Foreword by Dr. C. Scott Naylor, Founder and Director of the Pacific Perinatal Center2009 Mom's Choice Award Winner—Pregnancy and Childbirth Category“In our information-glutted age, the great task is separating truth from fiction. Where pregnancy is concerned, this problem has been solved with
Hands Off My Belly. This is the best book I know that guides women on one of the most meaningful journeys of life. If I were pregnant, this would be my bible.”
—Larry Dossey, MD, author of Reinventing Medicine and Healing Words“
Hands Off My Belly is an absolutely delightful exploration of the myths that every woman—pregnant or not—knows she's influenced by at some level. It's great fun finding which ones are yours.”
—Caroline Myss, author of The Creation Of Health and Why People Don’t Heal And How They CanExpectant mothers are virtual magnets for unsolicited advice. Mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, sisters-in-law, new mothers, friends, and even strangers offer what seems to be an endless supply of supposedly authoritative opinions on every aspect of pregnancy: A craving for spicy food denotes a boy. Carrying the baby low denotes a girl.
Besides gender predictions, a pregnant woman is also apt to acquire an earful of advice about miscarriage, dietary habits and cravings, hair growth, weight gain, and childbirth. And, of course, everyone wants to touch her belly.
In this engaging, humorous, and very informative book, Drs. Shawn A. Tassone and Kathryn Landherr—experienced obstetricians and gynecologists, a husband-and-wife team of physicians, and parents of four children—explore the most common superstitions and myths surrounding pregnancy.
From their combined twenty years of work in a clinic, as well as their own parenting experience, the authors review the anecdotes and beliefs, from the slightly unusual to the stranger-than-fiction, and compare them with the scientific evidence. Moving through each stage, from the early weeks of pregnancy to delivery, they examine the legends about diet, gender identification, preterm labor, the umbilical cord, initiating labor, and the size and movement of the fetus. As they detail the scientific perspective on these varied and often amusing beliefs, the authors not only entertain but provide a great deal of practical information, which will ease the fears and anxieties of expectant parents as well as clear up many confusing notions.
If you are pregnant, you owe it to yourself to get this book. Better yet, suggest it as the perfect shower gift to all those well-meaning advice givers.
You can also follow the authors on
Twitter (@PregnancyMyths), and the author and book website can be viewed
here. (www.handsoffmybellyguide.com)
Binding: Paperback272 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59102-753-9
Shipping Weight: 1lbs
Author Bio:
(Tucson, AZ), are the co-owners of La Dea Women’s Health in Tucson, AZ, where Dr. Tassone is the medical director and his wife, Dr. Landherr, is a practicing physician. Both Drs. Tassone and Landherr completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and are board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Each is also an Associate Fellow of Integrative Medicine under Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona.
