book reviews | Motherworldly

16 Mar

Book Review: Why Hypnobirthing Matters, by Katrina Berry

This interesting little book explores the development of hypnobirthing as an approach to childbirth, from its origins in the thinking of Grantley Dick-Read, to its modern usage in situations from freebirth to caesarean and beyond. Author Katrina Berry points out what a useful coping technique it can be for early parenthood and for life in general.

The book goes on to explain how hypnobirthing works, and its relevance for birth partners and midwives. It does not claim it as the province of one particular type of birth, but does emphasise its role in increasing the likelihood of a straightforward birth, and offers information to empower women to make their own choices in any situation.

It finishes with a useful comparison of the different hypnobirthing tribes, in their own voices. This gives a real flavour of the slight changes in perspective from one programme to another.

Parents-to-be or practitioners with an interest in hypnobirthing can use this book to learn about what it is, and then decide which path will help them on their own journey.

[Disclaimer: I was given a free review copy of this book by the publisher Pinter & Martin. You can buy it here, with a 10% discount using the code SPROGCAST at checkout.]

09 Mar

Book Review: Open My Eyes, That I May See Marvellous Things, by Alice Allan

My partner Pete, reading it in a damp narrowboat in Bath, UK

Open My Eyes is the first novel from an author whose life experience has provided her with the richest material with which to craft a beautiful story. Mariam is a midwife volunteering in Addis Ababa, where she encounters both her past and her future in ways she does not expect. She finds herself fighting for the life of an abandoned premature baby, using the unconventional methods of kangaroo care and donated human milk. Meanwhile she antagonises hospital management, dates a handsome doctor, and tries to piece together a sense of her own pre-adoption world.

Alice Allan creates a real sense of the colours and dust and smells of Ethiopia, while telling the tale from multiple perspectives, so that each character’s story develops at its own pace. But this is not just a book about falling in love with a baby; we also have a mild thriller smouldering alongside Mariam’s story, although there is little for readers to figure out, and the rest of the book is so strong that this plot is not really crucial.

The biggest strength of the book is the chapters written from the baby’s perspective. I have never read prose that so powerfully captures the sensations of a newborn. If you need a way to convey the baby’s limited, terrifying world, or the importance of skin to skin and comfort, Alice Allan does this with the most poignant and effective insight. I read three pages of this book to a group of colleagues, and the effect was breathtaking.

This is a many-threaded story, and the central thread is that tiny fragile human, buffeted by the needs and the limitations of the adults in her world. It’s really wonderful to read fiction so heartfelt, so accurate, and so moving.

I’m intrigued to chat with Alice Allan for a future edition of Sprogcast (coming out on 25th April 2017), discussing both this lovely novel and her own fascinating life story.

[Disclaimer: I was sent a free preview copy of Open My Eyes. You can buy one from Pinter & Martin here, and don’t forget the 10% discount you can get by using the code SPROGCAST at the checkout.]

24 Feb

Book Review: How to grow a baby and push it out, by Clemmie Hooper

Clemmie Hooper is the new Mark Harris: the midwife all the talk shows want, popular on social media, and with a new, slightly different book about pregnancy and birth. Sorry Mark.

‘How to grow a baby and push it out‘ is a colourful, cheery book, with lots of pictures (mainly of Clemmie herself looking pregnant and glamorous). With a heavy emphasis on what to buy and how best to treat yourself (“Find a really, really lux hotel to stay in.” p101) and an assumption that you will “buy friends” by doing NCT classes, this really is the yummy mummy’s handbook.

I would have quite liked this book during my pregnancy ten years ago. In between the slightly vapid chapters about shopping, it covers a lot of topics, including how to massage your perineum, what to consider when choosing a place to give birth, and different options for coping with pain. With its bite-sized chapters and clear explanations, it is more accessible and less gloomy than the book I did have, ‘What to expect when you’re expecting.’

Reading it now, I would like to see more on consent and informed choice; Clemmie is in a good position to talk about building that kind of trusting relationship with Health Professionals, but at the end of the day she is working within a medical model, and that’s what comes across. The information given about breastfeeding is scant and inadequate, starting with a list of its benefits, omitting any discussion of how it works, conveying the message that it is always difficult and usually painful, and then admonishing readers not to pay attention to pressure about how long to do it for. This could have been done so much better.

I liked the positive tone of the book, although in places the chumminess gets annoying; and I liked the focus on active birth, and the signposting (other than in the breastfeeding section) for readers who would like to explore the many topics in greater depth. It’s a nice starting point for mums-to-be who like a guidebook, but doesn’t really replace good quality antenatal education, where there will be more for partners, and lots of opportunities to discuss what might happen and how you might feel, rather than just be passively told about it all.

22 Feb

Book Review: The Gentle Discipline Book, by Sarah Ockwell-Smith

The Gentle Discipline Book is a book for parents, based firmly in attachment theory and gentle parenting practices, just as you would expect from an author who has very much made this her specialism.

Ockwell-Smith defines discipline as a supportive teaching process, and devotes a chapter to critique of discipline in its more widely-understood sense, i.e. punishment and reward. She supports this approach very thoroughly with a good chapter on neuroscience, and logical explanations of the developmental reasons for various behavioural issues in young children.

The book then goes on to look at a range of problems, from sulking to swearing, with helpful strategies for dealing with them. This is a widely applicable, useful read for all parents, and for anyone involved in educating parents and parents-to-be about raising children with empathy and kindness.

I also found that Ockwell-Smith gives a helpful perspective on parenting, recommending the 70/30 rule: “trying to be the best parent you can be 70% of the time and not worrying too much about the other 30%” (p238) As the mother of an occasionally difficult (but generally delightful) ten year old, I found this very affirming.

In this book, Ockwell-Smith offers an updated and less US-centric take on Sears’ Discipline Book, and I would recommend it unreservedly.

[Disclaimer: I was provided with a free review copy of this book]

08 Feb

Book review: Pride & Joy, A Guide for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Parents – by Sarah & Rachel Hagger-Holt

This is the most perfectly-titled book I have ever come across, a fact which became increasingly evident as I read it – in one sitting – and found it to be so warm and upbeat, a book that is truly full of pride and joy.

Pride And Joy would be useful and interesting for LGBT parents; those considering becoming parents or even wondering if they ever can become parents; children of LGBT parents and other extended family members, and anyone working in a support role including health professionals, antenatal teachers and others. It is packed with anecdotes and quotes from that same wide-ranging group, so that it gives the reader a rich narrative, coherently exploring the broad experiences in the LGBT world. Each chapter ends with some points to consider, with signposting to useful resources, making it practical as well as very readable.

One thing that came across to me was that LGBT families have more common factors than differences with non-LGBT families. The authors treat extended and complex family situations as largely positive, acknowledging that blended families are now the norm for many people in western society, whatever the sexual orientation or gender identity of the parents. Many issues relating to pregnancy, birth, new parenthood, and growing up are not unique to LGBT families, however the fact that much of the support offered in these situations comes from the straight community reminds us of the importance of being open and inclusive when supporting parents. This book is well positioned to increase knowledge and understanding, and I hope it will be very widely read.

[Disclaimer: I was sent a free copy by the publisher. You can buy your own copy from their website, and use the code SPROGCAST at the checkout for a 10% discount]

07 Feb

Book Review: The State of Medicine, by Margaret McCartney

This book is difficult to read. It’s brilliantly written, coherently argued, and McCartney’s passion for the NHS screams through every paragraph, and for all that it is a joy to read; but it is difficult to read about the increasingly overt privatisation of the NHS, and the destruction of its most fundamental principles.

In 21st Century Britain, politicians express love for and pride in the NHS, while systematically setting it up to fail, by implementing policies for the sake of headlines, and apparently deliberately misreading research to support hopeless initiatives which are not trialled, and not terminated when they prove not to work. Modern social and cultural expectations enable the government to push forward their agenda, by creating an environment where popularity and choice trump evidence and effectiveness. The vocational nature of health work allows us to expect health professionals to give endlessly, while being abused in the press, badly paid, and put under intolerable pressure.

McCartney unravels so many threads of this Kafka-esque situation, bringing in clear evidence and pointing out where it is missing; and including the voices of real people working in and experiencing the NHS: doctors, patients, researchers, policy makers. She is so passionate and articulate, part of the very core of the NHS, and one of those who will fight to the last breath to maintain an evidence-based health service, free at the point of access, for everyone in the UK.

[DISCLAIMER: I was sent a free copy of this book by the publishers. You can buy your own on their website, with a 10% discount if you use the code SPROGCAST at the checkout.]

17 Dec

Baby’s First Year, by Netmums with Hollie Smith

Having read the atrocious Netmums book on sleep, I had quite low expectations of Baby’s First Year. I was also looking at a 2009 edition, and presume that it has been modernised a little since publication. Nonetheless, I found it to contain a good range of highly practical tips, and a reasonably close representation of the evidence with regard to many of the subjects it covers.

Apart from the usual mythology about cabbage leaves and hindmilk, the breastfeeding sections are pretty accurate, although I was disappointed that breastfeeding is referred to as “extended” from seven months onwards. This easily-navigated little manual is also good on formula feeding, expressing, colic, and sex; but there is a huge gaping hole where the discussion of attachment and emotional development should be, which of course allows them to advocate the cruel and damaging practice of controlled crying. Tellingly, they refer to the “handful of child psychologists… [who] believe it could be damaging,” versus “a great many other experts” (none of whom are named) who think it’s fine. Nothing in the book is referenced, so really they can and do just say what they please.

The book is also quite poor on introducing solids, recommending waiting until six months but with only an aside about baby-led weaning (this being one of the topics which they may have updated, to reflect its increasing popularity).

Personally I am left cold by the many quotes pulled from Netmums message boards, but I guess that is their USP, and you can always skim them like I did. For a manual of the basics, Baby’s First Year is good on the first six months, but the second half is probably too general to be useful to most new mothers, who I expect would be figuring things out for themselves by that time, or seeking out more specialised guidance for the issues they might be experiencing. I’d tear this book in half before giving it to a friend, and wrap it with a copy of Sweet Sleep.

15 Dec

Book review: Nobody Told Me, by Hollie McNish

Like many people, the first I knew of Hollie McNish was her poem Embarrassed on YouTube, which suddenly appeared everywhere I looked. I loved the poem for what it said (“I spent the first feeding months of her beautiful life/Feeling nervous and awkward and wanting everything right.“). I loved her delivery and I loved her: she just looked like an ordinary person I could hang out with, and I can see why she became such a poster girl for the ordinary experience of breastfeeding.

Nobody Told Me isn’t just a collection of poems, it’s the journal of Hollie’s transition from pregnancy through to three years, and somehow in her honesty she manages to convey both her own unique experience, and the universality of early motherhood. The reader witnesses the bleakness of the early days: terror, tinged with wonder; and her growth as a mother, into enjoyment of toddlerhood, and finally a recognition of all she has achieved.

Reading Nobody Told Me repeatedly made me weep, as I recognised with real feeling the floundering, bleeding, and nighttime feeding; the absolute reliance on an amazing supportive bloke; and the guilt-ridden enjoyment of a night away from home.

Hollie’s focus grows from the personal to the political (and this felt familiar too), as she experiences social judgement on all fronts, and also fights conventional stereotypes and lack of diversity. People comment on her child’s mixed race, tell her she’s too young to have a child or should be married, and find her overly strident when she objects to all the characters in storybooks being “he” by default. She’s so right, and we should all be rebelling against this – as a poet she is in a position to articulate this nonsense and say it loud.

Hollie McNish is so articulate and her poems hit the nail on the head over and over again. This would be a fantastic book for someone expecting a baby; for me, it’s almost a memoir.

08 Dec

Book Review: Breastfeeding Uncovered, by Amy Brown

Before reading Amy Brown’s book, I became aware of a highly critical review of it, written by someone who admitted to not having read it. She felt pretty strongly that the world doesn’t need any more books exhorting women to breastfeed.

Having actually read it myself, I get the feeling that Amy Brown would agree with that sentiment; and while Breastfeeding Uncovered: Who Really Decides How We Feed Our Babies comprehensively demonstrates the importance of breastfeeding for babies, mothers, and society, this is not a book telling mothers that they must breastfeed, but rather one that explains the complex range of reasons why so many of us don’t. It’s not even a book that is explicitly aimed at mothers, since it isn’t a how-to-breastfeed manual; and it is likely to be useful to a wide range of readers including new fathers, grandmothers, health professionals, and anyone supporting a breastfeeding mother. It also might be a helpful read for mothers who have stopped breastfeeding and perhaps have mixed feelings about that decision. And one final demographic: I’d recommend this to policy makers, politicians, budget holders, and anyone involved in public health promotion – these are the people who can really use this information to protect and support breastfeeding in a society that just doesn’t seem to get it.

Breastfeeding Uncovered addresses social, cultural and political issues; examines the impact of transition to motherhood; and talks about the reality of breastfeeding for modern families. There are some lovely clear explanations, for example the SIDS statistics in relation to bedsharing; and I found myself trying to memorise certain facts and phrases for use in my own work.

Amy Brown’s voice comes across very clearly, and initially I wasn’t sure if I would find the occasional sarcasm a bit annoying. But she uses it to make such good points that it’s pretty hard to get annoyed. She really just tells it like it is.

If I had to find gaps in this thorough work, I would like to see a little more mention of highly qualified volunteer Breastfeeding Counsellors such as those trained by NCT and ABM, who occupy the space between Lactation Consultants and Peer Supporters. There is also a vast network of support now available on social media and websites like Netmums, but perhaps that’s scope for the next book.

The real strength of Breastfeeding Uncovered is its firm grounding in an absolute wealth of evidence, both from the author’s own research and from many other reputable sources. Haters gonna hate, but they can’t actually argue that Amy Brown is wrong, or that she doesn’t understand the complexities of infant feeding, or that she is exhorting mothers to do things her way; to do so would indicate that they too have not read the book.

You can get a copy of Breastfeeding Uncovered here, with a 10% discount if you use the code SPROGCAST at the checkout.
Disclosure: Pinter & Martin sent me a free review copy of this book.

08 Nov

Book Review: The Happiest Baby on the Block, by Harvey Karp

The Happiest Baby on the Block, The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer by Harvey Karp is an interesting book, with quite a few useful ideas both for parents and people supporting parents; but it did also raise a few concerns for me. It was recommended by a colleague and I was curious to learn about the “5 Ss.” This is Karp’s technique for calming an unsettled baby, and when he says unsettled he is referring to anything that might be even loosely described as colic. Karp believes that babies have an innate calming reflex, and certain activities will trigger this. I haven’t found any further research on this matter, and think he might be over-sciencing what is basically a set of instructions to cuddle and comfort a baby.

As with most parenting books, Karp uses an Expert Voice and includes many quotations from parents to demonstrate how great his method is. There must be a fascinating PhD topic in exploring the way parenting authors instil their authority; for example by referring to research (but in this case giving absolutely no references at all), and developing catchy acronyms. Interestingly, he warns at one point that his method may not work immediately (sound familiar, Ms Ford?) and parents may need to commit to it over several days before they see results. This supports my own theory that a bad situation will nearly always start to get better soon.

The good stuff in this book includes a detailed section on the evolutionary and physical reasons why babies cry, some really nice stuff on babies’ reflexes, and a logical debunking of the Top Ten Theories of Colic (p29). Unfortunately most of his information about breastfeeding is fairly inaccurate, compounded by the fact that this is the fifth “S;” he refers to this as the “icing on the cake” but in effect it comes across as the last resort, even after pacifier use.

I might offer this book to parents, perhaps after a method of feeding has been established; I would certainly recommend it to colleagues as it inspired some interesting thoughts for antenatal education. I would dispute whether cuddling and feeding are really “new” ways to calm a baby.