The Complete Book of Pregnancy & Childbirth

My wife and I are expecting our second child and thoroughly enjoyed Sheila Kitzinger's book. With a ten-year span between our first child and our latest, we wanted a good, all around primer/review. Kitzinger's book is excellent whether you're having your first child or are experienced parents. She provides enough basic information that it's accessible for beginners, yet includes substantive, helpful details that even veteran parents will find beneficial. Like everything from DK Publishers, the photography is bright, clear and easy to look at. Our son loves looking at the pictures and the book has been a great way to talk with him about our pregnancy. On a side note, we love Kitzinger's treatment of the subject of circumcision. Not only does she state matter-of-factly that there's no reason for it, but when she discusses the cultural/religious motivations for circumcision she encourages Jewish and Muslim parents to opt for a pain-free naming ceremony that welcomes a baby boy into this world without cutting him. As Jews opposed to circumcision, we found Kitzinger's inclusion of this information reaffirming. I could go on and on. I'll just say that, if you only have a limited amount of time and/or a limited budget, Kitzinger's book is the best all-around pregnancy and childbirth book I've seen so far. Of the dozens of books we've read on the subject, only a few of them occupy a permanent place on our bookshelf. Sheila Kitzinger's book will definitely be joining that select group.

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

I recntly attended a baby shower with three generations of woman who each have had several children. After talking with them and many elderly women in my community about pregnancy and childbirth, I feel incredibly luck to have this book available to me and other women in my generation. It was only a short itme ago when these women had no books to read about this subject and if they were lucky they had a pamflet giving the most juvenile and conservative information. During my own pregancy just one year ago I found this book to be the most helpful and validating to my own opinions.I have read many books regarding getting pregnant like Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I have read books about being pregnant such as What to Expect When You are Expcting, The Complete Book to Pregnancy and Childbirth, and Your Pregnancy Week by Week.I of course have also read many books about parenting ranging from Dr.Sears Baby Book, Penelope Leach's Your Baby and Child to the Baby wise series and What to Expect the First Year and Toddler Years. All these books have valid points and intersting ideas. To be educated and well informed you need to read all sides, views and ideas! Shelia does a wonderful job giving a well rounded scope of information pulling from all resources available. As an anthropologist or even if she were a doctor she gave us a knowledgable and well designed book reagring such a wonderful experience as preganacy and childbirth! I found it to always be my favorite general information book during my pregnancy.

I just don't understand all these reviews that says that Ms. Kitzinger hates men and doctors! I found nothing in her book hateful! She may be a tad pro-natural birth, but probably only because she had natural births herself. Honestly, I thought she was VERY unbiased. She presents all of your different options for location of birth, pain medication versus natural methods, waterbirth, etc., in a pretty neutral manner. And some of the things that she says about doctor's visits is VERY TRUE, such as the woman feeling like she's on the birth mill. I feel that way at regular doctor's appointments sometimes when I sit for 45 minutes and the doctor sees me for a hasty five minutes. Who doesn't feel like they are on a medical assembly line when this happens?She also talks to you like you are a competent adult capable of making informed decisions instead of a drooling idiot, unlike SOME pregnancy and birth books (What to Expect When You're Expecting comes to mind.)Oh, and by the way, for that reviewer down there who thinks that waterbirth is backwards and New-Agey and uncommon; I think you would be surprised to learn how many women from all walks of life are now choosing this method of birth. It's not just for hippies in tye-dyed clothing, like you seem to think it is. And it is very safe. First-time mothers, if you want to know all your options and weigh the pros and cons of each choice you will have to make regarding pregnancy and birth, GET THIS BOOK. Also try Dr. Sears "The Birth Book". Pregnancy and birth are not diseases, and you ARE competent enough to make your own choices regarding them.Enjoy your pregnancy and the birth of your baby!

I've read a lot of books about childbirth while preparing to give birth, and I got this one because my midwife specifically recommended I read "anything" by Sheila Kitzinger. Of all the books I've read, this one ranks as one of my two favorites. I like the author's attitude about birth: it is a natural, normal physiological process in the overwhelming majority of cases, and should be treated as such. The pros and cons of drugs and other interventions are also presented, and while Ms. Kitzinger is undoubtedly pro-natural, I really would not say she is anti-doctor (as some have claimed). She is anti-routine-intervention, and anti-unecessary-intervention, but otherwise I feel that she's simply presenting facts for readers to consider. As the only way to make an intelligent, informed decision about your body and your experience of birth is to be informed, I feel this book goes a very long way toward providing necessary and helpful information to women and their partners.