Fearless Pregnancy

Book excerpt: Like other best-selling pregnancy books, this The Fearless Pregnancy shares first-person information from a new mom, but what sets it apart from the other books is that it also includes helpful advice from both a doctor and a midwife. Chapters include: 1. The Fear Factor -- the pregnancy\fear connection (how fear has been introduced into pregnancy over the past 30 years or so), what is fear, how does it serve and disserve us, how does it influence our thinking and feeling, how fear changes our biochemistry and how this relates to pregnancy. 2. Fearless First Trimester -- fears around early miscarriage, when itÆs "safe" to tell people, pregnancy sickness, dealing with other peopleÆs fearful reactions, conquering fears that come up when youÆre just accepting the news, etc. 3. Fearless Testing -- how to navigate the various and many tests (blood tests, amnio, genetic testing, etc.) and understand the risk, benefits and how to put them in perspective. 4. Fearless Diet, Fitness and Weight Gain -- the truth about food -- how risky are certain "taboo" foods, how concerned do you need to be about your nutrition, how safe/unsafe is moderate alcohol. ItÆll also discuss common sense exercise precautions and how to handle fear of weight gain. 5. Fearless Living -- How to go about your expectant mom life with the least amount of pregnancy-related stress and fear. Other topics include: Sickness and Health-- what to do when thereÆs something wrong with you (cold, flu, skin problems, urinary tract infections or more serious stuff like strep or a broken bone) Sex Travel Beauty treatments Sleeping 6. Fearless Environment -- from environmental health concerns like plastic containers and cleaning solutions to noise and stress problems, this section will discuss whatÆs risky and whatÆs not and how to control your environment when possible. 7. Fearless Delivery Prep -- from birthing classes to the fear of the actual birth (entire books have been written on this) to how to take advice from other moms. 8. Fearless Gear Guide -- how to grapple with the stuff you really need to be safe and comfortable with a newborn, such as bassinets, disposable diapers, nursing pumps, etc. 9. Fear-fighting Exercisesùmeditation, writing and discussion exercises specifically targeted to addressing and putting into perspective a variety of pregnancy fears.