The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms

Congratulations Amy – the winner of a copy of “What’s Up Down There?”

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Lissa is giving away a copy of her brilliant book “What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend” to one of our lucky readers.

My copy arrived several weeks ago and although I haven’t had a chance to dig in to it yet, I was lucky enough to have a preview and here’s my comment that I’m honored to have included in the early praise section of the book “Lissa is that approachable Ob/Gyn we all wish we had. In this frank, enlightening, funny book (you know you’re in for a treat when the table of contents makes you laugh) she answers every question I’ve ever had about my girly bits in 30 years of being a woman, 20 years of being a lover (sorry if that’s too much information, Mum) and 5 years of being a mother”

To enter simply leave a comment to Lissa’s guest post below.

For bonus entries:

• become a fan (liker) of The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms on facebook
• become a friend of Lissa Rankin on facebook

• Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only
• Winner will be chosen at random
• Contest closes Nov 26, 2010

Pregnant Pondering: What’s Normal, What’s Not?

When you’re pregnant, it’s easy to turn into a basket case. Every little twinge incites panic, each blood test stresses you out, and you may think that everything out there is conspiring to put your baby at risk. But remember, pregnancy is a natural state of being for a woman, not a disease. When I solicited the anonymous, down n’ dirty questions from women for my book What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend, most of them were about coochies, boobs, butts, and all the other body parts (and activities that accompany them). But some of them were about pregnancy – specifically, what’s normal during pregnancy vs. what is cause for alarm.

Here are some tips to help you triage when to alert your doctor and when to simply kick back and relax.

What’s Normal

1. It’s normal to experience a bit of cramping after sex when you’re pregnant (and it’s normal to crave sex! See tip 5 below).

2. Nipple stimulation during pregnancy can make you contract. In fact, most hospitals use it as one of their methods of inducing labor. So don’t be afraid of letting your partner play with your nipples, but take it easy, especially if you’re less than 34 weeks gestation.

3. If you’re going about your day and are suddenly struck with lightheadedness, dizziness, and food cravings, you’re not alone. Hypoglycemic episodes can strike with almost no notice, especially during exercise. Carry snacks with you, and go easy on yourself!

4. It’s normal if morning sickness lasts all day. And it doesn’t always end in the first trimester. So don’t worry if you’re still feeling queasy at dinnertime, but do make sure you’re keeping well hydrated.

5. If pregnancy makes you want to jump your partner’s bones, you’re perfectly normal. If it causes your sex drive to disappear, that’s normal too. Every woman’s libido responds to the hormonal chaos of pregnancy differently.

6. If your stretch marks aren’t limited to your belly, don’t worry. Your boobs, butt, hips, and thighs may all grow quickly during pregnancy, and the skin may not stretch quickly enough to avoid marks. But look what you have to show for it!

7. It’s normal if you get a dark line running all the way down your tummy. It’s called the linea nigra and most women get it to some degree.

8. It’s normal if your nipples get darker when you’re pregnant. You may also notice dark patches on your cheeks called melasma, or “mask of pregnancy.”

9. It’s normal if your baby seems to be kick-boxing inside of you. Although it might drive you crazy, there’s no such thing as too much fetal movement. It’s always a reassuring sign.

10. If your baby hiccups often, don’t worry. Fetuses have a tendency to do that.

What’s Not (Translation: Call your doctor!)

1. It’s not normal if you’re less then 34 weeks pregnant and sex or nipple stimulation causes contractions that come every five minutes or more, and last longer than an hour.

2. If lightheadedness and dizziness cause you to pass out, you’re putting yourself and your baby at risk, and this could signal other pregnancy complications, so be safe and get checked out.

3. If your nausea and vomiting is so bad that you can’t keep food or water down for more than 24 hours, you may need IV fluids.

4. It’s not normal to bleed until you’re full term, when a little bloody show (blood mixed with mucous) can signal that the cervix is starting to dilate.

5. Once you’ve started feeling regular fetal movement, usually around 20 weeks, it’s not normal if extended periods of time pass during which the baby doesn’t move. If you suddenly realize the baby has been quiet, lie down, drink fluids, and count how long it takes the baby to move 10 times. If you’re past 24-28 weeks and it takes longer than an hour, alert someone.

I too am a mother and trust me, when you’re a pregnant OB/GYN, you have a tendency to freak out at every little twinge because you know all too well what can go wrong. I had to often remind myself – as I do my patients – that pregnancy is not a disease. It’s a natural state of being for women. While you’ll want to do everything possible to optimize the health of you and your baby, you’ll also have to surrender some element of control in this ultimately uncontrollable process. Do your best to stay healthy, then surrender the rest to The Universe.! Pregnancy can be a liberating time if you release anxiety, focus on the joy of creation, and learn to roll with it.

Knowing that one (plus a little one) can truly equal infinity,

Lissa Rankin, MD

Suppose you had a wise, warm, funny best friend – who just happened to be a gynecologist. You’re out with the girls, sipping some cocktails, the conversation turns to sex, and then to girly parts. One by one, you start asking her all the questions you’ve secretly wondered about – and discover that you all have a lot in common. Well, if you were to write those questions down, you’d have Dr. Lissa Rankin’s book What’s Up Down There?: Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend
(St. Martin’s Press). Order now, visit Lissa on her US tour this fall, and visit OwningPink.com to get – and keep – your mojo.
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Read Our Archived Guest Blog Posts

Stacey MacGlashan with No Other Choice

Michelle Shackleford with It’s Just Too Much

Emily Patterson with Early Childhood Education – Acquiring Sign Language

Heather Sobieralski with Really Gisele? A Breastfeeding Law?

Lori Dyan with To Breed or Not To Breed