Best Pregnancy Books Review

The Whole Pregnancy Handbook: An Obstetrician's Guide To Integrating Conventional And Alternative Medicine Before, During, And After Pregnancy

2011-01-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

Manufacturer: Gotham

At last, everything you need to know about the latest in alternative and conventional healthcare before, during, and after pregnancyâ"in one comprehensive, jargon-free guide. Whether you embrace the philosophy that mind, body, and spirit work together to promote good health or youâre just looking for a way to have the healthiest, most comfortable pregnancy possible, The Whole Pregnancy Handbook has the information you need to make educated decisions and take charge of your prenatal care. The Whole Pregnancy Handbook features

* Complementary treatments and techniques to improve your pre-conception health and fertility, such as nutritional medicine, mind-body medicine, acupuncture and herbal medicine
* Comprehensive and compassionate information about genetic and prenatal testing
* Techniques such as massage, accupressure, herbal medicine, and mind-body exercises to help you relax and feel more comfortable as your pregnancy progresses
* A fully illustrated chapter on prenatal yoga with pose variations for all three trimesters.
* How your pregnancy unfolds month by month and how you can connect with your baby while youâre expecting
* The best practices of doulas and midwives
* The pros and cons of giving birth in a hospital, birthing center, or at home
* Effective pain management for your laborâ"from epidurals to hypnotherapy
* Everything you need to know about inductions, assisted deliveries, and C- sections
* What happens postpartumâ"physically and emotionally
* Candid recollections and insights from other moms and patient stories from Dr. Evansâs practice, The Center for Womenâs Health

The Whole Pregnancy Handbook is an informative and reassuring guide that will empower you to combine the best of conventional and alternative medicine with confidence at every stage of pregnancy.

Customer Reviews

A Great Pregnancy Handbook, April 29, 2005
By E. Stern

I am currently pregnant with my second child and thought I did not need any more pregnancy books. However, I was recently browsing in a bookstore and came across the Whole Pregnancy Handbook and quickly found myself engrossed in its clear explanations of pregnancy and birth and the conventional and alternative approaches to both routine and more unusual pregnancy and birth situations. In the past, I have been put off by "over-zealous" pregnancy books so I loved the way that this book offers clear, non-alarmist and non-judgmental information on a wide range of ways to promote healthy pregnancy, babies and birth. The anecdotes from real women are particularly great--- they give you a sense of how many different women experience pregnancy and birth. I also loved the yoga section and the timeline that describes what is happening in the mother's body and in the fetus month-by-month throughout the pregnancy. I recommend this book highly for anyone who is looking for "one-stop shopping" that brings together a wide range of approaches to conception, pregnancy and birth that, until now, have been isolated from one another in "conventional" and "alternative" pregnancy books.

Wish I would have had this sooner, July 11, 2005
By A. M. Kreidle

As a mother of 2 little ones, I found this book right on target for my needs as an educated professional pregnant woman though I only wish I could have had it about 9 months ago! It provided me with just enough medical knowledge so that I could have had a professional conversation with my OB during my pregnancy. I also found it quite comprehensive about my choices of caring for myself and my baby.

I hope that the word gets out that this book is available.

Best pregnancy book ever, December 16, 2005
By April

Burning the evil "What to Expect when You're Expecting," I bought this book and I was amazed and how thorough this book was. It cover all the bases. All the natural remedies for common ailments, yoga poses, pregnancy diet, and everything you need to know. No scary stuff here. It's all straight forward and very comforting to read. If you want a pregnancy book, buy this book!

THE pregnancy book, January 3, 2007
By C. Woodruff

We've collected a shelf full of books during my wife's (first) pregnancy. While all serve a purpose, the Whole Pregnancy Handbook has become our go to book for just about everything. It's great information written in an easy to digest style that makes sense from a holistic and conventional medical point of view.

Great reference for my second time around, October 29, 2006
By M. Hopkins "readin' momma"

I checked this book out of the local library to look a up a couple of things before my first OB appointment. I had loaned out most of my own pregnancy library and just needed a little information. Any old pregnancy book would do, so my selection was kind of random. I ended up reading it almost cover to cover. Now that I have to return the library's copy I need to purchase my own.

I thought, in contradiction to the earlier reviewer's statements, that the book was highly detailed and very informative. What it lacked was the hysteria making format of other popular books on the subject. It was certainly organized differently so that might have thrown her off.

The information was well balanced and fairly comprehensive. I really enjoyed the section on nutrition and the chapter on prenatal yoga has certainly motivated me to find a class. What I liked most though was the reassurance that even at my advanced age (over 35) that I had a really good chance of having another healthy, uneventful pregnancy. Wonderful book!

This book is just what you'll need, July 8, 2005
By M. Ohlson

Excellent book outlining what to do to get pregnant, how to optimize the health of you and your baby during pregnancy, and what to do afterwards. Very thorough, personal and well presented.

High Quality Choice if interested in Alt Med AND mainstream ways, September 29, 2007
By Emma Lefkowitz "E. W. Lefkowitz"

I got this book a year ago -- I was lucky to be in a pretty progressive bookstore at the time that we decided to start 'trying', and the staff there said they'd heard good things about it. Without that rec, I doubt I would have bought it because it doesn't have that name-recognition or reputation. I'm so glad I did. All the basics of pregnancy are here, in the same depth as a book like Dr.Sears's, etc, but in addition you get really thorough explanation of alternative medicine applications. It's a perfect resource if you really try to straddle both worlds. So don't be put off just because you may not have heard of this book! It's excellent! It was my only pregnancy book all thruout and I never felt that I needed to look at anything else.

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Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey To Motherhood

2011-01-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

Manufacturer: Da Capo Press

Both a celebration and a call to arms, this powerful book is the story of one human birth and the frightening ways we are now putting this miraculous process at risk.

A brilliant writer, first-time mother, and respected biologist, Sandra Steingraber tells the month-by-month story of her own pregnancy, weaving in the new knowledge of embryology, the intricate development of organs, the emerging architecture of the brain, and the transformation of the mother's body to nourish and protect the new life. At the same time, she shows all the hazards that we are now allowing to threaten each precious stage of development, including the breast-feeding relationship between mothers and their newborns. In the eyes of an ecologist, the mother's body is the first environment, the mediator between the toxins in our food, water, and air and her unborn child.

Never before has the metamorphosis of a few cells into a baby seemed so astonishingly vivid, and never before has the threat of environmental pollution to conception, pregnancy, and even to the safety of breast milk been revealed with such clarity and urgency. In Having Faith, poetry and science combine in a passionate call to action.

A Merloyd Lawrence Book

Customer Reviews

The top of the food chain, December 19, 2004
By Barbara Pearson

You don't have to be pregnant to read this book. Steingraber is a poet and a scientist, sometimes both at once. From the very first paragraph of the preface, her poet's eye pulls us into the "ecosystem of the mother's body," and we share her amazement that she had "become a habitat. [Her] womb was an inland ocean with a population of one." Before she finishes, she has also realized that contrary to received opinion, "man" is not the top of the food chain: the nursing baby is! There are many more pithy and poetic observations, but I won't give any more of them away as they are a large part of the book's power to enchant.

The science, especially the toxicology, is perhaps a little detailed for the expectant mother to assimilate in one reading, but one can always go back and take up one topic at a time, as Steingraber does in the course of the monthly chronology she follows. The early passages on the formation of the fetus are wonderful. The story of which cells start where and the landmarks of their migrations reads like a travel narrative. But then abruptly, S leaves behind the high art of embryology and her pregnancy "becomes empirical." Her toothbrush feels too big for her mouth, she is cranky, the bread of her sandwich is the wrong kind, and it's cut wrong. After some personal perspective on morning sickness, she once again adopts her scientist's perspective to investigate the causes of this nearly universal experience and why there is so little expert knowledge about it. We have soon learned more than we have ever heard about it before. In similar manner, alternately technical and lyrical, she covers both the science and personal experience of amniocentesis, congenital defects, fetal growth, prenatal education, birthing, and nursing-through to weaning. One can always find sources for the facts presented as well as avenues to find out more in the footnotes at the end of the book. At whatever speed one reads it, the book's message is very clear: the mother's body does a marvelous job of protecting the fetus from dangers that have existed on an evolutionary timescale, but there is now a new set of alarming environmental dangers that have intensified in the last several decades. Pregnant women must become aware of them and take steps to avoid the ones they can, and we all must work to change global policies that threaten us all.

My 30-something daughter, who gave me the book, was born during what Steingraber calls the "heyday of the [natural childbirth] movement"-after Grantley Dick-Read and then Marjorie Karmel had reintroduced women into their own birth experiences but before seemingly innocuous technologies sabotaged awake births once again. The books we loved then, Karen Pryor's Nursing Your Baby, Niles Newton's Family Book of Childcare, and Robert Bradley's Husband Coached Childbirth, to name a few, are not up-to-date enough and they do not address the new generation of dangers in pregnancy and birth. Steingraber is up-to-date, and she does address them. I repeat my recommendation to start Having Faith now and to read it often.

Beautiful and Necessary, August 4, 2002
By M. Dilg

Sandra Steingraber is my new heroine. Her writing is magnificent, and her concerns very much my own. She manages to explain the inexplicable (we are poisoning our babies, and don't stop even when we see the evidence) in a way that does not frighten as much as persuade. She indeed has faith, and I am so grateful to her for facing these fearful realities during her pregnancy -- as she points out, if pregnant women don't face these things, who will? Her refrain "We shall not abstain" -- asking why it is pregnant women who must restrict themselves, not producers of toxics -- is common-sense political brilliance and unmasks the hypocrisy of a society that pretends to protect the vulnerable with technological might, but is really not interested when facts run counter to the fantasy of omnipotence. Her writing is so vivid that I burst into tears at the end of her labor-and-delivery story, as I do at any filmed depiction of birth. Thank you, Sandra.I'm giving it to all my friends, and sending it to some politicians!

Top priority, November 5, 2003
By Joe D. Bryant

Sandra Steingraber, a trained scientist, tells the story of her pregnancy at age 38, weaving it into very readable science. She describes the day-to-day development of the fetus and how we KNOW at exactly what point birth defects are caused and, in many cases, which chemicals cause them. I was horrified to learn how many chemicals are being passed to our children through mothers' milk. And I can't stop telling my friends how the waters of the Arctic are the MOST polluted in the world, just the opposite of what you might think. This may be one of the most important books you will ever read. Like Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring", it should wake us up to the damage we are doing to our environment and to ourselves. The book is fascinating...and very, very scary. Every American, AND EVERY LEGISLATOR, should read it.

Should Be Required Reading, January 10, 2002
By "rclark135"

This book should be required reading for every parent, nursing mother, pregnant woman, or women even thinking about conceiving. I highly recommend this book (the author is a scientist, great writer, and new mother) because it helps articulate a problem that desperately needs solving--how chemical pollution impacts our children in utero, and as sucklings. It is beautifully written, and an incredible testament to the sanctify and bond of the nursing mother and child. Rather than shy away from the dispairing fact that breastmilk is contaminating our children, I say, give me the facts (which this book does) and lets change this!! I wrote letters to my senators the morning after I finished this book (this morning). And here I am writing a review at Amazon. Read it!

Like the jacket says - intimate and strong, April 26, 2005
By Sarah_Red "sarah_red"

Currently pregnant, I hesitated to read this book because I didn't want to become more paranoid than I already am about various environmental problems. I was impressed by both Steingraber's voice - the intimate telling of her own story is funny, telling, and compelling without any of the other details - and with the unremitting rigor with which she marshals her facts. Instead of being overwhelemed by information on one or the other side of various US environmental debates, I found that the author brings a very well-researched and sensible perspective to the conversation. Beautifully written as well as informative - well worth my time.

A Call to Arms, September 23, 2003
By "mooncalling"

This book is amazing, Ms Steingrabers style of writing - hard (and often frightening) facts interspersed with personal vignettes - makes it a pleasure to read. I couldn't put it down. As a childless woman I do wonder though, how a newly pregnant first time mother might react to such startling information; this is not a caution to avoid reading Ms Steingrabers book but rather a suggestion to read it well before conception or to allow time for the full impact of the book to be integrated (and perhaps the panic to recede). The truth would seem to be that there is no longer any clean air on this planet of ours and pollution of all kinds is a daily reality regardless of where in the world we live, breast fed human babies are at the top of the food chain therefore serious, long lasting action should be taken to protect our offspring from the concentrated amounts of toxins they can potentially receive inutero and postpartum - when you know what's going on, you can call for change. Happy reading.

So empowering, January 21, 2003
By Mrs Nicola Williams

I'm a breastfeeding counsellor here in the UK and do my best to keep up to date with research pertaining to anything to do with breastfeeding. This book, which I came upon purely by accident, opened my eyes to a whole new problem. I found the book so informing and so well written. I have a whole new avenue of personal research to investigate now and, I have information to share with parents who want it. I feel empowered because, as the last chapter offers, I have ideas now as to how I can play my part in making the world of breastfed babies, my own and others, a safer place to live. With grateful thanks to Sandra for opening my eyes.

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The Babycenter Essential Guide To Pregnancy And Birth: Expert Advice And Real-world Wisdom From The Top Pregnancy And Parenting Resource

2011-01-13T21:00:00.001-08:00

ISBN13: 9781594862113
Condition: New
Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Manufacturer: Rodale Books

Millions of moms-to-be consult BabyCenter, the world's #1 pregnancy and parenting Web site, for the latest, most trustworthy advice. Now all that wisdom is gathered in one superlative guide.
Combining expert advice with real-world mom-to-mom wisdom, the people at BabyCenter have been communicating through the contemporary medium of the Internet with new and expectant moms--intimately, reassuringly, effectively--for more than 7 years. They have helped an estimated 15 million mothers negotiate the often strange and scary but always miraculous worlds of pregnancy and parenting. And now the editors have put together all of this accumulated knowledge, including brand-new information that is not on the Web site, in a book that will immediately be recognized as the standout in the field.

Here expectant moms will find:
o Insights into the amazing changes they experience
o Practical advice from leading pregnancy experts
o Hundreds of great tips from experienced moms
o Breathtakingly detailed fetal-development illustrations
o Answers to all questions they are too embarrassed to ask, don't think to ask, or don't know whom to ask

Featuring many of the popular elements that distinguish the BabyCenter Web site--such as Is It Safe? and Just for Dad, plus worksheets, charts, quizzes, checklists, and more--this superb guide will only solidify BabyCenter's reputation as the world's #1 resource on pregnancy and parenting.

Customer Reviews

EVERYTHING You wanted to know about pregnancy, June 24, 2005
By 1practicalgal

This book covers everything you could ever need to decide during your pregnancy. You can either read through week by week, or look for information on specific issues. There is a great reference section in the back of "is it safe" questions that help you know the risks of various foods and activities - now you don't have to wonder if sushi is safe, you can still color your hair, etc.

Other things I like:
* they have "babycenter buzz" with comments from real parents - they tell it like it really is. (even things you don't want to know)
* there is a lot of information for dads in this book. My dh and I can read the same information and decide on things together.
* cool pictures that show what your baby looks like during each month of growth and "revealing" pictures of a pregnant mom throughout her pregnancy - watch her grow with you.

Since i love the babycenter.com website and already get their weekly pregnancy newsletter, the quality of the book matched my expectations since everything they do is great. I like that I can take this with me and look things up easily without having to get on the computer all the time.

great book even for seasoned preggos!, September 7, 2005
By Momma Mimi

This is not my first pregnancy so I honestly felt that I knew it all and wouldn't benefit from a book about pregnancy--wrong! This is an informative and well-organized book that holds the interest of even this veteran preggo. I passed it along to one of my girlfriends who is pregnant with her first and she loves the book. It is a much better read than the old girlfriends guide or what to expect series--out with the old and in with the new!

Not just for Moms-to-Be, July 9, 2005
By G. Robb "gc_robb"

Even dads-to-be can get a lot out of this book! Very well written with great information that can be shared between mom and dad!

With everything from checklists of things to know to what is safe for mothers and forming children and what to ask the doctor this book is loaded with great information and insights into what is going on!

Make sure you visit babycenter.com as well to get the full experience of this one!

For the sake of your child, July 4, 2005
By F. Brown

As a huge fan of BabyCenter, I highly recommend this book. Many is the time that the editors at BabyCenter helped me and my wife as we struggled with new challenges in our baby's development. Their timely advice made two neurotic parents a little less so.

Easy to find Information, September 19, 2005
By Stephen Miroy "Wife of Stephen"

This is a great book for anyone who is pregnant or is planning to become pregnant. The information is up-to-date and easy to find in this large data jammed book. Even though my 'babies' are now teenagers, I still had questions about my pregnancies that had never been answered, but the answers were easy to find in this book. I had not had success in finding the answers before I read this guide. I wish this book had been around 17 years ago.

Very well organized and easy to read., August 13, 2005
By Rosie

Although I typically don't purchase many books, I bought this one used from Amazon.com because I couldn't find it at our library.

I've read numerous other books on pregnancy, and was starting to tire of the subject. However, I had a few outstanding questions that I noticed the description mentioned.

When the book arrived I knew I had made a good choice. It is extremely well-organized, so that you don't have to read the whole thing cover-to-cover, but rather can just check the index for whatever you're interested in (nausea, doulas, specific diagnostic tests, etc.) and flip go straight to your pages. I thought the info. on testing was particularly clear and straightforward.

The week-by-week information is the same as you will see on BabyCenter.com, but it is really helpful to have the additional information surrounding specific topics in book form.

This is a nice, easy to understand book to pass on to a friend once you are done with it (unless you can find it in YOUR library! :).

Practical advice - not scary stories, August 15, 2005
By B. Kim "koshkas"

I found myself skipping lots of the Everything to Expect book because it discusses lots of potential problems that, realistically, most women (including me) don't encounter. This book includes practical tips like using throwing up in the sink over the garbage disposal because it's easy to clean up and less unpleasant than the toilet.

The advice is quite practical since so much of it comes from real been-there-been-sick-with-that moms. The writing style and layout of the book are very accessible, even when you're tired and sick and your brain just isn't functioning all that well.

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The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide To Making More Milk: Foreword By Martha Sears, Rn (breastfeeding Mothers Guide)

2011-01-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

ISBN13: 9780071598576
Condition: New
Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Manufacturer: Mcgraw-hill

Concerned about making enough milk for your baby? Wondering how to make more? Two lactation experts are here to help.

Separate fact from fiction with help from this comprehensive book about improving low milk supply. Written by two leading experts who have been there themselves and officially recommended by La Leche League International, The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk incorporates the latest research and discoveries about causes of low milk supply, the way your body makes milk, and how babies contribute to your milk production. Best of all, you'll find valuable suggestions for both time-honored and innovative ways to make more milk.

Learn the facts about:

Determining if baby is really getting enough milk
Supplementing without decreasing your supply
Maximizing the amount of milk you can make
Identifying the causes of your low supply
Increasing your supply with the most effective methods, including pumping, herbs, medications, foods, and alternative therapies
Making more milk when you return to work, exclusively pump, have a premie or multiples, relactate, or induce lactation

Customer Reviews

Must Have for Mothers with Low Supply and Lactation Experts, December 20, 2008
By Justthinkn "justthinkn"

The book has sections that would be wonderful for any expecting mother to read: understanding the biology of milk making, normal breastfeeding behaviors, best steps to get your supply off to a good start, and how to know if you should really be concerned about low supply - many mothers go through at least a moment or two of doubt! But for those of us currently in the trenches dealing with low supply or wondering how we can be more successful for the next baby, this book is just packed with information!

"While it's true that most mothers can make enough milk [to feed their babies], we are now learning that there are definitely mothers who really aren't making enough milk." For those of us who have been there and done that, this affirmation by experts in the field of lactation of the painful reality we have struggled with almost makes the book worth it all on its own. But of course, the authors offer much, much more in reassuring and informative discussions that fully explain what they call "The Milk Supply Equation" - the factors, from adequate breast tissue to effective and frequent milk removal, that work together to ensure a good milk supply.

I'm well-read, worked closely with a lactation consultant for months, and still learned one or two really helpful (and generally SIMPLIFYING, stress-reducing) things in each chapter. For instance, it explains how to supplement without damaging the supply you have, and perhaps even in such a way that it helps to increase it... But perhaps most importantly, the book will help you think through the underlying causes behind your supply issues and how to address them. Because without knowing the root of the problem, it's hard to direct interventions effectively...

As a concluding personal note, that's why I sound so gung-ho about this book... I would have given it a great review anyway, but I had a HUGE ah-ha moment reading through Ch. 8. I have insufficent glandular tissue, and had only ever heard about it in relation to hormonal causes. Yet I always felt like "hormonal imbalance" was a diagnosis that didn't fit me. Reading through Ch. 8 I learned that injuries to the breast during childhood and adolescence can also halt or impair breast development - and that fits me to a tee! So now I have confirmation that I need to focus on interventions to grow tissue, but really don't need to concern myself with the hormonal imbalance piece. I hope this book is just as helpful for many other women out there.

Wish I had gotten this at my baby shower! Extremely helpful advice, February 17, 2009
By Iliana

I used to think breastfeeding was a natural and simple process. Baby latches on, starts suckling and milk comes out. Pretty simple, right? Then I had my baby 2 months ago.

From day one my baby struggled to latch on, and when he did, it was terribly painful for me. To make matters worse, my milk supply was not enough to keep him full. To my disappointment, I had to supplement with formula (something I vowed not to do!) and, since my baby was not being breastfed enough, my milk supply finally decreased to zero.

In my desperation to find something that worked, I found this book. It would have been a life saver if only I had anticipated what possible -and very common- problems breastfeeding moms face. By the time I got and read this book, it was too late to rebuild my milk supply. But if you are expecting, or are currently breastfeeding, do yourself a favor - buy this book. It explains in very simple words how milk production works, what problems moms frequently have and how to fix them, and it even lists safe herbs and medications that promote milk production (or galactogogues).

Essential Read For Women With Supply Issues, March 10, 2009
By Monkee

This book is an excellent resource for anyone dealing with supply issues. It is very well-written and interesting; I had a hard time putting it down because I was learning so much.

I had supply issues from the start with my son. I saw (and stumped) numerous lactation consultants and tried everything (pumping, diet changes, Domperidone, etc. etc.) to figure out the cause of my low supply. Nothing helped, and repeatedly doctors told me the canned answer of "Give it up...some women just can't make enough."

When my son was 4 months old, I started seeing 2 lactation consultants who deal with tough cases, and we worked through this book. It was such a help and encouraged me greatly after repeatedly being told to give it up. It didn't talk down to me or treat me like I was defective, and it didn't give me simple answers like "just go pump some more." It instead walked through, in specific detail, causes of low supply.

One section discussed causes where the baby drives poor supply (e.g. bad latch, tongue-tie). The most helpful section for me, because there isn't a lot of this information available online, was the one that discussed causes where the mother drives low supply (e.g. hormonal issues, breast tissue issues, diet). Steps to rectify the problems were also discussed in detail.

Because of the book, we identified the areas that were causing the problems (the most notable being some unusual hormone issues with me, and a tongue-tie in the baby which 2 doctors had failed to diagnose). We are working through the solutions discussed in the book, and I now can take the steps to hopefully prevent the supply issues with future kids. It has been very rewarding to finally find the causes of my low supply, thanks to this book.

Wonderful resource, with information you won't find elsewhere, February 27, 2009
By Motherwear Blog

I really can't say enough good things about this book. It's clear, readable, and quite comprehensive. I was lucky enough to talk with both authors for podcast interviews on my breastfeeding blog.

There are a few features that I particularly want to highlight:

1) The authors write about maternal hormonal causes of low milk supply in more detail than I've seen in any other breastfeeding book for moms. There is also some hard-to-find information on some topics like gastric bypass, eating disorders, and vegan/vegetarian diets.

2) The chapter entitled "Planning for the future" is such a smart feature to include. So many mothers who have had difficulty with milk supply are very motivated to try again, and this chapter tackles the process of planning for a new baby straight on.

3) The authors take seriously the feelings mothers have when they have a problem with milk supply. They devote a chapter to "coping with milk supply," which I think mothers will find very helpful.

An absolute must have for the breastfeeding mother!, June 25, 2009
By Ev Should Be Working

I am a breastfeeding working mother who struggled for over a year with a low supply with my first child. Now nursing my second child and experiencing similar issues, I immediately purchased this book after hearing about it at my local Le Leche League meeting. This book is by far the most in depth and comprehensive wealth of breastfeeding information that I have come across, and I have scoured the web far and wide to resolve my issues. Before reading this book I had limited information on the physiological process involved in making milk, a point that became crucial in increasing my supply.

Thanks to the information in this book I was able to increase my supply by 25%. On good pumping days I even exceed that!

Not only did this book increase my supply but also my self esteem. So often at my local LLL meetings mom are dealing with over supply issues and hardly a mom comes in with a low supply issue. This book gave me the comfort I needed in knowing that I am not alone and that I can make more milk. I am not the hopeless case I felt I was with my first child.

Best of luck and don't give up!

Answers Every Mom's Milk-Producing Needs, February 14, 2009
By Claudine Wolk "Author of It Gets Easier! and ...

"Making More Milk" is THE resource for the breastfeeding mom. The book addresses, in well-researched detail, every imaginable lactation issue in easy-to-read detail. Helps for Mom, Helps for baby, supplementing, breast issues, back to work issues, all the questions are answered. If you are having trouble with your milk supply or you just want to find out how your breast milk supply works, this is the book for you. The book is indexed for easy use as a reference book for every breastfeeding supply issue that may arise. The book also includes a terrific Galactogogue Table. A new moms deals with many issues, breastfeeding usually being at the top of the list. It's nice to have a reference guide that will answer ALL of her questions in an easy-to-read format.

A book for mothers from the experts other lactation consultants go to for milk supply problems!, December 7, 2008
By Catherine Genna

This book was so interesting, I read it in one sitting! It doesn't talk down to mothers, but does explain how milk production works and how to help yourself if you need more milk for your baby. If you are a mother with lower milk production than you like, this book is for you. There are sections for mothers who are struggling with milk supply for their current baby, and for mothers wanting to have more milk for their next baby. I especially liked the mother's stories that begin each section, and the fact that there are a lot of different options to try for each problem. Best of all, the authors are experts who teach other lactation consultants around the world how to help with milk production problems.

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Permission To Mother: Going Beyond The Standard-of-care To Nurture Our Children

2011-01-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

Manufacturer: Outskirts Press

Why do you need Permission to Mother?

The "Standard-of-Care" is a legal term, the level at which the average, prudent provider in a given community would practice. It is how similarly qualified practitioners would manage a patient's care under the same or similar circumstances.

Sadly enough, the standard-of-care legally protects only the provider (the physician or hospital) and is not necessarily in the best emotional, physical, or spiritual interest of the consumer (the patient). Dr. Punger's personal experience brought this to her attention. She has experienced a doula-attended hospital birth without intervention, working while tandem nursing, tandem nursing beyond the toddler years, and perhaps most dramatically, a footling breech birth at home.

Included are other women's experiences that go beyond the status quo. All stories have one feature in common: Dr. Punger goes beyond the medical standard-of-care that too often imposes on a women's right to mother to the fullest.

Through her warm, attachment feel stories about her own mothering journey and the inspiring women she is in close contact with, Dr. Punger gives you permission, to birth just the way you want to and to breastfeed for how long you (and your baby) want to.

Customer Reviews

The BREAST book ever!!!, February 8, 2008
By Shannon Miller "Shannon & Katie"

My daughter will be a much healthier because of Dr. Punger. I felt the connection with her the first time I went to her practice for my breast feeding issues. Little did I know that I would continue going to her family practice for my daughter and myself.

I am so proud of Dr. Punger and her book because it will give so many people a different perspective on nurishing children the way nature intented. This book will convey the same kind of philosophy that you will receive in her clinic.

There are so many examples in this book of what may seem like a the impossible but there is always a way to perserve nurturing at the breast. This book is not just for women or just mothers. Fathers and health care providers will learn that there are no excuses to not breastfeed. All barriers can be overcome.

Heart of the Home, February 6, 2008
By Bernadette Clark "RN"

The classic you are about to read will take you along Dr. Punger's personal journey from medical school training to home-centered parenting. Dr. Punger skillfully weaves her subjective experience as a mother with her clinical expertise as a family physician and international board certified lactation consultant. She examines birth and its outcomes in various elements, hospital and home, with and without professional doula support. Breastfeeding from the first moments of life to beyond the typical weaning years is chronicled together with the joys and difficulties women encounter personally and socially in feeding their young. Dr. Punger has a way with putting life into words we can all relate to. She has amassed information covering a large, but very related set of mothering topics. If I could only put her words of wisdom in a nutshell and pour it into the hearts and minds of each of my "mothers," this world would be a better place.

Not your typical self-help book, July 30, 2008
By Danielle Sullivan

As a new mother, I read scores of parenting and breastfeeding books. They all had the same information regarding breastfeeding - most all of it unhelpful and outdated, as well as very hard to read (with a newborn in tow).

Dr. Punger's book was the first book that actually made sense and gave real-world, practical advice. Her book was written with her real-life stories and it draws you in as a reader. She cleverly intertwines her expert advice amoung touching personal stories and you forget you're reading a "self-help" book. She teaches you to trust your instincts and to stop comparing your baby to the medical "norm".

I keep this book right next to my favorite spot to nurse.

The most inspiring book I've ever read!, May 23, 2008
By Patricia Chibas "Trish Chibas"

I'm not sure if there are enough words to describe how much Dr. Punger's book inspired me. Once I opened the book I couldn't put it down! After reading it I feel confident in the way I raise my daughter. In a society that is shaped by social norms and fear of what others might think, Dr. Punger enlightens that we can choose the way we raise our children.

Dr. Punger portrays birth so beautifully and really reminds us that the experience we have while bringing new life into the world is enitrely up to us. My husband and I are anxious to have our next child at home.

Dr. Punger also inspired me to switch to cloth diapers, something I NEVER thought I would do. My daughter had 3 UTI's by the time she was 8 months old. I never thought they could possibly be caused by disposable diapers. But now it makes sense! There are tons of chemicals in those things. I'm glad she pointed that out. None of my daughters doctors ever told me to try switching daipers. They just did really invasive proceedures that had inconclusive results. I'm fairly new at the cloth diapering but Brianna has been free and clear of UTI's since switching.

Since reading "Permission to Mother", I have also decided to breast feed longer than I intended. Actually, I'm not to sure how long that is but I know I don't feel I need to put a time limit on it. I'm comfortable with letting my daughter decide when she is ready to wean.

All in all, "Permission to Mother" is the most incredible, inspiring, and empowering book I have ever read. I love it and strongly recommend it to everyone!!!!!

Every Mother-to-be needs to read this book!, February 26, 2008
By Courtney Girdwood "TheGirdy8"

This book is WONDERFUL! It is the first book I have ever read that truly gives women the freedom the mother their children the way they want to.
I love that it is written by a doctor. It is extremely insightful and I learned so much. I read all of it in two days. It was so good, I could not put it down. I think it should be suggested reading for every first time Mom.

This book empowered the mom in me, July 19, 2008
By Mom Doc

As the reader winds through Dr. Punger's journey - medical school and it's OB 'protocol', her own births and eventual discovery of her unique specialty of breastfeeding medicine - you are brought full circle. I audibly laughed, cried and cringed at her experiences.
She begins as a naive, eager-to-learn hospital volunteer and medical student. She quickly learns that the status quo treatment of laboring moms is not only unnatural, but also very restrictive. Her inner strength encourages her to seek the perfect natural birth for herself, and she finally does with her third child.
Her medical knowledge, own research and personal experiences lead her to a fulfilling career in groundbreaking breastfeeding medicine - to help those of us who also desire a gratifying birthing and breastfeeding experience.

This is a must read!, April 4, 2008
By Kimberly Wildner "Kim Wildner"

There are two main reasons that Dr. Punger's book is important. The first is that she started out with the same culturally imposed beliefs about birth and breastfeeding that most American mothers have. Often, mainstream mothers assume that `alternative' mothers have always had `far out' ideas.

Yet the journey from culturally accepted parenting beliefs to heart-centered intuitive parenting doesn't happen overnight or without good reason. Often it is the result of a great deal of research and soulful exploration. Permission to Mother is Dr. Punger's journey. Part of this journey includes her medical training (and that of her physician husband), which is the second reason this work is so important.

People tend to assume that support of all safe birthing options, including homebirth, automatically requires that someone be `anti'-doctor or `anti'-hospital. Likewise, to advocate for breastfeeding is often taken as an `anti-woman' stance. Somehow it doesn't occur to certain folks that it is only their own erroneous assumptions about birth and breastfeeding that could lead to such conclusions. In any case, in this book, they are challenged. Dr. Punger IS a doctor. She is married to a doctor. Her father-in-law is a retired obstetrician. Obviously she isn't anti-doctor. Yet she supports homebirth and doulas. She is a working woman; yet she's a breastfeeding advocate. Her story is vitally important in putting to rest the `us' against `them' mindset once and for all.

Punger shares with us her education, training and early experiences. We hear first-hand just how little doctors learn about truly normal, natural birth and breastfeeding. She asks important questions about why obstetricians so often jump to surgical solutions when other, less invasive options abound for many variations (sometimes called complications). Her own breech home-birth ends up being part of that process of questioning.

Likewise, her discovery of Dr. Brewer's advice which led to the elimination of toxemia from his own OB practice prompted her to ask, "Why does the medical community ignore his evidence?" Good question; midwives have been using this advice to help mothers to be healthy for decades. The information is there, and it is so simple. Why the resistance?

Perhaps the best part of this book is "Finding Breastfeeding Medicine". Dr. Punger's own breastfeeding experiences led her to supplement her education to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). We learn elsewhere in the book that medical `training' in breastfeeding may include an hour or two of instruction and continuing education sponsored by formula companies. What I want to know is why every single doctor (or nurse) that will discuss infant feeding with new mothers isn't required to be a lactation consultant? Why isn't every obstetrician, pediatrician and family practice physician required to be able to fully inform mothers of the benefits of breastfeeding and understand how to overcome challenges when they occur? How can they actually educate women if this isn't part of their own education? How can they be of assistance if they don't have the motivation to go above and beyond as Dr. Punger chose to do?

I love that the author shows that being a working woman doesn't mean you can't breastfeed. I love that she herself is so dedicated to her boys that she would have them brought to work to nurse them when she couldn't be home. I actually chose my own daughter's pediatrician for exactly that reason: the doctor's husband brought her children to the hospital when she couldn't go home to nurse them.

Because of this level of knowledge of breastfeeding, Punger is also able to address issues such as adoptive nursing and other special situations, as well as introduce the concept of breast-milk donation, which may be a new idea to some readers.

Finally, I'm excited about this book because also home-birthed, cloth diapered, breastfed, co-slept and unschooled my own daughter (who, by the way, is an intelligent, compassionate, independent young adult now, despite dire warnings of where our `weird' parenting choices would lead). It's nice to find a kindred soul.

Kim Wildner
Author of Mother's Intention: How Belief Shapes Birth
HypnoBirthing educator
www.kimwildner.com
www.fearlessbirthing.blogspot.com

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The Real Deal Guide To Pregnancy

2011-01-10T21:00:00.001-08:00

ISBN13: 9780756633868
Condition: New
Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Manufacturer: Dk Adult

An alternative to the now 10-year-old Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy, this upbeat and cleverly written resource is packed with must- have information and couched in everyday practicality for the newly pregnant woman. The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy opens with quick answers to the most-asked questions ("Can I still have my hair highlighted?" "Is it true that hot tubs are off limits?" "What about the champagne I guzzled last week?") and moves into a unique organization of chapters by topic rather than trimester. Each chapter opens with the author's own true-life anecdote, and then eases into clearly laid-out, hardworking information, with tip and fact boxes scattered throughout. The author interviewed 115 moms across the world, of all ages, and includes their experiences herein as well, for the most well-rounded information available on the market today. Finally, the book has been vetted by a professional OB/GYN to ensure the medical know-how is up-to-date and safe. Not only is this book for the four million women that have a baby each year in the United States, but for friends who will buy it for their pregnant friends, and first-time moms looking for quick answers.
An alternative to the now 10-year-old Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy, this upbeat and cleverly written resource is packed with must- have information and couched in everyday practicality for the newly pregnant woman. The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy opens with quick answers to the most-asked questions ("Can I still have my hair highlighted?" "Is it true that hot tubs are off limits?" "What about the champagne I guzzled last week?") and moves into a unique organization of chapters by topic rather than trimester. Each chapter opens with the author's own true-life anecdote, and then eases into clearly laid-out, hardworking information, with tip and fact boxes scattered throughout. The author interviewed 115 moms across the world, of all ages, and includes their experiences herein as well, for the most well-rounded information available on the market today. Finally, the book has been vetted by a professional OB/GYN to ensure the medical know-how is up-to-date and safe. Not only is this book for the four million women that have a baby each year in the United States, but for friends who will buy it for their pregnant friends, and first-time moms looking for quick answers.

Q&A with Erika Lenkert, author of The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy

What's the best piece of advice you learned from the Mommy Menagerie?
The 111 women who make up the Mommy Menagerieâ€"and have had nearly 200 children between themâ€"offered so many diverse experiences and nuggets of wisdom I canâ€™t say there is merely one "best" piece of advice. But one of my greatest discoveries in learning of their experiences was that no matter where you live or what you do, every pregnant woman or mother has easy access to an incredible support system if she reaches out to other pregnant women or mothers. As mothers, we have a shared experience and understanding that gives us the confidence to be amazingly candid about the trials and tribulations of pregnancy and parenting. The secret to gaining this support from those around you is simply to open up to and be honest with someone you trust who has been there.

Did you notice a big difference in the experiences between the younger mothers and the older mothers that you surveyed?
Not so much in younger versus older mothers. Where I saw a much bigger difference was between first-time moms and veterans. The second time around women tend to be less fearful of what can go wrong, more relaxed with weight gain and what they eat and do, and more exhausted since their existing children donâ€™t allow them the opportunity to become one with the couch whenever the spirit moves them.

You have a background as a lifestyle writer. How did that background inform your work on this book?
Pregnancy is not just a temporary situation. Itâ€™s a lifestyle, albeit a short-lived one. A lot of books out there take a clinical stance on understanding what goes on during the three trimesters. The Real Deal Guide is a proactive primer on how to make the most of all aspects of your life as a pregnant person, including health, pampering, sleeping, socializing, shopping, saving money, having sex, and experiencing your emotions. Iâ€™d say every single word in the book is about how to live the pregnant lifestyle to the best of your ability.

What was your weirdest moment as a pregnant woman?
By far, the weirdest moment was during my unplanned C-section. I was very doped up and completely numb, but could feel the surgeons rifling around in my innards to pull out my girl. That was weird enough, but what put it over the top was when I realized the group of doctors, draped in scrubs and masks, were talking about the best ways to prepare fish! As a lifestyle writer and an extreme extrovert, I couldnâ€™t help but chime in that I develop recipes for magazines and books. Before I knew it, we were all bantering about great fish recipes while they completed the surgery. I later emailed the head surgeon a fantastic recipe for salmon with sherry vinaigrette.

What was your favorite thing about being pregnant?
Being in my body. While I canâ€™t say I was quite as fond of my rotund figure as I was my pre-pregnancy body, I was completely enthralled with all of the changes my body went through while producing a human from scratch. Thereâ€™s absolutely nothing like it, and itâ€™s a truly magical experience.

What's the one piece of advice you wish you'd known before you were pregnant?
Travel like crazy with your partner before you have kids. Iâ€™ve been a travel junkie forever, and hit most of my adventure goals before I had my daughter. But my husband had never been out of the country before we went to Thailandâ€"and thatâ€™s where I got pregnant. I would have liked to have gone on more adventures with him as a twosome. Now that Iâ€™m a mom Iâ€™m less cavalier about what I do and where I go because my purpose in life is about more than just me. And Iâ€™m also not one to leave my girl for any extended period of time, so heading to Morocco to take cooking classes and play on the beach is out of the questionâ€"at least for the next decade or so.

What's your favorite piece of advice to give new moms-to-be?
Do whatever you have to do to take time for yourself and try not to overextend yourself in other areas, such as work (as I did). Becoming a mother takes some getting used to and the less stress you integrate into the picture, the easier the transition for you. Creating a smooth transition also allows you to see beyond the sleep deprivation and anxiety and appreciate your baby and how amazing and deeply moving new motherhood is.

Customer Reviews

Good all-around general advice, July 6, 2009
By J. Salmon

Just as funny as *The Girlfriend's Guide* with a little bit better organization. Ms. Lenkert manages to be pretty unbiased about most of the information that she presents. I like both Iovine & Lenkert for the simple reason that they answer questions that most women are too embarrassed to ask their MD's. This book is especially helpful for first-time moms who may or may not have a "Mommy Menagerie" of their own to ask questions. As a first-timer myself, as well as an Labor & Delivery nurse, I found that the informal nature of the book was very comforting. All of my medical knowledge (including that found in many pregnancy books) has a tendency to make the entire process of pregnancy terrifying. This book was well-organized - you can flip through it to find the inforemation you need without having to read straight through. I especially liked the various lists that she had - like "what to pack in your hospital bag". All together, this has been one of my favorite books, and will recommend/gift to all of my friends.

Like hearing the real deal from a friend, April 24, 2008
By Whitney E. Moss "Rookie Mom"

This entire book is in author Erika Lenkert's friendly voice as she fills the reader in on all the important things a pregnant woman needs to know, adding a dash of her own experiences and down-to-earth perspectives.

I love that she suggests traveling. (Can't dwell on it because for me traveling right now includes a 50% potty trained three year old and an eight-month old who doesn't sleep through the night.) I am grateful, however, that I didn't miss out on page 226, where we get the real deal:

(excerpt)

The first six months are really hard. Women who were born to be mommies will disagree, but those of us who have enjoyed being self-indulgent rulers of our own domains and defined ourselves through professional or social achievements accomplishments might beg to differ.

... In conjunction with moments of parental glory is the relentless and all-consuming task of navigating new parenthood, caring for a newborn, and realizing that you and your desires are no longer the first priorities in your own life.

(end excerpt)

I LOVE to hear other women spell this out for soon-to-be-mamas. It's such an important message.

How refreshing!!!, June 24, 2009
By Donna Niemann

The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy is refreshingly honest, hip, funny, interactive, applicable, engaging and useful. I wish this book was available in 2000 when I had my first child ... and I would have reread it in 2003 when I had my second. There is no way to explain what being pregnant is like unless you've gone through it. This unique book cleverly touches and shines light on so many important issues. The author is candid and hilarious at times -- and is able to make very serious issues less threatening using her words.... she relies on her own experiences as well as hundreds of other mothers. C-Sections vs. Vaginal deliveries were covered well (I've had both and the author does an excellent job explaining them both). The book is filled with great, real and helpful quotes. Highlights for me were Chapter 4: Crusin' for a Snooze-In (sleep was an issue for me during pregnancy .. the tips are awesome) Chapter 5: The Moody Blues (the author keeps this SO REAL), Chapter 9: Pregnancy & Your Partner (fabulous! very thoughtful insight)... also LOVED the fashion section & tips, home remedies, essentials of exercise (I should have done more!), Erika's Top 10 Must-Haves (completely agree) and Chapter 14: Ready or Not. Thorough is the adjective that comes to mind to describe this book .. thorough sprinkled with lots of love and truth. Erika Lenkert is right, having a child brings a little more love in your heart .. to quote her, "each and every person is somebody's baby". This will be the only book I send to new mothers to be ... it contains it ALL ... from top to bottom. A+ as far as I'm concerned.

Could have saved reading 14 other books, June 8, 2009
By John S. Fanguy

We wish we'd read this book first, and we could have saved a lot of money and time on other books. My favorite part is the middle-of-the-road, practical advise on every topic you really need to worry about, and just a bit on the 1/10,000 oddities that other books fill the pages with.

I also like the layout, with creative visual graphics that made it a lot easier as a guy to keep visually interested.

Hope she writes a book on surviving toddlers!

Great Gift, Easy Read, May 11, 2009
By A. Martens "Glossolaliac"

Of all the pregnancy books people gave me, this is the one that stuck. It's a short and easy read, reassuring without any of the fear tactics that haunt classics like What to Expect When You're Expecting (god, I hated that book). Perfect for smart moms who want a quick overview. For more detail and a reference tome get the Mayo Clinic book.

A very funny and easy to read guide, February 22, 2009
By R. Puzantian "WWRD"

This should be required reading not only for all expecting moms, but all guys as well! I learned more about the subject matter in a couple of hours than I have in my entire adult life. I love how the author shared so many personal experiences. The book's format and the author's writing style made it a real easy read. Her sense of humor definitely came across nicely in the book!

Loved this book!!!, October 4, 2010
By SmilingHeart

I bought this book and couldn't put it down it is fun and informative! I love the "mommy menagerie" with real womens point of views!!! I just loaned it to my friend and she loves it to! VERY worth the money and much more!!!

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Mayo Clinic Guide To A Healthy Pregnancy

2011-01-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

ISBN13: 9780060746377
Condition: New
Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks

This new Mayo Clinic book on pregnancy provides you with practical information and reassurance on pregnancy and childbirth. Compiled by Mayo Clinic experts in obstetrics, it offers a clear, thorough and reliable reference for this exciting and sometimes unpredictable journey. This comprehensive book includes:

A month-by-month look at mom and baby
In-depth "Decision Guides" to help you make informed decisions on topics such as how to select a health care provider, prenatal testing options, pain relief for childbirth, and many others
An easy-to-use reference guide that covers topics such as morning sickness, heartburn, back pain, headaches and yeast infections, among others
Information on pregnancy health concerns, including preterm labor, gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, along with an overview on being pregnant when you have pre-existing health conditions such as asthma, diabetes or hyperthyroidism

Customer Reviews

Superior to "What to Expect...", August 14, 2005
By Julia

Back when babies were just daydreams, I recieved "What to Expect When You're Expecting" (3rd ed.) from a pregnant friend who had an extra copy. Not knowing any better, I was quite pleased. Once I became pregnant and actually needed a guide, however, that changed. I found the book to be poorly organized, overly conversational and condescending in tone (especially given my plans to be a stay-at-home mom), and generally useless for anything other than instilling fear and paranoia. Most exasperating, though, was the "organization." Symptoms that can arise during varying parts of pregnancy are scattered haphazardly amongst the monthly chapters. This means that the book must be read cover to cover and all material retained in memory if hunting through the index and flipping back and forth between sections doesn't sound appealing.

Enter the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy." Hallelujah! Not wanting to suffer through another mediocre guide to pregnancy, I looked through every book I could get my hands on, and this was the only one that satisfied my criteria. It is written by trustworthy professionals in clear yet -professional- language, it provides information on "pregnancy, childbirth and your newborn" in chronological order, and best of all, it contains separate sections entitled, appropriately, "decision guides for pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood," "pregnancy reference guide," and "complications of pregnancy and childbirth," each with a table of contents at the beginning of the section. Instead of having to take a wild guess at which chapter (or, more likely, chapters) cramping might have landed in in "What to Expect" or searching the entire index, I could find it, along with all the other things I might be wondering about, in the reference guide. Blessed simplicity!

The "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" was the only book I needed. Once I found it, "What to Expect When You're Expecting" went back on the shelf and stayed there.

Best pregnancy book ever, May 6, 2005
By A reader

When we started trying, I bought a lot of pregnancy books. I am now towards the end of my first trimester and this book has been by far the best book I own on this topic.

This book is extremely well organized, very informative and objective, and covers a wide range of topics from pregnancy to birth to breastfeeding.

It is very easy to find what you are looking for. For each week, it explains what your body is going through, how your baby is growing and what emotional changes you could expect. In each month, there is a summary page that lists the problems you may have in that period and tells you when you should call your doctor. There are very nice drawings that show what your baby looks like and how big it is. (Some pictures are real size, for others the book tells what percentage of the real thing the picture is.)

This book had answers to all my questions so far - and I should say, being a very curious first time mom, I had a lot of questions.

Thanks and congratulations to Mayo Clinic.

Saved my Baby, October 10, 2005
By Rebeca

This is the best book out there by far. I had 3 other pregnancy books in addition to this one. This book answered every question I had during pregancy. And I had lots of them. At the week 38, I wasn't feeling great but I wasn't dying either. Just not feeling too well. I was having some minor chills, and NO fever. No other symptom. I opened the book and it said to call my OBGYN right away. I did so and my OBGYN wasn't too sure that it was urgent. My OBGYN then changed her mind 5 min later called me back and told me to go to the hospital for a quick checkup. My babies heartrate was over 200/min. They managed to stabilize him and 15 min his heartrate dropped to 80/min. Needless to say, my OBGYN did and emergency C-section. Had I not had this book and been so persistent with my doctor, my baby might be not be alive. Well worth every penny it costs.

Better than "What to Expect When You're Expecting", May 4, 2005
By Jill Campbell

This was the first book I got from the library when I found out that I was pregnant. Unfortunately, after numerous renewals, the library wants it back (the nerve!). I'm currently 15 weeks pregnant with my first child and so far this book has been great. It's from a trusted source and the week by week information on what's happening to the baby and possibly to me is more informative and detailed than other books that I have (i.e. "What to Expect...," "Your Pregnancy Week by Week," etc.) While this book has a lot of information dealing with specific circumstances, I just skipped the sections that didn't pertain to me. This book didn't scare the hell out of me like some of the others did. I am purchasing this book for my own "library."

The ONLY book you need, January 21, 2006
By GadgetChick

I had bought several pregnancy books, including the Mother of All Pregnancy books and a couple of others, shortly after finding out I was pregnant. I kept getting disappointed by them - either the tone of the book would be off, or the information wouldn't be complete enough, or the book would be too cutesy for me to stomach. I got a recommendation from someone for this book, and after I read it I was sorry that I had wasted any money on other books. This is the only pregnancy book I need.

It's hard to describe just how comprehensive the information is. If you, as a pregnant woman, need to know about something, it's discussed in this book. There's a large section on pregnancy discomforts and problems, but it's written in such a way that it's not depressing at all. The book is very straightforward about common pregnancy symptoms - if something hurts, they don't pussyfoot around, they say "this hurts" - but yet not negative about the experience of pregnancy either. The tone of the book is very straightforward, but yet upbeat at the same time. There are great week-by-week descriptions of what's happening with your baby, complete with illustrations, and in the week-by-week chapters there are also discussions of issues relevant to your pregnancy and suggestions about things you might want to think about or make some decisions about at that stage. There is VERY extensive information about prenatal testing, complete with great diagrams (this was the first book that showed me what really happens during CVS testing) and the information is presented in a neutral, nonbiased way that really aids decision-making when it comes to prenatal tests.

One of the most helpful features of this book are the "decision-making guides" in the middle. These are short articles about things like breastfeeding, deciding to have another child, etc. that present the pros and the cons in a very balanced and neutral way, so that you as a parent can make decisions for yourself. The book recommends breastfeeding and provides detailed instructions on breastfeeding, but also provides plenty of information on formula feeding, complete with instructions on how to formula feed, which is something I have not seen in many other books. I plan to breastfeed but if you are not planning to, or find you cannot, this book has some great information for you about formula feeding.

One other extremely helpful feature of the book are the charts for each trimester that help you decide when you should talk to your doctor about certain kinds of symptoms. I was surprised to find that some things I would think would be not that serious are actually things that warrant an immediate call to the doctor. I know I will be referring back to those tables over and over my entire pregnancy.

Overall, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Loads of information to help you make the best decisions you can in your pregnancy. Don't bother buying any other book. This is the one you will go back to for information and reassurance over and over throughout your pregnancy.

Best of the bunch!, April 14, 2005
By Prytania

I wanted a book written for intelligent adults that provided all the necessary information without the hype that this pregnancy will be an event around which the universe will revolve. (I've got plenty of time after my child is born to believe that.) After staring down the dizzying array of books on pregnancy, this was my pick. Not only do I love it, but my husband thought it was great and not too "jr. high sex ed class" oriented like many of the picture-heavy books. It's packed with information presented in a no-nonsense format that really lays out all your options for every aspect of pregnancy without taking sides. The organization is terrific with charts, graphs, and sidebars on all the things you want to know. The decision guides make you feel like you can handle anything that comes up. And it lets you easily find what you want whether it's weekly updates on how you and your baby are doing, guides for the big decisions about breastfeeding and circumcision, or specialized advice based on medical difficulties or multiple pregnancies. Great book from the Mayo Clinic!

Finally...A book for First timers and repeat moms!!!, January 11, 2005
By Chris V.

I am in my 3rd pregnancy, and bought the tried and true copy of 'What to expect when you're expecting.' Boy..was I dissapointed. It was so basic, missing so much info I wanted. AFter some research I heard about this book and went to take a look at my local store. All I can say is...WOW WOW WOW. It's not only a monthly guide to your body, emotions and baby..but a weekly. There is so much wonderful information..everything from snoring to in depth analysis of birth control for after delivery. They have a great section on dealing with depression before, during and after pregnancy. NOT JUST BABY BLUES. I was so impressed. I'd never read such great and easy to understand material. They have a huge reference guide for all the little and not so little aches and pains in pregnancy. Each month has a 'how soon to call your doctor' section for possible problems. It was nice that it didn't spend the whole time speaking only about working moms and prenancy (although it is covered) or insult my intelligence as a repeat mother. I highly recommend this to repeat and new moms alike. You will be so much more prepared than with the others I've read.

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Adventures In Tandem Nursing: Breastfeeding During Pregnancy And Beyond

2011-01-09T20:58:00.011-08:00

Manufacturer: La Leche League International

There is no doubt about itâ"when breastfeeding and pregnancy overlap, the questions abound! In this, the first full-length book ever on the topic of tandem nursing, Hilary Flower gives comprehensive and in-depth answers to a wide range of questions related to breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing.

Drawn from a great reservoir of mother wisdom, this book pools the stories of over 200 mothers from around the world. Extensive reviews of medical research and discussions with experts in the fields of nutrition, obstetrics, and anthropology have provided the author with a thorough understanding of what we know and what we can surmise on this important topic. Each motherâs experience will be a one-of-a-kind adventure, full of surprises and choices. Adventures in Tandem Nursing provides an essential source of support, humor, and information for the journey.

Customer Reviews

Definitive Resource on Tandem Nursing, April 14, 2004
By Kristy Dallas Alley

When I went in for my first prenatal appointment with my third child, my doctor thought it was my six-month checkup after having my second. Once we cleared up the confusion about why my chart said I was pregnant, (because I was!), her first statement/question was "Well, you'll wean the other one now, right?" My negative answer elicited a roll of the eyes and small sigh, but really she knew me too well to be surprised, and well enough to know she couldn't change my mind. After listening to my spiel about the research I'd been doing, her only requests were that I see a nutritionist and that if I experienced pre-term labor I would consider weaning.
Not every mother is fortunate enough to have a supportive doctor or the resources to find out the truth about nursing while pregnant, or tandem nursing. But thanks to Hilary Flower, the topic is out of the proverbial closet and right out there on the shelf at Borders Books. ADVENTURES IN TANDEM NURSING is a fabulously comprehensive guide to tandem nursing and everything surrounding the experience. The first book of its kind, it is being celebrated as a well-researched, authoritative resource for mothers and health care practitioners alike.
One of the things that makes this book great is the easy-to-use format. The book can be read straight through, but it really shines as a quick reference. The chapters address everything from making the decision to wean or continue nursing while pregnant to finding positions to adoptive nursing of a second baby. Common fears and myths are also addressed, such as the real facts about miscarriage and who gets what nutrients first. Frequent anecdotes and stories from real moms add an enjoyable element as well.
Hilary Flower should be commended for her sensitive, pragmatic approach to this topic. She looks at tandem nursing honestly, not through a fuzzy filter. Not every writer can acknowledge that some choices are not for everyone, while at the same time supporting and informing mothers on every side of the issue at hand. In the end, she lets the world know that "real, beautiful mothers are actually doing this!" And with the help of this book, they can now do it even better.

Everything mothers need to know about breastfeeding, September 14, 2003
By Midwest Book Review

Adventures In Tandem Nursing: Breastfeeding During Pregnancy And Beyond by Hilary Flower is a comprehensive, definitive, "reader friendly" instructional resource offering everything expectant mothers need to know about breastfeeding, including its pros and cons, dealing with discomforts, dealing with disapproval, adopting a second nurseling, proper nutrition while breastfeeding, illustrative mothers' stories, and more. A solid, exhaustive, balanced, and readily accessible resource, Adventures In Tandem Nursing is very highly recommended reading -- especially to new and soon-to-be parents considering breastfeeding, as well as those who are presently breastfeeding older infants and toddlers.

A must-have for nursing Mommies who become pregnant again!, August 31, 2004
By Amy "ChinaDoll"

I cannot say enough good about this book! Though there is a great deal of accurate info on nursing, the field narrows considerably regarding nursing while pregnant or tandem nursing, and this well-written book fills that void!

I first read the book while my nursling daughter was 12 months old, right after we discovered I was pregnant again. I did not want to take this source of nutrition and comfort away from my daughter but didn't want to jeopardize the health of my new baby, and this book gave me the information I needed to make a well-informed decision to continue nursing her. Today, we're happily tandem nursing with her 10 month old brother!

I especially appreciated the chapters on nutrition (for Mom, new baby, and older baby), the scientific research provided, and most of all the stories by real Moms who had nursed while pregnant and tandem or triandem-nursed!

I'd recommend this to anyone interested in the subject of nursing!

Couldn't have done without it, February 1, 2004
By Joanna

I'm a new 2nd time mom of a 3week old daughter and a 26.5month old son. Throughout pregnancy, I had many people telling me to wean my son as to continue nursing would harm both him and me. Hilary's book was a blessing as it listed the pros and cons in continuing our nursing relationsip all in one place. It serves as an encouragement for me as I read about other moms who had faced the same problems during pregnancy. And now, as I face issues with tandem nursing, I'm able to refer to the book and gain valuable insights and tips on how to handle two at the breast. It has really helped ease the stress and anxiety I face as I deal with two nurslings. I have absolutely no qualms about recommending this book to anyone considering nursing through pregnancy and then continuing to tandem nurse. Its chockablock full of good and relavant information written in an easy to read format. The cute illustrations are fun too! I wish there were more like it on the market.

Inspiration and how-to in one, August 31, 2006
By Sue Stuever Battel

I first read this book while breastfeeding my daughter and hoping for another child. It was inspirational, yet factual at the same time. I always enjoy reading stories from real moms, such as those sprinkled throughout this book. Now that my second child is here, I found myself using tips from it during the 5 months we tandem nursed. Some ideas will be helpful even for moms who don't intend to tandem nurse or nurse through a pregnancy, such as about setting gentle limits and dealing with twiddling. Hilary Flower made tandem nursing seem normal and possible.

A great book for Tandem Nursing, February 9, 2006
By GANDEMom

I LOVED this book. Not only was the information wonderful, helpful and supportive of nursing with two or more children, the pictures of families who chose to Tandem nurse were touching. It has great information on not only tandem nursing but on, also, how to decide if it is right for you and your family in an informative and non-judgmental way.

the definitive resource on this important topic, March 14, 2005
By Catherine Allison Granju "www.locoparentis.bl...

Not only does this terrific book offer all the factual info mothers need when considering nursing while pregnant or nursing more than one child at a time, it's wonderfully warm, readable and supportive. I wish every OB, midiwfe and lactation consultant in the country had a copy. I do my part by making it my standard baby gift when a friend becomes pregnant with a second or third baby. Everyone I've given it to has raved about it.

Highly recommended.

I look forward to reading Hilary Flower's forthcoming book on gentle discipline.

Katie Allison Granju
Author: "Attachment Parenting"
www.katieallisongranju.com

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The Birth Partner, Third Edition: A Complete Guide To Childbirth For Dads, Doulas, And All Other Labor Companions (birth Partner: A Complete Guide To Childbirth For Dads, Doulas, &)

2011-01-09T20:58:00.009-08:00

ISBN13: 9781558323575
Condition: New
Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Manufacturer: Harvard Common Press

If you want to learn how best to help an expectant mother have a happy and healthy childbirth, The Birth Partner, Third Edition is the only book you'll need. For almost 20 years, husbands, partners, friends, relatives, and doulas have turned to this book for guidance on being a supportive partner in the delivery room. The expanded third edition includes the most up-to-date information about techniques, devices, and medications for easing labor pain; tests and treatments of the fetus and newborn; strategies to help labor progress; potential medical procedures and interventions; and how best to help the mother during the early days after the birth. And, with its easy-to-use format and new illustrations, the The Birth Partner is the essential guide have on hand in the delivery room.

Customer Reviews

A Mental Lifesaver, June 20, 2008
By Jonathan Stephens "Jonathan Stephens"

For first-time parents, giving birth to your little bundle of joy can be nerve-wracking. There is so much you don't know! And not-knowing can be a nasty breeding ground for fear. My wife and I are first-time parents, and while we weren't scared to death, we certainly wanted to know what we were headed towards. Knowing is half the battle, right? Because of how much there is to know, we even thought about hiring a doula (birth coach). Luckily, we found this book...373 pages of confidence-building.

THE BIRTH PARTNER is broken into 4 parts:

1) Before the Birth

This section is largely just introduction to the concept of pregnancy. It contains some good lists to remind you what to prepare to take to the hospital. Probably the most important stuff was on Kegel exercises and the Perineal massage. Oh yeah, and make sure to compile a list of friends and family to call or have someone call.

2) Labor and Birth

This section has crucial information about the pre-labor process, the signs of labor, the "bag of waters" breaking, false vs. true labor, timing contractions (there's a great chart to make copies of), and breeched babies. Her breakdown of the 3 stages of labor is especially helpful.

For those parents attempting a natural birth, she details the 5-1-1 rule for contractions, so you know when to head to the hospital. She walks you through a ton of strategic labor positions to use to relieve pain and allow gravity to do its work toward birthing the baby (these assume you haven't had an epidural...there's a whole section on epidurals and anesthesia).

She gives advice for the birth partner's role -- from leading her through breathing routines and rituals to knowing how to work with and sometimes against the doctors, depending on what they're saying. Fast labors, slow labors, irregular labors...they're all in here.

3) The Medical Side of Childbirth

Medicine, drugs, shots, tests, interventions and all that good stuff. To epidural or not to epidural? And what about Cesarean sections? It's all in here. Helpful information to keep you sane and in the loop. It's amazing what the doctors won't tell you unless you ask. Remember, it's a business.

4) After the Birth

Cleaning the baby, shots, warming, breastfeeding, postpartum depression and how to deal with it...what happens after the birth is almost nearly as important as the before and the during.

THE FINAL TAKE

This book is a mental lifesaver. Whether you're heading into the birth with complete trust of the doctors and the medical system or with a healthy (or unhealthy) bit of logical skepticism, there is a wealth of essential knowledge in here about what to look for, what to know, and what to ask about. You won't regret reading this book. It's concise and detailed in the all the right places and is clear enough that you know exactly what she's talking about. I'm a first-time, thinking-man's father-to-be, and I sure feel more prepared after reading it. After all, it's just my baby we're talking about here.

--- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

Very helpful for dads and others, January 31, 2008
By Julia Ziobro "JuliaZ"

Penny Simkin's first edition of this book was really helpful to me in my last pregnancy, and this edition is even better. Updated with modern information, my husband is finding it a great tool as I prepare for my third birth and he gets ready for his first homebirth... his daughter was born in a horrible hospital birth so he's really having to adjust his thinking.

He was worried that this book was going to be dry and boring but he hasn't put it down yet. :-) It has enough technical information to keep his "science mind" occupied, and the writing tone is friendly and accessible. He is realizing with the help of this book that he can be an active participant in this birth and that he can really help me by protecting me and making conditions ideal for me to do the work of birthing... this is in stark contrast to the very passive role that he was encouraged to take last time, and how helpless he felt in terms of being able to help his ex-wife as she struggled to birth despite lots of hospital-staff-ordered interventions.

We are also using the book together to identify the things I'd like to have for our birth in terms of people who are there, the atmosphere of the room, and procedures we want/don't want our midwife to do.

We're going through the interventions chapter together and identifying the things that would be 100% fine with us if the midwife thought them necessary, the things we'd tolerate after a risk/benefit discussion, and the things I'd never consent to unless my midwife (who I do trust with my life, and who attended my last birth too) says I'll die or the baby will die without.

We'll certainly have this book around with some tape flags in it during our birth.

Comprehensive guide to labor and childbirth, June 9, 2008
By K. BRYDEN

If you or someone you know is planning to have a baby, and you plan to be there, read this book. It will help you have a birth that is less painful, stressful, and physician-directed than you will have if you do not read it. It covers the normal course of labor and birth, complications in labor, comfort measures for the woman and the role of the birth partner and/or doula, explanations of the many possible interventions and drugs available during labor/birth/postpartum, breastfeeding basics, and care of the mother when she returns home. If you are the partner, this will help you feel that you know what's going on during birth, especially if complications arise, and it will give you lots of ideas for how to help your partner during labor and afterwards.

This book is pretty objective and not biased far towards the "no intervention for any reason/trust birth" camp, nor towards the "birth is a emergency, and babies can DIE!!!!" camp. It will help you clarify YOUR personal preferences and needs for your birth by providing you with knowledge needed to make informed choices based on your medical particulars, pain tolerance, philosophy about childbirth, attitude towards medications and interventions, and your birth setting.

There is a great questionnaire in the book about pain and medication preferences that will really help you decide what medications you might or might not want and at what point in labor you will want them, and a comprehensive list of all the medications, their effects and side-effects on mother and baby, when in the course of labor it is appropriate to receive them, and how they might interact with other drugs offered during labor.

A tutorial, not a reference, June 10, 2008
By K. Titievsky

After getting bogged down in several reference-style books about birth, this was exactly what I needed. The book takes you step by step through the birthing process in an accessible and encouraging way, telling specifically you how to help the mother. The fact that the authors base their recommendations not only on physical, but also on emotional needs the partner and the mother is very helpful.

This book is far from complete, so a separate pregnancy reference will probably be useful. Also, as reasonable and reassuring as the advice sounds, I have not yet tested it in practice.

Practical/Logical Guide to Child Birth, August 10, 2008
By S. Bennett

I bought this book for my husband and ended up reading it myself. It was my favorite pregnancy/birth book! It has a *slight* lean towards natural childbirth (it is NOT preachy at all) but fairly covers drugs in depth and even includes a chart with the drug name and it's side effects. It's the only book I have found that does that. It also shows techniques for coping with pain and relaxation techniques...which is what I was looking for my husband and I to both learn. I think this book really prepares you what to expect on the big day. I will recommend this book to all my pregnant friends from now on. If you are a logical, practical person who is looking for tangible techniques and information then this book is for you.

I'm Not Sick; I'm Just Pregnant, February 21, 2010
By MomintheMission

One of the first things I said to my loved ones when I told them I was expecting my first child was, "Please, don't get me any pregnancy books". I did receive Your Pregnancy Week by Week". It's great if you want a big list of Don'ts and want to be informed of everything that could go wrong in the next 9 months. I decided early on thta I wanted a completely natural birth. (Yeah, I guess I am a bit "granola" but part of the decision was entirely selfish. I just wanted to be able to brag about it.) My "BabyDaddy" and I interviewed a doula and she recommended this book. We immediately checked it out from the library (and renewed multiple times before purchasing). The book is directed toward the "birth partner" and I like the fact that it treats the reader as an intelligent individual capable of making their own decisions. Even if you don't plan on having a drug-free birth, this book provides clear/non-biased information on typical mother/baby procedures and pros and cons of each. It covers the most common methods of pain-relief (natural and chemical) and (cheesy) visuals with a handy chart for which works best when. It covers all of the tests you may have and what they are for. It's just a great source of information about the whole process and always keeps in mind that you're not sick, you're just pregnant. (P.S. Mission accomplished; me (with my sole birth partner, the "BD") had a successful all-natural birth and are now the happy parents of a 7 month old baby girl).

A must read for dads, August 26, 2009
By Bella

I wanted a natural birth, so I purchased this book for my birthing partner. It really helped my husband (first time dad) understand the birth process and have knowledge of what would take place. It is a great tool as well with tons of techniques for your birthing partner to assist you. I would recommend this book along with the book Active Birth, if you are planning a natural birth. Without such a great birthing partner, I don't know that I would of had such a natural, wonderful birthing experience.

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Making Babies: A Proven 3-month Program For Maximum Fertility

2011-01-09T20:58:00.007-08:00

ISBN13: 9780316024501
Condition: New
Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Manufacturer: Little, Brown And Company

MAKING BABIES offers a proven 3-month program designed to help any woman get pregnant. Fertility medicine today is all about aggressive surgical, chemical, and technological intervention, but Dr. David and Blakeway know a better way. Starting by identifying "fertility types," they cover everything from recognizing the causes of fertility problems to making lifestyle choices that enhance fertility to trying surprising strategies such as taking cough medicine, decreasing doses of fertility drugs, or getting acupuncture along with IVF. MAKING BABIES is a must-have for every woman trying to conceive, whether naturally or through medical intervention. Dr. David and Blakeway are revolutionizing the fertility field, one baby at a time.

Customer Reviews

Why I LOVE this book, August 22, 2009
By Leslie Zarra "Mom of Miracle Baby"

This is a great resource for any wannabe parents. Among other things it has a long list of suggestions on everything from when to have intercourse, to what foods to eat, even some interesting points on what supplements to take. It also confirms something really important I learned at a workshop given by Julia Indichova, which is that going for the big guns of IVF, before we really understand what's going on with us, can do more harm than good. (Julia's book The Fertile Female is another great book I highly recommend) I also like the idea of a three month plan. The authors are suggesting that you should see some real changes and results in three months and if you don't it's time to move on. I spent years doing acupuncture and a year and a half doing medical treatment and stayed with it out of desperation not because I was seeing positive changes. It was not until I stopped all of that and really started to do my own reading and research that I started getting on the right track that led to our beautiful, healthy, conceived the old fashioned way baby girl. Now we are hoping for baby number two.

Achieving Pregnancy Naturally without IVF, September 17, 2010
By Horserider "Horserider"

Okay, Ladies. I've been told by local IVF doctors in Orlando that I needed a donor egg because I'd never conceive. Well, one day my dad was watching CNN and saw Dr. Sami David (who is a former IVF doctor) on TV talking about how many women can get pregnant naturally, but may need a few clever ways to achieve that in a cycle. For example, if your cervical mucus is thick and not very friendly for sperm, then take 600 mg of Mucinex twice a day around CD 10 - 13 (if you ovulate around days 12 or 13). This helps loosen the mucous to allow a friendlier environment. Or use a little Pre-Seed (Pre-Seed Personal Lubricant - Multi-use Tube) instead of any other lubricant. And the list goes on...

I travelled from Orlando to New York City to meet with both doctors that wrote this incredible book (you can also do a phone consultation along with medical records). Jill Blakeway is an acupuncturist who certainly knows her stuff. With the help of following this book, and understanding my body type and what it needed to create an environment that was perfect for conception, my husband and I were able to conceive NATURALLY within 2 cycles. I started following the book the first week of June, and by mid July, I had a positive blood pregnancy test of 136 on 11 DPO. Mind you, I have a slew of issues: my immune system, lack of progesterone and luteal phase defect, all which are discussed in the book along with many, many other issues. Because of these solved problems, I was able to conceive.

The most important thing for me was conceiving naturally and having both DR. DAVID AND JILL BE SO INCREDIBLY POSITIVE about our wanting to conceive a child. No nay-saying with these doctors. In addition, they are very KIND, KNOWLEDGEABLE, COMPETENT, AND CARING. The book was our bible to conceiving naturally. I highly, highly recommend this book and doctors. It's certainly worth it!

Anyone considering fertility treatment, please read this book!, August 17, 2009
By Farrar V. Celada "FL Acupuncture Physician"

I am honored to be the first to review this essential book for anyone interested in the pro's and con's of natural and assisted fertility treatment. Doctors David and Blakeway do a fabulous job in explaining pertinent, yet mostly overlooked ways to rev up fertility before embarking on assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF and IUI. We (as acupuncturists specializing in infertility) are often seeing patients too late in the game, and hope this book encourages couples struggling with infertility to give natural treatments such as acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine a try.
My only complaint was there was no listing in the resource guide for the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine, which is the certifying body for acupuncturists specializing in infertility (www.aborm.org).
In short, I will definitely recommend this book to my patients as a navigation guide to more effective infertility treatment, whether embarking on a medicated or natural path (or both).

I am pregnant after 3 months!, September 10, 2010
By Flag149

My husband and I tried for years to get pregnant on our own without success. Finally, we turned to traditional (Western) fertility treatments. I was diagnosed with high FSH and my husband also had borderline low sperm count. We were told we would likely never achieve pregnancy "on our own." We were fortunate enough to get pregnant on our first round of IVF, and I was pregnant with fraternal twins. I gave birth at 31 weeks. My daughter was a stillborn and my son was a preemie and was in the NICU for five weeks. I don't regret anything I went through to have my son, but the experience was traumatic and I wish someone had told me all the risks before the IVF.

We tried for a second baby at the beginning of this year, again using IVF. This time it failed, and the doctor had no real explanation why. At that point, I decided to look for alternative advice before doing another IVF and that's when I found the Making Babies program. I fully intended to use the program to prepare my body for another IVF in 6-9 months. Imagine my surprise when I was pregnant at the end of three months!

I am now 20 weeks (having a girl!) and am recommending the book to everyone I know. It was very easy to understand and follow--and I had never done anything like this before. Following their advice, I felt better than I had in years, and I found that I LOVED doing acupuncture; I have continued it through my entire pregnancy because it has been so beneficial.

The book is at least worth a read--and you might end up saving thousands of dollars in the process. Thank you to Drs. David and Blakeway--you have changed my life!

Should have started here first!, July 21, 2010
By Tara Reiners "reading junkie"

This book works. My husband and I began trying shortly after we were married when I was 27. A year and a half later, still no baby. During that time, I read every book under the sun, and faithfully charted CM, temperature, etc...I could tell you my cycles and ovulation to a T, but none of that seemed to help. After I read this book, I took several of the steps given for my body type and planned my 3-month prepregnancy time. I hadn't even ordered the additional supplements yet to help level out my hormones, when I found out I was pregnant. I am now 6 months pregnant with a little girl! I swear that this book and the few things it said to get my body healthy per eastern and western medicine did the trick. If you could only pick one book on fertility, this should be it!

Fantastic book...easy to read and comprehend, December 30, 2009
By pys

I generally do not write any reviews for products I've bought in the past but this book was so helpful, I have to share my thoughts. This book was invaluable to me in learning about my body and how the whole pregnancy process works. I took a series of tests a month ago and found out that my FSH was on the high side for my age of 35. My doctor said that I should take more aggressive measures to get pregnant. I was on the path to starting on fertility drugs right away but then I found this book. It made me slow down and think a bit. I started seeing an acupuncturist who also provided herbs. I started doing meditation and just destressing. It's been a couple of weeks, and I just took a pregnancy test and it's positive! Even though I probably concieved a few days before having this book, I'm sure the last couple of weeks of practicing what the book recommended had a lot to do with a healthy implantation phase. I wrote to Jill(one of the authors) via their website asking for advise on acupuncture during pregnancy. Taking her advise, I'm continuing acupuncture during first tri-mester to prevent miscarriage. So far so good.

The options that your doctor never presents...you must read this book!, October 9, 2009
By B. H. Barnette

I've had appointments with my ob/gyn and I've had appointments with a reproductive endocrinologist and something about those appointments left me feeling like something was missing. I never felt that the doctors were taking the "whole" me into consideration when ordering tests or prescribing fertility drugs. The dependence on these procedures and pills didn't sit well with me. After reading this book, it confirmed what I felt in my heart, that there truly is another way to approach my fertility challenges. It doesn't have to start with expensive procedures or medication that may or may not be more harmful than good. It can start with taking care of your body, mind, and spirit. In the end, I may fall into the category that needs more invasive assistance to get pregnant, but I will have peace of mind that I have exhausted all possibilities to conceiving naturally. Thank God for the wonderful authors of this book that are able to share this knowledge with us.

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The Birth Partner: Everything You Need To Know To Help A Woman Through Childbirth, Second Edition

2011-01-09T20:58:00.005-08:00

ISBN13: 9781558321953
Condition: USED - Good
Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Manufacturer: Harvard Common Press

The Birth Partner is the definitive guide for preparing to help a woman through childbirth and the essential manual to have on hand during the event. This fully revised and updated edition includes information on techniques and devices for easing labor pain, epidural anesthesia and other types of medication, tests and treatments of the fetus and newborn, vaginal birth after cesarean, and much more.
The role of birth partner is a tough one. A birth partner may be expected to help a laboring woman make decisions and help her get through the pain and discomfort of childbirth. During this high-intensity time, the birth partner--whether father, partner, or friend--needs a book that can give thorough information for studying ahead of time, yet can be easily referenced in an emergency or for quick answers during labor and delivery. The Birth Partner fills both needs.

Penny Simkin, P.T. (Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn) has written a clear, informative guide that includes a thorough description of everything a birth partner can expect. For a quick brush-up, or for sudden emergency situations where a birth partner is thrust into the role unprepared, the book also provides vital information and emergency tips that are clearly marked on pages with darkened edges. Every section includes a description of a stage of labor or circumstance, a description of what the caregiver (doctor, nurse or midwife) might do, and suggestions about what the birth partner's role should be.

The different sections include preparing for the birth, helping labor begin (in certain situations this is necessary), early labor , the stages of labor, strategies for special situations, the medical side of childbirth, and ways to assist after the birth. Of special note is a clear chart describing various drugs, their desired effects and secondary reactions, and the stages of labor in which each of them may be appropriate.

Customer Reviews

You occasionally get more than you pay for..., July 31, 2000
By C. Walters

I have been involved with childbirth education and homebirth for twenty years, and am currently training to be a doula. I don't remember ever seeing one book with such complete and comprehensive information, written in an easy to understand and uncomplicated format. While my own orientation is towards birthing at home, this books covers all venues for birth, enabling a woman and her supporters to make the best birthing decisions for their family. The comments on what a mother will be feeling, both physically and emotionally, should unexpected issues arise is invaluable. The book also describes the use of all possible pain medications, including their possible side effects and when and how they are administered. Ms. Simkin's direction on how to be supportive in any situation will ensure that women whose support person has read her book will be much more productive and thus create a better outcome. I recommend it highly.

A need finally met, May 16, 2003
By Peggy Vincent "author and reader"

All the years I was an OB nurse, a childbirth teacher, and a midwife (memoir: BABY CATCHER, Scribner 2002), I bemoaned the fact that there was no comprehensive book available to those men and women who would soon be with a pregnant woman when she gave birth. Doh! I coulduv hadda V-8! Why didn't I write this book myself???
Anyway, thank goodness Penny Simpkin got around to it, and she's done a beautiful job. Her book is structured like a series of childbirth education classes with emphasis on the partner instead of on the laboring mom herself. She deals with the stages of labor, drugs, anesthesia, Cesareans, and emergencies in an easily-comprehended and logical format - discussing helping measures and their rationale at each step in the process.
As someone from within the system, I highly recommend this book.

The best resource for balanced information, June 18, 2000
By Jennifer R Wagnon

Childbirth books usually come in one of two forms-those that advocate an "institutional birth" and those that advocate a 100% natural birth. This book fits nicely between the two. It gives good, practical information on the pros and cons and nearly every procedure you can think of while neither judging nor condemning the use of such procedures. The best thing about it, however, is explaining to the birth partner how to help and support the birthing woman in the manner that she wishes. A must read for every person who intends to be a support person for a birthing woman.

The single best book I have read on the subject, bar none, January 24, 2005
By E. Heller

This book has been a huge help with preparing for the birth of our first child. From start to finish, there is almost no fluff or extraneous material. Penny outlines exactly what is happening at each point of labor and exactly what the birth partner can do to help. She also writes in clear, easy to understand language about complications and medicines, so you are prepared ahead of time, as a team, with how to deal with them.

I truly can't recommend this book highly enough.

The ultimate companion to the delivery room, December 29, 2000
By quildahowaloochicoochiwangahoochimongaboyaha

As a Dad that has read or browsed most all of the contemporary pregnancy books. This is undoubtably my favorite. It's simple, straight-forward, detailed, yet practical. Designed as a guide for doulas, partners, midwives, and all birthpartners this book is useful to experts and beginners alike. Not only is the information solid and thorough, the presentation is warm and confident. I have memorized the material and found it to be a profound help. Very easy to refer to in a pinch. Thanks Penny -- this is a classic.

The only book a husband/partner needs for the birth experience, February 17, 2006
By Jesse M. Morehouse

I did a lot of looking around for information on how to be something more than a useless appendage at our first childs birth. I eventually ordered this book from Amazon because of all the outstanding reviews. They were dead on. For a loving partner who wants to be an active participant in the birth of your child, this is by far the best and only reference you need. Midwives hold the author in the highest regard and the book is actually required reading in at least some midwifery programs. If you are going the hospital route, don't discount this book though, it is an excellent guide and easy read for any birth setting. I have now mailed my copy to multiple friends for their own first births and all have said that it was the best resource they had. Bottom line- you can't go wrong getting this book.

This is a must have for every COUPLE expecting...., June 22, 2000
By Nichole Hackney

Penny Simkin created a winner here. The Birth Partner is direct, unconfrontational and extremely helpful. I highly recommend it for the analysis of pain tolerance and quick reference sections. Would be a great help to a dad or any other labor support person who feels overwhelmed by the task. Pros and cons of each intervention and procedure are thoughtful and suscinct. The one book which should accompany you to the delivery room.

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Ina May's Guide To Childbirth

2011-01-09T20:58:00.003-08:00

ISBN13: 9780553381153
Condition: New
Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Manufacturer: Bantam

What you need to know to have the best birth experience for you.

Drawing upon her thirty-plus years of experience, Ina May Gaskin, the nationâs leading midwife, shares the benefits and joys of natural childbirth by showing women how to trust in the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a healthy and fulfilling birthing experience. Based on the female-centered Midwifery Model of Care, Ina Mayâs Guide to Natural Childbirth gives expectant mothers comprehensive information on everything from the all-important mind-body connection to how to give birth without technological intervention.

Filled with inspiring birth stories and practical advice, this invaluable resource includes:â¢ Reducing the pain of labor without drugs--and the miraculous roles touch and massage play

â¢ What really happens during labor
â¢ Orgasmic birth--making birth pleasurable
â¢ Episiotomy--is it really necessary?
â¢ Common methods of inducing labor--and which to avoid at all costs
â¢ Tips for maximizing your chances of an unmedicated labor and birth
â¢ How to avoid postpartum bleeding--and depression
â¢ The risks of anesthesia and cesareans--what your doctor
doesnât necessarily tell you
â¢ The best ways to work with doctors and/or birth care providers
â¢ How to create a safe, comfortable environment for
birth in any setting, including a hospital
â¢ And much more

Ina Mayâs Guide to Natural Childbirth takes the fear out of childbirth by restoring womenâs faith in their own natural power to give birth with more ease, less pain, and less medical intervention.

Customer Reviews

Changed How I Viewed Giving Birth, May 8, 2003
By umsami "amazon-junkie since 1996"

I'm 17 weeks pregnant, and while I'm overjoyed to be pregnant...I've always been afraid of the pain I'll experience during childbirth. Reading Ina May's book, and the birth stories of the women in it, has changed all of that. I feel that I can handle labor now...and am even toying with the idea of not using drugs. (Prior to this, I used to say that I'd like an epidural plus any other drug they'd give me.) Even if I end up using some pain meds, I know I'll be entering the labor process without the level of fear I had before. That is priceless. This is a must-read for any pregnant woman and her husband...whether or not she wants to have a medicated or non-medicated birth. Bravo Ina May! Just wish I lived closer to TN so that I could use her services.

Exactly the book that's needed in this Epidural Age, April 29, 2003
By Peggy Vincent "author and reader"

Anyone associated with the childbirth genre knows of Ina May, and her many devotees have been waiting a long time for this book. It couldn't have come at a better time, as legions of today's women voluntarily turn to the tricks of modern obstetrics, notably epidemic epidurals.
I'm a retired midwife (and author of Baby Catcher, a modern midwifery memoir), and feel I learned a good bit of my craft by listening to Gaskin speak, visiting The Farm a bazillion years ago, and reading and rereading and rereading Spiritual Midwifery. But much in obstetrics has changed since Spir. Mid. was published; at that time, natural childbirth was all the vogue, and Ina May was sort of preaching to the choir. Now, oh lordy, now things are very, very different. Cesarean rates hover around 25-30% in some hospitals, and the epidural rate is twice that. What are these women thinking??
It was by studying Ina May's 'style' that I realized the power of teaching by parable: the power of story-telling. Women's eyes glaze over when they're lectured to, but their attention is rivited by birth stories. In this Guide to Childbirth, Gaskin deals with the changes in modern OB and offers ways to get around the routines. But she once again relies on her story-telling techniques for getting across her central message: If you're surrounded by people who believe you can do it and who support your own belief that you can do it, then guess what? You can do it.

All Parents-To-Be: BUY THIS BOOK AND MEMORIZE IT!, February 7, 2004
By Jennifer Hansen

I am related by marriage to a midwife, so I have heard the gospel of homebirth for years. But the books she lent me had publication dates from my grade school and junior high years, so I often sneakily wondered--is it still really that bad? Then I started prenatal visits for my own first baby, and yes, it pretty much is. I am going to a doctor to keep an eye out for conditions that would call for the resources of a hospital--but if there aren't any, I'm staying home to have this baby. Read this book and you may decide the same thing.

Without scare tactics, and with plenty of solid data to back her up, Ina May provides a timely antidote for the overly mechanical, overly pharmaceutical way of childbirth that is still the conventional wisdom in most U.S. hospitals. She makes the chilling point that a lot of so-called necessary medical procedures--procedures that can increase the stress and dangers of childbirth--are based on modern physicians' ignorance of how birth really works. Ina May quotes from medical texts written before many of the drugs and procedures now used in "routine" hospital births were invented. The doctors who wrote those old books did something most modern obstetricians have never done: they observed normal births, over and over and over. They took for granted things that have been forgotten by modern medical schools. Ina May combines this old medical model of childbirth with her own vast experience in midwifery to guide you through what really happens during labor and what you (you plural--Mom *and* Dad) really can and should do.

Ina May will steer you safely between the artificial terrors of modern obstetrics and the artificial transcendentalism of many pregnancy handbooks. Her common-sense advice will help you sleep at night and click on a lot of light bulbs over your head. You will close the book feeling the truth of Ina May's pungent closing line: "Your body is not a lemon!"

UPDATE--JULY 2006: I've given birth twice since I wrote the above review and I still stand by every word. Whether you plan to give birth at home, in a birthing center, or at a hospital, take a childbirth education class for the basic details of the birth process--but read this book to fill in the inevitable gaps.

from c-section to VBAC home birth, March 9, 2006
By J. Wapinski-Mooradian

This book helped me change my life.

After the necessary c-section birth of my son 5 years ago (I had pre-eclampsia), our new insurance company labled me as "high risk" and refused me maternity coverage. Since my husband and I wanted more children, I started considering a home birth with a midwife as a viable alternative. Needless to say my first birth experience put me emotionally on guard about my body's capability.

As I was researching the safety of VABCs (vaginal birth after cesarean) and home-births, I came across Gaskin's 1970s book, Spiritual Midwifery. Its language was amusingly "hippy-ish," but the inclusion of positive birth stories was refreshing and inspiring. After reading most of it, I went in search of similar, more updated books.

I found Ina May's Guide to Childbirth at a mainstream bookstore (being suprised at the lack of variety of birth experience offered on the shelf - is she the only person writing about homebirth nowadays?) Buying and reading this book new was one of the best emotional investments I have ever made in my life.

The experience and knowledge I gained reading this book is similar to many of the sentiments expressed in these other reviews. It really gave me courage to welcome and joyfully (if a little nervously) anticipate the birth of my daughter in March of 2005.

As for my labor, I would not call the sensations of the contractions "pain," I would call them "very heavy pressure." I credit this perspective to this book. Ina May (and her clients) helped me put contractions, transition, etc., into perspective. For example: Yes, I felt contractions every two minutes lasting about two minutes. No, it wasn't comfortable, and I had to concentrate and breathe through them with my eyes closed, hanging on to a door jamb. After two minutes the pressure went away for a while, during which I could laugh at my husband's jokes. Nature is pretty smart, giving women short "rest periods," as this book tells (reminds) us!

Reading about other women's experiences of physical sensations during their labors gave me a range of ideas as to what to expect, so as my own birth story was unfolding, it wasn't so scary or mysterious.

I am so grateful for the VBAC home-birth experience I had - thanks in many ways to this book's writer and contributors - I was beaming for days afterward! It was the hardest, most challenging thing I've ever done (notice I did NOT say "painful" or "scary"), and I was so proud of the outcome. My husband is still in awe of the power of my body!

An armload of gratitude to Ina May and her colleagues, the work they do, and the brave women who seek her out and share their experiences. I look forward someday to the home birth of my third child, knowing I am as strong and capable as the women who share their stories and wisdom in this book.

Better than the girlfriends by a landslide, March 8, 2003
By Alicia Huntley CNM MSN

I have known Ina May for a long time, and I have been waiting for this book for years. Now that I have my copy in hand, I am not disappointed. First off, she starts the book with 100 plus pages of birth stories. Wonderful birth stories, scary birth stories, maddening birth stories, and even second generation birth stories. I loved reading the story of the birth of Mariahna, and then several pages later the story of how Mariahna herself gave birth. There is a special bonus in the birth story of two obstetricians (a married couple) giving birth. The book would be worth the investment if only for the birth stories.
Part two of the book includes well written and researched information on pregnancy, birth, midwifery, and obstetrics. It includes a historical perspective that is fascinating and imformative. Statistics and research are covered in a way that is neither dry nor boring.
I highly recommend that anyone pregnant, contemplating pregnancy, or involved with pregnant women should read this book. While one may disagree with some of the conclusions and recommendations, the data is compelling and the recommendations both evidence based and cost effective.
When the wealthiest country in the world has criminally high infant and maternal mortality and morbidity rates, it is time for some change. Read the last chapter (first if you like) for a vision of how that change might be brought about.

All I can do is echo the other reviews!!!, September 2, 2003
By scientific mom

I'm currently 29 weeks pregnant with my first child, and I've read a lot of the "bestselling" pregnancy and labor books on the market (i.e. "What to Expect", the Dr. Sears books, etc) but this one blew the rest out of the water when it comes to labor and delivery! Ina May's book explains the importance of psychological readiness for labor and delivery, as well as awesome techniques to overcome the "obstacles" of labor naturally. The first half of the book consists of very inspirational natural birth stories which made me feel prepared and even EXCITED about natural childbirth before I even read the second half of the book. After reading this book, I decided to switch from using my OBGYN to a midwife instead. My OBGYN is supportive of my decision to try a "natural" childbirth, but her definition of the concept doesn't go beyond "patient doesn't want an epidural". She is totally untrained and unprepared to help me naturally deal with stalled labor, avoiding an episiotomy, delivering a "stuck" baby, etc. I know she would give me drugs or wheel me in for a C-section long before a midwife despite her "supportiveness". You CAN try the ideas in Ina May's book on your own during labor, without the doctor knowing a thing about natural childbirth, as long as the OB isn't going to argue with what you want to try in the middle of delivery! For example, if baby's shoulders are stuck, most OB's will want to do an immediate C-section; Ina May's book tells you that if you simply turn over on your hands and knees, the baby will most likely slide right out!

Empowering and Informative, March 11, 2003
By Genevieve M. Thul

Ina May's informal approach to the topic of natural childbirth enables the reader to access detailed and empowering information about the physical, mental, and emotional process of giving birth. The first half of the book includes birth stories from many women who have experienced both medical and natural births. Their personal stories help the reader understand the impact of both approaches and make a more informed decision. This section of the book would be especially helpful to women with few friends/family from which to seek advice, or those who have heard primarily "horror stories" about birth. The second half of the book is a guide to achieving a natural birth in many different settings, from home to hospital. The book is easy to read, informative and empowering because you come away with so much knowledge. I also appreciated the fact that the author avoids using "hippy speak", or a dialect that everyone can understand. Some natural childbirth guides use more slang. Definitely read this book if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant!

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Taking Charge Of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide To Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, And Reproductive Health

2011-01-09T20:58:00.001-08:00

ISBN13: 9780060881900
Condition: New
Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks

Celebrating 10 years of helping hundreds of thousands of women achieve pregnancy, avoid pregnancy naturally, and gain better control of their health and lives, the 10th Anniversary Edition of the classic bestseller will include:

â¢New 'Preface to the 10th Anniversary Edition"

â¢Updates on new fertility technologies

â¢Natural approaches to conception

â¢Updated Resources and Books

For any woman unhappy with her current method of birth control; demoralized by her quest to have a baby; or experiencing confusing symptoms in her cycle, this book provides answers to all these questions, plus amazing insights into a woman's body. Weschler thoroughly explains the empowering Fertility Awareness Method, which in only a couple minutes a day allows a woman to:

â¢Enjoy highly effective, scientifically proven birth control without chemicals or devices

â¢Maximize her chances of conception or expedite fertility treatment by identifying impediments to conception

â¢Increase the likelihood of choosing the gender of her baby

â¢Gain control of her sexual and gynecological health

This comprehensive book explains in lucid, assured terms how to practice the fertility awareness method (FAM), a natural, scientifically proven but little-known form of birth control (which is not to be confused with the woefully ineffective "rhythm" method). Author Toni Weschler has been teaching fertility awareness for almost 20 years, and it's only just now gaining in popularity. As the book explains, by using simple fertility signs including peaks in morning body temperature and changes in cervical position and cervical mucus, it's possible to determine when ovulation is taking place. Fertility awareness is therefore useful for not only couples who are trying to conceive, but for those who are aiming to avoid pregnancy without the use of chemical contraceptives. It will be of special interest to those women who have suffered from infertility; many FAM practitioners have told the author that by filling in the detailed charts in the book, they've realized that they were chronically miscarrying, even when their doctors told them they weren't conceiving at all. As the book explains, by charting body temperature, it's simple to tell when pregnancy has occurred--and when there's danger of miscarriage. Taking Charge of Your Fertility also explains how to choose the sex of your baby by timing intercourse according to certain fertility signs. It also features thorough, easy-to-understand explanations of hormones, the menstrual cycle, and menopause, along with fertility tests and treatments and their long- and short-term side effects, plus a topnotch resource section. Recommended for any woman who wants to better understand her body. --Erica Jorgensen

Customer Reviews

Required reading for EVERY woman!, May 4, 2003
By Diane A. Wittmann

I honestly thought that just being a woman ~ I knew all I needed to know to get pregnant. I am 35 now and ready to have a baby, so I stopped taking the pill and waited 2 cycles and thought all I had to do was plan our night of fun close to Ovulation "Day 14". Was I ever wrong!! After trying unsuccessfully on my own for 5 months, I started to question my fertility. I purchased ovulation test strips and they wouldn't show a peak ovulation. I found others online who were trying to conceive and recommended this book. Once I received the book, I couldn't put it down! I was amazed at what little information I actually knew about my cycle ~ my own body and what it had been telling me all along. I just didn't understand it. I learned not everyone ovulates on "Day 14", for me it is actually "Day 23". I assumed I wasn't ovulating and got frustrated at day 20-21 and would stop testing. I now know to look for signals to show when I'm ovulating and now test in the correct window. By reading this book I now have a clear understanding of my cycle. At my age, I want to have a baby sooner than later, so I plan on taking a more aggressive approach to my fertilization. I talked with my doctor after 6 months, rather than 1 year. With the help of this book and charting, I was able to explain my cycle and show my doctor all my charts. I was able to provide all the information needed to show I have a short luteal phase. By providing this information to the doctor, we will be able to treat the ovulation problem that much quicker. My doctor commented that I was extremely organized and it really helped things along. This book is very easy to read and understand. You will be able to clearly read your own body signals during your cycle, and have a better understanding of your fertilization ~ whether you want to become pregnant - or not. I will share this book with other women and would recommend it for every woman!

Excellent, excellent, excellent, October 8, 2002
By K. J. Wagner "kjwagner"

I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent, college-educated woman with a pretty darn firm grasp on How Babies Are Made, so when my husband and I decided to start a family, I thought it would be as easy as tossing the birth control pills aside and Let The Fun Begin! After almost a year with NO baby, followed by a miscarriage, I was starting to question my fertility. (After all, how hard can this be?) I went to the OBGYN, who immediately recommended Clomid and sex on the 14th day of my "cycle." I wasn't comfortable with the fertility pill concept, and saw a recommendation for this book instead. So, I picked it up. WOW! Why don't they teach THIS in Sex Ed?? I wish I'd known this stuff when I was 13! I sure knew the mechanics of sex, alright, but not the mechanics of my own body. I was amazed at what I didn't know; while I had observed the various signs that are talked about, I didn't have the slightest clue what they meant. They never worried me, but they never gave me any insight, either. I started charting, figured out what day of the cycle I REALLY ovulated, and on the third try -SURPRISE!- we were pregnant! While the OB said to try on day 14, we REALLY needed to try on day 19. Sperm only live for 5 days max, so we would have missed our window of opportunity every time. :( I have recommended this book to complete strangers whose friends were "trying to get pregnant," and lent it to my best friend when she mentioned going off the pill. She's due in December! Now that my cycle is back, I've reclaimed the book back again to avoid another baby until we're ready. We're still breastfeeding, and using this as a birth control method doesn't come with the risk of drying up my milk supply. (I know, Micronor (mini-pill) is breastfeeding-friendly, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet.) I am SO pleased with this book and the knowledge I gained from it; I can't believe I didn't know all this before my mid-twenties!

Essential for every woman, especially teens, June 19, 2000
By Shannon "jfaction"

This is not just a guide to getting pregnant. It is about knowing your body without being embarassed. It is quite liberating to read this book and then be able to recognize exactly where you are in your fertility cycle. Too often, women are made to feel guilty or shamed about even looking at our bodies. It's beyond imagination for some women to examine themselves or to ask questions about what exactly their bodies do. Weschler helps break this barrier and shows us why it's critical to overcome the societal embarassment or reluctance. She makes a very good point: why is it that men are fertile all of the time, that women are fertile for just 5 days a month, yet the majority of birth control involves a woman taking a drug 30 days a month, or inserting a contraceptive device before every sexual encounter? Forget about the burden being placed on women (as long as we bear the children we will be ultimately responsible). Think about the ridiculousness of taking powerful hormonal drugs every day or having to use contraception when you're not even fertile! The drug and contraceptive industries are having a field day! This book has three very distinct values: 1. An essential part of every adolescent girl's education about her changing body. This book will do more than almost anything else in preparing her for responsible sexual encounters, and will help her self esteem by getting rid of her trepidation about her body. 2. Tool for avoiding pregnancy. 3. Tool for achieving pregnancy. It boils down to three basic fertility signs: basal temperature, cervical fluid, and height of cervix. Once you read the book and become accomplished at tracking each of the three signs, you can put away the thermometer. Weschler urges you to track the basal temperature faithfully for several months. But, especially if you're using the method as birth control, you can judge by the other two signs and safely avoid pregnancy. And it takes absolutely no extra effort or monitoring. Most of us have heard the jokes about natural family planning. Weschler discusses those criticisms and shows why this book is different and reliable. "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" will ease your mind and give you the confidence of being certain when you are fertile or not fertile.

An Amazing Learning Experience for Every Woman!, October 22, 2000
By "johnalison"

This book is absolutely wonderful. My sister sent it to me. I stopped birth control pills in March and with the charting of my cycles, purposely avoided conceiving. July was the first month I actually tried to get pregnant and I did...on the first month! I knew I was pregnant before I "missed my period" and before I took a test. My sister read it before me, and while off the pill, avoided pregnancy for over a year. The first month she decided to try to achieve pregnancy, she too, conceived...first month! We are both expecting in the spring...2 1/2 weeks apart. I have sent this book to several friends and recommend it to everyone. It is such an important learning tool for all women, whether they are thinking of pregnancy or not. I learned so much about my body. It is just an incredible book and method. It is such a shame that doctors do not recommend fertility awareness to women. BUY THIS BOOK...you will LOVE it!!!

A terrific guide to understanding our bodies!, October 11, 1999
By S. Campbell

My husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for six months when I heard about this book through a website. I purchased the book on amazon.com and started charting my cycles right away. Within two months my husband and I realized our fertility problems were nothing more than timing. We got pregnant on the second month of charting. Our son's due date is in December. I have recommended this book to so many people. There is so much information in it that you just never learned in school. Above everything else I realized it is normal not to be "normal". This book saved us the agony of fertility testing and unnecessary stress. For the first time we felt in control! I showed my charts to my doctor and he was extremely impressed with accuracy and teachings of the book. My sister-in-law is now using the book as a guide for her fertility problems. She is currently taking Clomid to overcome a medical condition. "Taking Charge" is helping her to keep track of her cycles and gives her a guideline to help deal with the unsympathetic doctors!

10 Times More Informative Than Most OB/GYN's, March 9, 2000
By "motherspring"

This book should be required reading for all women, and every OB/GYN. For years I've noticed signs during my cycle that I knew must be associated with ovulation, yet I couldn't quite put it all together. I had actually thought at certain times that there might be something wrong with me! Weschler describes in detail what these signs are and what they mean (including amazingly thorough color photos). After all, these are not usually things that women talk about with each other, and certainly not things we learn in school. Weschler blows the lid off any level of embarrassment by thoroughly explaining how detailed observation is the key to understanding ovulation. She provides what seems like hundreds of waking temperature charts, which further illustrate how each woman is different and yet perfectly normal. Perhaps the best aspect of this book is that it focuses primarily on fertility than infertility, although adequate explanation is given to the latter. Most other books I've reviewed have placed greater focus on infertility, thus often scaring women into thinking there may be something wrong that may very well be not. This book is inspirational and very positive in that respect, and is titled appropriately -- you really do take charge of your fertility after reading it. I was amazed that my OB/GYN knew nothing about this book, and she dismissed many of the observations I had made about my cycle, observations that as Weschler explains are the key to understanding when you ovulate. Most OB/GYN's tell you to wait 6 months into trying before they'll pay attention to your concerns. This book blows the lid off of that mentality. Why should you wait any amount of time to determine how well your cycle is functioning? For women in their 30's, a 6 month wait can be valuable time well wasted in a narrowing window of opportunity. I can't stress enough how valuable this book is. Let it be the first resource you turn to in starting to plan for a family.

Helped me achieve pregnancy after miscarriages, January 16, 2000
By "sjohn99"

Two years ago this book, combined with A Woman Doctor's Guide to Miscarriage by Lynn Friedman, helped me carry my baby to term. I had been having short cycles prior to getting pregnant after my first child and did not know why until I read this book after my second miscarriage. Using her methods and information, I determined that I probably had low progesterone. As for treatment, the Friedman book suggested that progesterone cream was too hard to use since it is only effective when used 48 hours after ovualtion/conception, which most people can't determine. Thanks to Weschler's book, however, I had the confidence to tell my doctor that I would know when I was about to ovulate and when it was complete, so he gave me the go ahead to try the cream. Voila! A beautiful baby girl! I would never have found both of these books if not for Amazon where I did my research and read the recommendations of others. I have been meaning to write this review for ages! Thanks to Toni Weschler, Lynn Friedman, and Amazon!

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2011-01-09T20:52:00.003-08:00

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2011-01-09T20:52:00.001-08:00

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Half Baked: The Story Of My Nerves, My Newborn, And How We Both Learned To Breathe

2011-01-08T20:58:00.000-08:00

ISBN13: 9780762439461
Condition: New
Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Manufacturer: Running Press

Author Alexa Stevenson had spent most of her life preparing for the wrong disasters. When her daughter is born 15 weeks early, she is plunged into the strange half-light of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, where she learns the Zen of medical uncertainty and makes the surprising discovery that a worst-case scenario may just be the best thing thatâ€™s ever happened to her. The absurdities of the medical system, grappling with mortality, and coming into oneâ€™s own are all explored in this wryly heartfelt memoir.
From the indignities of infertility treatments to managing bedrest and parenting a preemie (how does one wrangle an oxygen tank while changing a diaper?), Alexa recounts her rocky road to motherhood with a uniquely sharp, funny, yet poignant voice.

Customer Reviews

An introspective and often irreverent memoir, truly touching, June 8, 2010
By A. Reid

I'm a sucker for a memoir, so the moment this one arrived in my house I put down everything else and curled up with it. I couldn't stay that way - somebody has to take the kid to the dentist's office, after all - but I gave it every minute I could until I finished, moments ago. Alexa Stevenson's book is absolutely gripping. Funny? I laughed, a lot. Heartbreaking? I cried, ditto. Heartwarming? Stevenson feels like my sister, my new best friend. Such is the illusion of intimacy created by a well-written memoir...and *this* is a well-written memoir. She's got a knack for a striking turn of phrase that bypasses the "cliche guard" center of the brain and makes everything seem vivid and immediate. It doesn't feel like she's writing for the masses (of which I'm but one). It feels like she sat down with me and told me her story herself.

It's quite a story. Stevenson takes us through defining her infertility, tackling it, and coping with the difficult pregnancy and premature birth that follow. Through the (literally) dark days of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she shares the process of finishing the baking (to borrow her metaphor) as her micropreemie matures.

One of Stevenson's strengths as a writer, and I rather suspect as a person, is her unflinching self-reflection. She does not sugarcoat her story. While she may, like all good writers, pick and choose her details in crafting her tale, she does not paint herself as the tragic heroine or even the plucky survivor. Some of her story presents her in a good light, some is considerably less flattering, but it combines to make her feel human and real.

Another of her key characteristics is her irreverent sense of humor. Sometimes the book is as grim as the situations that inspired it, but Stevenson's ability to laugh seems irrepressible. It inevitably resurfaces. She is not afraid to poke at sacred cows, and she can find funny in some pretty dark places. I suspect, honestly, that this may challenge some readers. If the ability to laugh while hurting is not one you share (or at least admire), you might want to find a more somber memoir. For me, I found it delightful. I've chuckled my way through a number of tragedies in my own life, and it was just one more way I felt connected to her. And in my opinion Stevenson never crosses the line. Her humor may be irreverent at times, but it always has heart.

There is nothing half baked about Stevenson's book. It's a well-crafted work of non-fiction. She draws her readers in with evocative prose, balances tears and laughter, teaches and touches. I recommend.

Pulls no punches here, June 24, 2010
By M. Garrison

This memoir is about the author's experience with her complicated pregnancy, early delivery, and then life with a 25-week micropreemie -- first the harrowing months in the NICU with the roller coaster ups and downs, and then the equally challenging transition to life at home without constant medical support. I found it really eye-opening in a lot of ways, but here are some of the things I liked best:

* She makes it ok to laugh at some of the ridiculousness and high drama of it all.

* She does a great job of showing how personality differences affected how people coped with the constant fear a NICU can bring. She admits upfront that she had a lot of anxiety about everything before this ever happened, and had often coped by over-researching (nice to know I'm not the only one!), but you also get to see other people handling it in different ways. There are too many books out there where it seems like the author is insisting that their emotional reaction is the only valid one, and that's fortunately not the case here.

* You really get to see the bond and relationships that develop with the different nurses and doctors, and how some of those relationships are much smoother than others.

* She talks about what's going on in the medical sense without getting bogged down in all the clinical and technical details.

Definitely a book I'd recommend -- although probably *not* to anyone currently pregnant or dealing with a more run-of-the-mill, short and uncomplicated NICU stay.

Absolutely, without reservations, fantastic!, June 25, 2010
By Suzanne Amara

When I first read the back of this book and saw the glowing words of review, I thought "That sounds a little overhyped". It only took me about a minute of reading to say "They might not be" and by the end of this wonderful memoir, I was in total, complete agreement with them. This is one of the best memoirs I've ever read, and I've read plenty.

The basic story---Alexa Stevenson goes through infertility treatment, gets pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. The boys dies during the pregnancy, and the girl, Simone, is born at 25 weeks. This is the story of the pregnancy, NICU stay and first few months at home. It's a story that's been done a lot, but not like this. The best thing about the writing is how funny it is. You wouldn't think there'd be much humor in this situation, but there is, and I was laughing my head off over and over during my reading. There are also many amazing phrases and insights. I often do the evil thing of folding over a page to remember the best parts of a book, and this book is all folded up. A few examples...my favorite---Alexa's reaction to people who say "I could never do what you did". I HATE that. I get it a lot, as I have a low-functioning autistic daughter. The answer is, as Alexa says, of course you could and would. What choice do you have? I loved her honesty about anger she felt at nasty nurses, and her extreme love of nice nurses. I've been there---my older son is almost 16 now, but a few remarks made by jerky doctors or nurses while he was in the NICU still are fresh and still can make me furious. Her great line "I prepared for the wrong thing. I didn't prepare for this". She is a worrier, a tribe I also belong to, and I know just what she means. You prepare through research and reading for all kinds of scary things, and then the thing that comes along is something totally different. And since she is like me, a believer in jinxes, of course that makes it all somewhat your fault.

All I can say in conclusion is READ THIS! If you have a child that was in the NICU, if you had a difficult pregnancy, if you have a child with special medical needs, or if you just like to read very well written memoirs, READ THIS!

Wonderful book!, September 13, 2010
By smbzyx

I don't normally read memoirs, but as I had been following Alexa Stevenson online for several years, I was looking forward to her book. She is an amazing writer -- very witty and slyly poignant. She tells the sometimes very hard-to-hear story of her stillborn son and premature daughter without ever becoming maudlin or slipping into self-pity. This insider's look into the world of the NICU is fascinating, and I hope it reaches a wide audience. Alexa's story is heartbreaking and touching and also funny and entertaining. I think Alexa has a very unique voice and I look forward to reading more of her work. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read.

Infertility? Anxiety? NICU? Honest, humorous, gripping, superb, September 5, 2010
By J. Molloy

Been on the infertility rollercoaster? Thought you were the only one who had those crazy thoughts before, during AND after? Alexa Stevenson reveals those raw, insane thoughts during her wild ride on the rollercoaster of infertility, pregnancy, pregnancy loss and the ups and downs of a premature baby in the NICU. She shares her experience with us in an uniquely honest, witty way. I couldn't put it down! If I could give it 10 stars I honestly would. This is the best infertility memoire out there!

Uncommonly well-written, August 30, 2010
By Jaida Butler

Like many of the previous reviewers, I like a good memoir. However, all too often a memoir is a really interesting story, but not really well written. It's so rare to have an author with such a gift for words have the opportunity to chronicle a life experience in this way. The book flows well, keeps the reader engaged and invested, and best of all while the ending is not a surprise (you know her daughter is alive today), there is plenty there to keep you reading. For those who have been following her blog, this is a nice complement to what Alexa chose to share at the time of the events. Highly, unreservedly recommend.

Just lovely. And real., August 4, 2010
By Nic

A wonderful memoir about tragedy and loss as well as how one woman triumphed and is carrying on. A lot of the other reviews have mentioned that this is the story of a mom of twins who lost one twin and the other was born very early. The aspect of the book I really appreciated were her stories of her anxiety, which you might have guessed from the subtitle including "my nerves", I suppose. All told very realistically, but with a very good sense of humor. I found I couldn't put it down once I got it in the mail. It is an easy, quick, absorbing read, absorbing and easy to follow. Perfect for moms and not-yet-moms alike. She is a wonderful writer.

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