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Body, Soul, and Baby: A Doctor's Guide to the Complete Pregnancy Experience, From Preconception to Postpartum
In a culture that rarely sees pregnancy as a journey to self-discovery, Body, Soul, and Baby offers a fresh perspective on this transformative life experience by showing women how to tune in to the cues offered by their bodies and souls—as well as by the babies growing within them—for a healthier pregnancy, a more fulfilling birth experience, and a deeper bond with their baby.
Drawing on the best of both complementary and conventional Western medicine, Dr. Gaudet has written a groundbreaking guide that shows you how to become an active participant in your pregnancy. By working with the natural processes of pregnancy, you can discover how
• Pick up important signals from within about what you need, what your body needs, and what is right for both you and your baby
• Tune in to cues that can alert you to early signs of problems
• Use the mind-body connection to reduce stress, explore this remarkable life change, and bond with your baby
• Nurture your whole self, including your evolving sexual and sensual needs
• Make informed and conscious choices that reflect both your personal feelings and the latest
medical information
• Collaborate with your doctor or midwife, and build a supportive health-care team
Empowering, inspiring, and respectful of the wisdom of the female body and spirit, this invaluable book also includes advice on eating right and staying active, and natural and alternative approaches to pain relief. Whether you’re already pregnant or preparing to be, the time to start listening to your inner wisdom is now, and the guide to doing it is here.
Drawing on the best of both complementary and conventional Western medicine, Dr. Gaudet has written a groundbreaking guide that shows you how to become an active participant in your pregnancy. By working with the natural processes of pregnancy, you can discover how
• Pick up important signals from within about what you need, what your body needs, and what is right for both you and your baby
• Tune in to cues that can alert you to early signs of problems
• Use the mind-body connection to reduce stress, explore this remarkable life change, and bond with your baby
• Nurture your whole self, including your evolving sexual and sensual needs
• Make informed and conscious choices that reflect both your personal feelings and the latest
medical information
• Collaborate with your doctor or midwife, and build a supportive health-care team
Empowering, inspiring, and respectful of the wisdom of the female body and spirit, this invaluable book also includes advice on eating right and staying active, and natural and alternative approaches to pain relief. Whether you’re already pregnant or preparing to be, the time to start listening to your inner wisdom is now, and the guide to doing it is here.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
5 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 3, 2018
I loved this book sooo much. It's a lot about mindfulness around the whole experience from thinking about having a baby to pregnancy and new motherhood. It's written by a doctor who wanted to help people in the mental/emotional/spiritual part of transitioning to parenthood instead of just knowing what physical changes to expect. It has some great visualization/journaling/meditation exercises for processing and mindfully experiencing/noticing what is happening to you and your expectations worries, fears, etc. I would definitely recommend it!
August 4, 2014
During one of my early visits with my ob, I asked her for a recommendation for a good pregnancy book to read. She told me about Body, Soul and Baby by Dr. Tracy Gaudet, the former director of Duke Center for Integrative Medicine. I've read a dozen pregnancy books since then and this is still the best one.
Perhaps from the title you can tell that _Baby Body and Soul_ is a different sort of pregnancy preparedness book. The emphasis isn't "just the facts" although there are plenty of those. And its' focus isn't "touchy feely" or overtly spiritual although those factors are also present. Gaudet talks about the book as a guide to becoming aware of the transformation that a pregnant woman is undergoing. Not only physical but also emotional and spiritual. _Baby Body and Soul_ urges the reader to look at her whole person. Gaudet argues that by examining all aspects of ourselves (emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc) we will take care ourselves in a way that nourishes us authentically, from within and not in a perfunctory, automatic way. The difference between these approaches can be explained this way. Consider the woman who gets to know herself during her pregnancy, pays attention to what her body is saying, and what her emotional self needs vs. the woman who goes into autopilot when pregnant, dutifully taking prenatal vitamins and going to her doc visits. Both may start out feeling overwhelmed, surprised, etc. but one takes the time & energy to explore those feelings while the other sort of hopes they go away with time.
Early on in my pregnancy, I felt alone and scared. I didn't know any other "older" pregnant women and we decided we wouldn't tell anyone that we were pregnant until we were well out of our first trimester. Other than our conversation, there wasn't much connecting my pregnancy to reality. As a result, I felt unattached to the baby. _Baby Body and Soul_ is full of exercises that are designed to connect you to your baby, even if it feels unsafe or scary. In Chapter 3, "Ten Tools for Tuning In", Gaudet talks about "dialoging" and "baby quick pics". It was with the help of these tools that I first connected with our daughter. This was a huge turning point in my pregnancy, from an emotional perspective. Suddenly, she was real. With these exercises, I begin to see the baby as a warm, yellow sun (before we knew her sex). From that point, until her delivery I called her "Little Sun".
There are only two gaps to this book in my mind. The first is that it hasn't been updated since it's publication in 2007. The information is still timely and relevant but best practices in prenatal care change all the time so it would be wonderful to have a new edition. The second is that for all its holistic approach, there is no mention (that I can recall) of how past trauma like sexual abuse or domestic violence can affect not only the choices that a pregnant woman makes but also how she does "pay attention" (Gaudet's language in the introduction) during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As an educator and speaker about how issues like DV and SA affect a pregnant woman, this is a huge miss in my mind. That said, it likely wouldn't be a miss for others and non-survivors.
If you're the kind of pregnant woman who wants facts but also a little more in terms of emotional exploration and building connection to this new small life, _Baby Body and Soul_ might be a good choice for you. _Baby Body and Soul_urges you to slow down, take the time to feel what you're feeling and then make decisions based on those internal matrixes. It's not a Thanksgiving meal to be stuffed on; it's more of a dessert tasting menu at your favorite cafe which encourages you to savor and taste deeply.
Perhaps from the title you can tell that _Baby Body and Soul_ is a different sort of pregnancy preparedness book. The emphasis isn't "just the facts" although there are plenty of those. And its' focus isn't "touchy feely" or overtly spiritual although those factors are also present. Gaudet talks about the book as a guide to becoming aware of the transformation that a pregnant woman is undergoing. Not only physical but also emotional and spiritual. _Baby Body and Soul_ urges the reader to look at her whole person. Gaudet argues that by examining all aspects of ourselves (emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc) we will take care ourselves in a way that nourishes us authentically, from within and not in a perfunctory, automatic way. The difference between these approaches can be explained this way. Consider the woman who gets to know herself during her pregnancy, pays attention to what her body is saying, and what her emotional self needs vs. the woman who goes into autopilot when pregnant, dutifully taking prenatal vitamins and going to her doc visits. Both may start out feeling overwhelmed, surprised, etc. but one takes the time & energy to explore those feelings while the other sort of hopes they go away with time.
Early on in my pregnancy, I felt alone and scared. I didn't know any other "older" pregnant women and we decided we wouldn't tell anyone that we were pregnant until we were well out of our first trimester. Other than our conversation, there wasn't much connecting my pregnancy to reality. As a result, I felt unattached to the baby. _Baby Body and Soul_ is full of exercises that are designed to connect you to your baby, even if it feels unsafe or scary. In Chapter 3, "Ten Tools for Tuning In", Gaudet talks about "dialoging" and "baby quick pics". It was with the help of these tools that I first connected with our daughter. This was a huge turning point in my pregnancy, from an emotional perspective. Suddenly, she was real. With these exercises, I begin to see the baby as a warm, yellow sun (before we knew her sex). From that point, until her delivery I called her "Little Sun".
There are only two gaps to this book in my mind. The first is that it hasn't been updated since it's publication in 2007. The information is still timely and relevant but best practices in prenatal care change all the time so it would be wonderful to have a new edition. The second is that for all its holistic approach, there is no mention (that I can recall) of how past trauma like sexual abuse or domestic violence can affect not only the choices that a pregnant woman makes but also how she does "pay attention" (Gaudet's language in the introduction) during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As an educator and speaker about how issues like DV and SA affect a pregnant woman, this is a huge miss in my mind. That said, it likely wouldn't be a miss for others and non-survivors.
If you're the kind of pregnant woman who wants facts but also a little more in terms of emotional exploration and building connection to this new small life, _Baby Body and Soul_ might be a good choice for you. _Baby Body and Soul_urges you to slow down, take the time to feel what you're feeling and then make decisions based on those internal matrixes. It's not a Thanksgiving meal to be stuffed on; it's more of a dessert tasting menu at your favorite cafe which encourages you to savor and taste deeply.
November 21, 2012
I had hoped this would be a good "in between" guide, practical and well-balanced between holistic care and Western medicine, as I would love a more natural approach but will probably have an entire team of doctors. Some women may find this book helpful, and I do appreciate that Gaudet writes so much about the emotional AND spiritual journey through pregnancy and childbirth (and she touches on how the journey continues throughout motherhood). But her style did not do it for me. Those who lean very much toward traditional Western medicine are likely to find it too New Age-y. And those who lean toward the midwife/homebirth end of the spectrum are likely to be irked by Gaudet's decidedly Western preferences. This really is a mind-body approach in the fluffiest of ways. I think that's what bothered me. I have never equated holistic care with the kind of spiritual meditations she prescribes...not that people don't often practice them in tandem. Gaudet's approach seems fluffy though, almost corny. That's not crunchy! Corny!! It wasn't what I was expecting, or rather what I wanted it to be, at all. I get her vision and wish for women to be fully conscious through their pregnancies. Too many women experience it as something that's happening to them rather than something they are doing. But I felt that Gaudet's advice fell short, especially on the natural end of things. In stressing mindfulness she kind of belittles the value of good holistic medical care. That's not her goal, that's just how many of her statements seemed to me. As for the soul, she goes Oprah-friendly Eastern spirituality on you. As for the body, I took it as her saying, "YOU need to make the right decisions for you and your baby...but I am still the doctor! And I'll still cut your vagina if I feel it's necessary." She will mention how some current practice or intervention isn't necessary or needs improvements, and then she states that she uses said practice with her patients. For instance, on fetal monitoring, she writes that researchers found that fetal monitoring is often inaccurate and often leads to unnecessary intervention, and in the next paragraph she says that she prescribes monitoring for all her patients, but she will let them off of it for certain periods of time if there haven't been any abnormal readings (and she just said that experts say it's often inaccurate). Palm to face. She writes about the need for improvement in maternal care, and yet some of her tools of choice and practices she apparently regularly employs are part of the problem. I think the "improvement" she's referring to isn't so much about physical care, but rather the spiritual and emotional support. And those things are important. I know that's why a lot of women prefer the care of a midwife, because of the spiritual/emotional support they are more likely to get. I do believe that a woman's mental/emotional state influences her physical experience, but the physical also influences ones emotional experience. Gaudet does touch on that. She mentions how a certain, not insignificant, percentage of women experience symptoms of PTSD, even after what's medically termed a normal delivery. But she doesn't really offer any meaningful solutions to help mitigate that in "normal" deliveries. Her "normal" is still highly medicalized, a series of physical disruptions. Let's hook you up to monitors. Here's a round of invasive tests. I'll perform an episiotomy if it's "necessary." How can someone who's supposedly touting holistic care consider that normal? But she wants you to be spiritually in-tuned and happy with the "choices" that "you" make.
June 27, 2008
I picked up this book based on an ad I read in Fit Pregnancy as it sounded like it filled a void in my pregnancy reading. I am making the "Liesl's Congratulations, You're Pregnant" gift set for my friends that get pregnant in the future and am definitely including this book. So many of the pregnancy books I have read focus on how the baby is developing and touch lightly on the bodily changes you are experiencing, both of which are important. However, this book focuses on the components of what you are experiencing which I think is equally important and am surprised at how little coverage it gets in the standard issue pregnancy books.
Body, Soul, Baby gives tangible tools to help you along the way with your experience and focuses on how you can best care for and interact with your body and fetus. It focuses on "The Five Centers of Wellness... Nutrition, Movement, Mind, Spirit, and Sensation" and gives guidelines and exercises to help you nourish each center. It also gives you tangible exercises to help you process through fears and anxiety. I have found it extremely helpful -- definitely written for people with my disposition who like solutions and action. The majority of pregnancy books simply acknowledge you may experience fears and anxiety and let you know these fears are normal (i.e. is the fetus ok? will the delivery be ok?), but this book gives tools to work with so you can eventually quell or at least process your apprehension.
At the beginning, I was a bit concerned about this book being one of those that was somewhat chastising if you did not agree with what it presents, i.e. natural childbirth is a good thing, but it does not chastise at all. It just focuses on that whatever you choose (within reason), make sure you are doing it in full consciousness and awareness. For the labor example, whether you choose to have a natural birth, use pain medication, or have a C-section, make sure it is a conscious choice and think through that choice. If anything, this book helps you be more accepting of yourself. For me, a C-section is not a choice, but a requirement, but I am still somewhat sensitive to blind criticism about C-sections and appreciated that not only was this not critical, but acknowledges that it is sometimes the right and only thing to do.
Overall I found this book incredibly helpful and think that it fills a void left by the most popular pregnancy books. I would recommend it to anyone who is pregnant or providing support to someone who is pregnant.
A few jewels of wisdom that I liked:
"Whether you labor for a full day or for a few hours, your birth experience will be more than just the sum of its mechanical details. Owning your birth story means that no matter what kind of labor you end up having, you will be at peace with it."
"You can't plan a birth; there are simply too many factors that are in the hands of nature. However, you can create a vision and an intention for your birth experience."
Body, Soul, Baby gives tangible tools to help you along the way with your experience and focuses on how you can best care for and interact with your body and fetus. It focuses on "The Five Centers of Wellness... Nutrition, Movement, Mind, Spirit, and Sensation" and gives guidelines and exercises to help you nourish each center. It also gives you tangible exercises to help you process through fears and anxiety. I have found it extremely helpful -- definitely written for people with my disposition who like solutions and action. The majority of pregnancy books simply acknowledge you may experience fears and anxiety and let you know these fears are normal (i.e. is the fetus ok? will the delivery be ok?), but this book gives tools to work with so you can eventually quell or at least process your apprehension.
At the beginning, I was a bit concerned about this book being one of those that was somewhat chastising if you did not agree with what it presents, i.e. natural childbirth is a good thing, but it does not chastise at all. It just focuses on that whatever you choose (within reason), make sure you are doing it in full consciousness and awareness. For the labor example, whether you choose to have a natural birth, use pain medication, or have a C-section, make sure it is a conscious choice and think through that choice. If anything, this book helps you be more accepting of yourself. For me, a C-section is not a choice, but a requirement, but I am still somewhat sensitive to blind criticism about C-sections and appreciated that not only was this not critical, but acknowledges that it is sometimes the right and only thing to do.
Overall I found this book incredibly helpful and think that it fills a void left by the most popular pregnancy books. I would recommend it to anyone who is pregnant or providing support to someone who is pregnant.
A few jewels of wisdom that I liked:
"Whether you labor for a full day or for a few hours, your birth experience will be more than just the sum of its mechanical details. Owning your birth story means that no matter what kind of labor you end up having, you will be at peace with it."
"You can't plan a birth; there are simply too many factors that are in the hands of nature. However, you can create a vision and an intention for your birth experience."
April 22, 2009
This book discusses pregnancy and childbearing using a holistic mind-body approach and offers advice for integrating your mind and body to deal with the changes of pregnancy and the miraculous event of labor and delivery. Since I believe that health is multidimensional--that is, it encompasses physical, intellectual, social, spiritual, and emotional aspects--I appreciated reading Gaudet's integrated approach to childbirth. I think that the exercises she suggests doing are useful, and I will definitely be reading this book again the next time I am pregnant.
Note: I will NOT be reading What to Expect When You're Expecting again the next time I am pregnant! It makes me crazy worried and stresses me out!
Note: I will NOT be reading What to Expect When You're Expecting again the next time I am pregnant! It makes me crazy worried and stresses me out!
August 18, 2015
I love this book! Most books gloss over the emotional side if pregnancy (and preparing for pregnancy), but this book faces them head on. It covers all aspects of the mother's well-being. It is also great for helping you decide if you are really ready for a baby. I would recommend this to anyone interested in having a baby in the near future, or who feels like the clock is ticking but they aren't sure what to do about it. It is also a great book for worriers because it covers pregnancy in a very positive light without dwelling on potential problems for half the book. It helps you focus on just being as healthy and prepared as you can be.
April 25, 2009
A friend suggested this, and the idea sounded interesting, but it was mostly not for me. When I "check in" with my fetus, it doesn't have much to say at this point, probably because it is a fetus. Maybe the tips will be more useful when I'm further along?
(Full disclosure: I only read through the second trimester, because I didn't want to skip ahead.)
(Full disclosure: I only read through the second trimester, because I didn't want to skip ahead.)
October 11, 2007
This one is way too new agey for me. There were bits of good information in it, but it just wasn't what I am looking forward to - I don't need to check in with my chakras to know I'm okay with being pregnant, when the time comes :)
Read
July 19, 2016OK yes cheesy title and a sometimes un-emulsified mix of Western medical approaches and complementary techniques. But I'm finding it useful as a reminder to deliberately pay attention (in the Ray Smuckles sense.)
February 2, 2008
My full review of this book is here:
http://delaneydiaries.typepad.com/rev....
http://delaneydiaries.typepad.com/rev....
September 1, 2008
a little too touchy-feely
July 29, 2012
A little too new wavey for me but filled with useful tips on managing stress and dealing with anxiety and fear.
April 16, 2017
I can't recommend this book highly enough. If you're exploring the possibility of getting pregnant, buy this book and follow along throughout your journey, whatever it is.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews