Before Your Pregnancy : Prepare Your Body for a Healthy Pregnancy -- Expert Advice on Nutrition and Exercise (Book and Video) [Paperback]

Amy Ogle MS RD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0966375203 | ISBN-13: 978-0966375206 | Edition: Bk & VHS

An ambitious, thoroughly researched, and personable look at preconception health issues for all levels of interest. Before Your Pregnancy is unique because it is a dynamic video and book combination! The video is lively and information-packed; both the future mom and dad should watch it for a comprehensive, quick study on preconceptual health. The format is primarily question & answer featuring real people, stimulating graphics, and cooking and exercise demonstrations. The prospective mother usually appreciates the accompanying book that offers more detailed information and a multitude of practical applications and personal experiences outlining how others have found success in preparing themselves for pregnancy.

The 41-minute educational video and 34-page booklet is being described as an essential new nutrition and exercise guide designed for couples BEFORE they become pregnant. Special tips for the father-to-be are included as well. (Note- Yes, this is very handy to refer to during pregnancy and postpartum).

All advice is based on the newest guidelines from ACOG (Am. College of Ob/Gyn), ACSM (Am. College of Sports Medicine), ADA (Am. Dietetic Assoc.), NAS (Natl. Academy of Sciences), etc. Fully referenced and peer reviewed by Ob/Gyns, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Dietitians, Exercise Physiologists, and certified Personal Trainers.

Who is Before Your Pregnancy for? Couples planning for a 1st pregnancy or those who want to plan better for the next pregnancy
Women who have just miscarried- particularly vulnerable time period when couples need to know what they can do to get ready to "try again" (nutrition and exercise habits are something they have control over)
Infertility patients- Good nutrition and exercise habits are an integral part of the foundation upon which healthy outcomes are built when conception is medically feasible. Infertility couples who take good care of themselves also simply feel better during a time in their lives that can, potentially, be emotionally and physically draining. Not to be underestimated is the stress relief this provides.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Evidently, there's more to getting pregnant than this reviewer thought. Now you must prepare at least one month before you spend that romantic evening with your husband by eating properly, exercising, and avoiding harmful substances like alcohol and tobacco (skip the champagne and chocolate that night). This set of tape and workbook is full of good information on getting in shape for pregnancy and is surprisingly interesting to watch, considering that nutritional advice is not always visually exciting. Lots of great tips about maintaining a good weight, getting motivated to exercise regularly, and even improving the potential father-to-be's fertility make this package useful to women looking to increase the odds of conception and a healthy pregnancy. One quibble: the oversized box and booklet are going to make this hard to stick on a library video shelf without some major cutting and pasting.AEllen Druda, Half Hollow Hills Community Lib., Dix Hills, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

... seen through the eyes of a pregnant mom who also happens to be a registered dietitian and exercise physiologist. What better way to get the best information. . . I would recommend Before Your Pregnancy to pre-pregnancy patients, and it would be on my 'top 5 recommended' list. I also think this would be of value to infertility patients. -- Leona A. Goodman, R.N., Lead R.N. Ob/Gyn, Patient Educational Coordinator & Lactation Educator

A great resource for those contemplating a trip down 'Family Way'. -- Ed Blonz, Ph.D., Nutritional scientist, author of Your Personal Nutritionist book series

Before Your Pregnancy delivers expert advice on nutrition and exercise requirements, but also focuses on how to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Many physicians may be time limited to counsel patients on such issues involving pre-pregnancy care. This is where Before Your Pregnancy can step in. The information given is exquisite. -- Serdar H. Ural, M.D. Ob/Gyn Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Having recently experienced pregnancy, motherhood gives Amy a great deal of empathy toward the viewer. Her presentation and personal experience along with the strong knowledge base make it very valuable. -- Paul A. Czubryt, M.S., National Exercise Program Manager, Digital Equipment Corp./Health Fitness Corp.

I highly recommend Before Your Pregnancy to my patients as well as to other physicians seeking to strengthen their nutrition and exercise knowledge. A pleasure to review. . . Amy has a nice personal touch in the video which makes the information about to be imparted very believable and inviting to the prospective mother. ...The information booklet is a comprehensive, user friendly compliment to the video. ...[nutrition section]... within ACOG and AMA guidelines and are made easy to understand with excellent recipes and examples...very nicely done. ...[exercise section] was done with a style and simplicity that invites the watcher to put on their sneaker and start exercising. The video makes it look easy, and that's an excellent notion to impart to reproduction age women. -- Lisa Mazzullo, M.D. Ob/Gyn, Clinical Instructor, Northwestern University Medical School

I really enjoyed reading and watching Before Your Pregnancy. I think Ob/Gyns should offer this to those clients who do plan on pregnancy in the future. -- Melissa Leasure, R.N., B.S.N., Mother of twins!

The concept, the content, layout, graphics everything is great! The question/answer format keeps the viewer interested and answers the major questions of mothers- and fathers-to-be. Way to go incorporating DAD!. . . I would recommend this to friends, clients, and colleagues. This video will be in great demand especially now with such focus on the importance of proper nutrition before pregnancy what great timing! -- Heather Hedrick, M.S., R.D., Registered Dietitian & Exercise Physiologist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 34 pages
• Publisher: Making the Leap Into a Healthier; Bk & VHS edition (May 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966375203
• ISBN-13: 978-0966375206
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,131,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for what it was intended to be, October 2, 2000

By 

BeckyFS (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Before Your Pregnancy : Prepare Your Body for a Healthy Pregnancy -- Expert Advice on Nutrition and Exercise (Book and Video) (Paperback)

This package set is very good for what it was intended to be: a very general nutrition and exercise information resource. HOWEVER, if you have a basic knowledge of the food pyramid, exercise, and pregnancy hazards (alcohol, tobacco, caffiene) I would not recommend spending the money. The book is not more in-depth than the video, only six reciepts are included, and only a handful of exercises are available. This package is very limiting in scope. My advice: try your local library first before you buy.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource for anyone who is planning for a pregnancy., September 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Before Your Pregnancy : Prepare Your Body for a Healthy Pregnancy -- Expert Advice on Nutrition and Exercise (Book and Video) (Paperback)

My husband and I strongly recommend the Before Your Pregnancy video and booklet! Everyone is full of advice about what to do while you are pregnant, but this video provides equally valuable information about what to do BEFORE you get pregnant. When future moms and dads consider what a big responsibility and undertaking pregnancy is, they will agree that we all need this pre-pregnancy information. As I sit here writing this review, I look over at my happy, healthy 8 week old, and I am VERY thankful that this video and booklet helped us make good decisions about preparing for pregnancy. My husband appreciated the information on what and how much we should be eating, how much exercise we should be getting, and specific things he could do to help with conception. The information continued to be useful because after I became pregnant I was morning sick and my husband could help make sure I was still eating the right things. Before Your Pregnancy is a valuable resource for anyone who is planning to start a family!!!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE TO READ BUT........, March 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Before Your Pregnancy : Prepare Your Body for a Healthy Pregnancy -- Expert Advice on Nutrition and Exercise (Book and Video) (Paperback)

what I loved most about this was that I didn't have to! I love to read and loved the booklet that came with Amy's video, but I am busy. It was great to just sit down, watch the video, and in a very reasonable amount of time, be full of information and motivation. Best of all, my husband sat down and watched it with me (the second time! ) and he loved it, too. I can be pretty sure I would have read up on this topic but I know that my husband would not -- this way he didn't have to. We were both enlightened by the info regarding the need for men to get "fit for pregnancy" and it made it fun for us to work together. It was almost like having an expert on the subject sitting in our livingroom! Also, I enjoyed the recipes and the common sense ideas for adding "health and nutrition" to food I am already cooking - I really didn't have to alter my whole cooking style to follow Amy's recommendations. What I'd like to say to Amy Ogle is "THANKS! Watching your video was the easiest and most educational hour I (we! ) have had in front of the TV in a long time! It was worth every penny!"