New Well Pregnancy Book: Completely Revised and Updated

I have bought a number of pregnancy books and looked at many more, and this one is definitely the best. I would say that if it is information you are after, don't bother buying any other book - just get this one. Like other reviewers have said, this one actually provides scientific evidence for the claims it makes, and it is well-written and easy to understand too. Do you want to know about episiotomy (an incision made in the perineum between the vagina and the anus) and if and when it is a good thing? Here's the place to find out. And what about electronic monitoring of the fetus during labour? Sounds like a good thing, right? That's what our intuitions tell us - but what are the empirical facts about its use? This book gives you the evidence. Do you want to know exactly what is happening inside your body during conception, pregnancy, labour, delivery and breast-feeding? This book gives you the physiological details, not just vague, general descriptions.Doctors, although well-meaning, are not necessarily being rationally guided by the scientific evidence when they perform episiotomies or c-sections and so on. So, in order to have the best chances of having the kind of birth you want, you have to find out the evidence for yourself - and this book helps you to do that. It is, of course, no replacement for a knowledgeable, helpful, sympathetic midwife or doctor (who can answer very specific questions that you have at 3am!) but it is an excellent supplement to their advice.

I bought this book after having read all the other more popular pregnancy books, and I found this one to be my favorite. Unlike the others, it includes lots of scientific data and discussion of various studies that answer all the "why" questions I had about pregnancy. Most books tell women to eat right, exercise, and maintain a low-stress lifestyle, but they offer little in the way of explanation of how such choices affect the baby. This book thoroughly explains it all! I'm so thrilled to have found it, I'll recommend it to any pregnant woman I know who is as frustrated as I was to have felt talked-down-to by other, more vague books.

When after 6 years of trying I was finally pregnant, I remember the joy of the moment, but also the intense fear of now having to face labor and delivery. This book, like no other, "coached" me during the entire pregnancy, and helped me face labor and delivery without fear. I came to understand fully why my body was doing what it was doing, and I was able to work WITH my body instead of against it. As a result, I was able to have my son without any drugs -- natural childbirth at its best. For any skeptics out there, I always did keep my options open to make use of drugs, should I not be able to cope. No woman's childbirth experience is the same as another's, but understanding what was going on physically helped me deal with it psychologically. For the past 9 years, I have given this book to all my expecting friends. And, I just bought it again for my expecting sister-in-law!

This book is extremely detailed in its presentation of material. Everything from medicines to general attitudes of doctors in this and other countries on certain subjects. This book explains c-sections in great medical detail so you have advanced knowledge of the procedure. I have not yet had a child, yet I still recommend this book to anyone who is interested in getting or is pregnant.

This book is all about information. I never felt this book left out any facts I was looking for. It was the definitive book I got my information from (out of many, many books). It was a valuable resource for both my first AND second pregnancies. It can be a little text heavy at times, I certainly wouldn't recommend sitting down and reading it like a novel. But when taken a topic at a time, this book is one you don't want to be without during your pregnancy.