Two local health professionals have joined together to create a new book to help pregnant women through the entire process.
 / FOX21: Abbie Burke
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- For a lot of pregnant women, the news is exciting and wonderful, but at the same time the whole process can be a little daunting.
For those looking for answers to questions like "When do I schedule my first appointment?" and "Why do I feel grumpy?" a local nurse and doctor can help.
Camilla Bicknell, a nurse practitioner at Peak Vista Community Health Centers, and Dr. Jim Betoni, an Internal Fetal Medicine Specialist at Penrose St. Francis Hospital, put together "The Pregnancy Power Workbook" to help empower pregnant women.
Bicknell has helped pregnant women for 30 years.
"About five years ago my colleague, Dr. Jim, and I were at work saying 'you know what? I don't even think women know what questions to ask about pregnancy,'" Bicknell said.
Knowing that health professionals have limited time, Bicknell and Betoni created the workbook to help women figure out what questions they should be asking their doctor.
"Most OB's see an OB patient in 10 minutes, is what they are scheduled for, so they have 10 minutes to get their weight, do their blood pressure, answer questions," Betoni said.
Betoni adds that because the book is a "workbook," it helps patients actually learn the information.
"That's why kids get homework. If they just read mindlessly, you could read with a highlighter and it doesn't go up your arm and into your brain," Betoni said.
Because women are answering the questions about their pregnancy, the book becomes very personal.
"This book walks you from preconception through the six to eight weeks after delivery, divided into 12 chapters. We have assembled a series of pregnancy questions and answers that are the most important," Bicknell said.
Selena Boyts used the workbook for her first pregnancy and said it helped her sort through all the information that was thrown at her.
"I really wanted to know what was going on in my pregnancy, and the more educated I was the better I felt, the calmer I was," Boyts said.
Boyts delivered a healthy baby girl and said she felt empowered.
"Going out and filling out worksheets and figuring stuff out for myself I felt like I had more control over what was going on," Boyts said.
Bicknell said that's exactly what her goal was in writing the book.
"There is so much information out there, but this book transforms information into knowledge. When you've got that knowledge you're not longer overwhelmed or an uninformed individual, you're a pregnancy expert," Bicknell said.
A copy of The Pregnancy Power Workbook can be purchased by clicking here.