[.ca] Holistic Pregnancy and Childbirth (ISBN 0471185094)

From Amazon.com:
Written by Heather Burton, a certified childbirth instructor and founder of the Midwifery Alliance, and James Marti, executive director of the Holistic Medical Research Foundation, Holistic Pregnancy and Childbirth is a refreshing collection of tips to make every month of pregnancy more comfortable. The authors first explain various holistic therapies, from acupuncture and acupressure to massage, meditation, homeopathy, and yoga, then detail their various roles in each month of pregnancy and in the various stages of childbirth and postbirth bonding. For example, moxibustion, an acupuncture technique that involves burning incense-like cones of herbs, has been shown to be almost 75 percent effective in helping babies move out of breech birth position, thereby preventing cesarean sections. Many other facts in the book are also quite revealing, such as that pregnant women who are having marital problems or are feeling a lack of social support are more likely to give birth to colicky babies. Women and their partners who are looking for an empowering resource for a healthier pregnancy will find this book to be a solid reference. It explains the difference between doulas, midwives, and obstetricians; the pros and cons of home births, hospital births, birth centers, and water births; and how to determine which of these options is best for your situation. The herbal and other natural techniques for relieving common pregnancy-related problems, such as sciatic pain and insomnia, are bound to come in handy, as are the "Especially for Fathers" sections throughout the book, with tips on ways to keep the mom-to-be comfortable and happy. Month-by-month checkup forms, a guide for further reading, and lists of dozens of natural-health organizations are also included. --Erica Jorgensen

Not so "Holistic" than the title says:
I order this book right after I bought another holistic pregnancy book "The Natural Pregnancy Book" by Aviva Jill Romm (I strongly recommend this book for anyone who is seriously intersted in natural and holistic pregnancy). Unlike Romm's "natural" approach to the pregnancy, this book seems a little too preachy and less "holistic" and "natural" than I expected. It has too much of the "official outlines" from the traditional medical practices and rather than encouraging and celebrating prengancy, they overemphasize on the threat of miscarriage and do not provide enough information for preventing it. It gives a general overview of holistic treatment and what goes on during pregnancy, so I think this is an okay book for those who just heard of "holistic treatment" but don't know what they really are. I was dissapointed overall and I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is looking into a good natural/holistic pregnancy book.

I'm sure they had good intentions, but...:
When I found this title at my local bookstore, I was excited by the concept of it, but I didn't have to flip through it for long before I was taken aback by the negative tone and lack of trust in the process of pregnancy and childbirth. (Much like the overrated "What to Expect..." series, unfortunately!) I found a number of sections that felt, to me, like slight, strange misrepresentations of the facts and norms, and Then I stumbled upon an entire paragraph that had no place in any book written by people with any interest in truth or accuracy: In their description of norms in the 3rd stage of labor(delivery of placenta), in the home setting, they write that your homebirth midwife will reach up into your uterus to "remove any remaining placental tissue." This is not true. In fact, it is a horrifying idea. I sincerely hope that they will correct this frightening, misleading, erroneous section in any later editions of the book.

A great companion during pregnancy, great natural alternativ:
This is a wonderful book, it has an overview of tons of holistic treatments and how they affect pregnancy, a month by month guide with holistic treatments to aide that months ailments. It has diet and excercise tips galore, what to expect at the dr visits and during delivery. It even has little sidebars for fathers each chapter. It is well written and has *english* translations for alot of the medical terms. I love this book! Great for the women who prefer natural treatments, and dont want to keep calling thier doctor about whats okay to take for a headache!