pregnancy books

[Cumberland]

Does anyone have any suggestions for books about pregnancy?

I always like the Dr. Sears books -- on the spectrum of childbirth and parenting, his books are on the "warm and fuzzy" side. I would recommend reading a broad spectrum of books (try the library before buying) and follow the advice that resonates with you.
I really didn't like the What to Expect.... series b/c it was a little preachy for me and overkill on the diet stuff. But it does have some useful information. Also, it is sort of "worry based" it the way it focuses on and addresses common concerns during pregnancy.
For a totally different viewpoint, you could look at Vicki Iovine's Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy.
A book I absolutely loved is Birthing from Within -- again very touchy-feely, but it has neat activities in it (like making a belly cast). This book is for those who would like to go the pain-med-free route. I ended up having an epidural (and wasn't opposed to it) but still found the book to be very useful.
I'd check the library and look at a bunch of books then buy the ones you like best.

[Amiens]

The Dr. Sears books as Nelly mentioned are really good. I only have the Birth and Labor book, and found it very informative.

I found the Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy hilarious- it sheds a nice humorous light on pregnancy and everything happens.

My favorite book is Your Pregnancy Week by Week... not preachy, has drawings of what the baby looks like each week, approx length and weight. Also it talks about how you might feel, look and things to look for in the upcoming weeks.

I didn't like What to Expect- too preachy, tried the diet and hated it. Also if you are neurotic- I freaked out about everything little thing talked about. With that said- I found it a nice "reference material" as we don't have too many OB books in our home.

Crystal

[Rapunzel]

A good book to read during pregnancy for after the birth: "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" published by Le Leche League. It is WONDERFUL!

[Amiens]

If you plan to breastfeed- I love the book "The Nursing Mother's Companion" by Huggins, Hartigan, and Lawrence. I looked at the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and found it didn't flow very good. Also the NMC has a section of which drugs and herbs are safe to take while you are nursing. The book is done in a timeline fashion, which I found very easy to follow- I didn't have to keep flipping to the index to find what I was looking for. The book is divided up into the first few days, the first two weeks, the first month, month 2-4, and so on. In each section they address very common problems that a nursing mother could encounter during that time frame as well as not so common one's.

I was afraid that Emma was not getting enough milk, or that my milk actually had not come in, and the NMC helped me figure out how to determine if I was making enough etc. I loaned my copy to a friend of mine, and she still hasn't returned it Her son is now 3 months old. I am sure I will get it back soon.

Crystal

[SueC]

My favorite was definitely the week by week book someone else mentioned. For our first baby I loved having something new to read every week instead of having to wait a whole month for other books. I made myself wait until the day of the week when I was officially in that week to read--otherwise I would have read it all in one night, so it gave me something new to constantly look forward to. Otherwise that nine months can go awfully slow! I also had the "What to Expect.." book and it was OK, but I agree with the other girls about the "preachiness" of it. I didn't even read the diet section because I could tell it was going to go way overboard on what I could and couldn't eat. The second time around I didn't even crack a pregnancy book!

When I was pregnant with my youngest 2 and a half years ago, I got a free pregnancy book from Allstate called "The Mayo Clinic Complete Book of Pregnancy and Baby's First Year". Just call this number: 1-888-733-8368. It's a large hardcover book worth about $40. I hope the number still works and they're still giving them out. You don't have to have them as your insurance company to get it. Good luck!

I do not have any children yet, but I have five friends that have either just had a baby or are about to. They are all, or have already, reading the book Baby Wise. They absolutely love it. They have been talking about it so much that I actually went and bought me a copy of it. I am half way through it and it it really neat so far. Any way thats my two cents!
Lauren

[Rapunzel]

UGH!!! Stay faaaaaaaaar away from babywise! I say this as the mother of four children!! Babywise is about as opposite to my parenting style as can be (I fall loosely under the definition of "attachment" parenting). Again Babywise: run don't hide from it!!!

For just ONE of the many reasons NOT to follow the advice of Babywise see the following link:

Babywise advice linked to dehydration, failure to thrive
by Matthew Aney, M.D.

http://www.ezzo.info/Aney/aneyaap.htm

Actually, explore the entire site and you will find there are many unsubstantiated medical claims made by the author of Babywise and some fairly dangerous parenting "advice" given as well. This isn't just a difference in parenting theory, as someone who has read a bunch of the book I can say from parenting experience it is not loving, it is not "Christian" (yes, I am an active Christian), and it is not medically sound.

Well, I guess it depends on the style of parenting you want to use.
One of my friends has followed the Baby Wise book almost exactly and she seems to love it. Maybe it would be a good idea to read a lot of different books on differents styles of parenting and then you can decide which parenting style your life and personality best fits. Just an Idea?
Lauren

[Rapunzel]

I edited my post so you may have missed the link that you evidently did not read: http://www.ezzoinfo.com

This isn't a difference in theory. Babywise is a crock - a dangerous and abusive crock. For the record, being a mom for almost seven years I've read just about every popular parenting book on the market. It is good to read a variety of parenting "advice". It's also good to recognize dangerous advice.

[mommax3]

Lauren,

I agree that it is good to read many parenting books and then decide what methods you want to pick and choose from for yourself. However, there is A LOT of controversy surrounding the Babywise books. A good place to educate yourself regarding what the particular issues are is the Ezzo Parenting Board at Parentsplace http://boards2.parentsplace.com/mess.../ppezzo63.html

If you are anything like me, hearing that you shouldn't read a certain book just makes you want to read it more! Read everything you can, but be aware of the critics out there and then decide for yourself. I read the Babywise books when my oldest was about 6 months old, after I had really struggled with getting the hang of nursing. When I read about all of the scheduling Ezzo recommended, I knew that there was no way I could have succeeded at nursing if I had followed what he said.

For me, the biggest thing was that he is NOT a doctor and doesn't have any formal child development training at all. His wife once (a long time ago) worked as a nurse, but that's it. They do have an M.D. listed on the latest editions, but when they first started listing him, he was a RESIDENT, and anyway, none of their advice changed when they added him -- they still said the same stuff that they had said before they had the academic credentials attached to their material. That raised huge red flags to me, so I was skeptical from the beginning.

Happy reading!

Sally

[Rapunzel]

Well, Sally, I'm not saying she shouldn't read Babywise, I'm just pointing out the serious problems with the parenting advice given in that book.

Since this is a board for medical spouses perhaps we should concentrate on the medical aspect of the problems with Babywise (medical problems that don't seem to pop up with other parenting "styles" of various sorts).
So, from the American Academy of Pediatrics (which some of our husbands/boyfriends/etc will one day be members of):

"AAP ADDRESSES SCHEDULED FEEDINGS VS. DEMAND FEEDINGS
CHICAGO - Recent media reports have focused on the issue of whether scheduled feedings or demand feedings are best for babies. In response to these reports, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reaffirms it's stance that the best feeding schedules are ones babies design themselves. Scheduled feedings designed by parents may put babies at risk for poor weight gain and dehydration.

The AAP has always advocated breastfeeding as the optimal form of nutrition for infants, and in December 1997, the AAP issued its latest recommendations about breastfeeding infants. The policy statement says, "Newborns should be nursed whenever they show signs of hunger, such as increased alertness or activity, mouthing, or rooting. Crying is a late indicator of hunger. Newborns should be nursed approximately eight to 12 times every 24 hours until satiety ... In the early weeks after birth, nondemanding babies should be aroused to feed if 4 hours have elapsed since the last nursing."

So, I agree with Sally, read all the parenting books you desire - but once again, be aware that there is at least one medically-unsound and dangerous method out there. That was and is my point.

I will definately pass the information on to my pregnant friends. Another book that I am reading that I have really enjoyed it so far........is The 1st Year, This is a book put out by Focus On the Family, it list the primary author as Paul C. Reisser, M.D. Does anyone know anything bad about this one?? Actually, in the book it claims that is has been reviwed by council of more that 100 M.D.'s (it list all there names and hospitals). One of the pediatricians is from San Antonio, Dr. J. Thomas Fitch. Any news good or bad about this book welcome.
Lauren

I would like to second Rapunzel's recommendation to AVOID the Babywise book. She summarized (very well) most of what I know about it. I, too, heard of parents who thought it was great. Upon further examination, I discovered that Mr. Ezzo really has no medical or professional background that would allow him to be a parenting "expert". The advice I find most egregious is that around breastfeeding and scheduling feedings. In a nutshell: wrong. You would do well to read a book on breastfeeding by experts such as the La Leche League, Martha Sears, or others.
If you really want to read Babywise, supplement the information with other parenting books and the advice of your family practioner or pediatrician. Mr. Ezzo is not a pediatrician and does not understand their feeding needs or social and emotional development.