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| Preface to the Fourth Edition | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| How to Use This Book | |
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| Before the Birth | |
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| The Last Weeks of Pregnancy | |
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| What Kind of Birth Partner Will You Be? | |
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| Getting Ready for Labor | |
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| Preparing for Life with the Baby | |
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| On to the Next Step … | |
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| Labor and Birth | |
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| Getting into Labor | |
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| Prelabor and the Labor Process | |
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| How Long Will Labor Last? | |
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| Signs of Labor | |
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| If Her Bag of Waters Breaks Before Labor Begins | |
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| "False" Labor, or Prelabor | |
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| Labor Progresses in Six Ways | |
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| Timing Contractions | |
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| Moving Through the Stages of Labor | |
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| Compare Labor to Running a Marathon | |
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| Prelabor | |
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| The First, or Dilation Stage | |
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| The Birthing Stage | |
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| The Placental Stage | |
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| Normal Labor-in a Nutshell | |
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| Comfort Measures for Labor | |
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| Pain versus Suffering | |
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| The Three Rs: Relaxation, Rhythm, and Ritual | |
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| Self-Help Comfort Measures | |
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| Comfort Aids and Devices | |
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| Comforting Techniques for You to Try | |
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| Taking Care of Yourself | |
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| Checklist of Comfort Measures for Labor | |
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| Strategies for Challenging Variations in Normal Labor | |
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| The Take-Charge Routine | |
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| On-the-Spot Coaching (When You Have Had No Childbirth Classes) | |
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| The Very Rapid Labor | |
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| The Emergency Delivery | |
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| When Labor Must Start (Labor-Stimulating Measures) | |
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| The Slow-to-Start Labor | |
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| Slow Progress in Active Labor and the Birthing Stage, with or without Back Pain | |
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| When the Mother Must Labor in Bed | |
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| A Breech Baby | |
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| A Previous Disappointing or Traumatic Birth Experience | |
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| Incompatibility with the Nurse or Caregiver | |
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| The Medical Side of Childbirth | |
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| Key Questions for Informed Decision Making | |
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| Tests, Technologies, Interventions, and Procedures | |
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| Late-Pregnancy Tests | |
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| Essential Observations During Labor | |
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| Conditions Influencing the Amount of Intervention | |
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| Common Obstetric Interventions | |
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| Complications in Late Pregnancy, Labor, or Afterward | |
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| Complications for the Mother | |
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| The Breech Presentation | |
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| Complications with Labor Progress | |
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| Complications with the Fetus | |
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| Complications with the Newborn | |
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| After It Is All Over | |
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| Medications for Pain During Labor | |
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| Management of Normal Labor without Pain Medications | |
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| What You Both Need to Know About Pain Medications | |
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| The Mother's Decisions Regarding Pain Medications During Labor | |
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| Pain Medications Preference Scale | |
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| Cesarean Birth, and Vaginal Birth After Cesarean | |
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| Know the Nonmedical Reasons for Cesarean Birth and Factors to Consider | |
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| Know the Medical Reasons for Cesarean Birth | |
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| Know What to Expect During Cesarean Birth | |
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| Your Role During and After a Cesarean Birth | |
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| Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) | |
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| After the Birth | |
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| The First Few Days Postpartum | |
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| The First Few Hours | |
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| The First Few Days for the Baby | |
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| The First Few Days for the Mother | |
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| Homecoming | |
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| After a Home Birth | |
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| Getting Help and Advice | |
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| The Mother's Postpartum Emotions | |
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| What About Your Feelings? | |
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| Practical Matters at Home | |
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| Getting Started with Breastfeeding | |
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| Advantages of Breastfeeding | |
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| Getting Off to a Good Start | |
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| Early Concerns | |
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| When to Give the Baby a Bottle | |
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| Once Breastfeeding Is Established | |
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| Parting Words | |
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| Recommended Resources | |
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| Index | |