Customer Reviews

A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health

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I consider myself one of the luckiest moms on earth that I got turned onto a healthy nutrient track when I was pregnant and for my post partum recovery. And I'm not talking about the blah, blah, blah healthy stuff.. The stuff we all know..eat right, exercise, etc...that stuff has been written about for years..from banal REader's Digest to Oprah Late At Night. What I'm talking about is the alternative, cutting edge stuff. Like replacing some of the lost omega-3 oils DHA and EPA which I leared awhile ago is downright stolen by the baby from the mom during pregnancy. And I made it my business to supplement my pregnancy and post pregnancy with the right nutrients so that I could avoid Post Partum depression with my new baby. I should say, avoid PPD without Prozac. Well, now new moms are lucky because everything I learned from various sources and vaious experts are now in ONE book. This is a one stop shop for any new mom who wants to take care of her body while taking care of her new baby. Raffelock and Roundtree have really answered any question I had and any new mom who might ask "what's happening to me?" Or things like, "Why is my skin so dry?" "Why am I forgetful?" And more importantly... "How can I fix it?"
This information is invaluable. ... But, if you follow some of the steps in this book, you can find some of the good nutrients at local health food stores. The key is the right items in the right amounts.
Personally, I think Prozac or as I call it, "Vitamin P" is being handed out way too easily and new moms have so much going on with their bodies that I would rather see nutrition be supplemented before jumping on Vitamin P.

This book must be read by all new moms!

This is a must read book for every pregnant mother, every new mother, every mother who developed chronic symptoms after a pregnancy, every spouse of one of these women, and anyone providing healthcare to pregnant or postpartum women. I have not seen any other book that deals so well with the many nutrient depletions and hormonal imbalances that pregnancy may cause in the mother and how to prevent or reverse them. Following the guidelines here for dietary changes, essential fatty acids, vitamin and mineral supplements, hormone balancing, amino acids and exercise could certainly prevent many of the very common problems in the postpartum period, such as depression, mood swings, fatigue, weight gain, and decreased libido. If these symptoms are not treated early, they often become chronic longstanding problems that many of my medical colleagues have then treated with all sorts of medications, especially Prozac. There is an excellent chapter on breastfeeding problems and remedies along with a discussion of what herbs are safe or unsafe during nursing. The many case stories remind me of real-life patients I have treated. I am keenly interested in neurotransmitter and hormone problems and after reading this book I have a greater understanding of the cause of these problems in mothers and will more effectively treat them.

This book is a must read for all mothers no matter when you had your last child! My son is now 25 years old and I suffered for most of two and one half decades from many of the symptoms described in this book related to postpartum nutrient depletions. Like so many mothers, my symptoms started shortly after I gave birth to my son but none of my doctors knew to check me for deficiencies in the nutrients that my body donated to form the body of my baby.

As I have worked through this book making changes at my own pace, the rewards have been recognizable and very profound. My skin and hair, once dry are more supple and healthy. My digestive system is vastly improved. My mind clear without anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs, and my hormone balance is greatly improved eliminating mood swings and fatigue.

This book tells wonderful stories of real patients that had symptoms they turned around by working to give their body what it needed instead of dumping more chemicals in causing their detoxification systems to work overtime to deal with those chemical/medicines. Even though the stories are about women and are around pregnancy much of each story relates to anyone trying to give their bodies what they need in this stress filled environment with soil depletion, over processed foods, and environmental toxins.

This book has a comprehensive list of all vitamins, minerals, hormones, and nutrients and what they do for your body and what happens when they are out of balance. It also explains what to look for if you want a qualified doctor, someone certified in functional medicine. It also explains what lab work is available and how to read the lab work. If you are healthy and just want to give yourself the best chance to stay that way good recommendations are given on the best foods to eat and the most beneficial amounts and types of supplements needed to support this state of health.

If you don't know how to start there is a very easy to follow and clear plan on how to shop, prepare ahead and actually make healthy nutritious meals. There are even recipes included and suggestions on how to be creative. Spices and herbs are included not just for the taste quality but also for their actual health benefits.

I now know how important it is for all women to replenish their nutrient reserves after they give birth even if it is decades later! The information in this book inspires you to really take care of yourself!

Drs. Dean Raffelock and Robert Rountree have truly produced a book that should be read by not only every expecting mother, but also by their doctors! If this were the case I firmly feel that the current horrific national epidemic of severe postpartum depression and infanticide that is all too commonly detailed on the evening news would be nothing more than a sad footnote in history. The current attempted solution, which is to simply give young mothers anti-depressant drugs, is clearly not working. Drs. Raffelock and Rountree construct this book in a clear and concise format so that the person with no medical or nutrition knowledge, or the highly trained physician, can equally benifit. The most current understanding of alterations in the nutritional, hormonal, and neurotransmitter status of new mothers is easily explained. Novel methods of diagnosing and treating these problems in the most non-invasive and supportive ways possible are clearly detailed in order for the woman to acheive a lasting and true recovery from the physiological stressors of pregnancy. It is obvious from reading this book that these two enlightened doctors are not only on the cutting-edge of knowledge in the fields of functional medicine and clinical nutrition, but they are also gifted clinicians who have compassion for their patients and have a passion for this grave public health issue. It is often said that medicine is not only a science, but an art. These doctors have produced a masterpiece. If it could only be read by every obstetrician in the country and if only there were more doctors who thought like them. Bravo!

I was so happy to find this book when I was pregnant. While there are many books about eating right during pregnancy, there is almost nothing about postpartum diets even though nutrition is just as important for a mother's recovery and a nursing baby's well-being.

The authors of this book do an excellent job explaining how most postpartum problems actually result from nutrient depletion and hormonal imbalances. More importantly, they tell you how to bring your body back into balance through diet and nutrition, herbs, supplements, and exercise.

The authors explain how to read lab tests so you can take charge of your own postpartum recovery and don't have to rely on what your doctor may or may not tell you. Another feature I especially appreciated was that the authors realize that postpartum mothers don't have a lot of time and energy to institute major lifestyle changes and they offer tips and suggestions on food preparation and menu planning. There are also sections on breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, emotional stress.

I found this book invaluable during and after my pregnancies and I referred to it often when writing my book "The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook." I recommend this book for all new mothers and mothers-to-be.

This book is the first one that I have personally read that actually addresses physical needs and deprevations after pregnancy. I have been reading this book since my fourth month of pregnancy and I continually find myself using it as a resource for feeling like I did before my pregnancy. I am recovering so fast. I actually gained 60 healthy lbs. during my pregnancy and after only three months I have shed 50 of it. To be honest with you, I haven't had time to work out, but if you read in this book, now isn't the time to stress our bodies that way; we are equiped to recover naturally and Dr. Raffelock is an expert on just that. I recommend this book to any woman in post-partum recovery. However, I felt that it was even more beneficial to have this book as a resource durng my pregnancy, because it set the right tone for the events to follow.

This book is so excellent! Everyone should read it, whether having a baby or not! It explains why our body needs certain nutrients and how easily nutrients can become depleted and stay depleted for years and lead to disease. It explains the "why" of things you're always hearing, such as don't eat sugar and flour, or eat more protein. Once you read it and understand how your body works, you feel really motivated to make the extra effort to provide your body with the foods it needs. Also, this book explains some very important things that you need to know postpartum. Especially, if you have a second child, the nutrient depletion from the first child will make your second pregnancy difficult if you don't start restoring nutrients as soon as you can. I wish I had known this before my second pregnancy. This book is very helpful! Get it asap! In our society there is hardly any acknowledgement of how much your body goes through in having a baby. POstpartum problems aren't addressed. Women are expected to have a baby and then be back at work a few months later. This book explains why you need to help your body recover, and what you need to do.

I purchased this book because my husband and I are planning a second child. Our daughter is now four years old, and I suffer from several problems postpartum that I have seen numerous specialists about. I am currently under the care of an acupuncturist and am definitely benefitting from the information in this book. I agree with the author 100% in that without the proper nutrition and suplementation, it is hard to recover from pregnancy. Here's to a very healthy second!

Six months after my child was born, I was a mess. I was exhausted, but couldn't sleep. I lost weight, then gained it back. I was crabby and irritable, at a time when I wanted nothing more than to be blissfully enjoying my baby. Dr. Raffelock's book truly saved my life. It's filled with specific, detailed information that goes way beyond the "eat a healthy diet and get plenty of sleep" recommendations I read in all the other pregnancy books. After following the advice in his book, and taking the post-natal formulas he developed, I started to feel like myself again. The book's insightful, science-based information, combined with Dr. Raffelock's wisdom from years of experience, truly saved my life.

I have been reading for quite a long time information about how nutrition and other aspects of lifestyle (exercise, stress, sleep...) affect the health of a normal person but after my wife got pregnant with our first kid I started looking for a book that would give some light to the requirements of a postpartum mother. And let me openly tell you that this book is no less than excellent resource that covers this topic. It will not only help to address postpartum health from a more holistic perspective, but it will also become an invaluable friend for the general health of anyone who reads it. The doctors who have written this book are quite simply the doctors of the future - looking to find and remedy the cause of a problem and not only to cover the symptom. And doing that using both cutting edge science as well as time proven old remedies. Very simply, a must read for anyone who is looking for an in depth but at the same time practical view on the topic, I recommend it without single piece of doubt!