THE ONE GUIDE MOST PEDIATRICIANS RECOMMEND   From the American Academy of Pediatrics—the nation’s most trusted name in child care— Your Baby’s First Year is the definitive all-in-one guide to caring for your infant. Revised and updated, including two new chapters on sleep and allergies, Your Baby’s First Year provides authoritative advice on all aspects of infant care, including   • expanded sections on raising twins, multiples, and children with autism • new material on prebiotics, probiotics, and the Tdap vaccine • a month-to-month guide to your baby’s first year with vital facts on growth, behavior, and development • a complete health encyclopedia covering illnesses, injuries, and disabilities • advice on breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, and introducing solids • guidelines for choosing a child care provider • safety checks for home and car, including a car safety seat shopping guide • And much more       Comprehensive, reassuring, and up-to-date, Your Baby’s First Year is an indispensable guide for all parents who want to provide the very best care for their baby.   Steven P. Shelov, M.D., M.S., F.A.A.P., pioneered and developed several of the parenting publications for the American Academy of Pediatrics, including Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, The First Year of Life , and A Guide to Your Child’s Symptoms . In 2002, he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement in Education Award by the AAP, its highest award for pediatric education. In 2009, Dr. Shelov received the Clifford G. Grulee Award, recognizing his outstanding service to the AAP.   The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Chapter One  Preparing for a New Baby      Pregnancy is a time of anticipation, excitement, preparation, and, for many new parents, uncertainty. You dream of a baby who will be strong, healthy, and bright--and you make plans to provide her with everything she needs to grow and thrive. You probablyalso have fears and questions, especially if this is your first child, or if there have been problems with this or a previous pregnancy. What if something goes wrong during the course of your pregnancy, or what if labor and delivery are difficult? What if beinga parent isn't everything you've always dreamed it would be? These are perfectly normal feelings and fears to have. Fortunately, most of these worries are needless. The nine months of pregnancy will give you time to have your questions answered, calm your fears,and prepare yourself for the realities of parenthood.   Some of your initial concerns may have been raised and addressed if you had difficulty becoming pregnant, particularly if you sought treatment for an infertility problem. But now that you're pregnant, preparations for your new baby can begin. The bestway to help your baby develop is to take good care of yourself, since medical attention and good nutrition will directly benefit your baby's health. Getting plenty of rest and exercising moderately will help you feel better and ease the physical stresses ofpregnancy. Talk to your physician about prenatal vitamins, and avoid smoking, alcohol, and eating fish containing high levels of mercury.    As pregnancy progresses, you're confronted with a long list of related decisions, from planning for the delivery to decorating the nursery. You probably have made many of these decisions already. Perhaps you've postponed some others because your baby doesn'tyet seem "real" to you. However, the more actively you prepare for your baby's arrival, the more real that child will seem, and the faster your pregnancy will appear to pass.    Eventually it may seem as if your entire life revolves around this baby-to-be. This increasing preoccupation is perfectly normal and healthy and actually may help prepare you emotionally for the challenge of parenthood. After all, you'll be making decisionsabout your child for the next two decades--at least! Now is a perfect time to start.   Here are some guidelines to help you with the most important of these preparations.       Giving Your Baby a Healthy Start     Virtually everything you consume or inhale while pregnant will be passed through to the fetus. This process begins as soon as you conceive. In fact, the embryo is most vulnerable during the first two months, when the major body parts (arms, legs, hands,feet, liver, heart, genitalia, eyes, and brain) are just starting to form. Chemical substances such as those in cigarettes, alcohol, illegal drugs, and certain medications can interfere with the developmental process and with later development, and some caneven cause congenital abnormalities.    Take smoking, for instance. If you smoke cigarettes during pregnancy, your baby's birth weight may be significantly decreased. Even inhaling smoke from the cigare