A week by week pregnancy! (The Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Birth - Dr Miriam Stoppard)

Member Name: preciouskdg

Product:	The Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Birth - Dr Miriam Stoppard
Date:	19/12/03 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Informative, reputable author

Disadvantages: shady in parts, others too much detail!!

I am not sure if this is the same book as reviewed by others. It is the Dr Miriam Stoppard s Complete Pregnancy and Birth Handbook. It is a Dorling Kindersley publication. My particular edition is the revised 2000. The cost of the book was £5.99.

The cover of the book is paper. It is white with a lovely picture of Dr Stoppard herself and a happy baby, a happy mum and a happy dad! How nice! Not stereotypical at all! Oh no!!

Unfortunately this element is the one thing I hate about Miriam Stoppard, her old fashioned values of the nuclear family! Euch!

Any way back to the book, the first page is a beautiful picture of a mummy kissing a sleeping baby! Aaahh!!!! ( Sorry, must be in a sarcastic mood!)

There are 12 chapters and a pregnancy calendar. It also has pages of useful addresses and information on benefits etc.

Introduction - A lovely little letter from iriam Stoppard, explaining, first of all to the fathers, how important it is to be a supportive father and partner. How he should be in the birth room to help and how not to feel shut out!

Secondly the mothers are told how different we are today. Women now work through pregnancy and return to work soon after. She states she has outlined advantages and disadvantages of this in the book.

Pregnancy Calendar -
Weeks 6 - 10
Week 12
Week 16
Week 20
Week 24
Week 28
Week 32
Week 36
Week 40

On each page is a beautiful blonde woman and as she progresses through her pregnancy. To be honest, when I was pregnant, I used to look at her and think, 'What the hell are you smiling at!?!' Although I found the information useful, with it being my first pregnancy, I felt at though I was not as I should be if at week twelve my nipples werent darker. If it had said weeks 12 to 16 or something rather more reassuring. But hey, Im a worrier!

Chapter 1 - Finding Out You Are Pregnant

This chapter is actually v
ery helpful, decsribing symptoms and reliees of them.It also explains pregnancy testing devices and has a due date calendar. If like me, youhave no idea when you conceived and dont note down when my last period was, it is pretty useless! But hey, some people are organised.

Next it describes the advantages and disadvantages of being a working woman.

Chapter 2 - Making the right choices

This chapter explains what you need to prepare for the birth, whether at home or hospital, with delightful illustrations of births!

It is also discusses methods of feeding. It does have a picture of s breastfeeding mum but one of a bottle feeding one! (I take it Miriam prefers the former!)

Chapter 3 - Antenatal Care

This chapter is very helpful, explaining all the tests needed throughout the pregnancy and their uses. If you do not like needles it prepares you for all the blood you are going to have to give!!

It also tells you all the terminology used on your antenatal notes, which is good because obviously you are interested in wht is being written about you. It just makes things bit clearer.

Chapter 4 + 5 - Physical Changes + Emotional Changes

You do not really need a chapter on this, inmy opinion. Everyone is so different and writing how you should be just makes you worry more. You have enough to worry about when you are pregnant without having to worry about your heart and lungs functioning properly! Thats the doctors job!!

Chapter 6, 7 + 8 - Health and Nutrition, Looking Good +Rest and Relaxation

The excercises in this section are good but why be told what to wear. Just wear what you bloody feel comfy in, cos you wont feel comfy very often. As for rest and relaxation, just chill. You will know what you need to do!

Chapter 10 - Preparing for birth

However organised you think you are , things never go to plan. Do not feel a failure if you are caught off guard or you
hae forgotten to buy something. I felt useless because I hadnt got as many breastpads as Miriam had sid and I ran out too quick! I agree it is a good idea to have a list of the essentials but rmember it is not a bible that must be stuck to!

Chapter 11 - Labour and Birth

This must be the scariest chapter int eh book. It is so informative, so clear and so precise, it scared me to death. Iwas terrified of giving birth months before it happened. The pictures add pain to injury. You know its going to hurt so you dont need to see a woman screaming in agony!!! But like i said very informative!!

Chapter 12 - The first few days

This covers bonding with the baby and establishing a routine. Miriam recommends ' staying cheerful and take the cue from your baby!' She doesnt put oto much into this chapter which I think is good because it is avery difficulttime and if you are in the slightest bit insecure then you will feel like a complete failure as a mum. She says to get on with it and go with the flow!

Rights and Benefits

This section is useful except probably out of date for now. At least it gives you an idea of what forms to get and when.

Oh I am sorry if I can ripped this book to shreds. I am a mother of one and this book turned me into a nervous wreck. I didnt know what to expect from pregnancy and Miriam Stoppard just hits you with it! Do this, then and how!! I justlike tohave a couple of options available to me thats all!

If I have another baby, I will definitely refer back to it for reference though!

Thanks for reading

Kerry xx

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