Healthy Beginnings: Giving Your Baby the Best Start, from Preconception to Birth - Softcover

Canada's Most Trusted Resource for Planning a Happy, Healthy Pregnancy, Revised and Updated

Healthy Beginnings is your hands-on, step-by-step guide for understanding what to expect through planning, conception, pregnancy, labour, and more. Developed by The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), and now in its fifth edition, this important resource contains the latest information to help you have a healthy pregnancy.

Written by Canada's most trusted authorities on maternal and newborn health, the SOGC experts answer your questions about your body, your baby, and your life during pregnancy. The fifth edition of the classic resource is filled with the most current information for helping you separate fact from superstition and often unwanted advice. It puts the spotlight on reducing risk as a key part of having a healthy pregnancy as well as placing emphasis on preconception―the time just before the baby is conceived―and also on early pregnancy―the first three months after conception.

With Healthy Beginnings as your guide, you will be able to make the wise choices that will benefit you and your baby. Designed to be practical, you can use the book as a notebook to record the details of your pregnancy, prenatal visits, and your birth experience. The guide is also filled with helpful forms where you can gather important information you will need during your pregnancy. Use the space at the end of each chapter to write out questions for your next appointments.

When it's time for your baby to be born, the experts walk you through each of the four stages of labour and birth and offer advice to help you have the birth experience you want and enjoy your first moments with your newborn. Once you are a new mother, Healthy Beginnings will give you the needed advice for caring for your newborn with information on postpartum care, breastfeeding, and much more.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC), is one of Canada's oldest national specialty organizations. Established in 1944, the Society's mission is to promote excellence in the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology and to advance the health of women through leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and education. The SOGC has over 3,500 members, comprised of obstetricians, gynaecologists, family physicians, nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals working in the field of sexual reproductive health. A leading authority on reproductive health care, the SOGC produces national clinical guidelines for both public and medical education on important women’s health issues.