9 Months In, 9 Months Out A Scientist's Tale of Pregnancy and Parenthood

Expertise can explain the science of what's happening to a fetus or a baby throughout development, but all the science in the world can't tell you what it feels like to have a baby: the pang of morning sickness, the pain of labor, the excitement of birth, and the joy that comes from seeing your baby's first smile. 9 Months In, 9Months Out explores what we actually experience in the nine months of pregnancy and the nine months that follow.

As a professor of infant and child development, author Vanessa LoBue had certain expectations about how pregnancy and motherhood would go. Experiencing it was a different story. As she learned, the first few months of parenthood are much harder than anyone tells you. Written month-to-month in real time as LoBue proceeded through pregnancy and first-time parenthood, 9 Months In, 9 Months Out integrates science and infant development with the personal journey involved in becoming a parent. LoBue also takes a researcher's lens to issues that are top of mind for new parents: breastfeeding, the sleep training controversy, gender development, the science (or lack thereof) behind the link between vaccinations and autism, and the debate over screen time.

Vanessa LoBue is Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Child Study Center at Rutgers University. She is an expert in the field of child development, particularly in infancy. Most importantly, she is a parent. She writes a monthly column for Psychology Today called The Baby Scientist.

Introduction
Part I: Pregnancy, the Adventure Begins
Chapter 1: Conception: The Science of Getting Pregnant
Chapter 2: The First Two Months: Signs and Symptoms, From Zygote to Fetus
Chapter 3: The Third Month: The Dangers of Teratogens
Chapter 4: The Fourth Month: Developing Gender and Sex
Chapter 5: The Fifth Month: The Science of Sleep
Chapter 6: The Sixth Month: Reflexes and Newborn Screening
Chapter 7: The Seventh Month: Fetal Learning
Chapter 8: The Eighth Month: Infant Temperament
Chapter 9: The Ninth Month: Labor and Delivery
Chapter 10: The Story of My Son's Birth

Part II: Parenthood, the Real Adventure Begins
Chapter 1: The First Month: Post-Partum Depression, Crying, and Nursing
Chapter 2: The Second Month: Infant Perception and Touch
Chapter 3: The Third Month: Developing Motor Skills
Chapter 4: The Fourth Month: Language Development
Chapter 5: The Fifth Month: Infant Emotions
Chapter 6: The Sixth Month: Cognition and Learning
Chapter 7: The Seventh Month: Media and Screen Use
Chapter 8: The Eighth Month: Attachment
Chapter 9: The Ninth Month: Early Childcare
Chapter 10: Afterward

Acknowledgements
References