Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide
Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide
With over one million copies in print, this is one of the best-selling books about pregnancy on the market. More complete and up-to-date than any other pregnancy guide, this remarkable book is the “bible” for childbirth educators. Now revised with:
-a greatly expanded treatment of pregnancy tests, complications, and infections
-an expanded list of drugs and medications, plus advice for uses
-a brand-new chapter on creating a detailed birth plan
Called “excellent” by the American Journal of Nursing.
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars Ok but outdated (a young first time Mom perspective)
Some good information, but outdated and not reader-friendly. I’m a first time mom and a visual learner, so this book was a bad choice. In fact, all of these complications listed everywhere quite scared me (in newer books, they have a separate chapter). There are a few black and white sketches and pictures, all of which are outdated and sporting looks from the 70’s. 80’s and 90’s (you’d think that along with “expanding and updating,” they could put in some up-to-date pictures). They also show pictures of a girl’s face as she goes through labor, which is contorted in pain– not what a first time mom needs. I already know labor is painful; I don’t need to see someone’s agonized face.
What I needed as a first timer was something from the present that I could relate to, not a dry textbook– I already have enough of those for my college classes.
So, I would recommend this book if you are not a visual learner and like straight black and white manual books.
For the new mom, I’d highly recommend any of these three below. They are filled with reader-friendly pictures and illustrations (actually having a weekly breakdown of actual photos what the fetus looks like– which really helps you bond closer), updated information, and overall, get you excited for pregnancy, which Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn definitely did not do. It relates better to the current decade and what us new moms are looking for.
I’m Pregnant!: A week-by-week guide from conception to birth
Conception, Pregnancy and Birth
The Complete Illustrated Pregnancy Companion: A Week-by-Week Guide to Everything You Need To Do for a Healthy Pregnancy
5 Stars A Favorite Pregnancy-Related Resource
I love this book. It was required reading for a natural childbirth class I took and I found it to be very informative, comprehensive, fair-balanced, and helpful. I often refer to it as I prepare for natural labor and delivery, and it always contains the answers to my questions. It’s well organized and much of the information is cross-referenced throughout the book so it’s easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for. It’s also easy to understand but doesn’t dumb things down to the point of being patronizing or uninformative, and it isn’t so pro-natural childbirth that it discounts medical science and interventions (as some natural childbirth books tend to do). It’s definitely one of my favorite pregnancy books.
5 Stars Wish I had this book years ago!
This book gives so much more information for the pregnant woman to make informed choices throughout pregnancy and birth than any other book out there. It does not push anything upon the reader, but gives the facts, plus the pros and cons to consider. The section on Breastfeeding and formula feeding is very well done. I wish I would have known about this book 7 pregnancies ago!
5 Stars This has been my pregnancy bible!
Recommended to me by my doctor, this is absolutely the best written and comprehensive pregnancy guide I’ve come across. I especially like that it takes into consideration each individual woman and family, allowing for a broad discussion on different types of labor preparation techniques (including medicated or non-medicated), detailed nutritional information, and all those other bits and pieces of information you can only hope for during the whirlwind of pregnancy… all in one place. I felt well informed, and (most importantly) less afraid about my pregnancy, labor, delivery and caring for the newborn after reading this.
Highly recommended!!!
3 Stars Will make you paranoid
This book doesn’t offer anything more than articles on[...] or any other book on pregnancy. Maybe it does… it offers a lot of information on possible complications before, during, and after labor that I started getting stressed out. Reading about the many things that can go wrong with the pregnany isn’t exactly what I want to dwell on during this time in my life that I should be feeling very blessed and happy. I had stopped reading it for my well-being.
Filed under: Parenting Advice Book Reviews