The New Pregnancy & Birth Book [antikvár]

Introduction It is five years since my last book on pregnancy and childbirth and much has changed in that time. Five years ago chorionic villus sampling (CVS) was only available at special centres. Now most mothers who need it can benefit from this early diagnostic information. This means that a woman whose baby may be at risk of inheriting a chromosomal or genetic disorder can have a simple test done as an outpatient as early as her eighth week of pregnancy. She can then be given the option of an early termination instead of, as in the past, having to wait for the same information by means of amniocentesis at 16-18 weeks with a further delay in receiving results and all the attendant risks of a possible late abortion should this be deemed necessary. More and more information is becoming available about maintaining the health of the pregnant woman and recently we have been made aware of the health hazards of certain food-bome diseases which can affect the fetus. Women are being warned to be meticulous about not only what they eat, but how they prepare it. Pregnancy, labour and birth ought to be joyful experiences for a woman and her partner and above all else I hope this book will help you both to feel really positive about pregnancy and birth. For this to happen, it is important to know what options do exist. Armed with this knowledge you will find the courage and enthusiasm to ask questions and get the information you need in order to exercise your options and make choices that suit you. It's not possible for you as a lay person to discuss the pros and cons of having to lie flat in the delivery room with a physician or midwife if you're not familiar with the mechanics of labour. Without having some basic facts you cannot argue that it's much better for you to move around freely and stand up for as long as you can during the first stage of your labour. You cannot opt for an upright position in which to deliver your baby if you are unversed in the particular merits of this position.