Infections	84	(4)
Hemorrhages	88	(2)
Serious Circulatory Problems	90	(5)
II YOUR FIRST FEW WEEKS
8. A Changed Lifestyle	95	(19)
Your Fragile Body	95	(2)
Getting Your Routine Under Control	97	(3)
Organizing Your Return Home	100	(4)
Relationships Change	104	(6)
Surviving Fatigue	110	(4)
9. Looking After Your Body	114	(20)
Your Posture	114	(5)
Exercises for the First Six Weeks After Childbirth	119	(2)
Hygiene	121	(1)
Bleeding	121	(2)
Healing Your Scars	123	(1)
Infections	124	(2)
Your Appearance	126	(8)
10. Diet After Childbirth	134	(8)
The Impact of Childbirth	134	(1)
How to Get What You Need	135	(4)
Your Dietary Habits	139	(1)
A Word About Dieting	140	(2)
11. Resuming Your Menstrual Cycle	142	(5)
Your First Period After Childbirth	142	(1)
Your Fertility	142	(3)
The Postnatal Visit	145	(2)
12. Returning to Work	147	(6)
Breast-feeding for the Working Mother	149	(4)
III BREAST-FEEDING
13. Common Myths About Breast-feeding	153	(6)
The Importance of a Good Start	154	(1)
The Truth Behind the Myths	155	(4)
14. Breast-feeding: Getting Off to a Good Start	159	(26)
How the Breasts Produce Milk	159	(2)
The Golden Rules	161	(4)
The Feed	165	(7)
Breast-feeding Problems	172	(11)
Mother's Milk for Premature or Sick Babies	183	(2)
15. An Established Routine	185	(5)
Integrating Breast-feeding into Your Routine	186	(2)
Weaning	188	(2)
16. The Nursing Mother's Diet	190	(7)
The Basics	191	(6)
IV EMOTIONAL REACTIONS TO CHILDBIRTH
17. The First Days	197	(19)
A Time of Change	197	(2)
Your First Encounter with the Baby	199	(3)
Communicating with the Newborn	202	(3)
Caring for the Baby	205	(1)
The Never-ending Story of Childbirth	206	(1)
Special Cases	207	(3)
"Baby Blues"	210	(6)
18. Emotional Reactions of the First Few Months	216	(17)
Overcoming Mild Depression	217	(9)
Managing Stress	226	(7)
19. Postnatal Depression	233	(10)
Symptoms of Postnatal Depression	234	(1)
The Causes of Postnatal Depression	235	(3)
Healing the Mind	238	(4)
Puerperal Psychosis	242	(1)
20. The Mother in You	243	(18)
Maternal Instinct: Is It in All of Us?	243	(1)
The "Perfect Mother"	244	(4)
The Impact of Our Families	248	(7)
Raising a Child 251 Lack of Recognition	255	(2)
Expectations Management	257	(4)
V THE COUPLE
21. The Couple Changes	261	(13)
When a Woman Becomes a Mother	262	(3)
When a Man Becomes a Father	265	(3)
Father and Child	268	(3)
Common Stumbling Blocks	271	(3)
22. A Little Patience: Sex After Childbirth	274	(9)
Physical Impediments to Sexual Desire	274	(1)
Psychological Obstacles to Sexual Desire	275	(2)
Reclaiming Your Intimacy	277	(6)
VI A FULL RECOVERY
23. First Things First: The Pelvic Floor	283	(17)
The Importance of the Pelvic Floor	283	(2)
Lift and Squeeze: A Brief Review of Pelvic Floor Anatomy	285	(2)
What Affects the Pelvic Floor Muscles?	287	(3)
Urogenital Problems	290	(1)
Urinary Incontinence	291	(2)
Anal Leakage	293	(1)
Organ Prolapse	293	(3)
Toning and Strengthening the Pelvic Floor	296	(4)
24. A New Body Image	300	(17)
Your Weight	300	(4)
Exercise	304	(5)
Posture and Your Back	309	(8)
Acknowledgments	317	(2)
Index	319

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Rewards Program

Currently unavailable