Week 6: Time to think about asking your friends about what their births were like.
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By now, your pregnancy can be confirmed with a home pregnancy test or a vaginal ultrasound at your care provider's office.
About.com
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Think about what kind of maternity care provider you want to work with. The person who regularly performs your well-woman check ups and pap smears may or may not be the best care provider during your pregnancy. Learn all you can about obstetricians, family practice doctors, certified nurse midwives and certified professional midwives and make a thoughtful choice. You have your entire 1st trimester to shop around for a maternity care provider that fits your style.
About.com
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With all major organ development complete within the next two weeks, now is the time to avoid toxic cleaning fumes and too much stress.
March of Dimes
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Talk to friends about who delivered their baby. What did they like about their care providers and why?
About.com
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How long do you expect your prenatal appointments to last? Typically certified nurse midwives spend twice as long as obstetricians answering questions and guiding patients towards healthy choices in pregnancy.
Midwifery Today
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Pregnancy is a normal, natural life event.
Lamaze International
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Learn all you can about how the female body has evolved to bear children. Women's bodies are perfectly designed to nourish and nurture their babies through pregnancy. -- The Lamaze Approach to Pregnancy.
Lamaze International
BirthWatch Recommends:
This is the one book I wish every woman would read before she gets too far into her prenatal appointments. This book takes you through the algorithmic thinking of doctors and shows you how it helps your doctor BE a better doctor if you ask lots of open-ended questions about your care, in particular tests, procedures and medical interventions. Remember, informed consent is your right, but YOU must ask for it.