Welcome to Pregnant Times Preconception & Family Planning Bookshelf. You will fine below a selection of items that we recommend.

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The Fertility Journal:  A Day-to-Day Guide to Getting Pregnant by Kim Hahn, Editors of Conceive Magazine, and Jeffrey Sher (Diary – Mar 19, 2008)

The Fertility Journal is a guided journal designed to help women understand and track their monthly reproductive cycle. It features a primer on fertility basics, helpful tips on health, exercise, relationships, sex, and nutrition, and space for women to record the daily statistics that will help them predict ovulation and get pregnant more easily. A special section on assisted reproductive technologies includes a monthly tracker for women employing in vitro fertilization and similar procedures. With illustrations throughout and plenty of room to record the thoughts and feelings that go along with this exciting and emotional time, The Fertility Journal is an essential tool for creating a family.

Preconception Plain & Simple (Paperback) by Audrey Couto McClelland (Author), Sharon K. Couto (Author)

A Deliciously Smart and Sexy Guide in Preparing for Pregnancy brings to women, men, and couples passion, romance, and fun… a thorough medical review and assessment of both hopeful Mom and Dad… and marvelous fertility wisdom to a topic that is all-too-often consumed with infertility statistics, clinical discussions, and fears of infertility. Preconception Plain & Simple offers and celebrates a perfect combination of the medical, the miracle, and the magic of baby making without the fears… but certainly including the fun and “relaxing” part of it all!

Before Your Pregnancy: A 90 Day Guide for Couples on How to Prepare for a Healthy Conception by Amy Ogle and Lisa Manzullo (Paperback – Sep 3, 2002)

This book represents a substantial contribution to understanding the developing issues in the field of preconception.  Amy Ogle and Lisa Mazzullo have written an insightful and well-researched handbook for couples seeking to maximize their likelihood of having a healthy pregnancy.  The practical information contained in this book will guide couples on their journey to creating healthy babies.

Making a Baby: Everything You Need to Know to Get Pregnant by Debra Fulghum Bruce PhD and Samuel S. Thatcher M.D. Ph.D. (Paperback – Jul 5, 2000)

From Library Journal
Today, there are several hundred thousand in vitro fertilization (IVF) babies around the world, and new discoveries and techniques in the field of reproductive medicine increase the success rate every year. Yet for anyone faced with infertility, the future may appear frightening and uncertain. The authors, an expert health writer and a reproductive endocrinologist, provide a readable, informative, and sympathetic guide to this new world of baby-boosting medicines, IVF, sperm injection, and egg donation. They explain how the male and female reproductive systems work and detail the many common, and sometimes hidden, threats to fertility. They offer practical, low-tech solutions, such as lifestyle changes, as well as the more advanced therapies. Understanding how one’s body works and one’s specific infertility problem, the authors argue, will help readers become empowered participants in their own care. High-tech, low-tech, natural, and complementary therapies are all discussed, as are the pros and cons of current tests and treatments. A glossary of terms, a list of acronyms and abbreviation, and other helpful lists round out this resource. A useful book full of advice and explanations offered with insight and understanding; for all consumer health collections.DJodith Janes, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Getting Pregnant: What You Need To Know Right Now by Niels Lauersen and Colette Bouchez (Paperback – May 25, 2000)

Whether you are young and fertile, over 40 and having trouble conceiving, or anywhere in between, here is the best resource to help you get pregnant.

The only must-have fertility book, Getting Pregnant, completely revised and updated, not only addresses the needs of those who cannot conceive but serves as the ultimate guide for anyone planning to have a baby, now or in the future. Addressing the newest, state-of-the-art medical treatments for infertility, Getting Pregnant gives you all the latest news on:

The key to pregnancy nutrition is a balanced diet, the foods you eat should be packed with these nutrients.

When you are pregnant, it is very important in your health care for you to take care of yourself not only for your own welfare but also for the welfare of your new baby. There are many websites on the Internet that you could visit in order to get tons of information about the do’s and don’ts of being pregnant.

A very important subject is Pregnancy Nutrition. During your pregnancy, what you put into your body will affect your body during the pregnancy and after as well as affecting your baby because your baby feeds off you.

A main thing to know about Pregnancy Nutrition are the facts about eating fish. Fish is a great source for protein for you and your baby and it helps to promote the development of the baby’s brain but there are some fish that should not be eaten by pregnant women due to the fact that there is a lot of mercury in the fish and this mercury could damage a child’s nervous system.

Fish to stay away from includes swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish. Safe fish to eat includes tuna, shrimp, salmon, pollock, and catfish. The nutrition for pregnant women is a very important subject when it comes to pregnancy.

Other types of Pregnant Nutrition includes the prenatal vitamins that should be taken on a daily basis throughout the whole pregnancy. These vitamins that a woman takes will help to supplement the nutrition that she and the baby need that is not being consumed in the diet.

These pills are formulated with numerous vitamins and minerals along with iron, calcium, and folic acid. The folic acid is especially important due to the fact that it helps reduce the risk of the baby having a birth defect that pertains to the brain and spinal cord.

When it comes to other aspects of Pregnancy Nutrition, a woman should drink plenty of milk for its nutritious value but needs to stay away from unpasteurized milk due to the fact that this could cause a food-borne illness. Caffeine and alcohol should be avoided during pregnancy.

Searching on the Internet for all the information that is provided about the nutrition of pregnancy should be a main component of any woman who is pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant. Taking nutrition seriously during pregnancy is very important and learning as much as you can about it will help to make you and your baby very healthy.

What is pregnancy.

Pregnancy is the term used to describe when a woman is carrying one or more offspring, known as a fetus, inside of her. In most cases, the fetus grows in the uterus. In a pregnancy there can be more than one gestations like in twins or triplets.

One of the most exciting times in a women life is becoming a mother.  Whether you’re considering motherhood, trying to conceive or already pregnant, expectant mothers must be concerned not only with their developing babies health, but also they have to be concerned about their own health.

Even though pregnancy can be a fun and joyous time it can also be a time of uncertainty and in some cases worry in the up coming weeks.

You should prepare yourself for your pregnancy with some good preconception planning.  Finding the latest information on child health care is important.

The first step is to get the knowledge you need to keep yourself and your baby healthy from the beginning.  There’s a lot to learn especially if it’s your first pregnancy.

There are also a number of areas of interest to describe the things you need to learn about from fertilization to the day your baby is born.

Things such as:

• Getting Pregnant
• Pregnancy Test
• Labor and Delivery
• Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms
• Pregnancy Stages
• Pregnancy Types
• Preconception
• Breastfeeding
• Pregnancy Tools
• After Pregnancy
• Cord Blood Banking
• and mush, mush more…

The next thing we recommend is to find a health care professional that you are comfortable with to care for you and your child throughout your pregnancy.  There are many changes your body will go through, like hormonal changes, emotional changes, physical changes and many more.  Your body must change its physiological and homeostatic mechanisms in pregnancy to ensure the fetus is provided for.

The most important two things is to plan from the beginning (even before you get pregnant if you are planning to conceive)  and find your health care professional.  Your health care professional will help to determine your due date and what month or months you are in if you are pregnant.

This website is to help you explore the research in this field and to help answer the questions you have about your pregnancy.  I am not a medical doctor and this information is solely for informational purposes. It is not intended to provide medical advice.

We will attempt to guide you through your fertility time, the early signs of pregnancy and the three trimesters through postpartum. Now that you are pregnant you will have many questions that you will need answers to and we hope you’ll find them here.

Each stage will have something unique to offer and each trimester will have a different effect on you and your baby.

Early Pregnancy Stage

Just the fact that you can create a living being is an exciting thing to most women, but to learn that you are pregnant fills you with excitement beyond anything you could have imaging.  In the early stages of pregnancy you should outline the planning of your pregnancy. Planning your pregnancy is the first step toward having a health you and baby.

In the early stages of pregnancy things can go wrong like spotting or vaginal bleeding and even miscarriage.  That’s why it’s important to be extra careful in the early stages to prevent some of these problems.

First Trimester Stage – What To Expect

The most crucial period of pregnancy is during the first trimester of pregnancy.  Women start feeling sick and exhausted and their body undergoes many changes. Here are some of the most common changes you could experience in the first trimester:

• Many women find they get tired or exhausted.
• Many women get morning sickness causing    Nausea and Vomiting.
• You many see a change in the Frequency of    urination.
• All women will see a weight gain.

By the end of the first trimester the size of your baby is about three inches long and weighs about half an ounce.

Second Trimester Stage – The Most Comfortable Period

For most women the second trimester is a better time because the morning sickness and exhaustion is going away.  In this stage people will start realizing that you are pregnant because you are finally expanding more.  The breasts will secrete colostrum, or milk,and they will also grow larger.

Your rate of growth is nothing compared to the baby’s.  The baby will have more defined features at this stage of pregnancy.  All the baby’s major organs have formed even though they will continue to develop further.  The baby is around 12 inches long now and weight about 2 to 2-1/2 pounds.

Third Trimester Stage – The Final Hurdle

The most exciting stage is the third trimester stage.  This stage starts from the 29th week of the pregnancy.  The mother will experience a lot of changes during this stage. She will start gaining excess weight (about 25-35 pounds) and experience a problem in breathing as well as swelling in the hands and feet .  She could also experience heartburn, indigestion, shortness of breath and tiredness, constipation, frequent urination.

The mother’s emotions may be tested because you may feel nervous and start wondering all kinds of things like if you will be capable of raising a child and start worrying about if the child will be normal. Now it’s the end of the third trimester and you start forgetting about all the pain and discomfort of your pregnancy and start feeling joys of bringing this newborn in the world.

Postpartum Stage

Most women do not know what to expect in the first few weeks after pregnancy. Everything is going though your mind about how you will feel, how long is the recovery, etc. It’s also normal to feel excited, tired, and amazed all at the same time.

One thing very important for mom and her baby is the bonding process.  Things like looking at each other, caressing her leg or arm or just simple touching. Talking to your newborn also helps start a good relationship between the two of you.

Tips to help cope with the postpartum period:

• Eat well to regain your strength and health.
• Drink extra fluids each day.
• Feel good about yourself you did well.
• Accept help from family to take care of the house work, etc.
• Ask a lot of questions when something is not right.
• Limit the visitors to as few as you can handle.
• Get a lot of rest and sleep when your baby sleeps.

This is new to you so it take time getting used to having a newborn baby in the house.  You will make mistakes learning the right and wrong way to doing things so relax and enjoy.

The Benefits OF Regular Exercise While Your Are Pregnant

Pregnancy exercise during pregnancy can help you stay in shape and prepare you for all the upcoming pregnancy stages.

When you find out that you are pregnant it seems like a perfect time to sit back and relax and not worry about what you are eating and how mush exercise that you are not getting.

In the old days pregnancy was treated as if it was an illness and you should rest for 9 months and not worry about exercise until your baby is born.   You need to be physically active during pregnancy.  Today we know that exercising before, during and after pregnancy along with good pregnancy nutrition has many benefits for the mom and the baby.

Most mothers do not realize that pregnancy exercise is so important, and is the key to a happy and healthy pregnancy and birth.  For those that have been following a regular exercise program prior to their pregnancy should be able to maintain a good exercise program throughout their pregnancy.

By continuing your current exercise program you will experience benefits from less fatigue and pain to feeling more emotionally stable during a difficult and emotion driven time in your life.  A guideline to go by calls for women to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise during pregnancy per week and should be spread out over the week.

Exercise will also help mothers during labor, one of the most stressful times during the pregnancy.  Labor is known to progress faster, lowering the risk of medication and possible Caesarian section.  Many mothers will have a shorter, uncomplicated vaginal delivery due to the exercise that they are doing.

Regular physical exercise after pregnancy continues to benefit a woman’s overall health and increase her cardio respiratory fitness as well as helps women achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Taking care of yourself and your baby while you are pregnant is important to avoid and pregnancy complications.  That is why doing pregnancy exercise is one of the most important steps that you can take for pregnancy wellness.  You will see just how easy it is to have a happy uncomplicated pregnancy and labor, simply by adding exercise.

When you get pregnant there are many changes your body will go through.  Your body changes in more ways than you think, and it does not stop when the baby is born.  You need to think about the postpartum care and what it involves, managing all the problems that comes after childbirth.  Here’s are some of the important things to expect after delivery.

Contractions

After the first few days after delivery you may feel contractions called after pains. These after pains (contractions) will occur during breast-feeding and they help prevent excessive bleeding.  The way it does this is by compressing the blood vessels in the uterus. The after pains feel kind of like menstrual cramps when you have your menstruation period.  If they are unbearable see your doctor and they may prescribe pain medication.

Soreness in the Vagina

Some women will have a tear during delivery and this could hurt for a few weeks when you sit or walk.  Some of the things you can do to help is:

• Keep the Wound Clean
• Sit Down Carefully
• Do your Kegels Exercises
• Always looks for Signs of Infection
• Soothe the Wound with ice packs

Discharge from the Vagina

For up the six weeks after delivery you will have a discharge that’s bright red heavy flow of blood for a few days.  The discharge will gradually go away. Use sanitary napkins to reduce the risk of infection instead of tampons.

Hemorrhoids

It’s possible you may have hemorrhoids if you have pain during a bowel movement.  Hemorrhoids is the swelling near your anus which is stretched and swollen veins in the anus or lower rectum.  If bad see your doctor for a hemorrhoid medication.

Having a Problem Urinating

Surrounding the bladder and urethra you may have swelling or bruising of the tissues that may lead to difficulty urinating.  It may help to place a hot or cold packs on the tissue between the vaginal opening and anus.  This could also be symptoms of a urinary tract infection so be sure to consult your health care provider.

Leaking Urine

The connective tissue at the base of the bladder  stretch after pregnancy and birth.  This could cause nerve and muscle damage to the bladder or urethra.  Some times when you laugh, strain, or cough you may leak urine.

Bowel Movements

Sometimes because of fear of hurting your perineum or aggravating the pain of hemorrhoids you may find yourself avoiding your bowel movements.  Something else could happen is the inability to control bowel movements (fecal incontinence).  This happens sometimes when you have an unusually long labor.  Again and always if you have these problem or any problem consult your health care provider.

Sore Breasts

A few days after delivery, your breasts may become heavy, swollen and tender.  This discomfort should not last but a few days.  Feeding your newborn regularly will help this problem.

Weight Loss

After you give birth you may feel  out of shape and in some cases you may still look pregnant and flabby.  Don’t get upset this will not last forever and is perfectly normal.  You should loose ten or more pounds during birth from the weight of the baby, placenta and amniotic fluid.  The next few days you should loose more from leftover fluids.  Sorry after that it’s back to eating right and exercise.  This should get you back to your pre-pregnancy weight.

Mood Changes

Many women after childbirth will have some powerful emotions going on.  This is called the baby blues, mood swings, sadness, irritability and anxiety are common.  The baby blues typically will not last long about seven to ten days.

Hair Loss

When you are pregnant you normally do not loose any hair but after delivery you could sheds the excess hair all at once.  Your hair will be back to normal in about six months.

Changes in the Skin

You could notice small blood vessels breaking during the pushing stage of labor causing small red spots on your face.  Not to worry they should go away in about a week.

Just wanted your to know some of the main changes your body will go through after childbirth.  You should have a postpartum checkup in about six weeks or so after birth to make sure there are no problems with your vagina, cervix and uterus and that they are healing well. Even though what you are feeling is entirely normal you still need to talk to your health care provider about any concerns you may have.

Spotting during pregnancy:  What causes it and what do you do

One of the first things you may think when you notice that you are spotting while you are pregnant is if something is wrong. A lot of questions may pop up in your mind and you may start getting concerned because of the possibility of a  miscarriage.  There is a lot of specific symptoms that goes along with a miscarriage aside from just spotting.

In a typical pregnancy some women do spot, normally in the first three months of pregnancy.  This is caused by your body adjusting to the hormone levels and could happen around the time of your normal period.  As a rule vaginal spotting (discharge) if light and clear is normal. Understanding the most common causes of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy will help you know what to look for and what to do.

You need to consult your doctor to make sure that there are no pregnancy risks and your spotting is just an early sign of pregnancy.  Here are some of the possible causes of vaginal bleeding during early pregnancy include:

• Implantation in the Uterus – Bleeding can occur when the embryo is attached to the walls of the uterus.
• Ectopic Pregnancy – Bleeding can also occur when the embryo develops in the fallopian tube called a tubal pregnancy.
• Infections – Yeast infections, bacterial infections even sexually transmitted infections can also cause spotting.
• Soften of the cervix – Normally after about 37 weeks spotting could occur.
• Irritated or Inflamed Cervix – Spotting can occur after having a Pap smear and sometimes after intercourse.
• Miscarriage – During the first 12 weeks spotting could be a warning sign of a miscarriage.
• Molar Pregnancy – When an abnormal mass forms inside the uterus after fertilization.

IMPORTANT… If your spotting goes away within a day do not be concerned and tell your doctor about it on your next visit.  If your bleeding last more that a day contact your health care provider as soon as possible.  If you have any abdominal pain, cramping, fever or chills during the time of spotting contact your doctor like right now.

Gestational Diabetes: What it Means for Me and My Baby

What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is first recognized or develops during pregnancy. A women loses the ability to control the level of sugar in her blood automatically. This means that your blood glucose is too high.

What causes gestational diabetes?

In pregnancy, the placenta produces hormones to sustain your pregnancy. Theses hormones make your cells more resistant to insulin.  In the second and third trimesters pregnancy complications can occur when your placenta grows larger which secretes more of these hormones.  This makes it harder for insulin to do its job.  
Your pancreas responds by producing extra insulin to fight this resistance. Your pancreas sometimes can not keep up with the higher demand for insulin then the body falls behind in processing glucose and the result, gestational diabetes. 

What are the symptoms and signs of gestational diabetes?

Usually there are no symptoms for gestational diabetes so for good pregnancy wellness you need to be tested for the condition. It’s very important to be tested for gestational diabetes because high blood sugar can cause problems for you and your baby.

If a women has another type of diabetes without knowing it she could have symptoms, they may include:

• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Weight loss in spite of increased appetite
• Fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting
• Frequent infections including those of the bladder,  vagina, and skin
• Blurred vision

Beware that having these symptoms does not mean that a women has diabetes.  What you need to do is talk with your doctor and be tested for diabetes.

Will my baby have diabetes?

Babies are not born with diabetes when their mother had diabetes when pregnant.  The most common problem would be if the mothers diabetes was not controlled during pregnancy could cause low blood sugar in the newborn baby.  The baby will have to be watched closely to make sure the babies body adjusts the amount of insulin it makes.

How is gestational diabetes treated?

Gestational diabetes can be treated by controlling your blood sugar level.  You can control your blood sugar level by changing your diet and make sure you get the right pregnancy exercises .  You may need to check your gestational diabetes at home and make sure you see your doctor on a regular basic.  Just do not discard the importance of good pregnancy nutrition.

I have diabetes and want to get pregnant how do I prevent problems to myself and my baby? 

Here are some of the things to look at to prevent problems to the mother and her baby.

• Need to plan the pregnancy – It’s important for a women with diabetes to get her body ready before getting pregnant. 
• Eat Health Foods – A women with diabetes should eat the foods from a meal plan that was made for a women with diabetes.
• Exercise Regularly – A women should be on an exercise program prior to getting pregnant. Help keep blood sugar under control.
• Regular Visits To Your Doctor – Your doctor can recommend the things you need to do prior to getting pregnant.
• Take Required Medications – Very important to take your medications on time.
• Monitor Blood Sugar At Home Regularly – Checking blood sugar levels often can help a woman keep her blood sugar in control.

Do You Know What to Expect When Your Pet is Expecting?

Just like human pregnancy is a very serious issue so is pet pregnancy.  It’s not easy to diagnose if your pet is pregnant, it depends on if it’s dog pregnancy, cat pregnancy or whatever pet you have.  You need to really be experienced in the pregnancy of what pet you have to tell if your pet is pregnant and when they became pregnant.  Some of the  pet pregnancies are  dog pregnancy, cat pregnancy, ferret pregnancy, mice pregnancy, pigs pregnancy, rat pregnancy and of course there are pregnant guiniea, pregnant rabbits, mouse pregnancy, and many more.

It’s best to just take your pet to the vet at the first sign that you think they may be pregnant.  If you find out that your pet is pregnant ask your veterinarian all of the precautions and also the preventive care you should do for your pet to make sure that your pet has a healthy pregnancy.

If you are planning to breed your pet it’s very important to make sure that your pet has good health.

You need to make it top priority during the gestation and nursing period of your pet pregnancy that your pet has all the nutritional needs possible.  You may also think about the quality of her food at this time to make sure the diet is optimal.

There are things you need to make sure of in your pet pregnancy like to make sure there is no deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the diet.  You may need to gradually increase her food servings especially protein to make sure your pet has sufficient reserves when the babies arrive.

Determining if your cat is pregnant

First thing you need to determine in your cat pregnancy is if your cat is really pregnant. It will be hard to determine if your queen is pregnant for the first 2 or 3 weeks.  Here are a few cat pregnancy signs and cat pregnancy symptoms noticeable if your cat is pregnant:

• She is not repeating her cat heat cycles.
• Her nipples will become pink and enlarged.
• May become more affectionate.
• Increased Appetite
• Possible Vomiting (Morning Sickness)
• Abdominal Enlargement
• Start Nesting

Your best bet is to take your queen to your chosen veterinary for a prenatal check-up. There is a lot of physical demands of pregnancy and you need to start her off with good health. Get a cat pregnancy calendar and keep up with everything going on in your cat litter pregnancy.

Your cat needs to start off with a balanced diet to maintain her health and that of her offspring throughout cat pregnancy and cats birth.  Your veterinarian may also be able to feel fetuses by palpating your cat’s abdomen.  The other way would be with an ultrasound. Then and only then will you know that your cat is pregnant.  If your pets not vaccinated you should wait until after pregnancy to vaccinate.

Cat Gestation – The Gestation Period

Unlike dog pregnancy the cat gestation period for queens is around nine weeks, 63 to 69 days.  Your queen could deliver as mush as 4 to 5 days early or late.  Your queen may have from 1 to 8 kittens at a time, average being 2 to 5 kittens. This is normal and not to worry.

Pregnant cats gain weight gradually throughout their pregnancy just like humans.  Special attention should be paid to her changing nutritional needs throughout the entire reproduction process.

Labor and Delivery

When your queen gets close to delivering there are a few signs and clues to be aware of.  She will start looking for a place to bear her kittens, called nesting.  You can help her out some by preparing a place for her in a private area.  She will need a box lined with soft clean towels or blankets and cut the sides of the box down to make it easy for her to get in.

Beware… even though you took the time to fine your kitty a save quite place with a soft toweled box for her to have her kittens she may just have them on the floor next to the box or any other place she feels.  You could put out two or three boxes for her to choose if you would like.

When you think your cat’s ready to give birth try to keep it quiet and give her some privacy.  Make sure she has food, water nearby but not to close to her box.

Your assistance in your cat pregnancy should not be needed unless the mother fails to clean the sac away from the kitten.  You will know when she is ready to have a kitten when she starts to pant and lick heavily.  There is often 10 to 60 minutes delay between the first delivered and could be longer.  The entire birthing process can take from 2 to 6 hours depending on the number of kittens.

Within 24 hours your newborn kittens should be examined by your veterinarian.  You might want to think about spaying.  You would want to spay your cat if you were not planning on mating her.

Newborn Kittens

You should leave your feline and kittens along for at least 3 days and do not handle her litter until they are at least a week old.  The mother will take care of everything else.

In closing I have tried to give you the highlights of your cat pregnancy but it’s just impossible to give you all the information you need on this one page.  If you want more detailed information on your cat’s pregnancy on all stages you may want to check out “How To Take Care Of Your Pregnant Cat”.  This is a downloadable ebook with all the information needed from the beginning to the end.  I highly recommend it for anyone who is expecting kittens in the near future.