Pea in a Pod: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth & Beyond [Paperback]

Linda Goldberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2008

Back in the good ol’ days, mothers-to-be visited their obstetricians once a month and gave birth under heavy sedation, while dads paced nervously in the waiting room. If you choose to be more active in the birth experience, Pea in a Pod is your perfect playbook.

After presenting an overview of birthing options and caregiver choices, Pea in a Pod offers a detailed description of conception and fetal development, along with the physical and emotional changes to expect during pregnancy. It also provides nutritional guidelines, exercise plans, information on prenatal tests and procedures, and a wealth of hints for the expectant father and labor partner. Labor variations are

discussed along with common interventions and medications. Final chapters focus on infant care, detailing such topics as breastfeeding and childhood immunizations. The birth of a baby is a significant event in a parent’s lifetime. Pea in a Pod will help make your journey from pregnancy to parenthood both memorable and rewarding.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Goldberg, a Florida childbirth educator and lactation consultant, presents a no-nonsense, information-packed guide. While the whimsical title, cover art depicting a green-capped baby popping out of a peapod and comical illustrations might suggest a lighthearted approach, Goldberg quickly gets down to business, covering every option available to contemporary parents-to-be. Along with decisions about birth plans, she includes nutrition and exercise guides, and detailed sections on labor and delivery, with helpful checkboxes to follow during each of four labor stages. Along with standard medical information, the author covers such alternative techniques as acupressure, visualization and touch relaxation and offers offbeat snippets such as the Navajo concept of a birth circle. Care of the newborn and breastfeeding chapters are also included, as well as a balanced assessment of co-sleeping and bed sharing. In this comprehensive guide, Goldberg presents a wealth of well-organized information in a confident manner, along with more than 300 photos, illustrations and graphics, a useful glossary, trimester checklists and resource guide. (Dec.)
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Review

"A reliable, readable, comprehensive and compassionate guide to everything you need to know about pregnancy, birth and baby care...If you're going to buy just one book to take with you on the journey to parenthood, this is an excellent choice." (Today's Parent )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Square One Publishers; 1 edition (April 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757001815
• ISBN-13: 978-0757001819
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,092,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Pregnancy Book I've Seen!, November 6, 2008

By 

Terri H. (Tampa FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pea in a Pod: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth & Beyond (Paperback)

I'm in my third pregnancy and thought there was nothing new to learn. Wrong! My mother-in-law gave me PEA IN A POD in my second month, and it has become my bible. It answers questions I didn't even know I had! Its organization and user-friendly layout makes it easy to find any topic. All the info is up-to-date, including lists of resources on every subject. An added bonus are the "extras," the many photos, charts, tips, and cartoon drawings. My husband has even consulted it more than once. Don't let the "cute" cover fool you. This book is a serious and complete pregnancy guide. If you are going to get just one pregnancy book, this is the one to get.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best pregnancy book ever, October 29, 2010

By 

Oleander (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pea in a Pod: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth & Beyond (Paperback)

I've read practically every pregnancy book on the market because my Mom works at a library and brings them all home for me. This is the best book I have read. It has everything! It's like having eight different pregnancy books in one. It has a ton of practical details you won't find anywhere else and is very readable. The section on nutrition is incredible. There's a section with great diagrams for labor positions. The best drawings I've ever seen to explain effacement and the muscles of the perineum. You'll even get a couple pages of useful visualizations so you'll have some idea what hypnobirthing is about. Anything you're curious about, you'll get just the right amount of practical information in easily digestible format. If you get this book, you won't need any other books. However I do recommend "Pushed," to understand risks of modern maternity care. Pregnancy Day by Day is pretty and fun, but the information isn't quite as useful. The (modern) Lamaze Guide, ande The Doula Book were good too, but this book contains a lot more diverse information. Ina May Gaskin's new book was OK, but I didn't learn anything new from it. Ina May's book is 1/2 birth stories (tons of mothers telling you how great midwives are at the Farm, which I already know and don't care to read), and the other half is full of stuff about modern maternity care which I already knew.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to be prepared and excited about your labor, read this book!, January 7, 2010

By 

SunnyinOC - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pea in a Pod: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth & Beyond (Paperback)

I am a physician by training but felt like I needed a refresher course before having my first baby. From preconception planning to baby care this book has it all, delivering high quality content in an easily digested language. It provides a comprehensive review of traditional and alternative methods of labor and delivery, outlining different ways to have your baby without advocating one choice over the other. After reading the book, you will be put at ease about your labor since you will feel confident and prepared for challenges of bringing a newborn into this world. It gives you great tips on how to get your body back after a vaginal delivery as well as a C-section. Key points to remember such as how to pack your delivery bag and how to monitor your newborn feeds are summarized in easy to review tables. Easy to read, easy to follow, a must have book in a new parent's library!!!