Midwives magazine: June 2007
Reviewed by Jan Calvert
‘Real mums tell it how it is’ – written by and aiming to appeal to pregnant women, this collection of website forum contributions is friendly, accessible and offers an appealing mix of advice, humour, shared experience and ‘insider’ knowledge. Presented in bitesized sections, it covers just about every aspect of pregnancy that a mother having a ‘normal’ birth is likely to come across.
Professional ‘midwife says’ sections for issues such as anaemia, pelvic pain and pre-eclampsia are a great addition while less serious-medical ‘niggles’ are given sensible editorial explanations. The ‘insiders’ contributions are lively and down to earth, offering lots of useful advice. While some unsubstantiated additions are presented as facts, the majority are genuinely helpful. In some cases, women have become ‘experts’ and have researched information beyond what is available to most women during regular visits to their midwife. This is balanced by a delightful range of shared emotion, experience, reassurance and modern wives’ tales suggested by the ‘insiders’.
Giles S. (Ed.). (2007) The insider’s guide to pregnancy. White Ladder Press: Ipplepen. ISBN: 1 9054 1011 5
Have you read this book? What did you think?
