Product Description
A concise, clear, compassionate, and comprehensive guide to the questions and decisions parents often encounter during pregnancy. Sections include: (1) Pregnancy Exam: Prevention and screening; Drugs and vaccines to avoid; (2) What is happening to your body? Detailed and illustrated guide; (3) Changes to expect during pregnancy: Breasts, nausia, urination, expanding waistline, emotional changes; (4) What to do in case of… ; (5) Tests during pregnancy: Which tests … More >>
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
We are pregnant with our first baby, and this book is a good reference. It’s a portable, no-nonsense book, which is great to read straight through, fits in your pocket or purse (take it with you to your visits!), and stick it in the nightstand as a reference.
Unlike “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” and many others we’ve read, this book is concise, with no fluff. It’s to-the-point, well-organized, and filled with useful information presented in a clear format. It has great sections on what various symptoms mean, tips and advice, what-if’s… and one of the beast chapters is the last: what to do when you get home with your baby.
Chances are, your pregnancy and delivery will go smoothly and event free. However, most first time mothers are unprepared with what to do when you get home with your baby! Take the advice of other reviewers – take the time now (while you still have some quiet time) to read the last few chapters of this book, such as breastfeeding, swaddling, what to do about crying, etc.
We’ve read dozens of birthing books so far, and ultimately decided out of all of them, only 3 books are necessary & essential: This pregnancy book, Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, and Husband-Coached Childbirth. We learned that Lamaze doesn’t work well – Lamaze breathing tenses up the muscles that need to be nice & relaxed. We also learned that a Bradley natural birth is quicker recovery for the mother, results in much faster labor (30-120 minutes on average), and has the lowest chances of problems, C-section, or requiring an episiotomy (*you really, REALLY do not want this – cutting open the vagina is *not* necessary, it is very painful after birth, it may permanently ruin sex, & it takes months or years to recover).
While “Pregnancy What To Expect…” provides all the basic information (preparation, safety, prenatal, symptoms, etc.), the two Bradley books talk specifically about labor. (Please note, however, the Bradley books are quite opinionated – there’s no fluff, but I definitely would not call them objective. They are very much against most standard practices).
One tip ALL expecting mothers should follow: Make sure you get enough protein! There is no magic formula for eating while pregnant, but your developing baby needs 80-100 grams of protein a day! Most pregnant women don’t get enough, leading to fatigue (the baby will “take it” from you body and muscle mass if you’re not eating enough). Look up a protein counter online, make sure your milk & meats are hormone-free, and don’t forget that kelp, spinach, and greens have a LOT of protein in addition to vitamins and minerals.
Bottom line: I strongly recommend you read as much as you want, until you feel comfortable with your birthing decisions. Whatever you do, have a birth plan – or else the doctors will decide for you. Please take the time to be as well-informed as you can, and have a safe and happy pregnancy!
Rating: 5 / 5