Rating: 
Summary: Nine months and counting...
Review: A friend recommended Louden's _Couples Comfort Book_, so when I became pregnant and saw this one, I snagged it. A very nice mixture of extremely practical and self-nurturing advice. You'll find tips for building a pregnancy wardrobe, maintaining realistic expectations, and coping with the mood swings (yours and your partner's). Even contains advice on how to resist well-meaning advice! The best kind of comfort is not needing comfort in the first place. The glimpses into the life to come to come helped prepare me and helped me avoid many potential pitfalls. The book also encouraged me to communicate my needs and accept help gracefully--skills that will only become more valuable after delivery!
Rating:
Summary: Nine months and counting...
Review: A friend recommended Louden's _Couples Comfort Book_, so when I became pregnant and saw this one, I snagged it. A very nice mixture of extremely practical and self-nurturing advice. You'll find tips for building a pregnancy wardrobe, maintaining realistic expectations, and coping with the mood swings (yours and your partner's). Even contains advice on how to resist well-meaning advice! The best kind of comfort is not needing comfort in the first place. The glimpses into the life to come to come helped prepare me and helped me avoid many potential pitfalls. The book also encouraged me to communicate my needs and accept help gracefully--skills that will only become more valuable after delivery!
Rating: 
Summary: I found this book to be a comfort.
Review: Having "been there, done that", Jennifer Louden is often right on the mark when describing the anxieties and ambivalence that pregnant women experience. She does her best to explain the reasons behind those negative feelings, and encourages readers to acknowledge and even embrace them. However, some of the coping rituals she suggests -- most of which involve quiet meditation and lighting candles -- are a little too New Age for my taste. Still, it's an interesting book that never becomes preachy, and even the author herself recommends that readers take what they can use from the book and discard the rest.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: Having "been there, done that", Jennifer Louden is often right on the mark when describing the anxieties and ambivalence that pregnant women experience. She does her best to explain the reasons behind those negative feelings, and encourages readers to acknowledge and even embrace them. However, some of the coping rituals she suggests -- most of which involve quiet meditation and lighting candles -- are a little too New Age for my taste. Still, it's an interesting book that never becomes preachy, and even the author herself recommends that readers take what they can use from the book and discard the rest.
Rating: 
Summary: Yuck! Too New Age touchy-feely.
Review: I got this book as a gift -- I surely wouldn't have spent any money on it. It encourages self-absorption, which is never a good thing, and focuses on silly New Age "self-discovery" techniques. I suppose there are always going to be people who eat up this sort of thing, but I for one don't have time for such nonsense. This would be a great gift for a pregnant friend who is into cats, crystals and aromatherapy, but no-nonsense types are not going to like it.
Rating:
Summary: Yuck! Too New Age touchy-feely.
Review: I got this book as a gift -- I surely wouldn't have spent any money on it. It encourages self-absorption, which is never a good thing, and focuses on silly New Age "self-discovery" techniques. I suppose there are always going to be people who eat up this sort of thing, but I for one don't have time for such nonsense. This would be a great gift for a pregnant friend who is into cats, crystals and aromatherapy, but no-nonsense types are not going to like it.
Rating:
Summary: It really is comforting
Review: I have come back to this book time and time again during my pregnancy. It really enjoy that it offers a sense of humor and is light-hearted while it also is honest about challenges. It suggests writing assignments and self-nurturing home projects that I never was interested in doing BUT just reading about the common experiences of women was really helpful. Reading this, I never felt alone in what I was feeling.
Rating:
Summary: One of her best
Review: I have read a lot of Jennifer Louden's books, and I have to say this is one of my favorites. It speaks to exactly what a woman experiences during pregnancy. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: I found this book insightful and helpful during my pregnancy
Review: I would read this book whenever I felt I was trying to do too much during my pregnancy or when I was tired of reading dry books about those months of incubation. The parts which particularly appealed to me had to do with ways to pamper myself when I was pregnant. Ms. Louden provided step-by-step ways to slow down and treat myself to little escapes both mentally and physically. I liked the tone of her book too: spiritual yet written with a sense of humor as well. Once I had my baby, I appreciated what she wrote about how to respond to "gate keepers." I have given this book to a number of friends and they have all enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: Learn the nurturing habit now
Review: If you're not in the habit of practicing self-care, it's a habit you want to acquire right now -- while you are pregnant -- and this book will teach you exactly how to do it. I read and re-read this book countless times during my pregnancy. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Five stars!
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