The Pregnancy Herbal : Holistic Remedies, Nutritional Therapies, and Soothing Treatments from Nature'sPharmacy for the Mother-to-Be

Rating:
Summary: A safe and comforting guide to Pregnancy
Review: A wonderful little book brimming with great ideas and tips for pregnancy care and either maintaining or introducing herbs into the home. I found it a fascinating read, and although I do not practice herbalism, I feel that it offers a new, adaptable and exciting alternative outlook on both mother-to-be and newborn care. I only wish this book had been around when I was pregnant, a time when hospital birth was the only option. It makes a cesarean birth seem less frightening and with all the advice on breast feeding, milk production preparation and breast care, I know a lot of women will find comfort in their choices to nurse, or not. More importantly, this book truly makes the pregnant women feel 'loved' and special, even if she's going it alone, and who wouldn't want to feel pampered nine months and counting?

Rating:
Summary: Save your money and buy a different reference
Review: If you're looking for a well-written, well-researched, informative herbal reference for pregnancy/childbirth issues, this is NOT the one. For an herbal book, it's shockingly UN-natural. She assumes that the mother will be birthing at a hospital (doesn't even mention birth choices or the possibility of homebirth as an option) does not even touch on natural birth choices (and mentions her first birth was an emergency c-section, second birth was an ELECTIVE c-section). She simply pays lip-service to breastfeeding (""The best advice I can give is go ahead and give nursing a try. If you both like it, keep going as long as possible; if you don't, stop. Don't feel guilty about your decision: it's your body.") and gives downright BAD advice for things such as treating mastitis. But since she only nursed her 2nd and 3rd children for two months each and then switched them to homemade formula, what would one expect? This is a book for dilettantes who think herbalism is a trendy thing to do, but aren't serious about it. If you're looking for a serious and GOOD herbal reference for pregnancy, stick with Romm, Ody or Gladstar.

Rating:
Summary: A comforting pregnancy companion
Review: Too many books on pregnancy follow a doctor/patient cycle of what to expect, what to eat, how to exercise, and so on. I found that The Pregnancy Herbal came across as a GIFT to all women who want to experience a CHANGE in opinion - It isn't about natural birthing, it's about supporting and creating a happy and beautiful mother and a healthy fetus/baby, during pregnancy. With medicinal, cosmetic and nutritional herbs, I found that Ms Harper-Roth's own pregnancy experiences and research filled her little book with hundreds of easy to follow ideas to make every woman feel special, loved, and self-expressive. Cesarean or natural birth, at home or in a hospital, it's a birth experience. What matters, and I feel what comes across as important in this book, is that the pregnant woman herself, is made to feel pampered from conception to birth.