Parenting Book Reviews

Table of Contents

Introduction

Pre-pregnancy Books

Pregnancy Books

Nutrition in Pregnancy

Pregnancy for Fathers

Baby Name Books

Birth guidebooks

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean

Infants & Toddlers

Breastfeeding

Sleep Problems

Child Rearing & Discipline

Preschool-aged children

Young school-aged children

Teenaged children

Learning disabilities and ADHD

Medical Information & Nutrition

Life Style Choices

Death and Children

Boys/Girls: "Gender" issues

Miscellaneous Books

Other Media

Sources & Acknowledgements

Paula Burch's Home Page


part 1: before the baby is born

Pre-pregnancy

Tracy Hotchner: Pregnancy and Childbirth [sources incl. amazon]
I also have and like [this book]. It also has before you get pregnant stuff, including information on infertility, and even a blunt section on *should* you get pregnant.

Carolyn Pape Cowan and Philip A. Cowan: "When Partners Become Parents : the big life change for couples" (BasicBooks, c1992) [OOP; poss. sources incl. amazon]
My wife and I are reading [this]. This is a really good book for those people contemplating getting pregnant. In fact, it is the only one we found that doesn't start off with 'So, now you're pregnant...' --Mark Verschell

Josleem Wilson: The Pre-Pregnancy Planner [OOP; poss. sources incl. amazon]
diet, exercise, medical issues

John Sussman and Blake Levitt: Before You Conceive [sources incl. amazon]
mostly medical issues; I think this is the one with a good discussion of what medications are ok or not ok during pregnancy.

Neils Laverson & Colette Bouchez: Getting Pregnant: What Couples Need to Know Right Now. [sources incl. amazon]
IMHO paranoia-inducing; tone is - Don't do this, always do that, don't go out, don't stay in, don't eat, don't breathe, but above all RELAX! Also, a "gee whiz" attitude - More Super Ovulation Drugs!!!

_Getting Pregnant_ *was* a little paranoid, IMHO, but it also gave me some information I didn't know before. Hopefully those nice little tidbits could be found in another book, though, because the book did take it a little too far (no one on the net needs to be told to stay away from computers while trying to conceive!) [Ed's note: there is no evidence that computers or monitors are a bad idea during pregnancy.]

...a book entitled Getting Pregnant. Which I read, and I am happy to say I am almost 10 weeks pregnant!!!

Sherman J. Silber: How to Get Pregnant. ISBN 0-446-38642-1. (Warner Brothers.) [sources incl. amazon]
If you get *really* anxious, try "How to Get Pregnant," it's really good. [Ed's note--I liked this a lot. Also helpful when you DON'T want to get pregnant! Includes information on how the cycle works--basic, but in-depth.]

For getting pregnant, there is a book entitled _How to Get Pregnant_ (pretty straightforward) that covers the high-tech options as well as the low-tech. I would also recommend _The Well Pregnancy Book_ . And again, see what your library has to offer and read as much as possible. Buy the books that you might see reading and re-reading or using as a reference for future pregnancies too.

What to Expect When You're Expecting [sources incl. amazon] [see large section at the end of Pregnancy, below]
....has a pre-pregnancy section at the back and that threw me. I never knew it was there until someone told me and I went looking for it.

Toni Weschler: Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control and Pregnancy Achievement. 1995. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 384 pp. ISBN: 0-06-095053-6, trade paperback. (My copy was $19.95 list, as of Oct. 1995.) [sources incl. amazon]
I'd recommend either book [referring to this one and to Merryl Winstein's Your Fertility Signals]; overall, I think Toni Weschler's is better, since it goes into more detail and covers less-common situations such as anovulatory cycles. Also, since Weschler is copyright 1995, it's more up-to-date on some information. --Roger Hunt

Merryl Winstein: Your Fertility Signals. 1989. [sources incl. amazon]
The book I would highly recommend is _Your Fertility Signals_ by Merryl Winstein, Copyright 1989. The book is very easy to read and understand. Temperature and mucous charting is described in detail, with example charts analyzed. A blank chart is provided, which you just copy lots of times and use for your own charting. Using the method in this book my husband and I succeeded in getting pregnant in the 2nd month of trying. It's important not to "over do it" when trying, because it can take a few days for the sperm count to reestablish itself. That's why knowing when you're fertile is so important because you can maximize your chances. --Anonymous submission

Landrum B. Shettles, M.D., Ph.D., and David M. Rorvik: How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby. Doubleday. 1989. ISBN 0-385-24442-8 (pbk.)
Claims to allow you to shift the odds to at least a 75 to 80% chance of having a girl, or at least a 80 to 90% chance of having a boy. Warns that you should not attempt this unless you're ready to welcome a baby of the opposite sex to that which you're trying for. Mostly based on timing. Lots of research is quoted to support it; however, the best and most recent research shows no relationship between the timing of intercourse relative to ovulation and which sex is conceived. --Paula Burch

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Last updated: March 2, 2003