Our Bodies, Ourselves

March 3, 2008
In this third spin-off of Our Bodies, Ourselves, the self-described women's health "bible" first published in the 1970s, the Boston Women's Health Book Collective focuses on pregnancy, birth and recovery. This book will help women make confident and informed choices about the birth process as they negotiate the healthcare system and balance their options. The chapters are arranged chronologically along the journey into motherhood, with useful sections on the physical and emotional changes of each trimester, fetal development and prenatal testing. Other topics include choosing a healthcare provider, prenatal testing, labor, pain management, recovery, breastfeeding, emotional ups and downs and many other issues. The text is interspersed with pertinent personal narratives, as well as with more than 70 black and white photos and illustrations; the emphasis is on up-to-date information, probing the use-and overuse-of various practices and medical interventions. "Informing yourself about these practices and their alternatives," the editors write, "is an essential step toward creating a better birth experience for yourself and your baby." This comprehensive guide is sure to take its rightful place among its sister titles, empowering a new generation of expectant mothers.

Starred review from January 15, 2008
The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, producer of "Our Bodies, Ourselves", has created a separate, superlative guide focusing on pregnancy and birth. It includes current information on making health-care decisions (e.g., choosing a provider and a birth setting), nutrition, labor and delivery, Cesarean birth, recovery, feeding an infant, and life as a new mother. It also addresses special situations such as prenatal testing and pregnancy loss. As with all of the books in this series, a group of contributors made up of health-care providers, academics, and mothers prepared the articles. The information goes beyond the usual pregnancy self-help material by placing childbearing and parenting within a psychosocial and political context. Quotations from women documenting their experiences add depth, and final chapters on advocating for better maternity care and for mothers and families provide both resources and a call for action. A resource guide offers information about books, web sites, and organizations for mothers. This is an excellent book for public and consumer health library collections; highly recommended. [See the collection development article on pregnancy on p. 54.Ed.]Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L.

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