5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just what I was looking for!, Feb 7 2007
By imbeachgrl - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Body, Soul, and Baby: A Doctor's Guide to the Complete Pregnancy Experience, From Preconception to Postpartum (Hardcover)
My mom sent me this book as a gift (thanks mom!) and it was just what I was looking for....something to help guide me through my pregnancy without "telling" me what I should be doing or feeling. It helps me to figure out my own feelings about what is going on with my body. The suggestions and exercises make your transition into motherhood more real and make you more aware of the changes that will come about. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for all of their options when it comes to fertility and pregnancy and finding their own way through this magnificent and amazing time!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding emotional advice; some medical disagreements, Dec 29 2009
By Ananda Lowe "Author, The Doula Guide to Birth" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Body, Soul, and Baby: A Doctor's Guide to the Complete Pregnancy Experience, From Preconception to Postpartum (Paperback)
As a health care writer and a future mother, this is currently my favorite book on pregnancy. There are a few excellent books from years ago that address the emotional journey of pregnancy and give the reader psychological exercises to try, such as "Pregnant Feelings" by Rahima Baldwin Dancy and "An Easier Childbirth" by Gayle Peterson, but this is one of the only recent books on the topic that I'm aware of. I love this approach -- and we need this book in a climate that neglects the central importance of emotions in pregnancy.
Mothers who use midwives and doulas are often drawn to the extra psychological support offered by their caregivers, and will probably respond well to this book. Also, mothers who see obstetricians would also find this book an important complement to their care, since doctors typically spend significantly less time on prenatal emotional support. Those who are familiar with the book "Birthing From Within" may appreciate "Body, Soul, and Baby" for its similar approach to pregnancy (the former is more solely focused on birth).
My complaints are few, but I was disappointed in the following recommendations made by author and physician Tracy Gaudet. When she writes about midwives, she ignores Certified Professional Midwives, the most common type of home birth midwife in the U.S. She speaks only of "lay" midwives who are uncertified, and she is not supportive -- but she doesn't base her comments on scientific evidence or have experience working in a home setting (research amply demonstrates that CPMs and home birth, which can be attended by doctors as well as midwives, are as safe or safer than hospital birth). Home birth families may be especially drawn to a personalized, emotionally-based approach to pregnancy, so it is unfortunate that Gaudet might alienate these readers.
She also writes that in cases of stillbirth, she supports the option of elective cesarean section (as an alternative to expecting the mother to birth vaginally). She means to spare the mother the sadness of laboring with a stillborn. However, I find the recommendation troubling and lacking in evidence, as it adds the potential risks of major surgery, such as depression, hemorrage or infection, and possible future infertility, to an already very painful situation.
Overall, as a childbirth professional I love this book for filling a great need among pregnancy books -- and hope to meet the author someday, since we share a publisher.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Different Perspective for Baby Books, Mar 20 2009
By C. Burton - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Body, Soul, and Baby: A Doctor's Guide to the Complete Pregnancy Experience, From Preconception to Postpartum (Paperback)
This is a great book because it's written more to give the reader a different perspective of the entire pregnancy process than a typical Mayo Clinic type pregnancy book. It makes you look a little deeper at things like how the you feel, etc. versus just the medical facts.