"SURVIVING MOTH-ER-HOOD" (Muth'er hood') is an informative, humorous, easy-to-read, and inspirational book for women that deals with the "maternity saga": pregnancy, labor and delivery, prenatal and postnatal fitness, multiple pregnancy, eating disorders, miscarriage, depression, dealing with newborns, older children, husband, family, and most important – HORMONAL IMBALANCE. The purpose of "SURVIVING MOTH-ER-HOOD" (Muth'er hood') is to bring to women a "lighter" and "more positive" side to "Motherhood", while giving actual medical facts combined with humorous personal experiences and inspirational thoughts.

Many new moms think their lives are over after they have children. They become depressed and stop taking care of themselves and their loved ones!! There's so much that goes on in a woman's head and heart, that only another woman who has gone through the same experience can understand!! Not only is this book informative, but also spiritually uplifting and motivational. It teaches women how to take those outrageous "hormonal" moments, sleepless nights, and other "maternity related syndromes"; and LAUGH at them!! It teaches them to find a POSITIVE in every negative thought!! TO BE HAPPY!! TO SMILE!! Life is not over after children-- it just becomes a wonderful roller coaster!!

"SURVIVING MOTH-ER-HOOD" (Muth'er hood') is different from any other parenting book in the market. It is written by an actual mother of four who happens to be a Prenatal/Postnatal Personal Trainer and whose best friend happens to be a prominent Obstetrician. This is the perfect book for every woman who is thinking about starting a family, an expectant mom, or a mother herself who is pregnant again or who feels the need to bring laughter into her life! And as my mom told me once: "Never forget that before being a mother, you were a woman-- never let yourself go--"

MONICA ADRIANA SADIR-SARDI, the author of "SURVIVING MOTH-ER-HOOD" (Muth'er hood'), is a 35 year-old mother of four little girls (11, 9, and 7 year-old twins). She is also a Certified Prenatal and Postnatal Personal Trainer. In this book, she shares with other women her own personal experiences as well as medical information about pregnancy, labor and delivery, multiple pregnancy, eating disorders, miscarriage, depression, dealing with newborns and loved ones, and most important – Hormonal Imbalance!

After giving birth to her twin daughters, and "surviving" depression and eating disorders (mainly, bulimia), Monica felt the need to inspire and motivate other women and pass along to them her own essential philosophy of life: "No matter what you are going through, it too shall pass-- Learn to laugh and accept every situation, never think that after giving birth you have the right to stop taking care of yourself. GOOD HUMOR AND A POSITIVE ATTITUDE ARE THE KEYS TO SURVIVING MOTH-ER-HOOD! ALWAYS SMILE!"

Moth-er-hood (muth'er hood') s.f. the oldest, most stressful and least respected profession involving a person, preferably a female, surrounded by little people, of all ages and sexes, who thrive to make this female's life a challenge, with no recognition, whatsoever, from the general public. Synonyms: cook, maid, nanny, chauffeur, counselor.

Before I start, let me give you an overall view of the three trimesters of pregnancy. Keep in mind that every pregnancy is different, even for the same woman. Some of you may feel more discomfort than others. To some, pregnancy will be an easy ride, a time of joy and excitement. To others, it will be a time of uncertainty, fear, and pain. It all depends on your state of mind, body, soul, and, of course-- genetics.

You wake up one morning and realize that you missed a period-- what do you do? See your physician. So you just got home from the doctor's office and he or she gave you the wonderful news that you are an expectant parent. It doesn't matter if it is your first or your fifth pregnancy, you will always have mixed emotions about it. You may feel thrilled at first, but there's always some sense of fear: "Will I be a good parent? Will he grow up to be a doctor or a drug dealer? Will she be a lawyer or a prostitute?" And finally: "Will I scream my lungs out during labor? Will I pass gas on my first PUSH!!???" As ridiculous as they may seem, these are all questions that come to you as soon as your head hits the pillow that first night after the news is given to you. You have to remember that you're not alone. You are probably an alien from outer space if you don't come up with these thoughts.

When you first find out you are pregnant, you may not believe that you are really carrying a fertilized egg inside of you. If you are further along, you may not believe you have a zygote or an embryo stuck to your uterus. Since the changes in your body don't occur immediately, it is difficult to truly realize what is going on until you first hear the baby's heartbeat at the doctor's office about 10 to 12 weeks after gestation. When the doctor puts a special microphone on your stomach (after smothering it with a heavy and greasy gel that leaves your skin sticky for hours), and you hear that galloping sound (your baby's heart beat), you will realize, for the first time, that you are a wild and barbarian animal!! Yes, a true mammal hatching its offspring, providing it with a warm and cozy place inside of you, inside YOUR body, living in there for nine months!!! I have to say, this is the most incredible feeling you will ever experience in your life. No matter how close anyone is to you, they will never be able to feel, truly sense, what is going on, unless that person is a mother herself. This feeling will stay with you throughout your pregnancy, and grow even stronger after the baby is born-- when you look at that "creature", at this "miniature person", measure "it" and realize that you had "it" crammed, packed and stuffed inside your body!! What an incredible feeling!!

So you just gave birth. The doctor tells you it's OK for you to take a stroll around the hospital's Maternity Floor (and pass "gas"). Slowly you get out of bed, you look around the room, still feeling a little disoriented, you smile-- You start taking small steps and slowly, very slowly, walk out to the corridor. Telephones are ringing, nurses are running up and down, doctors are taking notes. You look to the left and you see the Nursery. You walk over there-- ever so gently-- smiling and imagining your baby's little hands, fingers, feet, toes-- a tear drop slowly runs down your right cheek-- You get close to the window, you can actually hear the babies crying in there, when suddenly, from the corner of your left eye you see-- a SCALE!!!! TEMPTATION!!! "What should I do?? See my baby or WEIGH MYSELF!!!?? So you stop, and you think: "Well-- the baby weighed 6.9 pounds, the placenta is gone, a lot of blood and water came out-- hum--. I must have lost AT LEAST 25 pounds!!! How exciting!!" And you do what you should NEVER do 6 hours after you give birth!!!! YOU WEIGH YOURSELF!!! NO!! Don't do it!! Never, EVER!! It takes a couple of weeks for you to get rid of some of that fat, water and blood you have been retaining for 9 months--