A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health: The First Book by Doctors That Really Addresses Pregnancy Recovery

by Dean Raffelock, Robert Rountree (Collaborator), Virginia Hopkins (Contributor)

Having a baby can and should be one of the most joyful experiences of a woman's life. While there are hundreds of books that provide information on how to ensure the development of a healthy baby, few of them dedicate more than a few pages to the nourishment of the mother herself during this physically and emotionally demanding time. It is rarely discussed, but women commonly experience a wide variety of ailments during the postpartum period, from depression to anxiety, backache, and loss of libido.

A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health is the first book by physicians that is devoted entirely to telling women how they can prevent postpartum problems and attain optimum health after the delivery of their babies. Elements of the program, which is meant to be adopted during-or, if possible, before-pregnancy, include diet, nutritional supplementation, exercise, hormone-balancing, the use of medicinal herbs, and conventional medications. Developed by the authors in clinical practice, this program has a proven track record in helping women to avoid and overcome postpartum difficulties.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 3, 2003

Reviews

[Stephanie Mumkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great info on how a mother's body donates all the nutrients to form her baby's body, placenta, and how drained nutrients can affect a new mother's emotional and physical health. Great info on which nutrients make which brain chemicals (serotonin, etc.) and how it relates to postpartum depression and anxiety and sleep issues. Lots on hormones and how they tend to get depleted postpartum ( adrenal, thyroid, progesterone, estrogen, etc.) and affect energy and mood and lots about bio-identical hormonal replacement. Also great info on nutrient dense diet choices and exercise and working with out attitudes. Focuses mostly on postpartum health. Great book!

[Ixiana H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book saved my life. Women are rarely informed of the complexity and difficulties that come after having a baby. I encourage any expecting mommies to read this book during pregnancy so they can find tools to care for themselves after. Becoming a mother is a beautiful thing but going into it with information, tools and a lot of self-love is a must. I highly recommend this book.

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not written in the most interesting way, and I had trouble connecting with this book (perhaps because one of the authors was a man, in a book about pregnancy? I think it would be hard to fully understand pregnancy as a man (always been confused by male OBGYN and male midwives!).

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book fulfilled my search for scientific information on taking care of my postpartum, breastfeeding self. In the introductory chapters, the authors provide in-depth information on our biological systems. They lost me at times, but I just skipped ahead to the practical application of the information. One of the authors developed supplements that met the criteria outlined in a handy table on page 137. I was disappointed to find that he is no longer in the supplement business.
I liked the authors' wholistic approach to self-care and appreciated the relatable anecdotes.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

a little scientific (i.e. boring) as it delves deep into nutrition and how the human body breaks nutrients down, etc. - it's nonetheless a super informative read which focuses on the potential toll pregnancy can have on your body and natural remedies to prevent/heal yourself from various resulting ailments. recommended..

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive guide to natural prenatal and postpartum nutrition, including ways to amend deficiencies using diet, supplements, and herbs. This book can be overly heavy on the physiology and biochemistry descriptions at times, but has so much other useful information it makes up for any difficulties in pinpointing their intended audience.

[Malea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend let me borrow this book and I mainly skimmed through this, since I am not pregnant I did not feel overly driven to read deeply. I liked a lot of the points made. I like natural help. I will certainly be looking this book up when I am pregnant again.