For women who want an alternative, choice is often unavailable: Midwives are sometimes inaccessible; in eleven states they are illegal. In one of those states, even birthing centers are outlawed.When did birth become an emergency instead of an emergence? Since when is normal, physiological birth a crime? A groundbreaking journalistic narrative, Pushed presents the complete picture of maternity care in America. Crisscrossing the country to report what women really experience during childbirth, Jennifer Block witnessed several births - from a planned cesarean to an underground home birth. Against this backdrop, Block investigates whether routine C-sections, inductions, and epidurals equal medical progress. She examines childbirth as a reproductive rights issue: Do women have the right to an optimal birth experience? If so, is that right being upheld? Block's research and experience reveal in vivid detail that while emergency obstetric care is essential, there is compelling evidence that we are overusing medical technology at the expense of maternal and infant health: Either women's bodies are failing, or the system is failing women.

    Stress-proof your life is for the people who struggle to find time for a shower much less a bath. It's for the ones who are still clicking their mouse or ironing a shirt at 11.30pm. The ones who don't take their annual leave and worry that stress is affecting their health and relationships. Or they would worry if they weren't so knackered and that report wasn't due in at 9am. It's going to take a lot more than a candle-lit bubble bath to sort them out..." Elisabeth Wilson. Stress is not a generic thing although it's always treated that way. Some people are really good at avoiding some stresses without realising that they are slaves to another kind. Elisabeth looks at the sources - occupational, genetic and environmental - and reveals 52 clever techniques and ideas that focus on the causes rather than simply telling people how to deal with the symptoms. Here are just some of the chapters to be discovered: * Admit your addiction! * The power of positive stress; * Give a little, get a lot - why volunteering could be the best decision you've ever made; * Too stressed to sleep? - it happens, here's what to do if it happens to you (Strictly no lavender candles); * and The 'stop and collapse' effect - if you're fed up with getting sick on the very first day of your holiday, here's how to prevent it. With the "52 Brilliant Ideas" series readers can enhance their existing skills with negligible investment of time or money and will substantially improve their performance over the course of a year. Each of the 52 chapters tackles a single aspect of the subject in an entertaining and lively way. At the end of each chapter is a "how did it go?" feature which allows readers to reflect on the lesson in a classical experiential learning pattern. The tone of each book is personal and informal; readers will feel as thought they are having a one-to-one with their favourite coach.

    It’s no wonder childhood obesity has become an epidemic in the last thirty years. As a result, by the time most people reach adulthood, they’re already wired to overeat. Family nutrition expert Eileen Behan posits that good nutrition and good eating habits start on day one. The Baby Food Bible features a guide to more than 100 foods recommended for infants and toddlers based on the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, tells parents when to introduce these foods into a child's diet, and emphasizes the importance of setting healthy eating routines that center on family meals at the dining room table–the perfect time to build good habits. In a clear, accessible style, Behan describes how to:• foster an appetite for a healthy variety of new foods (there’s more to life than string cheese)• avoid everyday pitfalls, such as relying on too much fruit juice or labeling your child a picky eater • establish a meal and snack schedule (children will feel more secure and eat better)• decipher the many labels and ingredient lists at the grocery store• prevent and treat common food-related issues, including allergies, colic, choking, and iron deficiency• encourage the foods that will discourage chronic disease, from high blood pressure to heart diseaseThe Baby Food Bible also features an alphabetized index–from apples to zucchini–that explains how to buy, store, prepare, and serve more than 100 foods, with delicious recipes for every meal, wholesome snack ideas, and advice for eating out. There’s no better way to ensure your child will grow up to have a happy and healthy life!

    Offered are ways for mothers to reconnect with their inner selves and become calmer and happier—with the recognition that a happier mother will be a better parent. This realistic look at motherhood acknowledges the sorrows as well as the joys of mothering and offers real and achievable coping strategies for mothers to renew their lives on a deep level.

    It's a complete planner, and includes forms to track medical expenses, checklists to help achieve a healthy diet, easy-to-fill-in personal and family medical history pages, suggested shopping lists for pregnancy wardrobe and layettes. Plus plenty of room to record important questions for the doctor, favorite names, keep a labor and birth diary, and more. With a new design that is compact and Wire-O bound with a spine, the pregnancy organizer can be slipped into a handbag or briefcase, to be carried everywhere for everything worth jotting down. 344,000 copies in print.

    Delving into the unknown can also create an element of self-doubt that fills your mind right off the bat. That coupled with an overwhelming task of choosing and gathering curriculum, creating lesson plans, organizing supplies, and teaching multiple grade levels can be quite disheartening.Don't worry! Homeschooling 101 is a step by step practical guide that will help you to get started, and continue on in your homeschooling journey. It is designed to help guide you through all of the steps to getting started, choosing and gathering curriculum, creating effective lesson plans, scheduling your day, organizing your home, staying the course and more! It even includes helpful homeschooling forms!

    Each step is illustrated with full color photography -- many of which are life-size. Dozens of step-by-step illustrations help make the many aspects of infant care easier to master.In-depth and highly readable information covers:Nutrition and exercise Cesarean section Planning for a home birth Options for pain relief Prenatal and postpartum care Coping with emotional changes Taking care of newborns Preparing a safe environment at home Quick reference gatefold spreads help keep track of important tests and check-ups for each trimester. Included is an in-depth directory of specialized tests and procedures available for both mother and child.The Pregnancy Bible is an extensive, accessible, up-to-the-minute sourcebook of everything expecting parents need to know, combining the knowledge and experience of many medical specialists and healthcare providers.

    In The Petit Appetit Cookbook, mother and professional cook Lisa Barnes offers a healthy all-organic alternative to commercially processed, preservative-filled foods to help create delicious menus, nurture adventurous palates, and begin a lifetime of positive eating habits for children.Includes:150+ easy, fast, child-tested recipes for ages 4 months to 4 yearsMealtime solutions for even the most finicky eatersNutritional information for each recipeTime-saving cooking techniquesThe right age- and stage-appropriate food choicesHow and when to introduce solids to baby's dietAdapting family recipes for young childrenRecognizing signs of food allergies and intolerances

    Master dog trainer and author of Good Owners, Great Dogs Brian Kilcommons shows readers how to encourage children and dogs to be perfect companions, in a comprehensive manual that demonstrates how to train an older dog to acept an infant, choose the right breed, and more.