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Having a fit, fun and fabulous pregnancy
REVIEWS BY AMY SCRIBNER
True Hollywood story With an estimated one in 10 new mothers experiencing some degree of postpartum depression (PPD), Brooke Shields' candid memoir of her experience with the condition shows just how debilitating it can be. An actress who's been in the public eye since she herself was a baby, Shields takes a brave step in detailing an intensely personal journey in Down Came the Rain. After difficulty conceiving and a traumatic labor and delivery, Shields fell into depression. Overwhelmed, exhausted and unable to enjoy her new baby, she finds herself wondering why she thought she was cut out for motherhood. Shields is not a dazzling writer, but her simple and honest storytelling is compelling nonetheless. Her gradual improvement due to medication, therapy, time and a network of friends and family is an important primer on how to overcome PPD.
By Brooke Shields Hyperion, $23.95 240 pages, ISBN 1401301894
The most comprehensive pregnancy guide imaginable, The Whole Pregnancy Handbook covers fertility, nutrition, prenatal yoga, miscarriages, labor and plenty more in between. The book approaches pregnancy and childbirth by combining "alternative" practices with more conventional medicine. Author Joel Evans sees no conflict, for example, in someone planning a drug-free childbirth yet also taking advantage of the best prenatal testing that modern science offers.
Eating Well When You're Expecting is the newest offering from the rapidly growing What to Expect dynasty of books, and it's a useful addition dedicated solely to nutrition during pregnancy and in the months postpartum. Author Heidi Murkoff has a tendency to get silly with her puns (a section on whole grains is, of course, called "Don't Go Against the Grain" and a discourse on salad dressing is titled "Dressing for Success"). But she offers solid advice in a soothing, motherly voice, and takes a less militant tone than some of the previous What to Expect volumes, recognizing that pregnant women sometimes will eat that ice cream, whether it's good for them or not. The recipes at the end of the book are a great resource for women who need ideas for how to get the best nutrition for themselves and their babies.
By Joel Evans Gotham, $20 576 pages, ISBN 1592401112
Eating Well When You're Expecting
For a more light-hearted take on the challenges of motherhood, turn to From Here to Maternity by Beth Teitell. The lifestyle columnist for the Boston Herald, Teitell never loses her sense of humor as she grapples with the life-altering experience that is motherhood. "Your idea of acceptable behavior changes once you have kids," she writes. And how. Teitell harbors no "earth mother" delusions, admitting to sneaking her baby some formula when she tires of nursing, and coveting the fancy strollers of her neighbors. Mothers will be nodding in agreement with Teitell's take on toddler classes, play dates and the never-ending battle to get your baby to nap. From Here to Maternity is the antidote to traditional parenting books, and a great reminder that while having kids is serious business, it doesn't have to be serious all the time.
By Beth Teitell Broadway, $19.95 272 pages, ISBN 0767916948 As the mother of a nine-month-old, Amy Scribner did extensive personal research for this article.
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As Phyllis Diller once said, "By far the most common craving of pregnant women is not to be pregnant." We all know women who sailed through their pregnancies with ease, grace and annoyingly little weight gain. For the rest of us, several new books offer sound advice on surviving pregnancy and beyond.
Advice for staying healthy
An OB/GYN who is board certified in holistic medicine, Evans also happens to be a beautiful writer who clearly enjoys his work. "Birth is an event of joy and continuity; it's life and breath," he writes. The handbook employs one popular practice of many books in the pregnancy and childbirth genre: including quotes and advice from real-life mothers. The breezy, been-there-done-that style of these entries provides a great balance to the more factual, "how-to" portions of the book.
On the lighter side