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Review: Body, Soul, and Baby

I am not a fan of pregnancy and parenting books. You might think that means I have no business reviewing one. However, the sheer number of parenting books I've read in my life and the fact that I am not pregnant and not planning on ever being pregnant again makes me uniquely qualified. At least according to, well, me.

Body, Soul, and Baby is a new book by Dr. Tracy W. Gaudet, Director of the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine and founding executive director of Dr. Andrew Weil's Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. As the book's title and author's credentials suggest, Body, Soul, and Baby combines mainstream and alternative medicine to help new mothers througout their pregnancy and the birth of their baby. When the Parent Bloggers Network asked me to review this book, I was fascinated since all of the pregnancy books I've read we're strictly of one camp or the other.

It's been five years since I found out I was pregnant the first time. Sure, I remember the bad parts, like that time I puked into my lunch bag as I commuted over the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco. But I also remember the ethereal feeling of having a new person growing inside me. My body was changing, but that was only the least of it. A new life! Inside of me! I really wanted my OB to talk about this aspect of my pregnancy, but she was all business. Most of the time she couldn't even be bothered to look up from her clipboard when she asked me if I had any questions.

According to Gaudet, I had a pretty typical experience. She writes that modern pregnancy feels a little like a conveyer belt. "A time of internal wonder has been reframed almost entirely as a time for external worry." Gaudet doesn't claim that you won't have some fears throughout your pregnancy, but she aims to guide you through these fears, by addressing the real changes that are taking place within.

During my second pregnancy I made more of an effort to find an OB who was more open to answering questions. And for many of my appointments I saw a midwife who hugged me after each visit. Still, there aren't many doctors working today who are going to be able to help you with the process of self-discovery as well as Gaudet does in Body, Soul, and Baby.

Like the standard pregnancy books, Body, Soul, and Baby is organized by the stages of pregnancy. Unlike the standard books it focuses on meditation, reflection, observation, and other non-traditional ways of handling the changes that pregnancy brings. Gaudet also covers all the basics that you'll read in conventional pregnancy books.

When I first found out I was pregnant with Annabella a friend who'd recently had a baby made me promise that I wouldn't read What to Expect When You're Expecting. She said that the fear the book instilled in her, with all it's worst-case scenarios, far outweighed the usefullness of it. I made the promise to her and then promptly broke it. I'd ask you to make the same promise, but you'll probably break it and read What to Expect too and that's OK. Still, if you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant and you're at all interested in intergrative medicine, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Body, Soul, and Baby too.

I never want to be pregnant again

preggo 002
Originally uploaded by jumping.monkeys.

I was just looking through some old photos and found this from March 5, 2005. The boys weren't born until April 14, 2005.

What I remember most about that time was that I kept telling myself, "No matter how hard it will be to have 2 infants and a toddler, it will be easier than being pregnant. That is the only possible explanation for me having such a big smile on my face.

My OB & Me

It's the last month of my pregnancy, which means I go to see my doctor once a week. I have a confession to make. I don't really like her.

I know I'm in capable hands. The practice is very well-respected. The hospital where I'll deliver is known as the best place in the city to have a baby. And from what I've read and been told, your doctor is only there at the last moments of delivery or if something goes wrong. Otherwise, it's the nurses who are important, and I've heard only good things about the nurses at my hospital.

My doctor is young. She has children of her own. I started going to her on the recommendation of a friend who said she was "laid-back." I thought I would like laid-back. It turns out that I don't.

I've had these feelings for a while. When I told my sister at Christmas she wisely recommended that I find another doctor. I didn't even try. I thought it was too late. Or maybe I was just lazy. Or maybe I thought that my doctor and I could work things out. It doesn't much matter now, because now it really is too late.

You see, when I go to my appointments. I want to chat with my doctor a little. I want to be her friend. But all she seems to want from me is my blood pressure, my weight, and my urine. I want to give her a hug. She wants to move on to her next appointment. I'm unsatisfied with the relationship. We're not in love.

I can say that one good thing has come of this. It has made me extra careful about choosing baby Morrone's pediatrician. We've interviewed several candidates and Marco and I feel like we've chosen the perfect one. Not only does he come highly recommended with lots of experience, but when we met with him we chatted for an hour, not only about first appointments, vaccinations, and diaper rash, but about history, technology, and his passion for the sitar. He's a little bit wacky and we like that a lot. If that ever changes, this time we won't hesitate to find someone new.

My OB & Me

It's the last month of my pregnancy, which means I go to see my doctor once a week. I have a confession to make. I don't really like her.

I know I'm in capable hands. The practice is very well-respected. The hospital where I'll deliver is known as the best place in the city to have a baby. And from what I've read and been told, your doctor is only there at the last moments of delivery or if something goes wrong. Otherwise, it's the nurses who are important, and I've heard only good things about the nurses at my hospital.

My doctor is young. She has children of her own. I started going to her on the recommendation of a friend who said she was "laid-back." I thought I would like laid-back. It turns out that I don't.

I've had these feelings for a while. When I told my sister at Christmas she wisely recommended that I find another doctor. I didn't even try. I thought it was too late. Or maybe I was just lazy. Or maybe I thought that my doctor and I could work things out. It doesn't much matter now, because now it really is too late.

You see, when I go to my appointments. I want to chat with my doctor a little. I want to be her friend. But all she seems to want from me is my blood pressure, my weight, and my urine. I want to give her a hug. She wants to move on to her next appointment. I'm unsatisfied with the relationship. We're not in love.

I can say that one good thing has come of this. It has made me extra careful about choosing baby Morrone's pediatrician. We've interviewed several candidates and Marco and I feel like we've chosen the perfect one. Not only does he come highly recommended with lots of experience, but when we met with him we chatted for an hour, not only about first appointments, vaccinations, and diaper rash, but about history, technology, and his passion for the sitar. He's a little bit wacky and we like that a lot. If that ever changes, this time we won't hesitate to find someone new.

Trunk Monkey

What would Friday be without a clever and amusing monkey link? I know that road rage is nothing to laugh at, but I will anyway.

Don't Mess With Trunk Monkey

My favorite part of this is the look the monkey gives the guy when he makes him get back in the trunk. I think we can all agree that we've felt used like that at one point in our lives.

Via Tony

Trunk Monkey

What would Friday be without a clever and amusing monkey link? I know that road rage is nothing to laugh at, but I will anyway.

Don't Mess With Trunk Monkey

My favorite part of this is the look the monkey gives the guy when he makes him get back in the trunk. I think we can all agree that we've felt used like that at one point in our lives.

Via Tony

Virtual Tour of Baby Morrone's Room

I took the day off from work yesterday because the teachers at Marco's school threw us a baby shower. Also, I needed some time to rest and nest.

As a result, the baby's room is pretty much ready. All we need now is a baby.

(Click on any of the images for larger versions.)

Here are a few different views of the crib:

And here is the changing table/dresser:

Here's her closet. She currently has more items of clothing than I do:

Below is a little rocker that as a child Marco found in someone's trash and brought home to his mother. His parents recently had it refinished and gave it to us as a present.

The monkey night light from my mom's college roommate, Jackie:

This is the Snap - N - Go infant car seat carrier that was recommended by my sister. She used hers regularly until father-in-law accidentally ran it over with his car. Without the baby in it, of course. The car seat comes separately. We decided on the Graco Smooth Ride. We'll have to buy another stroller when the baby grows out of the infant car seat, but we figured this was the better option than the all-in-on stroller "travel systems" that we felt were just too unweildy for our needs.

More stuff, the rug, and baby Morrone's view of the world.

Virtual Tour of Baby Morrone's Room

I took the day off from work yesterday because the teachers at Marco's school threw us a baby shower. Also, I needed some time to rest and nest.

As a result, the baby's room is pretty much ready. All we need now is a baby.

(Click on any of the images for larger versions.)

Here are a few different views of the crib:

And here is the changing table/dresser:

Here's her closet. She currently has more items of clothing than I do:

Below is a little rocker that as a child Marco found in someone's trash and brought home to his mother. His parents recently had it refinished and gave it to us as a present.

The monkey night light from my mom's college roommate, Jackie:

This is the Snap - N - Go infant car seat carrier that was recommended by my sister. She used hers regularly until father-in-law accidentally ran it over with his car. Without the baby in it, of course. The car seat comes separately. We decided on the Graco Smooth Ride. We'll have to buy another stroller when the baby grows out of the infant car seat, but we figured this was the better option than the all-in-on stroller "travel systems" that we felt were just too unweildy for our needs.

More stuff, the rug, and baby Morrone's view of the world.

OS X System Monitors

A few days ago I recommended System Manager 1.0 to monitor your Mac. Today I got an email from one of our interns, Jason, who was reminded of a slightly similar program called Process Wizard. It lets you monitor all the applications and processes running on OS X

Here's the link to download the program.

The program also includes reniceing sliders that let you increase and decrease the priority of your processes. If you understand Unix, this will probably mean something to you.

I just downloaded and it looks great so far. It's freeware from La Chose Interactive.

I haven't gotten rid of System Manager 1.0 yet, since it does things that Process Wizard doesn't. If you know of a program that contains all of these features, don't be a stranger.