The Post-Pregnancy Handbook : The Only Book That Tells What the First Year after Childbirth Is Really All about -- Physically, Emotionally, Sexually Book

	Introduction	xiii
	Classical Medications and Alternative Remedies	1
	Classical Medications	1
	Alternative Remedies	2
	Homeopathy	4
	Herbal Remedies	6
	Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine	8
	Manual Therapies	10
I	The First Few Days
1.	A Great Physical Upheaval	19
	The Hormonal Revolution	20
	The Reproductive System	22
	The Recovery Process	23
2.	Caring for the Genital Organs	28
	The Uterus	28
	The Birth Canal	31
	After an Episiotomy	33
3.	Your Bodily Functions After Childbirth	42
	Urination	42
	Fluid Retention	44
	The Digestive Tract	45
	Your First Exercises After Childbirth	49
4.	Coping with the Side Effects of Childbirth	52
	The Common Side Effects of Chidbirth	52
	Circulatory Problems	57
	Hemorrhoids	58
	After an Epidural	62
5.	After a Cesarean Section	67
	The Operation	67
	Discomfort After a Cesarean	70
	The Baby Born by Cesarean	76
6.	Reclaiming Your Body	78
	Rehabilitating the Pelvic Floor Muscles	79
	Recovering Pelvic Balance	80
7.	Possible Postpartum Complications	84
	Infections	84
	Hemorrhages	88
	Serious Circulatory Problems	90
II	Your First Few Weeks
8.	A Changed Lifestyle	95
	Your Fragile Body	95
	Getting Your Routine Under Control	97
	Organizing Your Return Home	100
	Relationships Change	104
	Surviving Fatigue	110
9.	Looking After Your Body	114
	Your Posture	114
	Exercises for the First Six Weeks After Childbirth	119
	Hygiene	121
	Bleeding	121
	Healing Your Scars	123
	Infections	124
	Your Appearance	126
10.	Diet After Childbirth	134
	The Impact of Childbirth	134
	How to Get What You Need	135
	Your Dietary Habits	139
	A Word About Dieting	140
11.	Resuming Your Menstrual Cycle	142
	Your First Period After Childbirth	142
	Your Fertility	142
	The Postnatal Visit	145
12.	Returning to Work	147
	Breast-feeding for the Working Mother	149
III	Breast-Feeding
13.	Common Myths About Breast-feeding	153
	The Importance of a Good Start	154
	The Truth Behind the Myths	155
14.	Breast-feeding: Getting Off to a Good Start	159
	How the Breasts Produce Milk	159
	The Golden Rules	161
	The Feed	165
	Breast-feeding Problems	172
	Mother's Milk for Premature or Sick Babies	183
15.	An Established Routine	185
	Integrating Breast-feeding into Your Routine	186
	Weaning	188
16.	The Nursing Mother's Diet	190
	The Basics	191
IV	Emotional Reactions to Childbirth
17.	The First Days	197
	A Time of Change	197
	Your First Encounter with the Baby	199
	Communicating with the Newborn	202
	Caring for the Baby	205
	The Never-ending Story of Childbirth	206
	Special Cases	207
	"Baby Blues"	210
18.	Emotional Reactions of the First Few Months	216
	Overcoming Mild Depression	217
	Managing Stress	226
19.	Postnatal Depression	233
	Symptoms of Postnatal Depression	234
	The Causes of Postnatal Depression	235
	Healing the Mind	238
	Puerperal Psychosis	242
20.	The Mother in You	243
	Maternal Instinct: Is It in All of Us?	243
	The "Perfect Mother"	244
	The Impact of Our Families	248
	Raising a Child	251
	Lack of Recognition	255
	Expectations Management	257
V	The Couple
21.	The Couple Changes	261
	When a Woman Becomes a Mother	262
	When a Man Becomes a Father	265
	Father and Child	268
	Common Stumbling Blocks	271
22.	A Little Patience: Sex After Childbirth	274
	Physical Impediments to Sexual Desire	274
	Psychological Obstacles to Sexual Desire	275
	Reclaiming Your Intimacy	277
VI	A Full Recovery
23.	First Things First: The Pelvic Floor	283
	The Importance of the Pelvic Floor	283
	Lift and Squeeze: A Brief Review of Pelvic Floor Anatomy	285
	What Affects the Pelvic Floor Muscles?	287
	Urogenital Problems	290
	Urinary Incontinence	291
	Anal Leakage	293
	Organ Prolapse	293
	Toning and Strengthening the Pelvic Floor	296
24.	A New Body Image	300
	Your Weight	300
	Exercise	304
	Posture and Your Back	309
	Acknowledgments	317
	Index	319