Having Twins And More: A Parent's Guide to Multiple Pregnancy, Birth, and Early Childhood by Elizabeth Noble, Leo Sorger, Louis G. Keith Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Having Twins And More: A Parent's Guide to Multiple Pregnancy, Birth, and Early Childhood
Book Review: Best book on twin birth!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am delighted to see a new edition of "Having Twins and More," by Elizabeth Noble. Elizabeth's other books, "Essential Exercises for the Childbearing Year," and "Childbirth With Insight" were required reading when I taught childbirth classes. "Having Twins" is the only book I can recommend to mothers expecting multiples. Other books gloss over the importance of nutrition and assume you will accept a high-risk pregnancy label and automatic cesarean without protest.
Some of the other reviewers of this book complained that it frightened them and that the dietary information was not to their liking. I looked through the book carefully, but I could not find the source of their concern. On a hunch, I looked at the reviews for "What to Expect When You Are Expecting," a book that I have always considered to be bland and overly deferential to obstetricians. Sure enough, many reviewers complained that this book frightened them and had impossible nutritional expectations. I had to laugh when I read that some folks actually thought that "What to Expect" undermined their doctor's authority!
I guess there is a subset of moms who don't want to hear that what they eat every day is more important than anything their doctor can do to insure a healthy pregnancy and a safe birth. Nor do they want to know that there are controversies in obstetrics, the least scientific medical specialty. Like it or not, there are important choices that every mother must make about birth. Leaving everything up to a doctor is still a choice, but the doctor is not the one who will have to live with the consequences.
"Having Twins and More" is the best book available for expectant parents of multiples, and the health professionals who work with them.
Book Review: Beware of those who claim there is only one RIGHT way
Summary: 1 Stars
The best advice I ever heard while pregnant was to let go of some "ideal" vision of my upcoming birthing experience because all that truly matters in the end is that mom and baby, or in my case babies(twin girls), are healthy. I started out my pregancy working with midwives and planned to have a water birth. When I found out we were having twins the plan began to change a bit. We still hoped for a vaginal birth but knew that all of the hospitals in our area preferred to do multiple deliveries in the surgical suite - just in case of a complication, so out went the water birth option. The night my water broke I was 36 weeks along and the girls had been estimated to weigh somewhere between 6 and 7 lbs so all seemed really good. One of the baby's was head down and in position but the other had turned into a breech position a few weeks back. We thought we could go ahead and deliver the first one naturally and then perhaps the second would turn. Our doctor was not on duty that night so the attending physician called to tell us he was going to have to do a caesarean. We questioned why and instead of explaining anything he said that is the only way he would deliver and he would transfer us somewhere else if we didn't agree. We knew we weren't going anywhere so we held our ground. The nursing staff was awesome and so supportive. Finally one of my doctor's partners was called in and came to see us. He took the time to check the sonogram and explained that there was a high risk when delivering the second baby breech. He explained what "could" happen and then left us to talk and make a decision. In the end I knew I hadn't carried these two healthy baby girls to risk anything happening to one of them due to a complication with a breech delivery, so we went ahead with the caesarean. Was that my first choice - absolutely not, was it the vision I had in the beginning, not even close, but we remained open and flexible and were intelligent enough to know that "one way" does not apply to all situations. We went home three days later with two beautiful baby girls. They were breastfed and bottlefed because I never could produce enough milk for them, again I had to be flexible. Breatfeeding wasn't easy at first and we relied on numerous visits to lactation specialists. I'm happy I've hung in there and the girls are still partially breastfeeding at over 7 months old. Yet, breastfeeding just isn't for everybody and they shouldn't be judged for it. A friend of mine had her son a month after me and his teeth came in early and he was biting her so hard that she had to wean him at 4 months and all the true and tried techniques to get him to stop didn't work. Again sometimes the "vision" doesn't match up with reality! Don't even get me started on home schooling! My husband is a fabulous middle school science teacher and 6th grade history teacher. I guarantee you that many parents are not qualified to teach all subjects to their children. In our area we have found that many home schooled children are being kept home by parents who have conservative religious views and are wanting to "protect" their children from other beliefs. I am shocked at parents who have taken issue with their children learning about different cultures in a world history class in 6th grade. This book reflects a narrow opinion. There are a lot of better books out there for parents of multiples.Book Review: Bizarre and pseudo-scientific
Summary: 1 Stars
I am a doula and I found this book to be poorly written and organized. It is badly in need of an editor. Ms. Noble's writing is confusing in some places, and seems lazy--she will make a statement but neglect to analyze it or explore it further.
I am pro-breastfeeding and natural childbirth and I will not circumcise my children either, but I find the author's preaching to be abrasive and maddening. She does not offer evidence for both sides of an issue, only for her point of view. She is also inconsistent--she advises her readers to find out their babies' sexes, then goes on about the dangers of the very tests (ultrasound, amniocentesis) that allow parents to find out the sex before birth.
While many women expecting multiples will have C-sections today, the chapter on C-sections is terrifying. I have been a doula for women having cesareans, and while they are not ideal, they are not the terrible thing this book makes them out to be. As a doula, it is my job to comfort women and it makes me angry to read a book that will no doubt put fear in anxiety into many of its readers. Ms. Noble should instead seek to reassure women that if they need a c-section, most likely they will be fine, as will their babies.
After chastising the medical industry for having practices that are not based on scientific evidence of efficacy, Ms. Noble then launches into her pseudo-scientific beliefs, such as that each of has memories going back to conception, which may be unlocked during hypnosis. She criticizes those she disagrees with as unscientific, yet much of her book is unscientific drivel.
Instead of writing a guide for all parents of multiples, regardless of their views on natural childbirth or circumcision, Ms. Noble has written an ideological creed about how she thinks one should birth and raise multiples.
Book Review: Bizarre perspective
Summary: 1 Stars
I've read most of this book and the more I've read the more bizarre it is. Noble claims that hypertension, anemia, and gestational diabetes are natural aspects of pregnancy that can be harmful if treated. She says bedrest is actually harmful, that ultrasounds increase fetal mortality and left-handedness (???) and a host of other claims. She implies that those carrying multiples many years ago always gave birth to healthy 7-lb each infants with none of the problems that some of us having multiples face today. She is an advocate for veganism, water births, home births, doulas and midwives and avoiding pain meds. Though my twins are big and healthy I certainly didn't take the advice in this book.
This is not medically sound advice nor is it objective or open-minded. It is a book of extreme views.
Book Review: Borrow it from the library if you have to...
Summary: 1 Stars
I would strongly suggest that you do not buy this book until you have had a chance to borrow it from the library and skim through it. I would say that more than 90% of soon-to-be parents out there will agree with all the negative reviews and would say it was a waste of money.