The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth (Revised) by Sheila Kitzinger Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth (Revised)
Book Review: hopeful midwife in training
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered this book on accident but after I got it and started reading everything is so easy to referance. Good description of positions for pregnancy labor and delivery- not to mention helpful post pregnancy advice too. I wish I had known about this book when I was prenant with my last baby. I will be adding this book to my lending library (after I get another one that is). Very impressive material. It is easily understood by someone who has little to no medical experiance and is informative enough to keep the attention of those with medical experiance.Book Review: Unbalanced, biased, and dangerous
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased this book partially because of the reviews it received on Amazon, but also because it was included in a book list from the hospital where I will be taking my birthing classes. And there is interesting information in there about the birthing process, what to expect, and what a woman's options are.However, that's information you can get elsewhere. I would highly discourage any woman from reading this book, but particularly other women who are experiencing the pressure and issues related to high risk pregnancies. I would agree with the above reviews that this book is not anti-Doctor. However, I couldn't help but feel as if the author was being judgmental towards those women who decide to give birth (naturally or otherwise) in a hospital. As a juvenile diabetic, I view my pregnancy as something of a miracle which would not have been able to happen unless I was under the wonderful, and supportive, care of my doctor and hospital staff - the same institutions Kitzinger is obviously weary of. And as a woman, I fully believe that we're suppose to be able to choose whatever methods are best for us, even if that means medical assistance or having our babies in a hospital instead of at home. It's hard enough having a high risk pregnancy without having to feel as if we're still doing something wrong.
That would have been enough for me to just set this book aside and turn to another. But than Kitzinger, who even quotes studies suggesting that you're doing something wrong if you want to have even an ultrasound, states the following: "However, most women can drink in moderation during pregnancy and have a perfect baby. Limit your intake to 10 units of alcohol a week and do spread them out over the week." This is someone who has no problem throwing at the reader every obscure study she can find about how dangerous medical treatment can be during pregnancy, but she ignores all the studies which point out, over and over again, how dangerous it is to drink? I was horrified and outraged at the double standard.
If you're going to read this book, just make sure you understand where her obvious bias is coming from. And please, please, don't actually think it's okay to have ten glasses of wine a week while pregnant. It will do serious damage to your baby.
Book Review: Make your own decisions about YOUR childbirth natural or not
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading these reviews here I bought and read this book during the last 3 months of my first pregnancy. It lived up to my expectations and then some. The bonus was that my husband also got a lot out of it and he said he wished he had read it cover to cover much earlier. Note: he decided to start reading it while I was in the early stages of labor at home, he said the "cramming" helped him tremendously to be a better birth partner and I have to agree with him. If you find many of the birth books out there a bit patronizing or superficial ("what to expect...") and if you want to consider alternative or natural options for birthing without having them shoved down your throat then this book is definitely for you.
For me it offered the perfect combination of information (detailed) and anecdotes so that it was fairly easy to read. Having said that, if you are looking for cute baby pictures and a "sound bite" style of writing then this may not be the book for you. It is for those that are willing to invest some time reading and thinking about how they want to manage their own pregnancy and birth experience. Some may find a few of the photos of women giving birth rather direct, but hey that is what childbirth looks like and it certainly helped me to deal with my fears and expectations about the event.
In the end I had a natural childbirth(on a birthing stool) that I felt in control of and would not have changed anything about. I am sure that my positive mindset had much to do with the preparation I did reading this book. If I have a second child I will pull this book out first and put away the others.
There is nothing man-hating (my husband would have picked up on that in a heartbeat) or anti-Dr about this book. She just presents the facts and information as they are without bias. The fact is that the rest of the developed world (outside the US) has significantly lower C-section rates, medicated birth rates etc... and just as low infant mortality rates so maybe we should listen up and learn something from our European friends?!
Book Review: Just Lovely
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought almost every pregnancy book around and this is THE one I felt was the most balanced. It doesn't preach to you that there is ONLY one way; it presents the facts and offers good advice. It doesn't leave you feeling cold and remote from the whole pregnancy experience; it actively involves you and empowers you. I can't understand why anyone at all would buy the "What to Expect" series - they just made me feel incompetent, inept, and uncomfortable. This book was obviously written by someone who want to share what an amazing experience pregnancy can be.Book Review: An amazing pro-birth book
Summary: 5 Stars
There are two kind of women out there: Those who want a traditional doctor who will "take care of everything for them" along with a traditional hospital birth with lots of medication options and an episiotomy, and those who want something more personal--who want their own body to do the work, who want help from experienced women and who want an intimate, memorable experience they can share with their partner. This is a book for the second type of woman. Those who are a little more, ahem, "traditional" should get "What to Expect When You're Expecting" (a book that I happen to think treats women like morons). "The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth" is an amazing, amazing book. It is so pro-family--talking about the importance of including husbands and even other family members if you should so choose. I am baffled by the anti-man comments in another review...this book is so incredibly pro-husband! In fact, it is my own husband's favorite pregnancy book. I'm also baffled by the criticism of waterbirth. Yes, the book does touch on waterbirth, which may sound strange to a middle-American, but is a very popular option in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Los Angeles, Seattle and other modern American cities--as well as a popular option in England, Canada, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, etc. That said, the book also objectively--Kintzinger does no bashing--discusses hospital-style procedures such as forcep deliver, episiotomy, epidurals, etc. Kitzinger is a big believer in having supportive, experienced, compassionate people around you, which is why she is such a fan of midwives, but she also discusses how to find such support in the hopsital among nurses and doctors.She even has pictures of a woman giving birth in a hospital using physical positions other than the flat-on-the-back position we all associate with hopsitals. As for the alcohol criticism, it's true. Kitzinger does say alcohol is okay in very small amounts. Before you get all hot and bothered, it's important to remember that Kitzinger is a European, a Brit. Having had personal, direct experience with French midwives, I know that not every country shares America's belief that women need completely abstain from alcohol during pregnancy. Most European midwives and doctors do say small amounts of alcohol are safe once you're past the first trimester. (In fact, I was told by a French doctor to have one two three glasses of red wine each week to "strengthen my blood" and "raise my iron levels." So go figure.) As for alcohol units, an earlier reviewer's translation isn't quite correct: In Britain a unit isn't an entire glass of wine, bottle of beer, etc. It's more akin to a half-filled small wine glass...what would only be a few ounces. Something to think about before everyone starts witch hunting! It's important to remember that not everyone wants the kind of hopsital births their American mothers had--and to appreciate that there are terrific options out there for us all. This book is a godsend for those of us who prefer options!