Getting Pregnant & Staying Pregnant

You're trying to have a baby, but it's not happening the way you planned. Now what?

You dream of having a baby. You just never dreamed conceiving would be so difficult. Or you never expected to have a high-risk pregnancy. Here is a sensitive guide to the medical and emotional landscape of these conditions, written by a nurse and medical writer who battled infertility and difficult pregnancies herself, and emerged with three healthy children. The second edition of this book was the winner of the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Health Book. This revised third edition includes the latest information on

• state-of-the-art fertility tests, along with treatments ranging from improved in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to updated drug combinations and dosages
• advances in genetic testing, including screening for hereditary abnormalities, Downs syndrome and neural tube defects
• using the Internet to find support groups, adoption networks, cryobanks and other helpful resources

The first part of the book focuses on infertility: causes and symptoms, female and male fertility tests, the latest reproductive technologies and alternative methods of conception such as surrogate parenting. The second section covers all aspects of high-risk pregnancy, including dealing with prolonged bed rest and the use of medications to prevent preterm labor. A special chapter addresses birth defects and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The book includes vital new information on amniocentesis; miscarriage; premature birth; and delivery options, including vacuum-assisted delivery, cesareans and vaginal birth after cesarean.

Woven with illuminating personal stories, Getting Pregnant and Staying Pregnant will give you the thoughtful, practical advice you need to help make your dream of parenthood come true.