Trying Again: A Guide to Pregnancy After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss (Excerpt)

"The authors cover every topic (from how to cope with there's no known medical reason for a baby's death to how to prepare physically and emotionally for a complicated pregnancy) with exerptise, candor, and compassion." - Publisher's Weekly "With grace, warmth, and a touch of humor, Ann Douglas and Dr. John Sussman tackle the myths and turths about miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death. Presented in a style that feels more like a chat across the kitchen table than an analytical medical discussion, their book offers practical advice balanced with accounts of loss and success of more than 100 parents." - Preconception.com "Trying Again extends a helping hand to couples coping with their loss and at the same time contemplating future pregnancies." - Genessee Valley Parent

Table of Contents | 1 | 2 | Drug Chart It takes courage to attempt another pregnancy when you've already experienced the death of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death. You know that there's a chance that you'll end up experiencing another loss—a risk that any pregnant woman faces—but you're willing to risk heartbreak again for a shot at the ultimate prize—a healthy baby. No matter where you are in your quest for another baby—whether you're thinking of trying to conceive, actively trying to become pregnant again, or already pregnant-you are likely hungry for information. You may be wondering how long you should wait before you start trying to conceive again, whether you're at higher-than-average risk of experiencing the death of another baby, whether you should seek out the services of a high-risk pregnancy specialist, and how you're going to manage to make it through the months ahead without driving yourself completely crazy! Why a book about pregnancy after loss? As you've no discovered by now, most pregnancy books choose to ignore the possibility that anything can go wrong before or after birth. While these books typically devote entire chapters to such relatively minor issues as equipping the nursery or shopping for maternity clothes, you might not find more than a paragraph or two dealing with miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death-something that can leave you feeling angry and betrayed if the unthinkable happens to you. We wrote this book because we wanted to arm pregnant women and their partners with the information and reassurance they need to weather the physical and emotional highs and lows of a subsequent pregnancy. If you're looking for a book that will answer the 1001 pregnancy-related questions that run through your head at 2:00 a.m. (but rarely while the doctor's office is open!) and that acknowledges the unique challenges of embarking on pregnancy after miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death, you've found it. We've set out to focus on the types of issues that are of primary concern to couples who are either contemplating a subsequent pregnancy or are already pregnant again. You'll find a detailed discussion of the causes of pregnancy loss and infant death, including the highlights of some important new research in these areas help in deciding whether you're physically and emotionally ready to attempt another pregnancy the latest news about genetic counselling the facts you need to know about preconception health information about how your reproductive history (e.g. miscarriages, stillbirths, pregnancy terminations, infant deaths, and/or the birth of a child with a disability) may impact on your next pregnancy practical tips on increasing your odds of conceiving quickly a frank discussion of the types of emotions that you may experience once the pregnancy test comes back positive detailed information about prenatal testing, including a discussion of the pros and cons useful advice on coping with the unique physical and emotional challenges of a high-risk pregnancy helpful hints on surviving the emotional highs and lows of the postpartum period, including a detailed discussion of the experience of "re-grieving" a list of the top 100 questions asked by couples who are experiencing pregnancy after miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death—and references to the pages in the book where you'll find the answers to these questions a chart highlighting the relative safety of hundreds of the most commonly used over-the-counter and prescription drugs during pregnancy a comprehensive glossary of important terms that relate to pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and infant death a directory of organizations, web sites, online support groups, books, and other resources that you and your partner may find useful during the months ahead. What makes the book truly special, however, are the numerous true stories of the joys and challenges of coping with a subsequent pregnancy that you'll find sprinkled throughout the text. We interviewed more than 100 parents while researching this book. Over a three month period, these parents answered a series of questionnaires that focussed in on every imaginable aspect of pregnancy after a loss: how they decided that it was time to start trying to conceive again-and how they coped if the two of them didn't agree on that timeline how they stayed sane if they didn't manage to conceive as quickly as they wanted whether they decided to stick with the same caregiver that they had worked with in the past or whether they decided to switch to another doctor or midwife what they decided to do about the prenatal testing issue how they coped with their fear that something would happen to this baby, too what they did to prepare themselves for the upcoming birth, and so on. More....

 

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