Description:
Traditionally, new parents buy a pregnancy-and-childbirth book, another for baby care, and a third for advice on the problems that arise during the toddler and preschool years. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia guide covers all of these stages, making it at least three books in one. Despite tackling the intense period of development from before birth through age 5 in little more than 600 pages, senior editor Patrick S. Pasquariello--director of the hospital's Diagnostic Center and professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine--does not skimp on information. He touches upon an extraordinary number of subjects in each of these stages. For instance, under the heading "Other Tests During Pregnancy," in addition to the expected ultrasound and amniocentesis sections, there's a paragraph addressing in utero surgery--a specialty of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Pasquariello gives space to the usual bottle-vs.-breastfeeding debate, but also includes a wonderful 25-page section on babies who need special care. Because it is so comprehensive in scope, this book does not attain a high level of detail on each subject. But parents frustrated by the way many guides shy away from using medical terms and stop short of giving real medical information will be relieved to find that this book explains things simply, but doesn't talk down or sidestep by referring them to their ob-gyn or pediatrician. --Kimberly Heinrichs
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