Natural Pregnancy: A Practical, Holistic Guide to Wellbeing from Conception to Birth

by Janet Balaskas

Pregnancy is a time of great physical change. It can also be an exciting period of emotional growth and personal discovery. In these months, a woman can improve her own health and vitality, and positively influence the development of her unborn child. For all expectant mothers, Natural Pregnancy is a refreshingly clear and simple guide to an enjoyable pregnancy. It contains valuable guidance on emotional preparation for birth and motherhood, as well as information on how to achieve wellbeing through a balanced diet and the regular practice of breathing, meditation, yoga and massage. Natural Pregnancy introduces and encourages the use of natural therapies as a safe and effective means of achieving a problem-free pregnancy, and includes a fully comprehensive section on self-help and professional treatments for many common problems that can arise during pregnancy.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 1990

Reviews

[A. J]

I picked up this book because I've been searching around the best pregnancy advice books. Both for my (future) self and for my doula practice that I hope to start.

This booklet is a quick intro into healthy living for new pregnant mothers. I liked it because it wasn't quite so long and therefore seemed like it would be easier for some people to read. I mean really who wants to read some of these 400 page books on health and pregnancy when you only have a few questions on healthy eating.  I liked that this book had lots of illustrations for yoga, and that it went over the basics of a lot of natural remedies. The acupuncture section is what really stood out to me, as well as the section on messages that can be done with a partner. They looked so relaxing I almost had Grant try them out with me. 

Of course this book is older, and I'm sure it could be updated. The last time it was updated was in 2005.  Overall I decided to go with a 3.5 rating or basically 4 stars on Goodreads. 

[Hannah]

I like that it had illustrations for a variety of yoga-based stretches for use during pregnancy, but outside of that, there wasn't much to be gained from this book. It touched very lightly on different therapies to look into, such as acupunture, but didn't really give anything more than a slight overview of any of them, and the section on nutrition was pretty mainstream except for its early 90s recommendation of lots of soy-based products. *shifty* So, I'll be trying some of the stretches before I return this to the library, but I doubt I'll ever be recommending it to anyone.

[Josie]

I could have written a better book on this topic, and I've never given birth, and I've really only been working with pregant clients for a year and a half. sigh. Back to the drawing board.