Natural Pregnancy A-Z [Hardcover]

Carolle Jean-Murat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000

Women have been delivering healthy babies for 1000s of years. It is a natural process, a normal part of a woman's life. With proper preconception, prenatal care, and attention from your health-care provider, there is little reason why you cannot deliver a healthy baby, says Dr. Jean-Murat, a practicing obstretrician/gynecologist. From amniocentesis to fertility to postpartum blues to yoga, Dr. Jean-Murat answers many questions about the natural process of your pregnancy, the terms you may hear, and the tests that you may choose to undergo. Throughout this A-Z book, she particularly urges the reader to develop a trusting relationship with their health-care provider.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 159 pages
• Publisher: Hay House Inc (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561707090
• ISBN-13: 978-1561707096
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,791,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Minimally Natural, February 24, 2009

By 

Melissa A. Evans "Childbirth Educator" (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Natural Pregnancy A-Z (Hardcover)

I think the author titles the book "Natural" because she acknowledges the option of homebirth, chiropractic care, and acupuncture - other than that, there is nothing really natural about this book. I found many things in here annoying and/or disturbing.

It's a bag of waters, plural. This is consistently incorrect in the book; I would expect more from an MD. She also says that Aleve is ibuprofen; it's not, it's naproxen. She refers to an EDC, Estimated Date of Confinement. This is an archaic term used when pregnant women weren't supposed to be in public because they (shhhh!) obviously had sex. It is an EDD, Estimated Due Date which is give or take 2 weeks which is not mentioned. And it is a *birth* not a "delivery." Packages are delivered, mothers give birth and babies are born.

The first entry is Abortion. I find this odd considering the intended audience.

The information on epidurals is inaccurate, she says they take 10-15 minutes to work "which feels like an eternity" when it's more like 20-30 - and why on earth is someone promoting a natural pregnancy making snide remarks about a natural labor? Later she advocates the use of medication to help mom's stress level - I would suggest education and relaxation!

The advice to avoid foods high in sodium is questionable; Dr. Brewer's pregnancy diet encourages mothers to salt their food to taste and his work looking and proper nutrition to avoid pre-eclampsia is amazing. Not that the author of this book referenced it at all. The information on weight gain is also contrary to Dr. Brewer's message. Suggesting that all women "should gain about 25 pounds" is over simplifying and inaccurate.

Her discussion about tests and procedures uses the assumption that doctor knows best, so roll over and be a good patient. There is no information about risks or alternatives to tests like the GTT. GBS mothers have several more choices than the author dictates, "the mother *will* be treated with antibiotics in labor," "Laboratory tests *will* be performed routinely..." "During labor, you *will* be checked periodically to evaluate cervical thinning and dilation." [Bolding mine] The information on breech is sorely lacking, there are *many* other options than external version, and there are many risks with external version. And most breech babies are delivered by surgery because OBs are no longer trained on how to catch them. "Continuous fetal heart-rate monitoring may reveal specific signs that the fetus is in distress." Actually, continuous EFM only increases mom's chance of ending in the operating room. Intermittent monitoring does just as well at finding babies who need help.

Her information on The Bradley Method is completely incorrect. There are no breathing techniques, it is not a combination of Lamaze and Dick-Read.

The information on breastfeeding is lacking. Breastfeeding is not "best," it is normal. And although the author "strongly recommends that every baby be breast-fed [this should be one word] during the first six months," the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 1 year and the World Health Organization recommends 2 years.

She mentions that "if labor is not progressing adequately due to poor-quality contractions..." Adequately for who? And I find the term "poor-quality contractions" to be highly offensive. Women's bodies are not as broken as she implies. She only mentions Pitocin and fails to discuss Cytotec and the inherent dangers with that drug (please please please do a search on this drug!). At no point are natural forms of induction/augmentation mentioned. Under Prolonged Labor, she only mentions Pitocin or cesarean, never mind care provider patience and the plethora of other options.

The most offensive to me are her comments about midwives and obstetricians. Under Birth Attendants, she only mentions CNMs, family physicians, and OBs - completely ignoring Certified Professional Midwives, Licensed Midwives, or Direct Entry Midwives. She instructs, "because your life and the life of your baby is in her hands, choose your midwife carefully, check her references..." but for an OB, "This is a medical doctor [surgeon!] who specialized in the reproductive health of women. Check with your obstetrician's policy regarding natural labor, use of episiotomy, and pain relief." That's it. She obviously feels that things often go wrong with a midwife and if a woman chooses that route, it's her fault; yet there are no risks or responsibility with choosing a surgeon to catch a healthy baby. I would argue that a woman should scrutinize an OB even more than a properly trained midwife and that it is the mother's responsibility no matter who she chooses to provide care during her birth.

I found this book to by highly medically biased and lacking so much information to render it useless.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was looking for, October 28, 2002

By 

Sara "jasecca" (MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Natural Pregnancy A-Z (Hardcover)

This book was not what I was looking for. It is basically a glossary of "natural pregnancy" terms. Not much useful information.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, November 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Natural Pregnancy A-Z (Paperback)

Out of all my pregnancy books, I go to this one second. While it's just basically an A-Z "dictionary" of pregnancy terms, I've found it EXTREMELY helpful. She gives a lot of information and I turn to it again and again. I definitely recommend it -- not as reading material but as a great reference!