And You Thought Labour Was Hard... [antikvár]

Author's NoteSome of you sharper-eyed grammarians may notice a "lack of agreement between subject and pronoun" in the following pages. In other words, I might write something like, "Your partner has to go to work, so it doesn't seem fair for them to have to be up at three in the morning." Yes, I may be a new mum, but no, I'm not brain-dead. I chose this construction for two reasons.First, it's the way I talk, and we're just talking here. And second, it tackles that always tricky let's-not-assume-everyone-is-married-and-heterosexual-dilemma which today, I like to think, strikes any author of a certain evolved level. I know lots of mums who a) have male partners but are not married, b) have female partners who are not married, c) have female partners and are married, and d) have no partners. I wanted this book to speak to everyone. So I'm sacrificing some of the finer points of grammar to speak to all of the unshowered masses who are freaking out during their own fourth trimester.And anyway, this book isn't about "partners" or "them." It's about us.IntroductionYou've learned that there are three stages to being pregnant: the first trimester, the second trimester, and the third trimester. During the first trimester, you have morning sickness; during the second, you buy overpriced maternity clothes, and during the third you look radiant (or at least everyone acts sweet and tells you that you do) while you waddle and wait.But no one ever told you that there is a fourth trimester. The fourth trimester is that crucial period of time immediately after you've had your baby, when you are completely frazzled, adjusting to being a new mum. That's the bad news. The good news is that this fourth trimester lasts only around six weeks.Why six weeks? A completely unscientific study of new mothers shows them picking hands down the first six weeks as the most difficult time. Perhaps because after six weeks you're getting the hang of it; perhaps because you've managed to fit into your old fat-clothes (you know, those clothes you kept around for those times you gained a few pounds); perhaps because the baby can finally do something beyond