Birth Day - The Journey of Childbirth

It seems like I'm doing a lot of book recommendations lately; but, seriously, there's some really great new books out there for expecting mommies! This morning on my metro area's local morning show, Dr. Mark Sloan appeared to talk about his new book Birth Day: A Pediatrician Explores the Science, the History, and the Wonder of Childbirth.

Sloan has delivered nearly 3,000 babies over the last 30+ years and draws on that experience to further deliver, with humor and wonder, the science, history and culture of this very fundamental journey that all of us have taken.

Birth Day is put out by Random Press and, being book publishers, they have written a spectacular summary of topics covered in the book. I'm not even going to attempt to outwrite Random House, so the following is directly from their website...

Some of Birth Day’s many topics include

• The evolution of human childbirth—or, why do gorillas have it so easy?
• The first five minutes of life—scuba divers, astronauts, and the amazing adaptations that transform a fetus into an air-breathing, out-in-the-world baby
• Cesarean section—a look at its origins, its future, and how it came to be the most frequently performed operation in American hospitals
• Pain and politics—the age-old quest for painless childbirth, starring Adam and Eve, Queen Victoria, a nineteenth-century medical brawl, and the rise of today’s “epidural monoculture”
• Daddies—raging paternal hormones, hidden anxieties, and the emotional evolution of men (including the author, his father, and grandfather) as they approach fatherhood
• The five senses at birth—does light enter the womb? how loud is it in there? what is a newborn baby searching for with those first anxious glances?
• A tour of the newborn body—springy skulls, hairy ears, innies and outies, the advantages (and disadvantages) of looking like your father, and why the United States is one of the world’s most circumcised nations

So, if you're expecting or know someone who is, pick up a copy of this fabulous book. It's entertaining while still being instructive and would be a great gift for Mother's Day!

Full of Life

Just heard about yet another great new book for pregnant moms! "Full of Life: Mom-To-Mom Tips I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Pregnant" is an easy to read, pre-conception to post partum book by Nancy O'Dell. Yes, that's the same Nancy O'Dell that is a co-anchor on Access Hollywood!

Nancy says she wrote the book because of all the things she learned during her pregnacy that weren't in any of the books she already had. She wanted to spread the word about all this new found information to moms everywhere. She says, "There were just so many things that came as a complete surprise to me that I wish someone had given me a heads up about." O'Dell holds very little back, too, even including her experience with a miscarriage.

Available on April 14th, "Full of Life" will give you a variety of tips from the importance of taking a prenatal vitamin before you conceive to preregistering at the hospital where you'll be delivering. So, if you're planning for a family in the near future or if you're already well on your way, pick up a copy of "Full of Life" next week!

Is There Life After Children?

After baby makes three (or more!), what happens to your marriage? It's one of those things that is rarely, if ever, addressed in books regarding pregnancy and how babies change your life. Still, it's a very real issue that many men and women face every day.

I'd Trade My Husband for a Housekeeper: Loving Your Marriage After the Baby Carriage is an honest,humorous look at and the joys and obstacles of being married with children. Authors Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile will make you laugh and, maybe more importantly, make you realize that you're not alone when you wish you could just find time for a shower sometime this week.

Let's face it, we have a lot of expectations about life after babies and, truthfully, they're not all completely realistic. We'd love to be Martha Stewart and have the perfect looking home, make our holiday cards by hand, and cultivate our own organic gardens; but, when you're really dealing with spit up, sore breasts and piles of laundry, it's easy to wonder how you ever got to that place in life.

Ashworth and Nobile let us know that it's all perfectly normal, though. Modern parenthood doesn't have to mean the absence of marital bliss. In fact, with the guidance this book offers, you may just find your life really is perfect just the way it is!

Who's Your (Grand) Daddy?

What do you call your grandparents? For myself, it was the traditional Grandma and Grandpa, with the notable exception of my paternal grandmother who was Gram. The only really different name that was ever used by family members of my own was Bobsha (I hope I spelled that correctly). It's the name some of my cousins called their father's mother. She was Polish and I'm told that the name means "grandma" in Polish. My own children call my stepdad Papa, but that's as unusual as the monikers get in my immediate family.

The traditional Grandma and Grandpa titles seem to fall a little short, though, in a world where we routinely come across more and more unique baby names. So, just when you thought all you had to choose was a new baby name, there may be the added pressure of figuring out just what the right grandparent names should be, too. Just in time to save you, though, comes The New Grandparents Name Book by Lin Wellford. Containing hundreds of names for the new grandparents, you'll have fun finding the perfect aliases for your folks and his. You could even wrap up this cute little 5"x5" book and give it as a gift to them to announce your new arrival.

As for the Eternal Maternal Mama, my kids are still young so grandparent status is years off, but I currently am thinking I'd make a great Grammy. Any other suggestions?