Having Babies : Nine Months Inside an Obstetrical Practice

By Thomas Congdon

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671519611
• ISBN13: 9780671519612
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 334 Pages
• Weight: 0.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

behind the scenes look at an OB practice

I loved this book! It is not the typical pregancy book, and it does not tell you what to eat, what to do, or what your baby looks like from week to week. It's more of a documentary that follows a two-doctor obstetrical practice in New Jersey, and the mothers-to-be that the practice services, during a nine-month period. In addition to the pregnancy issues facing the practice's patients, the book reveals the behind the scenes drama and personality conflicts that exist among the staff and doctors. The two doctors have very different personalities and practice styles, and that comes through very clearly in the book. The book follows what I would call an average young, recently married couple over the course of nine months, from conception through delivery, with insight on how parents & friends react to the pregnancy, how the couple feels about the pregnancy, how they deal with career issues and such, and of course, medical issues with the pregnancy. In addition to the "average" couple, the doctors treat a number of women with not-so-average pregnancies, such as the one carrying quintuplets, the one carrying one dead and one live twin, and so on. I wouldn't rely on this as your primary source of information on pregnancy. It's a little out of date (written in 1994) and in my opinion, the doctors are a little too enthusiastic about epidurals, episiotomies, and such -- but it is a fun, novel-like fast read and it gives you a sense of what your doctor may be thinking about when he's treating you.

Great Book to prepare you for Pregnancy

I recently borrowed this book from the library and it's really great. Although there are many informative books out there about pregnancy this book prepares you for pregnancy unlike any other book out there. I truely recommend this book!

Excellent

It's a shame this book is out of print. I just recently picked it up the library and it is the best pregnancy book I've read. The author spent nine months getting to know the staff of an obgyn office and the patients. You follow one couple from them flirting with each other to a dance all the way up to the birth of their first child. Then you also get various stories on the way along with various facts about the obgyn field. Two warnings though:First..there are a couple of very sad stories that are not too fun to read while you are pregnant. But if you're the type of person who can face reality, you'll be okay.Second...The hospital where the babies are born is a little on the old fashioned side (ie: babies swept away to nursery, no rooming in).But still, I loved this book and highly recommend it.