Misconceptions: Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood


Naomi Wolf - 1999
    In Misconceptions, she demythologizes motherhood and reveals the dangers of common assumptions about childbirth. With uncompromising honesty she describes how hormones eroded her sense of independence, ultrasounds tested her commitment to abortion rights, and the keepers of the OB/GYN establishment lacked compassion. The weeks after her first daughter’s birth taught her how society, employers, and even husbands can manipulate new mothers. She had bewildering post partum depression, but learned that a surprisingly high percentage of women experience it. Wolf’s courageous willingness to talk about the unexpected difficulties of childbirth will help every woman become a more knowledgeable planner of her pregnancy and better prepare her for the challenges of balancing a career, freedom, and a growing family. Invaluable in its advice to parents, Misconceptions speaks to anyone connected–personally, medically, or professionally–to a new mother.

Silent Knife: Cesarean Prevention and Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)


Nancy Wainer Cohen - 1983
    Wall Street Journal A landmark event, which will change the course of obstetric care by giving parents the informtion they need to make the decisions that are best for their own families. Comprehensive, highly readable, sensitive . . . should be read by everyone who cares about someone. Marian Tompson Director, Alternative Birth Crisis Coalition American Academy of Medicine Required reading for all childbirth professionals and prospective parents. Journal of Gynecological Nursing

The Sh!t No One Tells You: A Guide to Surviving Your Baby's First Year


Dawn Dais - 2013
    She believes that a vast conspiracy exists to hide the horrific truth about parenting from doe-eyed expectant mothers who might otherwise abandon their babies in hospitals and run for it. In The Sh!t No One Tells You, Dais tells it like it is, revealing what it’s really like to be a new parent and providing helpful insights, humor, and hope for those who feel overwhelmed by the exhausting trials they’re suddenly facing. Eschewing the adorableness that oozes out of other parenting books, Dais offers real advice from real moms—along with hilarious anecdotes, clever tips, and the genuine encouragement every mom needs in order to survive the first year of parenthood.

Exercising Through Your Pregnancy


James F. Clapp III - 1998
    According to James F. Clapp, M.D., author of Exercising Through Your Pregnancy women can exercise before, during, after their pregnancies. “Some women fear that exercise will increase the risk of miscarriage, malformations, pre-term labor, brain damage to the baby, or material injury, but this is not the case.” However, according to Dr. Clapp’s research, women who exercise feel better, perform better, and have babies that are be stronger physiologically and perhaps better developed neurologically.” Among the questions he answers:  ·  How does exercise benefit the mother?·  How does exercise affect growth of the fetus?·  What is the effect of exercise on milk production?·  Does exercise limit weight gain during pregnancy?·  What is the right amount of exercise?·  What are the dos and don’ts of exercising when pregnant?·  When should exercise be avoided?·  How late into pregnancy can you exercise?·  What should be the exercise regimen after giving birth?Dr. Clapp provides guidelines for exercise plans that safely fulfill a mother’s needs during different phases of pregnancy. Common Myths About Exercising and Pregnancy 1. Pregnant women should keep their heart rates under 140 beats per minute.2. Exercise during lactation makes the milk taste sour.3. Women should avoid abdominal exercises in mid and late pregnancy.4. Pregnant women should not lift weights.5. The bouncing and jarring which occur during running and high-impact aerobics increase the risk for the baby getting tangled up in the umbilical cord.6.  Exercise causes premature labor.7.  Exercise will cause the fetus to detach from the wall of the womb.8.  Exercise right after a pregnancy will cause hernias and loss of vaginal and pelvic support.

We're Parents! The New Dad Book for Baby's First Year: Everything You Need to Know to Survive and Thrive Together


Adrian Kulp - 2019
     Quick advice—Key childcare tips are broken into short, convenient guides—unlike other new dad books, there’s no reading an entire textbook just to change a diaper. The big moments—Track your baby’s development at a glance with charts that lay out the most important milestones in one place. Who needs other new dad books when you have the expert guidance of We’re Parents! at hand?

Mothering the New Mother: Women's Feelings Needs After Childbirth: A Support and Resource Guide


Sally Placksin - 2000
    Share the experiences, successes, and struggles of many other women before and after childbirth in this all-in-one mothercare guide about family, work, the baby (or second or third baby), and you. Includes checklists, plan-ahead suggestions, questionnaires, and much more.Drawn from three years of research, the author's own experience, and the candid recollections of many mothers—married and single, birth and adoptive, older and younger— the nine chapters in this comprehensive guide cover all aspects of the postpartum experience, including:what the new mom should expect when she goes homewhat postpartum is and how long it lastswhere to find breastfeeding helphow to ask for helpthe new mom's home-care optionsrealistic going-back-to-work optionshow to relieve the isolation of at-home motheringwhat to say (and not to say) to family membersand much more

Save Your Gallbladder and what to do if you've already lost it


Sandra Cabot - 2013
    A book to help everyone affected by disease of the gallbladder or bile ducts.If you are having gallbladder problems, whether you have already lost it or not, this book tells you what to do. Gallbladder disease can be painful and frightening, which explains why many people are rushed off to surgery to have their gallbladder removed. Is this the best thing to do? Are we panicking? These decisions are complex and serious and thus it takes an expert in liver and gallbladder problems like Dr Sandra Cabot to help you make sense of it.Your gallbladder is precious and supports optimal digestion and absorption of nutrients and some people have complications after surgery, some people still have the same pain after surgery some people never feel well after having their gallbladder removed.Thankfully, Dr Cabot has written this book to help you and your doctor make the best decisions.In most cases there are safe natural alternatives that can help you to save your gallbladder, dissolve stones and restore healthy gallbladder and liver function.In this book you will find the following information:Types of gallbladder disorders covered in this bookRisk factors for gallbladder diseaseSymptoms of gallbladder dysfunctionSymptoms of a gallbladder attackThe natural treatment of gallstonesThe seven essential strategies for treating gallbladder disease1. Keep the bile fluid and keep it moving - ie. prevent bile stasis and bile sludge2. The best foods and herbs for the gallbladderRaw vegetable juice for the gallbladderGreen goodness soup for the gallbladderRaw beetroot salad for the gallbladder3. Keep your bowel moving and avoid constipation4. Take the right nutrients necessary for healthy bile5. Reduce cholesterol6. Avoid problem foods and fix your digestionCoeliac disease and gallstonesFood allergies and gallstones7. Eat the right fatsFirst aid remedies for easing the pain of a gallbladder attackTo flush or not to flush: when is it safe and appropriate to do a gallbladder flush?Safe and effective gallbladder flushGallbladder remedies cheat sheetsummary of the most important pointsBasic structure and function of the gallbladderWhat goes wrong - why do gallstones form?Thick and stagnant bile - a recipe for stone formationDiagnosis of gallbladder diseaseBlood testsWhat if it’s not your gallbladder after all?The conventional medical treatment of gallstonesNon-surgical medical treatments for gallstonesSometimes it has to go!Signs and symptoms that indicate your gallbladder should come outOther conditions affecting the gallbladder or bile ducts.95Gallbladder conditions during pregnancyHow to live well without a gallbladderStrategies for maintaining good health without a gallbladderRecipes and Food IdeasSuper Quick Shopping Listwww.sandracabot.comwww.liverdoctor.comwww.cabothealth.com.au

The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night


Elizabeth Pantley - 2002
    If you don't believe in letting your baby cry it out, but desperately want to sleep, there is now a third option, presented in Elizabeth Pantley's sanity-saving book The No-Cry Sleep Solution.Pantley's successful solution has been tested and proven effective by scores of mothers and their babies from across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Based on her research, Pantley's guide provides you with effective strategies to overcoming naptime and nighttime problems. The No-Cry Sleep Solution offers clearly explained, step-by-step ideas that steer your little ones toward a good night's sleep--all with no crying.Tips from The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Uncover the stumbling blocks that prevent baby from sleeping through the nightDetermine--and work with--baby's biological sleep rhythmsCreate a customized, step-by-step plan to get baby to sleep through the nightUse the Persistent Gentle Removal System to teach baby to fall asleep without breast-feeding, bottlefeeding, or using a pacifier

Great Expectations: Your All-In-One Resource for Pregnancy & Childbirth


Sandy Jones - 2004
    Numerous navigation aides in the volume help parents to rapidly access critical information.The beautifully-illustrated, Your Pregnancy Week-by-Week section details every body change for both Mom and Baby for nine months with hundreds of timely coping tips. The Managing Your Pregnancy section includes: strategies for planning maternity leave; exercise guidelines; what to eat and what to avoid; safe and unsafe medications; and how to locate the best childcare and pediatricians. The illustrated Baby Gear Guide warns about unsafe products and offers solid, research-based facts for choosing the safest car seats, cribs, soft carriers, baby diapers and clothing. Your Guide to Giving Birth is the most up-to-date labor and birth resource available to parents today.Based on brand-new medical evidence, it helps families to realistically plan for labor and delivery, including detailed "you are there" descriptions for every major intervention and medication they re likely to encounter -- such as epidurals, inductions and cesarean sections. You and Your Baby presents a complete guide for the first six months of life after birth.There's mom-friendly advice for post-birth recovery, and baby-sensitive care strategies for feeding, bathing, diapering, soothing and helping a baby to sleep. The book s Resource Guide lists over 100 of the best Internet sites for parents. The comprehensive Pregnancy Dictionary translates 200-plus pregnancy and medical terms into easy-to-understand lay language."I have this book as well as "What to Expect When Expecting," and I find this book to be so much better as it gives a week to week breakdown of what is happening to both mom and baby. I pick up this book each week as my pregnancy progresses and even though not every issue listed in each week's summary necessarily happens to me, it's good to know what I 'could' expect. I would highly recommend this book to any expecting mom!" -- "Cynthia, an expectant mother""If you are searching for one book for your pregnancy or for that one book to refer all of your expectant clients to, this book is by far the greatest achievement in childbirth education reading material! Sandy Jones and her daughter Marcie Jones have included absolutely everything an expectant woman and her family needs to know. This book should be on everyone's recommended reading list"--"Connie Livingston, BS, RN, FACCE (Dona), CCE, CLD, ""birthsource.com""Great Expectations is the perfect resource for moms-to-be. Sandy and Marcie Jones speak to the expectant mother of today in a friendly, approachable tone, and present their thorough information in a way that's great for both quick look-ups, and in-depth reading."--"Stacia Ragolia, VP, Community & Parenting, iVillage.com""Accurate, comprehensive, empowering, and current. I see this as being the new Dr. Spock for pregnancy...This is definitely a book I will recommend to my clients who are planning a pregnancy or currently pregnant."--"Cherie C. Binns, RN, BS, MSCN""

The Doula's Guide to Empowering Your Birth


Lindsey Bliss - 2018
    Lindsey Bliss, who has assisted as a doula at hundreds of births and is herself a mother of seven, reveals here all the wisdom and advice that doulas share with the new mothers who hire them.The Doula's Guide to Empowering Your Birth covers the period from pregnancy through labor and birth to fourth trimester healing. The focus, however, is on preparing for birth--including topics like how to pick the right childbirth class and the right birthing method. You’ll also see how to assemble the team of professionals, family members, and friends who will support you through labor and birth, and how to approach last-minute decisions about pain medications and cesarean sections. Bliss's tone throughout is at once authoritative and confident as well as warm and encouraging. Her concern in her practice as well as in these pages is to listen to and help secure each new mom's own personal vision of a birthing experience that is safe, fulfilling, and meaningful.

Safe Infant Sleep: Expert Answers to Your Cosleeping Questions


James J. McKenna - 2020
    Health professionals broadly discourage all forms of cosleeping, which, along with the potentially devastating consequences, makes deciding how and where your baby should sleep both confusing and frightening. Parents who cherish the closeness, security, and warmth of cosleeping are finding themselves conflicted, concerned, and exhausted. Cosleeping, a term which encompasses sleeping in the same room or on the same bed as your infant, is a common parental instinct driven by physiology and seen throughout human history. Despite mainstream opposition, thousands of parents continue the practice, whether intentionally, accidentally, or out of necessity. So, why do current medical guidelines insist that cosleeping is unsafe? What is the difference between SIDS and SUID, and are they related to cosleeping? What should parents do to make a safe sleep space for their infant? If a family chooses to cosleep, how should they respond to reproach from friends, family, or medical professionals? In Safe Infant Sleep, the world's authority on cosleeping breaks down the complicated political and social aspects of sleep safety, exposes common misconceptions, and compares current recommendations to hard science. With the latest information on the abundant scientific benefits of cosleeping, Dr. James J. Mckenna informs readers about the dangers of following over-simplified recommendations against the age-old practice, and encourages parents to trust their knowledge and instincts about what is and is not safe for their baby. This book offers a range of options and safety tips for your family's ideal cosleeping arrangement. These include variations of roomsharing and bedsharing, and introduce the concept of "breastsleeping." This term, coined by Dr. McKenna himself, is based on the inherent biological connection between breastfeeding and infant sleep, and provides readers with everything they need to know about safely sharing a bed with their baby. Complete with resource listings for both parents and professionals, this book teaches you how to confidently choose a safe sleeping arrangement as unique as your family.

Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond


Nancy Bardacke - 2012
    Drawing on groundbreaking research in neuroscience, mindfulness meditation, and mind/body medicine, Bardacke offers practices that will help you find calm and ease during this life-changing time, providing lifelong skills for healthy living and wise parenting.SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF MINDFUL BIRTHING:Increases confidence and decreases fear of childbirth Taps into deep inner resources for working with pain Improves couple communication, connection, and cooperation Provides stress-reducing skills for greater joy and wellbeing

Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year


Anne Lamott - 1993
    A gifted writer and teacher, Lamott (Crooked Little Heart) is a single mother and ex-alcoholic with a pleasingly warped social circle and a remarkably tolerant religion to lean on. She responds to the changes, exhaustion, and love Sam brings with aplomb or outright insanity. The book rocks from hilarious to unbearably poignant when Sam's burgeoning life is played out against a very close friend's illness. No saccharine paean to becoming a parent, this touches on the rage and befuddlement that dog sweeter emotions during this sea change in one's life.

The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality


Kimberly Ann Johnson - 2017
    Pregnancy, childbirth, and post-partum offer women some of the most emotionally enriching and satisfying experiences of their life. But many women entering motherhood are shocked at their lack of preparation or awareness about what that actually means for their bodies, minds, spirits, and relationships. Kimberly Johnson, a doula, post-partum recovery expert, and yoga instructor has created a wise and supportive illustrated guide that offers women a roadmap to this very important transition that can last a few months--or even a few years. She draws from her vast professional experience, as well as her own personal experience, and also a number of disciplines including Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, yoga, herbal medicine, energetics, and traditional (folk) remedies, among others, to create a truly rich and holistic guide. The book offers advice for pregnant women on how to prepare their body for birth; how to organize themselves and their households for the best possible transition to motherhood; simple practices to facilitate healing and restore energy; and how to strengthen relationships and aid the return to sex. Johnson also explores the complex and often conflicting emotions that arise post-partum, and explores the profound nature of childbirth and new motherhood. She helps women contextualize their experience and tap into the spiritual opportunities it can provide.

Mom, Jason's Breathing on Me!: The Solution to Sibling Bickering


Anthony E. Wolf - 2003
    You might never again have to hear the words: "Mommy, Ann drooled on me on purpose." You could have the answer for every "It's not fair!" your kids have ever whined at you. Constant sibling squabbling--and the ensuing demand that you pick a side, quick--can wear parents down and totally drain the fun right out of family life. Now in this groundbreaking book, Dr. Anthony Wolf offers a whole new strategy for coping. In a fresh, funny, and straightforward way, Dr. Wolf presents three essential rules for dealing with sibling arguments--rules that, if followed, completely remove the root causes of bickering. From teasing and hitting to rivalries and boundaries, Dr. Wolf addresses a wide range of issues, and he does it with humor and a pitch-perfect ear for actual kid/parent dialogue. This is a book about real children--who they are, what they want, why they act as they do, and what you can do to alleviate the strife between siblings.