Women have been giving birth for millennia, so why is it that every culture—and every generation—seems to have its own ideas about the best way to get a baby born? Among the topics that Tina Cassidy looks at are: why birth can be so difficult (blame our ability to walk on two legs, for instance), where women deliver, how the perception of midwives has changed (they were once burned as witches), the lives of some famous obstetricians, and the many ways childbirth has been deadly (lots of blame to go around). Birth is full of quirky details, startling facts, and tales both humorous and disturbing—from men disguised as women to get into delivery rooms to a news flash about a woman giving herself a C-section. From Jessica Mitford’s seminal The American Way of Death to Mary Roach’s Stiff, we’ve witnessed how millions of readers are fascinated by what happens at the end of life. Here is the riveting true story of how it begins.

    Through intimate access to babies and their families, Dr. Kevin Nugent and acclaimed photographer Abelardo Morell capture the amazingly precocious communications strategies babies demonstrate from the moment they are born.Your Baby Is Speaking to You illustrates the full range of behaviors—early smiling to startling, feeding to sleeping, listening to your voice and recognizing your face. The newest research—including information on subtle and fleeting behaviors not seen or explained in any other book—illuminates the meaning of the things babies do that concern and delight new parents:   – the language of yawning    – the rich range of cries, and how to understand their meanings    – baby’s earliest “sleep smiles” and sleep states, and what they signifyYour Baby Is Speaking To You delivers the information parents crave in gentle, accessible style while giving parents the confidence they need to respond to their own baby’s way of communicating during the very first astonishing days and the months beyond.

    Topics include basic female anatomy and physiology, midwifery practice issues, cultural considerations, hands-on skills, care through each trimester, problems that may occur in any trimester, and preexisting medical conditions.

    Uniquely, Birth Skills concentrates solely on helping you, and your partner, manage the pain of childbirth - from the first contraction, throughout the labour to the actual birth itself.Written by leading obstetric physiotherapist Juju Sundin, with Sarah Murdoch providing a mother's point of view, this wonderful book tells you exactly how your body works in labour and clearly explains how you can use movement, breathing, vocalisation, visualisation and many other easy-to-follow techniques to alleviate pain.Juju and Sarah's sound advice makes Birth Skills an invaluable guide for all expectant parents.

    A lot of the advice you’ve been given about what to eat (or what not to eat) is well-meaning, but frankly, outdated or not evidenced-based. In Real Food for Pregnancy, you’ll get clear answers on what to eat and why, with research to back up every recommendation. Author and specialist in prenatal nutrition, Lily Nichols, RDN, CDE, has taken a long and hard look at the science and discovered a wide gap between current prenatal nutrition recommendations and what foods are required for optimal health in pregnancy and for your baby’s development. There has never been a more comprehensive and well-referenced resource on prenatal nutrition. With Real Food for Pregnancy as your guide, you can be confident that your food and lifestyle choices support a smooth, healthy pregnancy.

    A new, fully revised version of the source book for pregnant women shows readers how to plan for a baby, survive tests and diagnostic screenings, emotional and physical changes, and complications.

    Spock”-like reference that is both reassuring and realistic—now updated to reflect the many advances in neonatology.Preemies, Second Edition is the only parents’ reference resource of its kind—delivering up-to-the-minute information on medical care in a warm, caring, and engaging voice. Authors Dana Wechsler Linden and Emma Trenti Paroli are parents who have “been there.” Together with neonatologist Mia Wechsler Doron, they answer the dozens of questions that parents will have at every stage—from high-risk pregnancy through preemie hospitalization, to homecoming and the preschool years—imparting a vast, detailed store of knowledge in clear language that all readers can understand. Preemies, Second Edition covers topics related to premature birth, including: What are your risk factors for having a premature baby? Can you do something to delay early labor? What do doctors know about you baby’s outlook during her first minutes and days of life? How will your preemie’s progress be monitored? How do you cope with a long hospitalization? Are there special preparations for you baby’s homecoming? What kind of stimulation during the first year gives your baby the best chance? Will your preemie grow up healthy? Normal?

    What's a doula? In short, it's a trained professional who provides physical, emotional, and informational support to a mother before, during, and just after birth. Studies have shown that when doulas attend births, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier, and breastfeeding is easier.The Mindful Mom-To-Be offers concrete, prescriptive health information, including natural solutions for aches and pains, colds, or trouble sleeping, but Lori Bregman's primary goal is to help expectant moms find what works best for them.With themes like "Living in Joy," "Destress and Decompress," and "Mothering Yourself" to accompany each month of pregnancy, Bregman encourages soon-to-be mothers to take time to explore their inner thoughts and fears, and examine their expectations of motherhood before their child arrives. Her spiritual exercises are positive, fun, and easy to put into practice.

    Everyone knows the secret to having “the Happiest Baby on the Block.” This is your guide to being the Sanest Mommy on the Block. It will prepare you with humor and grace for what lies ahead, give you the tools you need to take care of yourself, permission to struggle at times, and professional advice on how to move through it when you do. This book will become a dog-eared resource on your nightstand, offering you the same care and support that you are working so hard to provide to your child. It will help you prioritize your emotional health, set boundaries and ask for help, make choices about feeding and childcare that feel good to you, get good sleep, create a strong relationship with your partner, make self care an everyday priority, trust your instincts, and actually enjoy the hardest job you will ever love. This book is here to take care of you.

    This book is still the only comprehensive resource on this topic. Hilary Flower gives complete 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 300 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 this important topic. Each person's 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. The 2nd edition has the latest research on safety and nutrition, many more mothers' stories and quotes, checklists to keep you on track, chapter summaries, online resources, and all new photos and illustrations. You will also find four additional chapters: high risk pregnancy, the nursling's needs, closely spaced babies, and "triandem" nursing.

    You’ve meticulously poured over decisions to make your baby’s transition into this world just right. But how much thought and planning have gone into your transition into motherhood? In this comprehensive and warmhearted guide, Dr. Jolene Brighten, a Naturopathic Doctor and mother, shares her tips, natural techniques, and over 30 herbal and nutritional recipes to support healing and the transition into motherhood. Healing Your Body Naturally After Childbirth provides answers and solutions to common postpartum conditions, including: - Breastfeeding support and natural solutions to enhance milk supply - Herbal preparations to heal vaginal tissues, cracked nipples and more - Natural approaches to elevating mood and easing anxiety - Autoimmune thyroid, urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, digestive support and many other conditions that can arise from childbirth

    Move over Lamaze and Bradley! Already taking the west coast by storm, the McMoyler Method offers a modern, medically savvy approach to labor and delivery that addresses the hopes and fears of todays about helping moms cope, involving partners every step of the way, and working with doctors and nurses for the best birth-no matter how it happens.

    Instead, they are asking questions. The problem is the search for answers only leads parents to conflicting, one-sided information: doctors claim that parents are endangering their child's life if they refuse shots, while radical vaccine opponents claim parents are endangering their child's life if they accept shots. With The Vaccine Book, parents finally have one, fair, impartial, fact-based resource they can turn to for answers. Each chapter is devoted to a disease/vaccine pair and offer a comprehensive discussion of what the disease is, how common or rare it is, how serious or harmless it is, the ingredients of the vaccine, and any possible side effects from the vaccine. Ultimately, parents will have to make their own informed decisions as Dr. Bob Sears is neither pro-vaccine nor anti-vaccine. But The Vaccine Book will provide exactly the information parents want and need as they make their way through the vaccination maze.

    Applying the wisdom and insights he has gained through twenty years of communicating with these spirit babies, Makichen helps you resolve issues about starting a family…actively participate in the psychic process of creating a child…and move past your worries and fears about becoming parents. From the seven essential chakras that link our body, mind, and spirit to why pregnant women are superpsychic, you’ll discover:* How to create the energy that nurtures spirit babies* How to understand how past lives and chakras relate to your unborn child* The conception contract–what it is and what it means for you and your child* How karmic pairings affect conception and pregnancy* Why miscarriages occur and what they can signifyPlus spirit babies and guardian angels…spirit babies and adoption…spirit babies and dreams…and much moreFeaturing inspirational examples of couples who are now happy parents, as well as breath exercises and healing meditations at the end of each chapter, Spirit Babies tells you everything you need to know to become the parent you were meant to be.

    Softcover