Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth

Wish I'd Had This Sooner:
Of all the books on pregnancy I've read, this one has been the most reassuring. As another reviewer mentioned, it's written in the same styles Our Bodies, Ourselves, which remains excellent through its many editions. It's not an especially thick book, and I would have loved to have seen more pictures, and personal excerpts, but everything important was covered, and the writing style was wonderful. This book addresses itself to older women, teen mothers, single mothers, those with female partners, those living with diseases like HIV and diabetes; in short, all of the groups who got snubbed by most of the other books. It doesn't tell you how much weight the fetus should gain in each month, but that information's easy to find elsewhere. It does focus on making informed decisions about prenatal care, pain management, and maternal/fetal health, without talking down to the reader. Issues where there is normally controversy were handled gently; breastfeeding is encouraged, but formula feeding mothers aren't judged. It's worth noting that the book does address some topics that may be upsetting, such as choosing to abort a fetus because of genetic testing, and stillbirth. These issues are very relevant, and handled calmly, but some chapters may be best skipped by the hormonal. I was glad to see that problems like depression took precedence over heartburn, and that a huge resources section was provided at the back of the book. Highly recommended, and will be on my gift list for friends as they have their children. I don't want to give my copy up.

Confident, Empowering, & Respectful:
Many women view the book Our Bodies, Ourselves as an essential women's health resource and also as a radically transformative influence in their lives. I hope Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth will become to pregnant women what the original book has been to women's health and empowerment. The book is divided into five major sections: The Journey to Parenthood; Your Pregnancy; Giving Birth; Becoming a Mother; and Knowledge is Power. Subsections include an extensive chapter on prenatal testing and other important areas such as childbearing loss, coping with pain, and breastfeeding. A chapter titled "Relationships, Sex, and Emotional Support" was a particularly good one. The book has numerous contributing authors from a variety of backgrounds and organizations. Sprinkled throughout the book are italicized snippets of anonymous birth stories, often paired statements--i.e. an "I loved being pregnant!" segment and an "I hated being pregnant" segment. Then, inset into each chapter in box format, there are more complete stories or profiles that include women's names and photos. Overall, the book has very few pictures and only one series of photos of a woman actually giving birth (and she is in the semi-sitting position). Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth is one of the only basic pregnancy books I've ever read that acknowledges the reality of violence against women during pregnancy and offers resources for seeking help if you are living with a violent mate. This book is also willing to address some unpopular or largely ignored subjects such as depression during pregnancy, HIV, STDS, and sexual abuse. In the opening section of Chapter One the authors describe the "Climate of Confidence, Climate of Doubt" which becomes a thread running throughout the rest of the book. I love this way of articulating the messages swirling around pregnant women in our society. The overriding attitude felt through this book is one that is the hallmark of Our Bodies, Ourselves in general--that ultimately, situations involving women's bodies are about each woman and what she wants and needs. The support offered is for HER regardless of the popularity of her choices with either the medical model or with childbirth activists---the woman wins out over anyone else's agenda. This is a truly woman-centered approach. I had a minor critique of the persistent use of the term "breast-feeding" with a hyphen, which is not correct. In addition, the book's suggestions regarding overall newborn care routines in hospitals were surprisingly conventional and conservative. Many of the most popular pregnancy books are rooted in medical model, conventional wisdom, and a climate of fear and doubt. This book is rooted in an empowerment oriented, woman centered midwifery model in a climate of confidence and competence. This book is a basic introduction to pregnancy and birth and is primarily directed towards the newly pregnant first time mother. I hope it finds a comfortable home on bookstore shelves next to (or in place of!) books about "what to expect" during pregnancy. ------ An extended version of this review originally appeared in CfM News. Visit the Citizens for Midwifery blog at cfmidwifery.blogspot.com.

Reassuring balanced book!:
I enjoyed this book immensely. It offered a pretty balanced view on the advantages and disadvantages of medical interventions in child birth. I am almost 5 months pregnant and have been leaning toward getting an epidural, but the information in this book convinced me both that I _can_ do it without one, and that if I end up with one anyway, it is not the end of the world.

Fantastic up to date reference book for those expecting:
By far the most up to date literature available about women's health and childbirth. So many popular texts are out of date and propel inaccurate information. However OBOS uses the latest research to create a useful narrative for women. An example is that latest research indicating the risks/benefits of SSRI's during pregnancy; many old texts inaccurately tell women to discontinue medications while now research illuminates the physiological damage untreated depression can have on the fetus. Great reference book --

Very thorough, but formatting could use some help.:
I do love the Our Bodies, Ourselves series, but if it were organized in a way to more easily access common information, it would help. Otherwise, they discuss issues that other guides ignore or take for granted.