The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth

by Sheila Kitzinger

This new edition of The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth has been extensively revised to reflect scientific advances and cultural trends. Here, candidly and reasonably presented, is all the information expectant parents need to make their own decisions about everything--from which tests to allow to how to handle pain to where to give birth. 300 photos, drawings & diagrams.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Health, Reference, Family, Childrens, Medicine

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Sheila Kitzinger M.B.E, M.Litt is a social anthropologist of birth and author of 24 books published internationally, most on the emotional journey through this major life experience. At Oxford in the 50s she discovered that the social anthropology of that time was almost entirely about men. She decided she would do research to discover what was important in women's lives, and focused on pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.
Her five children were all born at home. She lectures widely in different countries and has learned from mothers and midwives in the USA and Canada, the Caribbean, Eastern and Western Europe, Israel, Australia and New Zealand, Latin America, South Africa and Japan, and from women in prison and those who have had a traumatic birth experience.

Reviews

[Asho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked many things about this book. The descriptions of pregnancy and labor, while a bit textbook-ish, were detailed and precise and not alarmist. I liked the diagrams and pictures, and having everything clearly laid out. I also think the sections on natural ways to control pain and discomfort during pregnancy and labor will be helpful later, and I'm going to make my husband read the sections on massage and relaxing touch.
However, this was definitely not an unbiased book. I felt that although the book presented various options for labor and delivery, there was a strong bias toward "natural," non-hospital births, or at least hospital births with as little intervention as possible. Now, in theory that sounds great. I'd love to labor without medication for as long as I can handle it and have a vaginal birth, and I think the advice about not letting yourself be intimidated by your doctor into making a decision you are not comfortable with is very sound. However, I also feel that no matter how much research and practice I do and how prepared I am, I may not ultimately have complete say in my own labor. I think it's just irrational to believe that I can have complete control over the experience. What if there is a medical emergency and I have to have a fast c-section? Or what if there is a blizzard and I can't get to the hospital and have an unplanned home birth? It just seems like making a birth plan, as this book advocates, will only set me up for disappointment and feelings of guilt when the birthday doesn't match my ideal.
I like to plan and I appreciate the resources this book gives me, but I didn't find this book as "complete" as I would have liked since I felt that it was really advocating one ideal form of childbirth but describing other less-than-ideal options just in case. And I suppose a c-section IS a less-than-ideal option, but there has to be a way to describe it and other medical interventions in a way that don't make them sound like something dreadful to be avoided at all costs. In the end, what I care about is getting the baby out of my body safely, however that happens. I'll keep reading and doing research so that I can hopefully make good choices when it matters (and when I am given choices), but I know that is all I can do.
Finally, I'll concede that it's possible that my own personal views (and my own pregnancy hormones) are coloring my review of this book a bit much and I read judgment into it where no judgment was intended. And overall it was the best pregnancy book I've come across so far, hence the 4 stars.

[Liz Adnitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, inspiring and very empowering. A good friend sent me a copy whilst I was pregnant for the first time and it gave me the confidence to opt for a home waterbirth. Although there is a lot about homebirth and natural, drug-free birthing in this book, she also helps you make informed choices about all the other options. This helped greatly as I did end up being transferred to hospital after a long labour at home where I was able to continue birthing naturally with an obstetrician present who was hoping to use the ventouse! As I was so well-informed from reading the book the doctor took me seriously when I made certain choices against her clinical opinion. Knowledge is power when you're surrounded by over-worked professionals who want to get the job done quickly. She told me afterwards that as she was newly qualified she'd never delivered a baby naturally before (i.e. without using ventouse or c-section) and that had I allowed her to perform an episiotomy she would have made a bigger cut than my small natural tear ended up being. I can still remember her looking me straight in the eye as my baby's head was about to be born and saying "Are you sure you know what that means if I cant perform a cut?" It was such a great feeling to know in that split second I was making an empowered choice, based on sound research, and knowing the responsibility was all mine. I'd never said "yes" with such conviction in all my life! I'm sure if you read this book before childbirth you'll find you're equally able to take back power if you need to, no matter what kind of birth you end up having. I knew I'd get around to writing my birth story one day, I just didn't realise it would be as part of a book review ;)

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great pregnancy reference book with wonderful photojournalism of both home and hospital births. There are an absolute ton of helpful photographs of pregnancy and postpartum exercises, positions during labor, and diagrams to aid understanding the anatomy and process of pregnancy, labor and birth. Sheila Kitzinger covers a wider range of topics than the average pregnancy book, and also includes tidbits from her social anthropology background providing insight as to how women all over the world have babies. Her language is also very positive and affirming, rare is the pregnancy book where you can find a vagina described as "constructed like the overlapping petals of a rose". All of the standard hospital interventions are covered, and there is an extensive discussion of coping measures for labor.

The book is outstanding, but not perfect. I have real issues with suggesting a pregnant woman measure her inner thighs throughout pregnancy to decide whether the weight she is gaining is pregnancy weight or not as Kitzinger suggests. There is also a section for the expectant father that smacks of sexism and in my quite feminine opinion, doesn't seem to address many of the real concerns of the modern father (maybe it does...I'm not a man, but she pays particular attention to the man who has "acquired" his wife as a status or sex symbol and this to me seems like the man who will not be reading this part of her book).

Overall, however, this is one of the best out there. You can't go wrong reading anything that Sheila Kitzinger has written, and it certainly beats the pants of more mainstream guides like "What to Expect when you're Expecting" and the like.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first pregnancy and childbirth book I had ever read. I read it after having 1 or 2 kids (I can't remember), so I had some first hand experience with birth by the time I had read it. I thought it was a great book. This author gives a fair view of the birth and she tells you what your choices are in a hospital or at home. I was a great book to learn from a professional "choices" women have while they are in labor...as well as pregnancy and postpartum information which was helpful.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if I'd say this is exactly a complete book on Pregnancy, but it is very thorough on childbirth, mentioning all the different options women have today from a hospital birth to birthing center to home birth, and ways to prepare for each and what to expect during and after.

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely done. Largely unbiased and with lots of helpful stretches and exercises that other books lack. Still wishing there was a bit more about the post- partum period.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although some of the info is outdated now (my copy was printed in 1996), most of it is still in-depth and helpful. I'm glad my mom recommended this to me.

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

he disfrutado la intención de kitzinger en poner a la mujer en el centro de las decisiones que tienen que ver con esta etapa.
es una fuente bastante completa (procedimientos y cuidados médicos para la salud de la mujer, sus cambios físicos, medidas de confort con o sin acompañante, desarrollo y necesidades del embrión/feto/bb, posibles experiencias -luto, cambios de rutina en madres, sexo postpartopostparto, etc.

no es desgastante y sirve perfecto como una mirada general, con ciertos ejercicios/recomendaciones clave, en este proceso hasta 10 días después de parir y la primera visita médica de la mujer postnatal.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book it discussed pregnancy and birth in many dimensions - the medical, physical, and emotional. It was a good balance between using language for any mother and citing actual studies. I liked the "inserts" showing different exercises and positions and also the birth stories. It even covers water birth.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Non-Fiction Childbirth) I only read the childbirth part of this book, as I've done my research on pregnancy. I found it to be really helpful. This book offers good advice on breathing through labor, relaxing using visualizations, and movements to try during labor. They also provide useful information on the stages of labor and medical interventions.

[Cori · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good comprehensive guide to pregnancy and childbirth, while it's not my favorite, I think any woman could pick up this book and feel prepared. I thought Kitzinger had interesting perspectives on pain management in labor, that is when my highlighter did the most work. I read this book as a part of my childbirth educator curriculum.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offered a lot of useful information about the labor and delivery portion of the pregnancy & childbirth process, much of which is missing from other pregnancy books. After reading it, I feel much better prepared for delivery. I'd highly recommend this book for any pregnant person.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent - Sheila Kitzinger is a social anthropologist and writes this pregnancy/childbirth book from a very woman-centred perspective. Very well researched and surprisingly evidence based. Overall, I found this book to be informative and reassuring.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sassy, practical, and a nice balance between hippie and medical establishment. Much of what I read here was echoed in pregnancy prep classes. A good all around preparation for the blessed event...or at least I hope so.

[Heatherjoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had a dollar for every time this book mentioned anxiousness or something you could worry about, I could pay a month's mortgage. Some of the information is useful but there are much better resources on the topic.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book for me going through my first pregnancy. It was informative, explored many different options and wasn't fear-based which is something I really value. The more I read, the more I felt confident in my choices and preparation!

[Alexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sweet dated book focused on the importance of a gentle birth for the child.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real answers and not as "cutsie" as the others. I appreciate that... this is serious business after all.

[Andrea Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very empowering and useful book. I'd highly recommend this to any pregnant woman.

[unperspicacious · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems to hit all the right notes...and definitely sounds like it's written by a trained soc anth with 5 kids of her own. Anyway we'll see...

[Liz Guerrero · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came recommend by my OBGYN’s office, which she later found a bit surprising. While it was helpful, I found the book leaned towards home birth and water birth, both of which are not really options for me. The book also assumed I would be timid and shy around my doctor and unable to speak up, with a section on how to talk to your doctor, which I guess would be helpful for some women but I found insulting. If you know these things before you read it, it can be helpful for the information it provides on what to expect and what you can do to be prepared, though perhaps there are other books out there that would’ve provided the same information in a more palatable format for me.

[Maggie Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful overview, informative, and generally supportive of a parent's right to make informed decisions regarding labor, birth, and post-birth medical procedures. Only gave it four stars because of some outdated information, but very easy to skip over.

[Buggy Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suuuuper informative. Lots of hidden tips and tricks to ease pregnancy symptoms in natural ways that you don't hear about a lot any more.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative read with excellent information to help with natural birth and medicated too. I feel well informed after reading this

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another version: The New Pregnancy & Childbirth
by Kitzinger, Sheila

[Sona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very educating and informative book! Highly recommended.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent source of information about pregnancy and birth. I read many books and articles, and this one was the most informative and useful. This book stands out among others, because virtually every statement is supported by evidence. The author cites to numerous studies, articles, and other scientific sources. Accordingly, I felt that I could rely on what I was reading. I give this book to friends who are newly pregnant.

I think the author does have a bias against epidurals and c-sections. She doesn't let the bias influence her work too much, but I noticed it. I had to look to other sources for more information about recovery from a c-section.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good general information guide on pregnancy and childbirth, though this book has not been updated in about 14 years. There is a good deal of information about pregnancy and childbirth, along with a great deal of photographs and information. This book also isn't one sided and gives information and perspectives on both natural and medicated birth.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Older cover does not look as cool! Good overall combo of info. Like the pics and the week by week

[Largercircle]

is beautifully written. It's innocent, poetic, and inspiring.

It also drove me kind of nuts.

Reading it reminded me of this scenario: imagine a parent teaching her teenage child to drive. She wants to be positive and encouraging, and so as her child is driving along she says something like this, "Oh, honey, I'm so excited that you're learning to drive! It's going to be so great for you to be able to get places on your own! You're getting so mature and WATCH OUT FOR THAT CURB!"

Much of the text is very problem focused. I like it better than, say, What to Expect When You're Expecting because the problems it's focused on are the problems I am personally biased to see as real, rather than those I see as iatrogenic. But I still feel more supported and nourished as a doula, mentor, and human being by authors who help me find solutions that work for me than by those who spend a lot of time pointing out all the things that can go wrong.

There is lots of good information in this book, though, and one particular section really surprised me by describing for the first time I've seen in print or on-line an exact scenario (involving 1st trimester bleeding) which I experienced in my first pregnancy but never really had explained or validated before.