Amy -- I'm still lurking on this thread and wanted to jump in on two of your thoughts -- hope you don't mind!
Re: yeast, I had HORRIBLE problems with this for years and years, making baby-dancing a miserable experience for much of the early part of my marriage
: Aside from going off birth control pills (which I imagine you are not on!), the two single biggest things that helped keep me from getting infections were 1) not wearing underwear whenever possible and 2) not ever using pads or tampons, but switching to Instead softcups for AF. The "going commando" (no underwear) thing takes some getting used to, and yes, you may wash your pants more often, but it was a HUGE difference, just not providing such a warm and tight environment down there. Then, switching to the Instead cup was more of the same -- not so much heat and moisture right against your vulva really helps. Go to
www.softcup.com, or you can get a reusable menstrual cup like The Keeper or the Diva Cup (which I'll do after the next baby).
And then, re: body after the baby, you'd be surprised how little you care about that. I remember that image in Operating Instructions where Anne talks about her stomach lying next to her on the bed, and I read that book lying in my bed on my side with my newborn nursing next to me, looked down, and saw EXACTLY what Anne was talking about!
Yeah, it's kind of strange, but it's all skin and it mostly goes away. Having a conscious pregnancy, where you are thinking about your health and your needs, pretty close to ensures that your body gets what it needs and not more. I am now 2.5 years post partum
and can say that the changes I notice now are that my hips are actually narrower, my breasts are droopier (mostly because I wore crappy bras when I was nursing DD hardcore and my breasts were HUGE), and I have scars from my PUPPPs. I have a tiny pooch of skin about 2 inches below my belly button that I'm sure would go away if I got around to exercising more. I weigh about 15 pounds less than I did before I got pregnant, and that's with some exercise and healthy eating, but nothing extreme.
I hope that helps. It won't be bad, really!