Customer Reviews

After the Baby's Birth: A Complete Guide for Postpartum Women

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wish I'd had this book when my first two were born. When I was pregnant with the third I came across it and cried for having not known what kind of support I would need when the baby was born or how to ask for it. In America, we think a woman about to have a baby needs things - diapers, baby clothes, crib covers, and stuff. But what we really need is support and company and help with all the chores we shouldn't be doing during that first week of bonding, and recovering. After reading this book, when my best friend asked what I wanted for my babyshower, I replied "help" and we created a wish list of assistance during the first few weeks and people signed up to bring food, drive my oldest son to school, help with laundry, etc. It also has lots of good advice on post-partum birth control, recipes, exercises (with the baby), and around-the-world perspectives on the post-partum period. I am now ordering 3 copies to I can give one to each of my pregnant friends, along with "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth".

It's about time that women have access to information that empowers them the nourish and heal themselves in ways that western medical science has denied them for so long.

With the power of being a mother and midwife, Lim writes this book as a gift to all new mothers, introducing them to their post-partumn lives in a beautiful, natural, and nourishing way.

I read this book after my second daughter was born and it change my reality. When I had my first child my post-partum experience was terrible, I was a new mother and had no access to anyone who really cared or unerstood what I was going through. All the doctor's saw me as was a body. No room for my feelings or quesions about my new role, or knowledge of natural healing herbs or message was available to me. It was a shame, and I feel that many women unknowingly accept this fate.

After reading this book for my second post-partum experience, I was empowered by Lim's nourishing words and wisdom, to take care of the part of myself that was a mother, not just a body. My emotions, my diet, my relationship with my husband and other child, knowledge of helpful herbs, and ayurvedic massage all come togother in a way that wholistic and nourishing.

This book is an important book for this time, when women are now begining to comprehend their roles as mothers in a completely new way than ever before, Women are now allowed to be the beautiful and natural healers that we have always wanted to be. Everyday we nourish our families, and nourish our co-workers, and bosses at work, but in this very special time of post-partum, it is finally our time to nourish and heal ourselves, and take time out to experience the bliss of our new family.

Lim's book will help us walk along this path guided by her wisdom and experience of attending the births of thousands of babies to women and mothers all around the world.

I highly reccommend this book to for any new mother, it will make a perfect gift.

This revised edition of "After the Baby's Birth" continues with Robin's notable heartwarming and gentle approach to reinforce mothers' instincts. She gently and scientifically blends eastern and western traditions of maternal - infant health to guide women through this vulnerable transition time. The writing style lovingly validates the importance of care of self and child, when so much of our society validates neglecting oneself and newborn infant.
Beginning with support through the initial days of wonder and overwhelming motherhood, Robin covers all aspects of preventative health care - how to keep oneself healthy and avoid needless problems. Exercise, infant feeding, maternal nutrition, sexuality, sleep(lessness), and emotional vulnerability are all addressed while allowing for the variety of familial configurations in our modern society.
Illustrations are simple and clear. Writing space is provided for journaling or personal note taking.
The book is a "must-read" for all expectant and new mothers. I practically require it for my patients. A great baby shower gift!

If you're looking for mere facts & statistics, this may not be the book for you. But if you want a more "personal touch", and especially if you believe new mothers should be honored and pampered, get this book! What I love most about it is the absolute reverence the author shows for childbirth and mothering. Most other baby/mother care books may have helpful info, but read like the owner's manual you'd get with a new appliance or car. This one has useful information, but also emphasizes the emotional and spiritual aspects of having a baby. Even if you don't plan to use the Eastern-based references to diet, exercise, etc., reading about other cultures' approaches to birthing and mothering can be quite a valuable contrast to the Western (highly medicalized) perspective.

I discovered this book when my son was nearly 2 months old, and wish I'd had it BEFORE he was born! It is extremely helpful for the first-time mom, giving encouragement and advice that even the most well-meaning friends and relatives might forget. I especially appreciated the chapter on eating, which includes a lot of good thoughts about body image (i.e., adjusting your expectations after becoming a mom). After reading it I sent a copy to my younger sister, whose first baby was born 3 months after mine.

I hope the publisher reprints it (and maybe invites the author to update it) so more mamas can benefit from Robin Lim's wisdom!

A great gift for MOM after the baby comes. I first heard of this book in 1993 when my first son was born. It was recommended by a home-health aid who knew it was difficult for a first-time mom to suddenly have nine months of attention shifted away from her. There were plenty of books on what to do for baby, but none on how to take care of myself. Since then I have given a copy to every woman I know when she has a baby. They all love it. I still refer to my book after 5 1/2 years and another baby.

This book is a terrific wellness resource and comfort. It isn't the book for you if what you need now is a medical guide for postpartum symptoms. It has lots of useful info on how-to feel your best.

The author of this book caught my first son in the summer of 2000. Just like her, the book is warm, caring, thorough, and entirely unhurried. Some of the elements of eastern spirituality may not resonate with followers of western religions, but there is nothing I found offensive. The revised edition (2001) offers particularly good help with breastfeeding and natural family planning. It felt really good to read this book while I was postpartum--I felt understood, and it was great to be "with" Robin again, even though she was hours away.

This book starts by noting the complete lack of information for women on postpartum health (apart for breast-feeding and depression). This is true, and was why I bought this book, having felt somewhat abandonned by the health profession immediately after giving birth.

Unfortunately this book was not what I hoped. It falls into the "Wise Woman" style of pseudo-science, and myself, I much prefer something with statistics and hard facts on what exactly is happening to my body. I had access to plenty of that sort of information during pregnancy - but can't find it now.

About the only part of this book I appreciated was the personal stories. There may be something in it for other women, but personally, I'm still looking for the real authoritative text on postpartum health.

A friend who works at a groovy pharmacy gave me this book and I turned to it for help when I was struggling postpartum. Unfortunately, Robin only seems to address the health of women who are already perfectly healthy. If you're looking for advice on how overcome complications or illness postpartum, this book may not help. In fact, her assertions that the stomach will return to its normal size in 6 weeks, or that new moms don't get sick because of all the love they experience for their baby made me feel bad--and my sense of self is usually pretty robust.