Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Prologue: Making a baby 5
Trying - years hoping not, days hoping so 6
Boy or girl - the weird world of gender selection 9
Month 1 Is there anybody there? 13
Conception - in the beginning was the worm … 14
Pregnancy test - finding out and keeping quiet 18
Miscarriage - the M word 22
Progress - month by month 29
The progress report 30
The must-dos of the month 32
Month 2 Say hello to my little friend 35
Early pregnancy symptoms - morning sickness and co 36
Sex and pregnancy - the full ins and outs 44
The progress report 49
The must-dos of the month 51
Month 3 Show and tell 53
The early scans - the joy and the fear 54
Telling people - spreading the word 60
The progress report 62
The must-dos of the month 64
Month 4 I see you baby 67
What's safe and what's not - the long list of dos and don'ts 68
Phantom pregnancy - I'm suffering too you know 75
The progress report 79
The must-dos of the month 81
Month 5 Scans, flans and holiday plans 83
The anomaly scan - more fear, more joy 84
The babymoon - getting away from it all 88
More symptoms - earth, wind and forgetfulness 91
The progress report 97
The must-dos of the month 99
Month 6 Hove over Dad 101
Bumps and Braxton - showing 102
Financing the family - money and lots of it 107
The name game - what to call your baby 116
Being Dad - you, your father and what it means to be a dad 120
The progress report 125
The must-dos of the month 127
Month 7 Brace yourselves 129
The antenatal experience - back to school 130
Birth choices - who does the best delivery? 136
Your relationship - all change please 139
Premature births - keeping the faith 155
The progress report 158
The must-dos of the month 161
Month 8 Last orders please 163
Getting ready - you've gotta love a list 164
Nesting - not just nearly clean, but really clean 172
Stopping work - knowing when to say goodbye 175
The progress report 176
The must-dos of the month 179
Month 9 It's show time 181
Waiting for curtain up - anytime soon 181
The progress report 183
The must-dos of the month 186
The birth plot - what's meant to happen 188
The cast list - who will be in the room 191
Action! - what actually happens 194
Pain Relief - what's on the drugs trolley today 199
Transition - not as easy as it sounds 202
Almost there - the final push 204
The birth - it's a baby! 207
Stories from the frontline 210
Month 9.5 Being overdue 223
The 'natural' way - myths which almost certainly don't work 225
The medical way - drugs that do 227
Epilogue: Holding a baby 229
Family man - you, your baby and superwoman 229
Going home - the rest of your life starts here 230
Glossary 233
References 259
Index 263
