Michael Roizen - You - Having a Baby - The Owner’s Manual to a Happy and Healthy Pregnancy

with Ted Spiker, Craig Wynett, Lisa Oz, Linda G. Kahn,

and Margaret L. McKenzie, MD

Illustrations by Gary Hallgren

To mothers, who bring life into the world, and their babies, who are the future

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its authors. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the pregnancy-related subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any kind of personal professional services in the book. The reader should consult his or her medical, health, or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.

In addition, this book sometimes recommends particular products or websites for your reference. Drs. Oz and Roizen are not affiliated in any way with such products or entities (with the exception of the RealAge website and doctoroz.com). In some instances, other coauthors or contributors may be affiliated with a referenced product or website, but recommendations were made independent of such affiliation. In all instances, bear in mind that there are many websites and reference materials other than those recommended here that may provide useful information to you.

The authors and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

TITLE PAGE

DEDICATION

NOTE TO READERS

INTRODUCTION: Hey, You! Having a Baby?

Part 1: YOU-OLOGY HOW TWO BECAME YOU

1. Nice Genes A New Twist on Genetics Teaches Us How a Baby Really Develops

YOU TIPS

2. Feeding Time The Delicate Role of the Placenta in the Development of Your Child

YOU TIPS

Part 2: YOU CHANGING THE BABY

3. Eating for Who? Manage the Moments When You Feel Like Feeding on Everything—or Nothing at All

YOU TIPS

4. Growing to Extremes How to Make Sure Your Baby Isn’t Too Plump or Too Puny

YOU TIPS

5. Makes a Lot of Sense The Fascinating World of Senses Teaches Us About the Amazing Development of the Brain

YOU TIPS

YOU TOOL INFANT MASSAGE

Part 3: THE BABY CHANGING YOU

6. The Mind of Mom Manage Your Stress, Sleep Better, and Find the “Om” in Mom

YOU TIPS

7. Let’s Talk About Sex How Hormonal Changes Can Do Quite the Number on You and Your Body

YOU TIPS

YOU TOOL HOW TO PICK A BIRTHING CLASS

8. Body in Motion Tackle the Unpleasant, Uncomfortable, and Sometimes Risky Side Effects of Pregnancy

YOU TIPS

Part 4: YOU BRINGING BABY INTO THE WORLD

9. Special Delivery Find Your Way Through the Adventure That Is Labor and Birth

YOU TIPS

10. And in the Beginning … Challenges—and Rewards—of the First Month After Delivery

11. Your Pregnancy Plan Use This Checklist to Arrive at Life’s Most Amazing Destination

12. Your Pregnancy Toolbox Essential Strategies for Improving the Health of You and Your Child

YOU TOOL 1: Exercise

YOU TOOL 2: Choosing Your Care

YOU TOOL 3: Guidelines For Medications And Toxins

YOU TOOL 4: Preparing Your Home For Baby

YOU TOOL 5: Pop’S Pregnancy Recipes

YOU TOOL 6: Just For Dad

Appendix

Appendix 1: The You Prepregnancy Plan

Appendix 2: Fertility Issues

Appendix 3: Vaccinations

Appendix 4: The Basics of Preemies and Multiple Births

Appendix 5: Postpartum Depression Scale

Appendix 6: In Utero Growth Chart: Average Size

INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

OTHER WORKS

COPYRIGHT

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

S tand at the edge of the Grand Canyon, and your body rockets into sensory over-load. Your eyes widen, your jaw drops, and your neurons spit out more adjectives than a novice novelist. Majestic, awe inspiring, glorious, astonishing, so my-oh-my beautiful that you want to fall to your knees and bow to the deity that created this masterpiece.

Then you freak out.

That, in essence, is pregnancy: On one hand, it’s the most breathtaking thing you’ve ever experienced. On the other, it’s a looooong way to the bottom of the canyon, just as it is a looooong way from conception to birth—so you can’t help but have some anxiety about taking a wrong step along the way. There’s no doubt that pregnancy evokes a similar diversity of emotional and physiological responses as do such natural wonders: laughing, crying, screaming, dry mouth, dry skin, dry heaves (and that’s just the first day). What we’re here to do is help you manage both extremes of the emotional spectrum, so you can appreciate such a miraculous process and conquer the anxiety and tension through a very powerful weapon: knowledge.

Whether this is your first pregnancy or your fourth, or you’re trying so hard that you’re spending more time on your bed than a throw pillow, you probably think you know a thing or two about being pregnant. Either you’ve gone through it before or you’ve had friends, sisters, and sixteen trillion baby bloggers to give you the inside-the-womb scoop.

However, we’d ask that you hold on one diaper-changing minute. We’re here to bust myths, challenge your brain, and prepare your body for the greatest journey that any human can ever take—from the moment two cells become one to the second that your little squirt makes its first appearance outside the comforting shell of your belly.

To whet your appetite, we’d bet a case of Gerber bananas that you didn’t know things like:

• The whole notion of nature versus nurture is as wrong as a three-legged crib. That’s because a cutting-edge field called epigenetics has shown us that you have control over how the genes of your baby will express themselves.

• What happens during these 280 days on the inside actually teaches your child about how his body should act on the outside. He’s actually forecasting his future—and that teaches him how healthy or unhealthy he will be years down the road.

• While most people assume that a mom’s biological cocoon supports the child unconditionally, the truth is that your body is actually engaged in a very delicate dance to balance the often competing needs of mom and child.

• There’s a biological reason why your areolas are dark, why your feet swell, and why one minute you gag at the thought of eating a cracker and the next minute you can’t wait to get your hands on a salsa-smothered cantaloupe.

The good news is that we’re here to help by teaching you crazy-cool things about your body and giving you the tools to maximize your experience and get the result you want: a healthy and happy baby.

Now, if you’re like most women, we’re guessing that you’ve already spent a lot of time thinking about what’s in store. You’ve probably spent all-nighters scouring pregnancy websites and parked yourself in cushy bookstore chairs with thigh-high stacks of mom-to-be manuals. Maybe you haven’t been this nervous since your sixth-grade oral report on rain forests, or maybe you haven’t been this obsessed with something since McDreamy made his prime-time debut a few years back. You’re probably poring over baby names, wondering why you crave pretzels dipped in marinara sauce, and debating about whether the nursery walls should have the hue of sunshine, cotton candy, or pomegranate juice.