Imagine infants free from painful diaper rash, new parenthood without thousands of dollars wasted in diapering costs, toilet training that is natural and noncoercive, and, most important, happier babies and parents

As Christine Gross-Loh reveals in her progressive, enlightening book, all this is possible and more. Infants are born with the ability to communicate their need to "go," just as they communicate hunger or sleepiness. Gross-Loh, a mother of two children who were diaper-free at eighteen and fifteen months, uses the tenets of "elimination communication," or EC, to teach parents how to identify and respond to their baby or toddler's natural cues.

Unlike the all-or-nothing approach of some parenting books, The Diaper-Free Baby addresses three categories of parents: full-time, part-time, and occasional EC'ers. Parents can practice EC as much or as little as fits their family and lifestyle. A support group within a book, The Diaper-Free Baby also includes inspiring testimonials throughout every chapter. Parents who have successfully practiced EC identify common struggles, share experiences and problem-solving tips, and provide encouragement for those new to the technique. Their motivational stories together with Gross-Loh's practical advice will appeal to all parents interested in a fresh alternative to traditional toilet training.

Why do mothers fail to breastfeed their babies? The majority of mothers know breastfeeding gives their baby the best start in life: improved health, superior intelligence, and closer emotional attachment are just a few of the crucial benefits. Yet a mere 17% of mothers are still breastfeeding when their babies are three months old. Why? There are plenty of books out there that offer excuses. Tiredness, sore nipples, low milk supply, breasts too big, breasts too small, excess marketing by artificial milk companies... the list goes on. This is the first book to look for answers in the mothers themselves. Controversial author and The Alpha Parent blogger Allison Dixley argues mothers fail to breastfeed because women undermine each other, using a toxic mix of deception, guilt, excuses, envy, contempt, defensiveness and sabotage. Drawing on academic research in psychology, biology, philosophy and anthropology, she sheds light on the hidden emotions of early motherhood, and reveals the deep and widespread damage artificial feeding can have on a mother's confidence in her body, her mothering and in other women. Heart-wrenching, polemic and ultimately a call to action, this is a book that will make you angry, but a book that will make you think.

Mindful Mama is a fun New Age guide to pregnancy one week at a time. Every week, this delightful book provides crystals, flowers, essential oils, exercises, meditations, and affirmations that support the changes both you and your baby are going through. These tools are tailored each week to your baby s stage of development, making it easy to choose the best options. Mindful Mama helps you overcome challenges, relieve stress, and support your little one s growth into a strong, positive person. You ll also find tips and techniques for women trying to become pregnant and for the first few weeks after birth. From raising your child s chakra energy and future resilience to removing spiritual toxins, this uplifting guide keeps you focused on everything that can go right during pregnancy.

Already the mother of five children, Lana Grant's late diagnosis of autism at age 38 transformed her experience of her sixth pregnancy. Based on her own experiences of the challenges and joys of pregnancy and motherhood, this witty, entertaining read provides insight into the unique challenges encountered by mothers on the spectrum and provides tips and strategies for understanding and overcoming them. From physical and emotional changes, through to changes of routine and a lack of sleep, Lana Grant explains what women on the spectrum should expect in pregnancy and motherhood, as well as preparing them for the inevitable unexpected! Her stories of learning to make allowances for her feelings and her witty anecdotes offer support and a like-minded voice to women on the spectrum. She discusses everything from learning to understand the language used by medical professionals, who to tell what and when, and the dangers of over-sharing, through to sensory challenges during and after delivery, what to expect from staff in the hospital, and the social challenges of interacting with other mums before and after the birth. The first book on this important topic of pregnancy and motherhood on the autism spectrum, From Here to Maternity provides much needed support, insight and understanding for women on the spectrum, their family and friends, and the professionals working with them during and after pregnancy.

Now completely revised and updated for today's parents-to-be...
The book that started a revolution in the birthing experience and helped millions of women and their partners to a safe and natural childbirth.
The Bradley Method has changed the way men and women--and the medical establishment--think about childbirth today. Now this new, updated edition of the groundbreaking work by Robert A. Bradley, M.D., has all the information you need to approach a natural childbirth safely, confidently, and wisely. From the reasons to choose the Bradley Method to the steps you will take as your birth day approaches--and after the birth of your baby--this book is designed to help couples share completely in the birthing experience.
-Build better, deeper, and more trusting communication skills with your partner in preparation for a drug-free childbirth
-Learn the physical, emotional, and mental relaxation techniques essential to a natural childbirth
-Discover how you and your doctor can work together toward your natural delivery
-Monitor your weight, nutrition, and your overall well-being during pregnancy
-Use natural prevention methods for the most common pregnancy problems
-Get the most out of the bonding experience you will share with your baby and your partner
With its time-tested wisdom, medical soundness, and reassuring first-person accounts of natural childbirth, this book is the "gold standard" of childbirth books. The Bradley Method is an essential guide for anyone considering childbirth without unnecessary medications or medical intervention and to share fully in your child's arrival into the world.

The Birth Space is a doula's guide to conception, pregnancy, birth and postpartum that highlights choice and rights in the perinatal space. In this beautiful book, trained and experienced doula Gabrielle Nancarrow offers comprehensive information about the birthing landscape that will empower you to choose the right birth for you - whether that be an obstetric, midwife or home birth. The Birth Space shows us how to prepare our minds and bodies for pregnancy and labour, from conscious conception through to postpartum and into matrescence. Gabrielle helps us understand what to expect during this period and translates the medical terminology so we are informed. She also provides remedies for common ailments, shares insights from other birth specialists, and is a constant spiritual guide from conception and beyond...talk about continuity of care! Filled with moving photography by Ilsa Wynne-Hoelscher Kidd (@ilsa_whk), Lisa Sorgini @lisa.sorgini, and Hayden Trace (@feelinghomeagain) as well as intimate real-life stories from contributors covering pregnancy loss, IVF, same-sex conception, home births, caesareans and more, The Birth Space is the essential companion for anyone who is seeking guidance as they enter this new chapter of their life 'In The Birth Space ... you will find the information and support that will take you from conception through matrescence, with deeper calm, confidence and power.' Aviva Romm, MD

Having Your Baby Through Egg Donation is a helpful, authoritative guide to negotiating the complex and emotive issues that arise for those considering whether or not to pursue egg donation. It presents information clearly and with compassion, exploring the practical, financial, logistical, social and ethical questions that commonly arise. This fully updated second edition also includes recent developments in the field, including travelling for egg donation and the emerging field of epigenetics. This book will be valued by all those considering or undergoing donor conception, as well as the range of professionals who support them, including infertility counsellors, psychologists, therapists and social workers.

Chortle. Giggle. Titter and guffaw. And smile, smile, smile. The happiest of books is back, in full, glorious, happy color. It's the perfect shower gift. Essential for grandparents. The most cheerful book in the parenting section. These 97 games, sight gags, parlor tricks, and practical jokes require no special talent, use just the simplest household items as props, and actually work. Babies will be entertained--and adult readers will rediscover the joy of surrendering to sheer silliness. Get baby giggling with the Exaggerated Sneeze ""ah-ah-ah-ah-CHOO "" The Live Jack-in-the-Box (Dad goes in large cardboard box, family sings "Pop Goes the Weasel," and Dad jumps out at the last line). Three-Card Monte for Babies, using plastic cups and a lemon. Plus the top ten peek-a-boo variations, Yodeling in the Canyon, the Disappearing Noodle, Baby Channel Surfing, and oldies-but-goodies including Baby's Stinky Feet. It's the joy of letting loose and laughing with your baby.

"When you're expecting a baby, all the focus seems to be on the external trappings of pregnancy--baby showers, doctor appointments, setting up the nursery, learning about baby's development. But amid all that preparation, your own emotional and spiritual journey is also taking place. You're not just growing a baby; you're becoming a mother. In Expecting Wonder, Brittany L. Bergman dives into this identity transformation with wit and grace, offering a heart-level guidebook for women in the season of pregnancy. Bergman shares stories of wrestling with fear, learning to trust God's goodness, and making space physically and emotionally for both her baby and her changing identity. By sharing her own honest journey of fear, change, and hope, Bergman offers the reader a picture of the miracle that God is working not just in the reader's body, but also in her soul."

'Marie Louise is a dream come true for any parent with her uncanny ability to simplify the most important and complicated questions' Emma Bunton, co-founder of Kit and Kin Whether you are planning for a baby, just found out you are pregnant or well into your third trimester, this book will help you to feel confident, informed and inspired about your exciting journey ahead. Through years of work with families, Senior Midwife Marie Louise reveals the key things that will make the biggest, most positive difference to you and your baby as you navigate these life-changing months. As well as this, Marie Louise is renowned for bringing complex science to life. You'll discover fascinating facts that underpin everything you and your baby will go through, including - - How your nervous system is synced with your baby and why baby already knows a lot about you when they are born - The unique process your baby goes through to pass through the birth canal and how you work together in labour - Incredible facts about breast milk Packed with the most up-to-date findings and expert insights, you'll find everything you need to prepare for motherhood and, most importantly, understand and appreciate just how amazing you and your baby both are!

BIRTH WITHOUT FEAR is a passionate and straightforward message of empowerment surrounding pregnancy, birth, and postpartum from a respected and inspirational authority in the pregnancy, birth, and motherhood world. It will fill in the considerable cracks in the information available to women and families, covering care provider choices, medical freedom, birth preparation, birth options, breastfeeding, intimacy, and postpartum depression. In addition, it will show moms, dads, partners, and families how to choose the best provider for them, to trust in themselves and in birth, and to seek the necessary help after that baby has arrived. It will educate them about their rights and how to exercise them, and how to cope with those messy feelings that no one else is willing to talk about. It will help partners understand what women are going through, how to support them, and discuss the challenges that they, too, will face, and how to overcome them. This will be the most important book women, and their partners, will ever read as they prepare to welcome a new child into the world. It will shatter long held myths and beliefs surrounding pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. It will also educate birth care providers about the human beings--not just patients--under their care and how to best prepare them for the changes to come.

It comprises a collection of chapters covering all aspects of waterbirth as well as a look at how waterbirth practices differ around the world. Topics include: * Why a waterbirth? Marsden Wagner, Janet Balaskas and Michel Odent * The physiology of waterbirth. Gerd Eldering and Konrad Selke and Paul Johnson * Waterbirth and the family. Jayn Ingrey and Roger Lichy * Technology and childbirth. Beverley Lawrence Beech and Rosemary Jenkins * Waterbirth and the mid-wife. Caroline Flint, Cass Nightingale and Dianne Garland. * Waterbirth and the obstetician. Jole Muscat, Michael Adam, Patrick Snora, Michael J Rosenthal and Faith Haddad. * Waterbirth internationally. Athena Vassie, Piera Maghella and Anne Uller. * Waterbirth - the way forward.Judy Bothamley, Joanne Chadwick, Yehudi Gordon and Lesley Page.

Babies and toddlers develop naturally healthy alignment by moving in instinctive ways. Their posture is easy and relaxed, founded on correct pelvic positioning and deep core muscles to hold their bodies upright. Yet, as evidenced by the slouching epidemic seen in school-age children, most kids lose this natural alignment early in life, often due to an overreliance on strollers, baby seats, and bucket-style carriers during infancy and the reluctance to put babies on their bellies because of widespread fear of SIDS. In this richly illustrated manual for parents, teachers, and kids themselves, movement educator and researcher Kathleen Porter explains how to relearn natural alignment with a simple movement routine that "reminds" the body of its natural patterns. Movement plays an essential role in the development of a fully functioning nervous system, coordinated muscle tone, and a strong, internal core that stabilizes the spine and prepares the baby for the soon-to-be-acquired upright position. The author explains how many children who struggle with a growing number of neurodevelopmental challenges, including autism, learning disabilities, and ADHD, also exhibit poor muscle tone, lack of core development, and difficulties with balance and coordination.

Gina Ford has helped thousands of families resolve challenges over the years and her bestselling New Contented Little Baby Book has sold over 1 million copies around the world. In this life-saving new book, she offers exhausted parents clear, step-by-step solutions to resolving a whole range of sleep issues. Whether it's feeding to sleep, rocking to sleep, night-waking, co-sleeping, dummy attachment - whatever the problem - Gina knows how to fix it. You'll find out how to set gentle day and night routines that will resolve the specific issue and in just one week you'll be on your way to calm and peaceful nights!

The Top 10 Sunday Times Bestseller 'Hilarious, honest, heartwarming, like a hug from a friend, just perfect. I couldn't love this "mumoir" more' Mrs Hinch 'An honest account of becoming a woman and mother... an engaging read' Giovanna Fletcher MumLife; noun: the inescapable swirling vortex of love, guilt, joy, annoyance, laughter and boredom that makes up the life of a mum. Louise Pentland has been through a lot. From a traumatic birth with her first daughter, to single motherhood, to finding love again and having a second child, Louise's parenting journey has been full of surprises. Discussing the realities most working mums face, plus the impact of maternal mental health, Louise is on a mission to make other mums feel less alone, and very much heard. She beautifully reveals her own imperfect but perfect route to motherhood, as well as the loss of her mum so early in her life, how it shaped her and the mother she became. Reflective, uplifting and with her signature hilarious wit, MumLife will share Louise's ups and downs, reflecting on her route to motherhood and what she has learnt along the way. This is the honest truth, from someone who's been there and experienced it all. ***** For each book sold Bonnier Books UK shall donate 1% of net receipts and Louise Pentland shall donate 100% of her royalties to the NSPCC.

Most women give birth in hospitals, institutions modelled around the needs of the people who work there. The delivery room is designed around the obstetric bed which was designed for the benefit of the obstetrician rather than the woman giving birth. Despite research showing the benefit of upright positions in labour and birth, most women in the UK still give birth in the semi-reclined position, pushing their baby out against the forces of gravity. Jowitt argues that unnatural positions make labour and birth more painful and difficult for modern women than it was for their ancestors. How did we come to put the needs of care givers above those of the labouring woman? Is there anything that can be done? Starting with a short history of birth furniture, Dynamic Positions in Birth goes on to explore the anatomy and physiology of labour from an evolutionary perspective. This updated edition expands Jowitt's new biomechanical model of how the uterus works first published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2018 which has profound implications for giving mothers freedom of movement in labour and birth. It explores how rethinking positions for labour and birth could benefit mothers and their babies. Equally important is the need to change attitudes to birth so that women are encouraged to play a more active part in the birth of their babies instead of being subjected to clinical interventions designed to mitigate the adverse effects of labouring in a starkly unnatural environment. Jowitt argues that it is possible to give women labouring in hospital a better chance of giving birth naturally. The book concludes by calling for a fresh look at the environment for birth. Delivery rooms can be made more user friendly by introducing furniture designed around women's need for physical support during labour as well as for the birth, and by hiding away the more alarming technology unless it is needed. Women need a less forbidding environment and more encouragement to move freely and adopt positions which will enhance their chance of achieving a normal birth.

Choosing a name for your baby is really exciting - it can also feel like a huge decision that you're terrified of getting wrong! Never fear: we bring you the very latest news, trends and inspiration in Baby Names 2023. We've selected thousands for you to choose from, including the UK's favourites (spoiler alert: we're still big fans of Oliver and Olivia) and more left-field options (welcome to babies Blousie, Now and Zico). Inspiration from the roaring twenties - think Bessie, Warner and Gene. Practical tips on choosing a name and dealing with family expectations (and other people's opinions). Predictions on next year's hottest names: think nature-inspired treasures like Fern, River and Wren.