Maternity Books

I read this book for midwifery school and it is interesting from a feminist point of view, but I wanted new thoughts, not all the same information I can get from Our Bodies, Our Selves. Just stick will Varney's, gives you all the information you need unless you need more feminist theory in your practice.

I think my title says it all. I found this text very easy to follow, and the size of the book helps make the chapters not seem so daunting. There is nothing worse than a chapter that never ends, but even the longer chapters don't take so long because the book itself is fairly small. The only reason I give this 4 stars is because the photos are black and white; I find this difficult when trying to learn about skin diseases, etc. I prefer full color pictures to help illustrate the chapters.

Many textbooks I purchase for my courses in midwifery gather dust on the shelves soon after arrival because the information is found elsewhere or not that relevant. This book is different, it is something I will use when I get out of school as well. It covers such a variety of things in a concise easy to understand manner. I would say buy this book even if it is on your optional list of texts.

This book has a lot of good information for medical professionals about starting to use birth balls in their practices; however, it had next to no good information for an expectantant mother to use in labor preparation.

In her book, "Birth Balls: Use of Physical Therapy Balls in Maternity Care" Polly Perez, has provided the reader with an excellent resource, not only for use in Birthing Units, but also for the pregnant woman and her coach,who have no idea how to use the birthing ball. This book should also be in the library of every pregnant woman and maternity nurse.

Ms Perez covers it all from prenatal uses for the birthing ball to uses in the laboring process. This is an excellent resource with pictures to demonstrate the use along with great text. This book is a must have for those considering the implementation birthing balls in their unit. Pregnant woman will be want to read this valuable book during pregnancy and learn how to use the ball to ease pregnancy aches and pains and then use the ball during labor and birth.

As a director of the Family Birth Suites at Cape Coral Hospital, the staff encourages the use of the birthing balls in our daily clinical practice. This year, we were able to utilize this resource as a teaching aid in our nurse internship class for new labor and delivery RN's. It is very important to be able to show the new nurse how to utilize this important labor comfort measure! The use of the birthing balls in our facility has increased our patient comfort and our customer statisfaction scores along with it!

Nancy J. Travis, RN,C Director of Family Birth Suites and Family Education/Lactation Services Cape Coral Hospital Cape Coral, Florida

Women's health is not my area but this book gives me a quick review and provides peritent information on health history, preventive care, ect... It's a good reference to have and fits in your pocket.
thanks

Lots of good information. Not something I could use, however, I asked for a refund.

I am quite liberal about doing what is right for you and your baby and not being guilted into breastfeeding. But at the same time, this book is SO negative.

The author (a man) kept referring to breastfeeding and pumping as a hassle. I've never felt like it is a hassle.

He constantly talked about breadtfeeding in public as offensive. huh?

This guy is on the other side of the spectrum.

If you truly want to breastfeed, this is not the book for you. It is not encouraging at all. Thankfully I was already committed to breastfeeding before I read it. Otherwise I think the book would have discouraged me.

I am succesfully continueing to nurse after I've gone back to work. And it's not a hassle, but a wonderful way to stay connected to my baby. I'm currently reading the Milk Memos and it's the better choice. I'm loving it so far.

This book is incredibly usable and full of common sense information and advice on breastfeeding in general, as well as infant care and ways to make the experience successful! I read this book, intending to wean once I went back to work and instead nursed for 1 yr!

My daughter will be 2 very soon and this book helped me so much in the beginning. I never took the time to write a review because I did not purchase from Amazon. I think this book is filled with common sense advise that is so helpful. I recommended to all of my friends and also got his book "Is my child overtired?". These two books have made my life easier and has helped with my daughter so much with giving her a healthy sleep schedule. She is so happy because of this. The few days that she has not been on schedule have been horrible and I can't imagine living every day with a overtired child.

I wish I would have read this book during my first pregnancy. I listened to a lot of the die hard pro-breast Mom's and felt like a huge failure after breastfeeding did not work out for me the first go 'round. I appreciate that he talks A LOT about how tired you will be and how latching on is not a given for all babies. If I would have heard more of that the first time, I probably could have convinced myself that I was not a failure for not being able to work through the cracked, bloody nipples. As well as-the feedings that were non-stop.My daughter gained 1 pound and 2 ounces the first 3 days we were home from the hospital!! I was not prepared for the energy drain but I KNEW it was working, although mentally it was killing me.

As a second time Mom determined to give BF'ing another shot I consider myself lucky to have stumbled across this book. I appreciate the realistic opinions, instead of the "if you don't Breastfeed, you are a failure and a bad Mother" that I have read in other books.

Thanks Dr Wilkoff-even if you are a man...LMAO

I read this book, and I didn't get from it the message that others did at all. I think that the book suggests that many women don't nurse at all because they know their employers will be unsupportive of pumping, and Dr. Wilkoff suggests that nursing for 3 months is better than none. I'm personally a round-the-clock sort of breastfeeding mom and nurse my children into toddlerhood, but I was not offended by this book. I think some of the reviewers of this book were choosing to focus only on the parts of it that they disagreed with. There's a lot of good in this book too: he condemns having formula samples in the house for new mothers as he rightly thinks it sabotages breastfeeding, he thinks nursing until babies start solids would be preferable, and he does indeed offer several suggestions for getting employers to be supportive of pumping. But he also acknowledges the sad reality that some employers will not make it feasible enough for women to nurse.

There's a lot of good in this book for women who want to breastfeed but know from the start that they won't do it long-term. I love the Sears and LLL books personally, but I'm also so strongly a believer in breastfeeding that I think 3 months of breastfeeding is better than none. If Dr. Wilkoff's book encourages some women to nurse for 3 months who otherwise wouldn't have nursed their babies at all, then I think it serves a useful function. I rated it only 4 stars though because I think the book makes nursing sound exhausting and in my experience it isn't. New motherhood is inherently exhausting whether you breastfeed or not.

Her idea of "Hot" isn't in line with mine. She suggests baring your belly and states that it's hotter to show belly skin than when you don't. Personally, a line of bulging belly showing doesn't make me feel hot. It makes me feel like my clothes have shrunk and I need to find something that fits better. I actually bought this for myself when I first got pregnant and was trying to get used to the idea. I agree with the other reviewers; there's very little substance in this book. If you are buying this as a gift or buying it as an easy segue into the maternity world, I'd suggest going for Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth instead. She'll tell you what's down the pike in a way that will make you laugh out loud. Now *that's* HOT.

This was a small book in size and a perfect gift for a newly pregnant friend. Just a fun light hearted book but with some good information.

The illustrations are somewhat charming -- all sorts of pregnant ladies with various body shapes (well, mostly thin) and styles (diverse but still expensive-looking). However, the advice is NOT to be taken blindly.

When the author says, 'Try new things! Try goose liver!' remember that goose liver (most frequently in raw fois gras) is not a good idea because of the potential safety issues; organ meats (cooked or not) often have high levels of toxins. Same thing with massages, especially foot massages -- certain pressure points are contradictated for pregnant women due to the risk of triggering labor before it is time. Many doctors also discourage nail and beauty salon treatments during pregnancy; this is controversial but worth mentioning anyway.

The book is cute, but not very practical. Plus there are a couple of typos -- inexcusable in such a short book with so little text. The overall impression I got is that a baby is just another accessory for many women, women accustomed to spending their Saturdays at the spa, followed by lunch and shopping. Not hot.

This is a very cute book. I am not saying it's an incredible manuel for pregnancy with all the answers but it's brief and simple. Also, very comedic. I had myself a few good laughs. The Authors goal seems like she just wants to help pregnant women feel confident and happy in their own skin while teaching them the basics and maybe a little more about pregnancy. Just have fun with this one. It's not ment to be taken too seriously!

This was a fun book, but a someone said before, very insubstancial. Some ideas were cute, mostly about how to feel good about oneself and still be yourself despite your burgeoning belly. Cute, but better worth to be borrowed from a friend or quickly flipped through in a bookstore.

I have to agree with kcs--this book was wretched. I normally snap up anything by Elizabeth Bevarly, but I couldn't even finish this one. Prudence had NO pride, dignity, or self-respect, and Seth was a jerk. Maybe they developed chemistry later in the book, but I couldn't get past the smarmy dialogue (and monologues) of the first chapters. The only reason I give it two stars instead of one is that I am giving the author the benefit of the doubt--maybe she had a better book somewhere that she had to butcher to meet a deadline.

"Dr. Irresistible" contains all the hallmarks of a Bevarly novel, including her trademark stream-of-consciousness writing style and crisp, humorous dialogue.

The characters are initially difficult to like. Seth seems arrogant and full of himself, while Pru seems to lack self-confidence. Their dialogue is snappy and witty, and while that's appealing, the initial lack of appeal hinders the story.

Fortunately, Bevarly ultimately does a good job of developing the characters. While Seth continues to seem arrogant, we also discover a deep sense of insecurity about him, while we're also learning the reasons for Pru's lack of faith in herself.

Ultimately, this is a decent read, and a good romance. Bevarly's writing style is very appealing, and can make up for other weaknesses, and the ultimate development of the characters and romance turn out well.

I could not get past the first 25 pages! Seth was an egotistical jerk! He kept talking to himself about his looks, brains, women, what a great catch he was...YECH! Prudence was a bumbling priss. Shown as klutzy and scattered, she is also an R.N. and a single mother. (Not very inspiring!) Her only redeeming quality was she became an ice princess around Dr. Revolting. I hoped Prudence would deck him and tell him to get lost. I sure didn't want to see her give in or fall for him. I have to assume the book gets better, but I took an INSTANT dislike to these horrid characters. Proceed at your own risk!

I enjoy Elizabeth Bevarly's books and this was no exception. It's a sort of sequel to "A Doctor in her Stocking" which tells the story of Seth's best friend Reed. In Seth's book, he plays husband to nurse Prudence Halloway, who is going to her high school reunion, and in the process, they fall in love.

I also have read many of Elizabeth Beverly's books and I usually find them very good/excellent. I was a little disappointed in this one. All the "i" adjectives in the first few chapters drove me nuts. And Seth does appear egotistical, but he does get a little better. Prudence isn't the most endearing heroine--she's very insecure about her past, but I believe the author was trying to make her more human and less perfect.

Seth has been trying to date Prudence for quite some time now, but she constantly refuses him. This surprises "Dr. Irristible" because he believes he's such a catch. Fate steps in when Prudence meets an old high school classmate who dredges up the past--not very memorable or favorable for Prudence--and Seth pretends to be her husband to impress her classmate. Seth and Prudence must continue to carry out the charade of their "marriage" until her reunion in a few weeks and in that time they become better acquainted.

I had several major problems with this book, which I found to be a complete waste of time. First, for those women who have a decent amount of fully paid leave (>8 weeks), this book is not relevant. For those without, or with only very limited paid leave, there is one good chapter on cobbling together a maternity leave period from existing workplace and government benefit programs. However, I found that to be the only useful chapter in this book, and again it really is only useful for those who do not have significant paid leave through work. Given the title, I thought this book would be most useful for those WITH maternity leave benefits (not those without them).

Second, at least a third of the book is dedicated to cheerleading and anecdotes that add up to the conclusion: "The first weeks at home with a new baby are chaotic." I doubt very many moms-to-be needed a hundred pages to help them reach that conclusion. Also, it's not really relevant for "making the most of your time at home", which is what I was hoping to learn about.

Third, this book assumes that husbands are either totally useless or absent altogether. While I acknowledge that very few men have paid "paternity leave," as I understand it most salaried workers have 2-4 weeks vacation time. Since most of the men I know maxed out their vacation time to be at home with the new baby, I thought it strange that the book assumes (with the exception of a single sentence) that new moms' partners will not be a resource worth calling upon. Thus, if you have a partner who's planning to take time off when the baby comes home, this book will not be relevant to your experience, at all, whatsoever. Along the same lines, if you have your childcare lined up already (your partner, for instance, or extended family, or whatever), there's an entire chapter of the book that's not applicable to you. Further still, if you will be bottle-feeding, there's another whole chapter that's just not relevant for you. Despite what a previous reviewer stated, the "breast vs. bottle" question is presented in one paragraph for the reader to answer for herself, and then launches into a lot of discussion of nursing issues that aren't relevant for bottle-feeding families.

In sum, if you are a working woman with paid maternity leave who has a supportive partner, very little of this book will be relevant to your experience. The portions that ARE relevant could be condensed down to a magazine article, so there's no point in buying and reading this book.

This book is helpful if you read it in the beginning of pregnancy. It does a lot of cheerleading for you to get the most out of your employer for maternity leave but lacks specific instructions or advice. I was looking for ways to get the most out of the maternity leave I was already on and the book did not fit my needs.

A cross between the "Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" and "The Rules," this guide is chock full of useful advice on how to handle your maternity leave from work. The author takes you step-by-step on all the essential steps of your maternity leave, from deciding how much time you will need off to making the transition back to work. You will learn a great deal about what steps you'll need to take before, during and after the birth of your child. Some important topics that are covered include how to negotiate time off, deciding between breast and bottle, making the transition to parenthood, how to find time for yourself, and finding quality childcare. Last, but not least, an entire chapter is dedicated to getting back to work. With the humor and wit of this book, you will feel like your best friend is with you during the entire time - giving you real-life wisdom and perspective that only a best friend could give you. A great gift for your pregnant friends that will be returning to work.

This book is good to read if you have not yet even thought about your maternity leave yet, like in your 2nd trimester of pregnancy. However, if you've already got some idea of what you're doing, or if you're already on leave (like myself), then it really doesn't have a lot of info for you. Really, the parts that I found most helpful in my situation were just emotional anecdotes about how crazy you feel at this time in your life - it's just nice to know someone else feels the way I do. The answer to the question the title seems to ask ("how do I make the most of my maternity leave?") is really given as "Don't expect to get anything accomplished on your leave. Just take care of that baby." Well, I think there are better suggestions out there than that. (If I may be so presumptuous, I'll add my own advice - Get the baby on a tight 3-4 hour feeding schedule. Keep a pen and paper by your chair where you feed the baby. While the baby's feeding, make a list of things you want to get done. That way you at least know when you can do things, and when you have that time, you know what needs to be done. It's working for me!)

The book does offer some facts about leaves of absence and ideas about alternative child care and work arrangements, but this was knowledge I already had, at my stage of the game. The title of the book should have been "The Best Friend's Guide to Maternity Leave: PLANNING FOR Your Precious Time at Home."

(Another note, and this is a pet peeve: the author takes literary license and writes with sentence fragments, which is fine in small doses. However, there are so many examples of this in the book that it makes it very distracting/awkward to read in some places....)

I liked this review v much and combined with mayo board review CDs to prepare for boards

Huge, cumbersome, and lacking in fundamental details. A big let-down

This is the best thing I have found for board review, overall reference, and stumping the attending! It is easy to read, with bulleted important points. This is my favourite of ALL of my reference books! I try to spend at least 1/2 to one hour per day reading this book.

A big let-down

This book is well worth the money. It contains a lot of creative tips with many entertaining illustrations so that you may not ever have to buy a "maternity wardrobe", even if you work in an office.

The author is a model, and I would say that many of the ideas look best on a tall person, but even so, there are ideas for some clothing items to make that anyone could use, pregnant or not. This would be a really good book for someone losing weight and being "in between" wardrobes as well, as she has some good ideas for thrift store finds, and making do with what you already have.

Some reviewers say the fashion ideas are dated, but hey, if disco can come back, anything can. None of her fashion ideas are dated, in my opinion--different people can carry off different outfits. You don't have to use a satin sheet, there are lots of nice fabrics to choose from to make the pouf dress. This book is worth buying, simply for the creative ideas. Not everybody can get by at work in oversized jeans.

Though Ms. Sutherland's tone is upbeat and engaging, her fashion advice is at best dated, and at worst ridiculous. Would you really want to sew a satin sheet into a huge, square, evening dress?! Or wear an oversized men's suit with suspenders, tucking the too-long legs into white socks? Unless the oversized Annie-Hall look is for you, better pass this one up.

This book was a big disappointment to me. The "styles" weren't styles at all! I can't imagine a model wearing any of this stuff, or any woman that I know. All of the wrapping and tying and tucking here and there would never stay put if you moved at all, and I don't consider wearing my husband's clothes chic. Save your money and buy an inexpensive pair of maternity jeans!

The styles in this book are definitely from the 80s, so much of it doesn't work today. But there are good ideas which can be translated to today's wardrobe.

This is a book that I was given by my doctor and I have found the information to be very beneficial. I did not find her to be biased in any way on bottle-feeding as a previous reviewer said, she simply approached bottle-feeding first and did a great job showing pro's and con's for that and also breast feeding. As for the comment about sitting on the sidelines with earplugs, in the book she says to use that as a last resort if all other soothing methods have failed, because baby may be over-stimulated and just need a break. From tips on medication to stay away from to options during labor, I found this book very helpful as this is my first pregnancy.

Wow, I was so shocked by the idiocy in this book. For starters, it's put out by a formula company, Similac. I was not surprised that it represents breastfeeding as difficult, and formula-feeding as much easier for moms, since dads can share in the feedings. Her opinion on the 'choice' between breastfeeding and formula feeding is that if the mom feels in any way like she doesn't want to bf, then don't do it! She rejects the notion that breastfeeding creates an emotional bond between mother and child. Furthermore, the author's solution for soothing an inconsolable baby? Put in earplugs and put the baby in his crib. I bought this book at a thrift store for the sole purpose of throwing it away. She sings the praises of episiotomies (which have been proven time and time again to be completely unnecessary in almost all cases) and bashes the natural childbirth movement of the 70's. She admits that circumcision is a terribly traumatic, painful experience for the newborn, but the solution isn't to forego this act of genital mutilation-just give the baby a shot to take the pain away! The version I read is from 1997. I dearly hope that it has been updated since then.