The Smart Mother's Guide to a Better Pregnancy

• Complicated scientific concepts are explained in easy-to-read, laymen’s terms.
• Includes valuable information for teenage pregnancy.
• Helps a mother to understand and navigate through an impersonal healthcare system.
• Includes resources for pregnant women and their families.
• Offers helpful pregnancy statistics and “Smart Mother Quizzes” to aid in understanding the material.

• The book is a bit biased against the healthcare system (author is a medical malpractice consultant).
• Has a slight religious undertone (which may put off some readers).

• Title: The Smart Mother's Guide to a Better Pregnancy: How to minimize risks, avoid complications, and have a healthy baby
• Author: Dr. Linda Burke-Galloway
• Publisher: Red Flag Publishing: Winter Springs, Florida
• Publishing Date: September 2008
• ISBN: 978-0-9790162-0-2
• This book is available in paperback. Cost: $15.95
• 300 pages: book consists of 4 parts with 14 chapters - plus a preface, introduction and epilogue
• Includes pregnant women resources, glossary, state medical boards & insurance commissioners, fetal kick chart and quizzes

“A healthy pregnancy doesn’t just happen. It takes a smart mother who knows what to do.” This quote is the driving point behind the information presented in this book. Pregnant women need to be educated consumers, and the medical field needs to be held accountable for what happens to patients. So, this is more than just a pregnancy guide, it also covers detailed healthcare issues. Direction is provided on finding good doctors, how to examine the places where you’ll receive care, privacy laws, insurance issues and managed care. An extra feature is the addition of state medical boards (to check potential provider’s credentials) and insurance commissioners in case you need to get information or file a complaint about your insurance company.

The book makes sure pregnant women know the most critical pregnancy questions to ask - like, is my pregnancy okay? This book also includes helpful information about high-risk pregnancies (from what to expect to what to insist your doctor do) as well as teen pregnancy resources.

Besides discussing what to expect during a pregnancy, health and risk factors, diet, nutrition and prenatal care, Dr. Burke-Galloway imparts information about pregnancy issues that pregnant women may not think to ask about – such as warning of the dangers of keepsake ultrasounds as well as ways to avoid potential complications and minimize risk.

Overall, this pregnancy guide helps women to recognize and manage potential prenatal problems. Through the inclusion of easy-to-understand terms, accurate medical information, real-life scenarios of conditions that could occur during pregnancy (and how to handle them), quizzes and recaps of important chapter information, The Smart Mother's Guide to a Better Pregnancy gives pregnant women the power to maximize their chances of having a successful pregnancy, delivery and ultimately, a healthy baby.

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