Being a home birthing mom, I approach such books, especially one written by a male doctor, with skepticism and uncertainty. Dr. Curtis' experience speaks for itself though with over 25 years experience and 5000 plus deliveries! I think this man may know what he is talking about! So, I jumped in with both feet and what a wealth of knowledge I found. Now, I don't agree with everything, by far but the information that I read was well presented and clear albeit medically minded. I learned a lot reading this book.It would take pages and pages to list all the topics this book covers (this edition alone has 80 new topics added) but I want to list quite a few of them to give you a good idea of what is here:
- pre-pregnancy including both mother-to-be issues and father-to-be issues. diseases - current and continuing. testing, conception help, diet and nutrition, after 35, weight, stress.
- pregnancy topics: gestational diabetes, "body art", relationship issues, teenage pregnancy, depression, itching, stress, answers about fish and shellfish, dreams, testing for breast lumps, placenta answers, bed-rest answers, cancer in pregnancy, multiples, warning signs of complications, placenta abruption, , stress incontinence (why didn't anyone tell me about this???), true vs false labor, pet considerations, nutrition requirements while pregnant and breastfeeding.
- About labor and delivery and after: premature babies, what is labor?, episiotomy (this is still very common), choosing a pediatrician, cesarean deliveries and VBACs, tests during labor, postpartum distress syndrome and baby blues, breech presentation, feeding methods, pain relief in labor, cord blood banking, what to expect at the hospital, newborn tests, going post term (42+ weeks), inducing labor, postpartum bleeding and hemorrhage.
- What happens in the first year after your pregnancy? (Having just had a baby, I found this section particularly interesting.)
- glossary and index
- Dad Tip boxes, pregnancy tip boxes, weight gain chart, sleep tips, eating tips, old wives' tales!, dilatation diagram, packing list.
- how big is your baby?
- how big are you?
- how your baby is growing and developing
- changes in you
- how your actions affect your baby's development
- your nutrition
- you should also know
- exercise of the week
- a drawing of the baby - size and shape for that week
I do not feel that the authors gave enough "time" in the book for alternatives to hospital births. Midwifery, doulas, and alternative and complementary medical techniques are also safe and proven ways to give birth. He touches briefly on these issues but doesn't expound on them. For me, that doesn't give a well balanced look at pregnancy and birth. Being that the book is written by a doctor I understand that this is where he is coming from and was not surprised by the fact that he fully supported vaccinations as well. My advice is to get more information on these topics. Educate yourselves further and then make a decision! These are very personal decisions and with more information individual families can make educated choices.
Overall, this book is a wealth of information - some of which I wish I would have had through my pregnancies. (Cervical dilatation chart and weekly exercises are two I wish I had.) I will recommend that my friends and family read this book in their next pregnancies. I found the text to be uplifting and positive in nature. Other books I have read (another popular pregnancy week by week book) have been focused on the negative aspects of pregnancy and in an already emotional time and state of mind I much prefer the positive spin these authors give pregnancy and birth.
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1 November 12th, 2008 at 1:40 am
Your Pregnancy Week by Week 6th Edition…
About labor and delivery and after: premature babies, what is labor?, episiotomy (this is still very common), choosing a pediatrician, cesarean deliveries and VBACs, tests during labor, postpartum distress syndrome and baby blues, ……