What If I Have a C-Section? [Paperback]

Rita Rubin (Author), Mark Landon (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2004

An award-winning health writer answers all the questions a pregnant mom may have about this increasingly performed procedure-now used in nearly one in every four births

Thirty years ago, 1 in 20 babies was born by a c-section. Today that number has swelled to almost 1 in 4. Yet despite the steep rise in C-sections, there are very few books available to help moms-to-be sort out their options, allay their fears, and navigate their way through this serious and emotionally complex procedure.

Rita Rubin, USA Today's medical reporter, tells women:
- The main reason Cesareans are performed
- Exactly what the procedure entails
- How to communicate with their doctors-to insure the birth experience they want
- Strategies that will help them recover from the surgery quickly and relatively painlessly
- How to decide whether to have an elective C-section-and how to cope should surgery be medically necessary
- How to sort out the controversy about VBAC-Vaginal Birth After C-section

Whether the reader is considering choosing an elective C-section, worrying about what she will face should she need one, or recovering in the days after her delivery, she'll find the facts in this unbiased, authoritative, reassuring guide-along with steps she can take to make the birth of her child the healthiest, most joyous occasion possible.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is chock full of accurate and important information about c-sections. Rubin's writing style and sense of humor makes for an easy and enjoyable read. It's a must-read for all women who are or plan to be pregnant, and all those who love them."
-Catherine De Angelis, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the American Medical Association

"Excellent reading...highly informative and clinically accurate...the best lay text I have ever seen on the subject or any other medical condition for that matter."
-Carolyn M Zelop, MD, Director
of Maternal Fetal Medicine, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, CT

"Rita Rubin has given all expectant mothers a wonderful shower gift-a practical, concise yet comprehensive book on Cesarean delivery. Having observed first hand Rubin's journalistic skill, objectivity and thoroughness in covering women's health issues, I am not at all surprised by the excellence of this book."
-Charles J. Lockwood, MD, Chair, Department of
Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine

"The current rise in the popularity of caesarian delivery demands an unbiased and informed look at the risks and benefits of this major surgical procedure. WHAT IF I HAVE A C-SECTION provides exactly that. It's must reading for all pregnant women."
-Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom (Bantam, 1998) and The Wisdom of Menopause (Bantam, 2001)


"This book is a wonderful, reassuring resource for mothers-to-be everywhere. I highly recommend it."
-Helain J. Landy, MD, Director, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program, and Director, Labor & Delivery, Georgetown University Hospital


"The book is well-written and complete. Rita quotes a broad range of experts. Her use of personal stories from the public brings the concepts discussed into a practical and human llevel."
-Michele Lauria, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth Medical School

About the Author

Rita Rubin is a prize-winning health journalist and the medical reporter for USA Today. Formerly medical reporter for U.S. News & World Report, Rubin has written for Health, Ladies Home Journal, The Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Reader's Digest, among many other medical and lay publications. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books; 1 edition (August 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579549071
• ISBN-13: 978-1579549077
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #742,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For all women who are thinking about having children..., September 15, 2004

By 

Andrea (Falls Church, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What If I Have a C-Section? (Paperback)

As a pregnant woman a couple weeks from her due date, I found "What If I Have a C-Section?" a real wake-up call about the possibility I might end up with a surgical delivery-which happens at my hospital more than 1 in 5 times (and according to the book, even more often nationwide). Rubin helps sort out the myths from the facts, sneaking in a LOT of scientific information while she keeps the book light and readable. I still hope to avoid a C-section, and now I feel like I have a better idea how to plan for contingencies in labor and what questions to ask my doctor and the hospital staff if vaginal delivery gets stalled or becomes problematic. I'm going to get another copy of the book for a friend who is going to have a scheduled C-section due to medical reasons, because I think the book will be just as useful for her in laying out how the procedure happens, details on recovery, and information on vaginal births in the future once you've had a Cesarean delivery. Really worth reading!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful insurance "just in case", December 1, 2004

By 

Beth - See all my reviews

This review is from: What If I Have a C-Section? (Paperback)

This book proved more helpful than I could have imagined! I ended up having an emergency C-section and was glad that I had reviewed this book in advance. Afterwards, I didn't have a lot of free time to read, but this book proved succinct and easy to reference with my "now what?" questions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rita Rubin's book on C-sections, November 21, 2007

By 

Chris C. Tirpak (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What If I Have a C-Section? (Paperback)

Very handy format! Loved the sections entitled WORDS FROM THE WISE and TALKING POINTS! This book has great "zoom-in" capability with a focus on the most important considerations in make a decision on whether or not to have a C-section. A must-read for every mother-to-be. Thanks, Rita Rubin!