Penny SimkinCritiques

My library's copy is the 5th Edition from 2018, which is the most recent version and I really appreciate its commitment to inclusive language (not all birthing parents are women! Not all birthing partners are dads! Nontraditional family structures like extended family or adoptive parents exist!) as well as extensive comfort resources and illustrations. My husband is more of an audiobook person, so I'm curious if I should obtain that version for him or if he'll lose out on illustrations charts.

While you could read this cover to cover like I did, it's probably useful as a guidebook where you pick between needed chapters as things come up. Very thorough, with extensive list of resources in the back for further reading/viewing in the case of online videos. While I suspect Penny leans more towards non-medicated/low intervention births, all necessary information for any kind of birth is presented. For example, in the chapter on pain medication, there is a table for gauging the birthing parent's pain medication preferences, and they mention that both extreme ends (either complete pain removal or lack thereof) are unrealistic expectations and as birth partner/doula/etc., you should pinpoint the fears behind why the birthing person feels that way and discuss scenarios where pain medication can/can't be applied.

Strongly recommended if you're assisting with a birth/newborn role, and want to know how to support your pregnant loved one.

This is the last of the general pregnancy books that I had on my list to read. I probably didn't need to read it. Not because I didn't learn anything — I did, and there were several areas where this book was better than the others I read — but I think three general pregnancy books reaches the points of diminishing returns. So now you know =)

But on to judging this book on its own merits! In many ways this was my favorite of the three books. I still prefer the tone of the Our Bodies, Ourselves pregnancy book, but I feel like in content this book combined the best of that book and the Mayo guide. This was, to some degree, at the expense of being about 30% longer than the other two (including appendices).

This book contained good information about alternatives, like the Our Bodies, Ourselves guide and detailed information about things like exercise like the Mayo guide. As far as I can recall, the chapters on breastfeeding and self comfort techniques during birth were more detailed than either.

The book did have a rather strong bias toward a lower intervention birth, so if that's not of interest to you, the book may bug you. If that book is of interest, you'll likely find it very supportive. I enjoyed it, but if you want a more balanced look at the alternatives, I recommend the Our Bodies, Ourselves guide; it's attitude is more "we want you to know that the low intervention route is a viable option, but that it's also perfectly OK to choose interventions. Either way, just make sure you know what you're choosing."

So my end recommendation of books for the pregnant or wanting to conceive couple?
- If you want more insight into how your menstrual cycle works and ways to track fertility, read Taking Charge of Your Fertility
- If you're not sure how you feel about different birth options, read Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth for a balanced overview of options
- Read Expecting Better to understand the data behind many of the standard recommendations and get the data to decide for yourself which recommendations are more or less relevant to you.
- If you feel the Our Bodies, Ourselves guide didn't give you enough info about pregnancy itself,
-- If you decide you prefer the more standard hospital birth, read the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy
-- If you prefer the lower intervention approach (whatever setting), go with Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn (and, for the philosophical/emotional side of things, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth)
-- But note that either will give you lots of substantially different information, including about the alternatives. The difference is mainly a matter of tone.

Back in my doula and childbearing days, I read a lot by Penny Simkin. I received this as an ARC and hoped to see what newer childbirth books by my favorite authors had to offer, thinking maybe I would pass it along to my sister or sisters-in-law when I was finished. This was a decent book but I didn't find that it replaced any of my favorites, and it turns out that my sister and sisters-in-law are much more likely to look online for birth information than in a book (which makes me feel old, but that's another story).

The literal best book for a partner of a parent-to-be. Useful for lists, for knowledge development, and for strategies. Basically if your partner is going to give birth, this is required reading.

I read this about a month before my wife went into labor. It throws a lot of information at you, and I don't know that reading it straight through without, say, taking notes was particularly valuable. A lot of time is spent explaining certain holds and massages that by the time my wife was in labor, I had completely forgotten. But I guess the fundamental message is valuable: you should listen to the mother, and she should listen to her body, and avoid unnecessary interventions. We had a doula at the birth, for which I am immensely grateful, as she had internalized all this stuff, while a 400-page book is not the easiest referent in the middle of labor.

Recommended to us by a doula and chock-full of excellent information and advice. Focuses on the non-birthing partner's perspective (especially intimidating when it comes to what you might see in terms of pain if the partner opts against medication). Has a useful chart for identifying where you might fall on the "put me to sleep to deliver this kid" to "if I don't hurt I didn't do it right" spectrum, which uncollapses the endpoint caricatures and helps get everyone on the same page.

Este libro es una joya!! Totalmente recomendado para aquel que quiera ser padre, la que esta embarazada o quien tenga un bebe recien nacido. Es un libro sin desperdicios, abarca todas las etapas del emabarazo, detalle a detalle y lo primero meses de vida del recien nacido.

Incluye consejos de dieta y ejercicio (con fotos) para mujeres embarazadas. Hay un capítulo sobre las complicaciones durante el embarazo, así como uno sobre cómo planificarte para un parto. Los planes de nacimiento son discutidos en buen detalle, así como preguntas de la entrevista para su obstetra / partera / Doula.

Los capítulos finales revisan qué hacer una vez que el bebé entra en el mundo. ¿Cómo se da pecho?, ¿Cómo posicionar tu hijo? ¿Cuántas veces debe alimentar cada día y cuántos pañales mojados / sucios debe esperar? ¿Cuáles son algunas de las causas comunes de preocupación? Las respuestas a todas estas preguntas se proporcionan en este libro, así como ilustraciones para la lactancia, la celebración de su recién nacido, etc.

The book covers all stages of new parenting, from making the decision to become pregnant to care of the newborn and his/her mother. The father/partner is included in each section, invaluable information that generations before would have loved to have. Many new mothers think themselves singular in their physical and emotional responses to pregnancy, birth of a baby, and the weeks after the baby's birth. This book addresses many of those responses and can help new mothers understand they are not alone or "abnormal". I would have loved to have this book in 1975, when my first child was born.

A comprehensive and up-to-date guide for prospective and new parents. This book addresses concerns ranging from "Are you ready for a baby?" to labor and delivery, to caring for a newborn. The authors are all childbirth educators, and presumably, mothers themselves. The book also includes an extensive list of resources.

This book was VERY thorough. I'm actually on baby number 4, but my two oldest were born 11 and 8 years ago so it's been awhile. I'm hoping to have a natural birth this time around and my third child was a necessary C-Section. I really was hoping for something to refresh my memory on all the different parts of pregnancy and child birth. This book is definitely wonderful for this. It goes into every possible thing you could think of while pregnant and really walks you through labor well. I feel fully prepared and I'm very thankful for having read this book.

I actually love this book. Being a woman who has lost many babies (six to date) this book is helping me work on myself and my husband so we can hopefully conceive and carry a healthy baby full term. The sections on miscarriages is very intriguing, and we have already changed our diets to that of a healthy pregnant woman based on the book. I encourage every woman to have a copy of this in their home.

I was very excited to be an early reviewer of this title because it has been a LONG time since Health class, and I honestly had no idea what happens to you while you're pregnant, or what to do, or what to do after you have the baby besides the very basic. I should say that I am not pregnant and have not ready any other pregnancy books, but I am curious as to what I should do/expect if I was to be expecting.

This book really takes the cake. First of all it gives you practical tips and thoroughly explains each aspect of expecting in plain and simple language. It includes diagrams and photographs which really help to illustrate, for example what the placenta does and what its appropriate placement should be. The process of labor is presented in multiple ways: home births, hospital births, what to do if you can't make it to the hospital, etc. And it is done in a way that is factual without being scary. There are websites and other resources to find out more information sprinkled throughout the book and in a nice Appendix in the back. The book also tries to include the partner with sections specifically for them to read. I'd assume the "what to do while she's in labor" part is particularly useful to them.

This book is an excellent choice to read for those who have no idea what to do/what's going to happen during pregnancy, and I'll happy give it to my friends and family.

I would recommend this slender volume every single time before I ever would recommend the commercial garbage called "What To Expect When You're Expecting".

Everything you could possibly want to know, you will find here. As a certified childbirth educator, I had the opportunity to study with these authors, and the book is as open and accessible as they were. The information is presented in a straightforward and non-threatening manner that any first-time parent should be able to understand.

There is a good balance between a more natural and a more traditional way of parenting (co-sleeping versus room-sharing; breastfeeding vs. formula feeding). Information is given without judgment for both sides. The practical tips contained in this book are invaluable, for example, Tucks or witch hazel pads for post-partum. And the personal stories interspersed throughout as sidebars are a nice touch for adding a human side to the very matter-of-fact presentation of facts.

This would be a great gift for someone you know who has just found out they are pregnant.

Title of the book: Pregnancy Childbirth and the Newborn The Complete Guide

Author:Penny Simkin

Publisher: Meadowbrook Press

Publishing Date: 2016

ISBN: 978-1-501-11270-6

Summary:

If you only buy one pregnancy book, this should be the one! It’s the most complete. It covers all aspects of childbearing, from conception through early infancy, and tells you what to expect. It offers detailed information, suggestions on decisions to make, and advice on steps to take to have a safe and satisfying experience.

The Award-Winning Resource Recommended by Experts & Loved by Parents

Parents love this book because it puts them in control by explaining a wide range of options, information, and questions to ask, so parents can find what works best for their health situation, personal goals, and priorities.

Experts love this book because it’s based on the latest medical research and recommendations from leading health organizations. It’s practical—rooted in the real-life experiences of new families. The five authors bring a combined total of 150 years of experience working with expectant and new families as educators, nurses, counselors, doulas, physical therapists, and lactation consultants. They have attended hundreds of births, heard thousands of birth stories, and assisted innumerable new parents in adapting to their new lives. Not only that, the authors have a combined total of 12 children and 12 grandchildren. All of this experience allows them to write with compassion, understanding, and wisdom based on what really works in the real-world of parenting.

The companion website offers even more details on select subjects, including lists of all the best resources on each topic and worksheets to guide parents’ decision-making process. The website also includes a bonus chapter on pre-conception, which provides ways to improve your health and fertility before pregnancy begins.

Author Info:

Penny Simkin, a physical therapist, has been a childbirth educator and doula since 1968. She trains childbirth educators, doulas, and doula trainers and frequently conducts workshops for doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals

Personal Opinion:

I got this book on March 9th, 2016, a few weeks short of finishing up my first pregnancy. Having literally read this book cover to cover, I honest to gods wish I had known of it from the start of my pregnancy. Its very helpful, and something I found myself referring to even after my own son was born for various tips. I do regret that I didn't stick to some of the guns I should have, and that after the child's birth, I didn't read this fully for post-partum information which would have been very helpful, especially almost two months later when I had to go back to the hospital again. What I didn't like when it comes to this book is that its an ARC which means no page numbers throughout the copy I have and no index at the end which will make things easier to look up. Also, if you're looking for a book that focuses heavily on baby's growth, I would still focus on either what to expect when you're expecting or pregnancy weekly guide or the the pregnancy journal because the information about baby development is very scant in the book.

This is for Librarything Early Reviewer program

5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)

Disclaimer: I received a free proof copy of this book from a LibraryThing giveaway in exchange for a review.

Since I'm pregnant with my first child, I've been leafing through many different pregnancy books to get an idea of what I'm in for. I was quite impressed with this book's fleshed-out cousin, "Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn," for its depth of topics and no-nonsense advice and information. So I was eager to see what this book would be like - could they slim it down without watering it down? Yes, and they did it well.

This book is compact and yet covers everything I could think of asking about pregnancy. Without getting "Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn" from the library again, I'm not able to do a side-by-side comparison, but I can't think of any crucial information about pregnancy or childbirth that's been omitted from this volume. I seem to recall that its bigger cousin has chapters on issues such as circumcision for male infants and planning further children after the current one, but I think those were good candidates to be left out of this version.

I like the checklists strewn throughout the book, because it makes it easy to isolate information when you're leafing through the book. It has a useful table of contents, which is sorely missing in some other pregnancy manuals. I also like that it isn't a sugary sweet book, because many other pregnancy books are just too precious for me.

The only con for me was that the cross-references aren't complete in the proof copy. It would say, "For more information on this topic, see page XX," and I had no idea which page they actually meant. (There are no front matter pages, so it couldn't be page xx in the front matter.) I'm assuming that these cross-references will be accurate in the final version for sale.

This is the fifth edition of a book I read, reviewed, and loved many years ago, when I was first starting out as a childbirth educator. Penny Simkin is an authority I respect and admire, and her involvement as author and contributor to this volume adds credence to the content that other books do not have. When I was newly expecting for the first time, I picked up the usual books at Waldenbooks and B. Dalton, that is, commercial offerings like "What To Expect When You're Expecting". It was terrifying. To those books, I say, "If you taken what you're always given, you'll get what you've always gotten." If you choose a book like "Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn", you'll get accurate information and a standpoint from which to make informed decisions. Always advocate for yourself. Inform yourself, and make good decisions for you and your baby. Scorn books like WTEWYE, because those books pander to the medical community, making things convenient for them, not best for you and your baby.

"Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn" is well-organized, easy to read, and guides the eye throughout. It does not bore the reader with long text passages, nor does it overwhelm with too much color and graphics making the eye jump around on the page. It is well-designed and chock full of information. If you have a specific question, the answer is easy to locate, and there aren't gaps with chunks of information left out. Yet one does not have to be a consummate medical professional to understand what is being presented. Anything included is also explained in the book. Although the information could be alarming, it is also put in a way that is reassuring ("Yes, this can happen, but the chances are very low. Here is what you'll notice if it is happening, and here is what you can do if it should happen to you.")

This comprehensive guide to the year of having a baby is a worthwhile read, and I recommend it for expectant parents, professionals, and anyone interested in the birth process.

There are so many Pregnancy books on the market, and from what I can tell, they all have the same information. The main thing I look for when purchasing a pregnancy book is the layout and presentation of the information. One of the main things I like about this book in particular is that it includes a good amount of information about taking care of your newborn. Most books are either dedicated to Pregnancy and childbirth or Newborn care, but not always both. Another thing I love about this book is that is is easy to read, not dry as some others I have read. When I first received the book, I knew I would like it just by looking at the Table of Contents because everything was arranged and grouped in a way that makes sense to me. Instead having a separate section for each trimester, there were sections for exercises, changes in your body, complicated situations, etc and the trimesters were discussed within those sections. Works for me, but maybe not for others!

A quick survey of the local bookstore, not to mention a search on the topic on Amazon, reveals a bewildering assortment of books on this subject. There are the top sellers with dozens of editions, and the less well known, sometimes very specialized volumes. My initial impression of this book is that it fell right in the middle.

For one thing, I appreciated that the language did not read like an article from Cosmopolitan magazine. I never felt like I was being talked down to, or that the language was intended to try to brighten up a dull subject.

However, it felt like this book had too broad of a scope. The same number of pages could be written about each of the three topics individually -- and of course, have been, many times over. As a result, this felt more like a survey of several related topics rather than an in-depth guide to any of them.

As a resource for its subject matter, it seems like it would be a valuable voice, but should not be the only voice to the first time parent.½

I don't know what I expected from this book, but it didn't deliver. I have not had a child and therefore have many questions. The book touches on many subjects, but does not give enough details or insight for me.

I can't say enough good about this book. As a mother of five and a former Certified Childbirth Educator, this is the most well-balanced treatment of pregnancy and birth that I've seen. Its assumption is that the mother is an active partner in the decisions surrounding her birth rather than someone on the receiving end of an expert's magic. It covers all options fully and fairly, using scientifically-supported conclusions as the safety and efficacy of different choices. It is inclusive of diverse family situations and supportive of whatever informed decisions you, as the mother, choose to make.

A good read for expecting fathers. Tells you everything you need to know going into childbirth.

an excellent book. pair it with sheila kitzinger's "complete book of pregnancy and childbirth" and you're all set. very detailed and informative

Pretty good advice for helping a pregnant woman through labor.

Although this book is meant for birth partners, I found it very useful as I approached my due date. I highly recommend it for anyone who is going to be acting in the role of labor assistant/coach/partner.

Had to read this for Doula class. Clearly, it ruled.