Your High-Risk Pregnancy: A Practical and Supportive Guide

Diana Raab wrote a very popular and useful book called "Getting Pregnant & Staying Pregnant" during the course of one of her own high risk pregnancies. On the twentieth anniversary of that book she has joined with Errol Norwitz an MD who specializes in high-risk obstetrics to give us this fine volume. As an RN I usually find these books to fail in one of two directions. They are either too simple for me to learn anything or to complex to do my patients any good. This book avoids both of those objections brilliantly. Starting with the anatomy of the human reproductive systems this book assumes no prior knowledge yet stills covers an enormous amount of material in a very useful fashion. The amount of detail and real world orientation is impressive. During a discussion on ovalutation testing with over the counter kits the author notes that some of the kits require a urine sample to be collected at midday which could be a problem for working women. This level of information is present throughout the volume. The authors also include discussion of Alternative and Holistic Health care. They provide the facts in a non judgmental faction. There is information on herbal products with a discussion on their regulation. There is a very understandable chapter on Genetics and a complete discussion of the multitude of tests that are used during pregnancy. The authors also clearly outline the risks vs. advantages in cases where testing is optional for the mother. The book is nicely rounded out with a glossary, bibliography, and list of support groups and associations. The authors introduce the idea of journaling as helpful for the mother early in the book and provide questions to assist with each chapter. All in all a fine book on a complex and often difficult subject. I recommend it highly.