With Child: Wisdom and Traditions for Pregnancy, Birth, and Motherhood [Hardcover]

Deborah Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999

Bargain Books are non-returnable.

Beautifully illustrated with over 150 paintings and drawings, With Child celebrates the wonder of pregnancy and motherhood. Drawing on the vast, inherited body of wisdom of mothers around the world, expert Deborah Jackson has translated ancient rituals and myths into practical knowledge that will instruct and encourage mothers (and fathers too). From ancient fertility rites and lore about conception to the folk mythology of labor and aboriginal beliefs about the first months of life, With Child takes us around the world and through the ages in a fascinating presentation of panhuman maternal wisdom. Learn why the ancient Greek tradition of having a doula, a full-time mother’s assistant trained in the transition between pregnancy and motherhood, is regaining popularity for modern women. Discover the traditional way to plant a birth tree; herbal remedies to stop your baby from crying; yoga techniques for pregnancy; how to conduct a naming ceremony; or how to use feng shui to plan the baby’s sleeping place. Charting an inspirational course through pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood, With Child is the perfect gift for mothers and mothers-to-be, a beautiful and unique volume to be treasured and shared by all parents.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Deborah Jackson is also the author of Three in a Bed and other books. She runs workshops for the Active Birth Centre in London and has been on the panel of advisors for La Leche League, Great Britain. She lives in Bath, England.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811824004
• ISBN-13: 978-0811824002
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,870,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Birthing is a rite of Passage, March 25, 2000

By 

Krista Armstrong - See all my reviews

This review is from: With Child: Wisdom and Traditions for Pregnancy, Birth, and Motherhood (Hardcover)

Nothing can be more fulfilling than the creation of life. When you are expecting your own child you are filled with creative energy and usually have a strong desire to express it. Reading With Child will help you find so many ways to explore the feelings you have by offering suggestions of rituals to do that will help fulfill the need to connect with the birthing power of other women. Filled with traditional birthing wisdom and cultural traditions this book helps you to really feel in tune with pregnancy and birth as it is viewed around the world.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice coffee table book but not much substance, January 28, 2004

By 

Book Reader "fiandacafiandaca" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: With Child: Wisdom and Traditions for Pregnancy, Birth, and Motherhood (Hardcover)

I think this is a lovely little book, particularly the drawings! This makes a nice coffee table book or one to kind of skim through. But if you're in search of serious information regarding traditions and wisdom, you'd do better to find a book with more substance. Pam England's book Birthing From Within, for example, not only provides many of the same suggestions for rituals, it also provides a lot of great information to help prepare one for labor. A book that looks at current infant-rearing traditions in different cultures is Meredith Small's Our babies Ourselves: how biology and culture shape the way we parent. Small's book is fabulous- gives you a lot to think about in terms of how cultural beliefs influence our values and parenting choices.