The New Mom's Survival Guide

Chapter One Your Healthy Self The Basics You've got to love your husband. He has sex, he has an orgasm, ejaculates, and nine months later calls himself Dad. You have sex, probably without an orgasm; for the next thirty minutes you lie propped up on a pillow with your legs in the air, hoping his sperm will make its way up the cervical canal and meet up with your egg; and then you wait anxiously until you can take a pregnancy test to find out whether in nine months you'll be able to call yourself Mom. Of course, all of this assumes you had planned to get pregnant, which doesn't take into account the percentage of pregnancies, however welcome they may be, that are unplanned. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, right? You spend the next few months nauseated, vomiting, and eating saltines. All the while, he takes clients to four-star restaurants and eats four-course meals. While your body contorts into different shapes, his body stays exactly the same. Maybe he gains a few extra pity poundsbut for the most part, you're on your own. Over the months that follow, you complaina lot. He comforts you while flicking the TiVo controller. You burp, fart, and have heartburn that could light your house on fire. He smiles, rubs your feet, tells you what a great job you're doing. When you get to bed, you can't sleep; he sleeps like a baby. Your mind is racing:Will I be a good parent?What will our lives be like? How will I cope?Maybe you even wake him out of his sound sleep with your questions. "Piece of cake," he tells you, and falls fast asleep again.You gaze down at your enormous belly, your aching breasts, the spider veins that are slowly creeping their way up your legs. You look at his body as he snores and realize that nothing's changed for him; is this fair? Do I even need to answer that question? I always hated those husbands that told people, "We're pregnant." What do they mean, "we"? Are they kidding? weare NOT pregnant. If men could get pregnantwe'dbecome extinct, and it wouldn't be gradual, either. It would be sudden, like an explosion, and nine months later, the human race would cease to exist. All right, I'm running away with myselfbut just a little. It doesn't end there, though. After the baby comes out, your husband's body is still normal, but yours has gone through a war.You're breaking out and having mood swings like a teenager. He's trying to help but looks a little scared, and not of fatherhood, mind youyou think he might be scared of you! You look in the mirror; why wouldn't he be scared of you? Your feet are large, your hair is falling out, you haven't slept, and you're leaking from every opening in your body. Then, you gaze down at your sleeping baby and take a deep breath, while your husband hands you a cup of chamomile tea, and you know it's all worthwhile. That doesn't mean, however, that there aren't a lot of changes to be reckoned with, physical and emotional, and challenges to be overcome. This book was written to help you learn how to take care of yourself after having a baby, and to let you know when you need to go to a doctor or other health professional when self-care isn't enough.With everybody's focus on the baby, it's easy for Mom to be forgotten. But if you're not well, physically or mentally, your baby will suffer too. Your baby needs a healthy mother. Taking care of yourself is a crucial step in learning how to take care of your family. What's up with my skin? I don't know about you, but I miss that "pregnancy gloWider, Jennifer is the author of 'The New Mom's Survival Guide' with ISBN 9780553805031 and ISBN 0553805037.