Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide Kindle Edition

I really liked this book. I was planning on my first unmedicated birth and this book was phenomenal. It’s along the lines of an easy read informative text almost like a textbook. It is much easier to read and more interesting than a textbook though. It presents all aspects of pregnancy and birth from complications to normality. I found it to be comforting to get the information up front without a hidden agenda , just facts. It also addresses how a partner can be supportive and the things they may be going through. It covers pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. I think this book is better than a lot on the market.

For my first pregnancy, I read The Mayo Clinic Pregnancy Book, What to Expect, The Husband-Coached Childbirth, and this Penny Simkin book, Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn. This book had the best balance of stats based on evidenced based medicine but also real life anecdotal vignettes from mothers. Throughout the book, there are quotes from mothers sharing their expectations and experiences - these voices put into perspective that there is no one right way, just a few different options that might work for me.For full disclosure, I approached this first pregnancy considering a natural childbirth but open to using drugs if needed. Since I come from a family of physicians I was skeptical of going too far off the holistic deep-end. I wanted to stay within a comfort zone that balanced following my body and practicing the best evidence-based medicine. After reading many Amazon reviews, I bought this book and was very very happy in its approach to preparing for and giving birth. The book does a great job of showing the range of options. For example, The book provides at least 3 sample birth plans ranging from mothers who wanted and epidural to mothers who wanted to give birth in a birthing center.A potential con is if you're interested in week by week drawings of your little fetus and getting updates on what fruit or vegetable s/he is, then you'll need to augment this book with the Mayo Clinic Pregnancy Book or sign up for Baby Center's week by week email. Penny Simkin's book will cover general fetus development and what you can expect in each phase of your pregnancy but invests much more in the types of proactive exercises you can be doing to prepare for the birthing process. There is also a section at the end on how to prepare for the newborn, breastfeed and other aspects of basic newborn care.The book has simple pictures to illustrate techniques. My husband and I started about 2 months before our due date by spending 5-30 minutes each night practicing some of the suggested natural birthing management techniques. There were so many different techniques but the book did a great job of suggesting short routines so that we could work on a few techniques each night. It was great "us" time too!In addition, there are also sections on possible interventions such as a c-section, different drug options, membrane stripping, etc. It was great to be exposed to these possibilities early on so that I could make the appropriate decision and refer back to the book as needed.I highly recommend this book for people that are looking for a little more information on what you can do proactively as you're preparing for your childbirth. The book is supportive of both drug-assisted and drug-free deliveries. We lucked out and had a drug-free delivery - I really surprised myself! It was a fantastic experience and this book really helped me prepare.

While looking through pregnancy books, I got tired of reading about how you got a second line, got sick, got fat, and squeezed out your "bundle of joy." What about the reality of the situation and how exactly that "bundle of joy" finds its way out of me and into this world?I could not be happier with my purchase of this book. It starts with a few chapters on the typical progression of mother and baby during pregnancy. It includes exercise and diet tips (with pictures) for pregnant women. There is a chapter on complications during pregnancy as well as one on how to plan for a birth. Birth plans are discussed in good detail, as well as interview questions for your OB/Midwife/Doula. In fact, there are different lists for each of those. Although doulas are discussed, this book does not assume you will have either a medicated or a natural birth. Those decisions are left to you.There are several chapters on labor and delivery. It was extremely informational to learn about the different "stages" and how they progress, as well as positions and situations to help ease the pain during each of these stages. I feel like I'm much more informed about labor now than with any other resource I've come across. Does the phrase "perineal stretches" sound familiar? It does now!The final few chapters review what to do once the baby enters the world. How do you breastfeed? How do you position your child? How many times should you feed each day and how many wet/poopy diapers should you expect? What are some common causes for concern? Answers to all of these questions are provided, as well as illustrations for breastfeeding, holding your newborn, etc.There are a few paragraphs scattered throughout this book for Dads, but this book is not geared directly towards men. I'm sure they would find it very informative, although the squeamish ones might shy away.I give this book four thumbs up (two from me, two from my baby in utero). I finally feel like I am better informed. This book respects you as a mother and aims to give you information in a very easy readable format.I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

This is the only book you’ll need for your first pregnancy. I bought and read 3 other popular pregnancy books— What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Ina Mays guide to Childbirth, and Mayo Clinic’s Guide to Healthy Pregnancy— and I found this book to be the BEST in all aspects of pregnancy and birth. It is the most realistic, detailed, comprehensive, and well organized.I highly recommend!

The media could not be loaded. El producto es excelente, bien empastado. Las hojas en impresión de buena calidad tanto el papel como las imágenes (buen color). Me encantó! Además esta lectura es beneficiosa, mucha información de utilidad.

It’s not the best pregnancy book out there for sure, if you wanna read just one very informative book, I wouldn’t recommend this one. The author doesn’t go into much detail and I find the chapters to be a bit chaotic, it’s hard to find some specific topic.

I’m from the U.K. and this book is mainly for US/ Canada but it’s informative overall. Definitely good for preparing for labor, the process of labor, having positive experience and memory of it, and then becoming a parent and looking after a newborn. Definitely good if you’re getting ready to plan for your birth plan and educate you on all the options and how to keep yourself mentally healthy. Some help in the late stages of pregnancy for when you struggle to sleep or have headaches etc. Not a week by week pregnancy book! It’s bigger focus is labor and after labor care for the baby!

This is the best one... Extremely useful