Search results for ""Pinter Martin Ltd.""

Hypnobirthing is a method of birth preparation using a series of simple but effective techniques that can facilitate a calm and natural birth. Far from being a modern fad, it is logical, rational and there is a strong evidence base for its use. Many women approach labour with fear because of the negativity surrounding birth and the assumption that it must involve excruciating pain for the mother. Fear has a physiological effect, making contractions less effective and derailing normal labour. Hypnobirthing teaches the mother to relax and believe that her body is perfectly designed to give birth; when the mother is relaxed her body can release natural painkillers that are far more effective than pharmaceutical drugs. Women using hypnobirthing report needing little or no pain relief during labour and their babies are born calm and alert. Mothers need less medical intervention, and if they do they report feeling much more able to deal with it. Calm and confident parents are empowered to make informed decisions about their care, which can contribute enormously to a positive birth experience. In Why Hypnobirthing Matters Katrina Berry looks at the origins and rationale for using hypnosis for childbirth, explains what you can expect from hypnobirthing and dispels common misunderstandings in a lively, informative way.

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Nurturing Your Family With Yoga is an essential guide to the practice of yoga for families and children, demonstrating how yoga can be a real part of everyday family life and bring happiness and harmony to the home. Illustrated with beautiful, inspiring photographs of children and adults practising yoga together, and with clear, concise explanations, the book is packed with fun and practical suggestions for incorporating yoga into daily life, including: The A-Z of Yoga – a wonderful, engaging game that introduces children to 26 classic yoga poses Breathing exercises to strengthen and balance the nervous system and to steady the mind Visualisations to reduce anxiety and build resilience Yoga in Bed sequence to help children settle down and sleep well With guided meditations, affirmations and reflections that will inspire and inform interesting and thoughtful discussions with children, as well as tips and tricks for adults to help you share yoga successfully, Nurturing Your Family With Yoga is all you need to help you foster health and wellbeing for your whole family.

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In this ‘antenatal course in a book’, experienced hypnobirthing and antenatal practitioner Jackie Kietz discusses labour and birth in the way that it would be covered at face-to-face birth preparation classes. From how to tell whether you’re really in labour, to choosing where and how to give birth and communicating your wishes to healthcare staff, the book is packed with essential information for new parents. As well as practical details, there are also MP3s and suggestions for ways to relax using hypnobirthing and breathing techniques to help you think positively about your upcoming birth. As a useful reminder of what’s covered in a course, or as a substitute if you don’t want to or can’t attend classes in person, this friendly, easy to follow and reassuring book is invaluable for anyone expecting a baby.

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Many mothers and those who support them do not know that they can experience negative emotions associated with breastfeeding. In modern society breastfeeding is often used – problematically – to exemplify myths about motherhood and maternal love, and is bound up with ideas of what makes a ‘good mother’. In this context nursing aversion and agitation – intense, distressing feelings that are experienced by the mother during breastfeeding – can be both unexpected and hugely upsetting, particularly when women may have already overcome significant challenges in order to breastfeed. In When Breastfeeding Sucks Zainab Yate examines what we know about this poorly understood aspect of infant feeding, in a carefully researched discussion that will be valuable for individual mothers who may be suffering, and the breastfeeding supporters who work to support them.

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In modern maternity systems one in four women have their labour induced. Why Induction Matters provides a comprehensive, evidence-based guide to this common intervention. The induction process is explained in detail, and reasons for offering induction are discussed. Options related to inducing labour or choosing to wait are explored, and women’s experiences are included throughout. The book aims to help parents make their own informed decisions about induction of labour.

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Evidence continues to increase on the practical and emotional benefits of babywearing, both to parents and their children. Among many other benefits, babywearing can help parents bond with a new baby, and facilitate both breastfeeding and the care of the baby’s older siblings. Babywearing also has benefits for society at large. Children are more securely emotionally attached and there is evidence of a link between the reduced incidence of postnatal depression and babywearing. In this new book, Rosie Knowles explores all these advantages, along with the practicalities of how to babywear and babywearing culture. She demonstrates how a clearer understanding of babywearing, and the attachment parenting philosophy as a whole, can ultimately lead to a happier, healthier society.

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Perhaps you had a difficult birth. Hopefully, you have a healthy baby. That, after all, is the most important thing. Or is it? So why are you struggling to move on? Why do you keep thinking about the birth or replaying it in your mind? Why do you feel guilty when other people say “at least you have a healthy baby”? In Birth Shock, perinatal clinical psychologist Mia Scotland explains clearly what can be harmful about birth, how birth trauma can affect mothers, fathers and health professionals, and why it seems to be on the rise. If you are suffering from the effects of a difficult birth, even if the birth doesn’t sound bad to others, then this book is for you. Perhaps the birth was really bad and your baby isn’t okay. Perhaps you are a partner who feels traumatised, or you are a midwife or a doctor. In these pages you will find: a clear, concise, psychological explanation of what birth trauma actually is discussion of what causes birth trauma clear tips and advice on how to put yourself on the path to recovery Birth Shock draws on what we know about trauma, PTSD and the nature of birth and maternity systems to show how you can take steps toward letting go of any guilt, self-blame or confusion that you may be feeling.

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When breasts first start to grow, no one talks about it. There aren’t any greetings cards that say, ‘Woo Hoo! Your breasts are developing!’ but you get a birthday card when you are ten and that’s just about planet Earth going around the Sun ten times. Why don’t we say, “Woo Hoo!”? Because we live in a society where we often get uncomfortable and look at the floor when it comes to talking about breasts. They seem to be important in lots of ways but then there are these confusing rules that say when we’re allowed to notice them and talk about them, and when we’re not. This book tells you all about breasts and helps you to feel confident about their arrival. They are much more than just a pair of bumps that can fit into a bra. Breasts can do amazing things that scientists are only beginning to understand. This book says, “Woo Hoo!” and ‘Wow!’ and ‘Isn’t that amazing?’ It says, “Congratulations!” and also says, “I know this feels a bit weird too.” Your body has looked the same for a long time and now things are changing. That can take some getting used to. Let’s get to know more about our two lifelong buddies with the WHEN, HOW and WHY of breasts.

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Amity Reed became a midwife to serve women, but the reality of working in over-stretched and underfunded NHS maternity services soon shattered her illusions. She’s not alone – for every 30 midwives that train, 29 will leave the profession. Overdue is both the devastating personal story behind the statistics, and a call for change in the NHS. Real-life stories capture the moments at the heart of midwifery: life, death, birth, tragedy and joy, and are embedded in a clear-sighted examination of what is working – and what isn’t – in maternity services. The result is a book that asks – and tries to answer – questions that are at the heart of many people’s working lives: how can we follow our calling, provide for our families and keep ourselves healthy, if the workplace and its systems are working against us?

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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: when adopted midwife Mariam embarks on a project to protect an abandoned premature baby, she is forced to face her own abandonment years before. Time is running out before the baby is sent to the orphanage. Mysterious characters from the city surrounding the hospital will be crucial in determining the baby’s fate, as will a workaholic British doctor with whom Mariam finds herself falling in love... Alice Allan's debut novel is an original, vivid and moving story about attachment and loss.

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Dr Grantly Dick-Read died on 11 June 1959. His teaching, however, gains a growing recognition even though others are putting their names to his theories and practices. The delivery on this recording was not in fact an 'easy' one, as the baby was not fully rotated. The record, therefore, not only justifies Dick-Read's teaching but is also a tribute to his own skill as a gynaecologist. The following sleeve notes were written a month after the recording. 'When my wife informed me that she was going to have a baby, I think my reactions were typical of most husbands. I was delighted, for we both wanted to start a family, but I was also anxious. My knowledge of childbirth was limited. I had heard that pregnancy could be 'difficult', that labour itself, if not actually dangerous, meant many hours of suffering either nobly endured or alleviated with anaesthesia. My wife, however, insisted that I read "Childbirth without Fear" by Dr Grantly Dick-Read. There I learned the simple tenets upon which his teaching is founded. The fear of childbirth can be overcome by simple instruction in the truth of natural processes. The methods by which a woman can help herself and not cause her own distress - correct breathing and relaxation for use during pregnancy and labour were explained. Simple exercises (requiring only a few minutes per day) to aid the general fitness for the birth of the baby were described. Dr Dick-Read stressed that even more important than the removal of pain is the spiritual joy the mother experiences when she sees her baby into the world, a joy, which transcends the moment of birth, and has a lasting influence on the family unity. This, as Dr Dick-Read says, is the experience, which is destroyed when the sensations of birth are removed or disturbed by interference. My wife decided that she would prepare for natural childbirth. It was at this point that as a recording executive I became involved professionally. My wife volunteered to have her labour recorded and Dr Dick-Read agreed to supervise her delivery and give a commentary as the labour proceeded. In effect, we had provided Dr Dick-Read with a test of some severity. We were not asking him to choose the best result from, say, twelve cases. The patient was not even selected by him. She was having her first baby and she was over thirty. Mrs Dick-Read began the antenatal preparation, as described in the book "Antenatal Illustrated". The voices you will hear on this record are those of Dr Dick-Read, Mrs Dick-Read, the expectant mother and, towards the end of the record, a woman doctor in general practice who assisted Dr Dick-Read. Another doctor who was present primarily as an interested observer was also skilled in the administration of pain relief should the patient have desired it. A bedroom in Dr Dick-Read's house in Petersfield had been equipped with a labour bed. Trilene and Pethedine were available; for, contrary to some reports, a strongly maintained principle of Dr Dick-Read's teaching was that the patient should not be expected to suffer any unnecessary pain or discomfort. Three microphones were used. One was placed above the bed and used to pick up conversations between doctor and patient and also the atmosphere of the ward, which was calm and peaceful throughout. At each side of the bed we placed microphones for use when either Dr or Mrs Dick-Read wished to make any comment. I personally operated the recording equipment in an adjoining room during the confinement and can categorically state that at no time did I feel that my wife was asked to bear any severe discomfort. Even when owing to the incomplete rotation of the baby's head at the outlet, and in order to prevent unnecessarily prolonging the final stage of labour, a small incision was made, my wife did not feel this and did not at any stage request anaesthetic. That she was asked to do a lot of very hard work she will be the first to admit. But the joy of the birth itself is unforgettable. During the early stages of her labour I was with her and able to help during her contractions with the back-rubbing, she found so beneficial at this stage. A swishing sound on the record during the first stage contractions is made by this back-rubbing. It is during this stage that Dr Dick-Read insisted that all patients should have company. So often the expectant mother is 'left to get on with it until the second stage is reached. During the second stage considerable background noise is caused by the movement of the bed-clothes when the patient changes her position in order to use her contractions efficiently. The recording was made on tape, edited and then transferred to a long playing record. Before we started to condense the recording of a twelve-hour labour to the length of one LP record we invited reporters to hear parts of the as yet uncut tape, including the last twenty minutes. It was pointed out to them that although a very heavy task of selection lay ahead, there was nothing which needed to be suppressed for the purpose of demonstrating natural childbirth. The editing presented two major problems. Owing to the fact that our microphones were highly sensitive in order to pick up the quietly and calmly conducted comments and discussions of the doctor, his patient and his assistants, we also picked up many unwanted and distracting noises, doors closing, sterilised tins being opened, running taps, etc. These noises have been removed wherever possible from the finished record. Condensation proved more difficult, for many of the early stage contractions were very similar, and throughout the first two stages there were long periods when the patient was lying peacefully relaxed between her contractions. All that was merely repetitious or irrelevant had to be discarded. To present a twelve-hour labour on one long playing record was clearly impossible, therefore we were faced with a further problem. If we did not include some passages of rest and relaxation, we would give an impression that the patient moved rapidly from contraction to contraction; but to allow a five-minute rest its full playing time was not possible. We have tried, therefore, to maintain the impression of the overall rhythm of labour by selection of contractions and the shortening of silences. We have not condensed individual contractions. This is important in demonstrating the breath control called for during contractions. This record, then, is an account of a twelve-hour labour leading up to the dramatic moments when the baby is born. One of the most outstanding moments on this record occurs towards the end of the first side. Using his stethoscope with a microphone placed alongside it, Dr Dick-Read searches for and listens to the heart-beat of the baby while it is still in the birth canal, one hour and a half before it is born-an exciting moment for the recording technicians and the doctors when they heard the playback for the first time. Reporting on the last twenty minutes of this recording, one of Britain's leading newspapers, the "Daily Mirror", called it: "The most moving record I have ever heard". If this record helps to abolish fear, it will help to abolish pain in labour. If it helps to spread the teachings of Dr Grantly Dick-Read, then it will have done its job. His work won its due recognition when it was acknowledged and approved by His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, who also commented upon the spiritual approach inherent in Dr Dick-Read's method, saying: "The researches of the Englishman, Dr Grantly Dick-Read, differed notably from those of the Russians (notably the followers of I.P. Pavlov) in their philosophical and metaphysical postulates which were not based, like those of the Russians, on materialistic concepts". This record should help to prepare a woman for the emotional and spiritual experience which is her right, and needs to be fought for, just as much as her right to highly skilled surgery, or pain-killing drugs. There is still some opposition to Dr Dick-Read's work, especially in his own country; there are many places where lip-service is paid to his system; but if his method is followed sincerely by those responsible for the conduct of labour, the result can be as on this record. Here, then, unscripted and unrehearsed, is a record of a natural childbirth.' H.J.U.

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The first book dedicated to the subject of Ashtanga yoga, pregnancy, birth and motherhood. This in-depth book offers the guidance, shared wisdom and practical advice that every student and teacher of Ashtanga yoga needs for the journey to motherhood and beyond. Covering many aspects of this transformative time in a woman’s life, Yoga Sadhana for Mothers is an invaluable resource for anyone working with pregnant or postpartum yoga students. Includes: inspiring, first-hand stories of conception, pregnancy, birth and motherhood written by women practitioners of Ashtanga yoga from around the world, including some of Shri K. Pattabhi Jois’s most long-standing students and influential teachers clear, illustrated guidelines on modifying the Ashtanga yoga primary series during pregnancy developed in collaboration with R. Sharath Jois, director of KPJAYI in Mysore, India warm, personal interviews with Shri K. Pattabhi Jois’s daughter, Saraswathi Rangaswamy and his granddaughter Sharmila Mahesh, offering insight into family traditions passed down by Jois and his wife Amma practical guidance on postpartum recovery using Ayurvedic foods and therapeutic practices to aid healing beautiful photographs from the 1980s to the present day, documenting family life and the practice A heart-warming and indispensable companion for any practitioner of yoga who is hoping to become – or who already is – a mother.

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How do I keep my yoga practice going while I travel? What are the best postures for jet-lag? What stretches should I do after scuba-diving? Or cycling? Or the morning after a big night out? Is there a good yoga sequence for when I'm feeling tired and lonely? What do I do if there's not enough space for my mat? The answer to all these questions and much more lies within the pages of this little book. Written by a seasoned yoga teacher and international traveller, whose positive and compassionate wisdom comes through on every page, this is the only travel yoga book you will ever need.

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This acclaimed account by author of the bestselling author of Irrationailty of his own manic depression remains unique in its honesty and perception. As an eminent psychologist who suffered a severe mental breaskdown. Stuart Sutherland was ideally placed to provide an original and insightful description of his illness and often bizarre consequences. In the second part of Breakdown, Sutherland describes and assesses the various forms of therapy and drug treatments available to sufferers of manic depression and analyses the origins of mental illness. Essentail reading for anyone affected by or interested in mental illness.

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Woman as comestible. Woman as kingmaker. Woman as oblivion. Why is our culture governed by the principle of separation? Beginning with a devastating exploration of the 1960s, understood up until now as the era of female liberation, free love and the tribal sharing of drugs, Antonella Gambotto-Burke deconstructs the past two centuries and shows how we are, in fact, moving towards the age of the Nietzschean übermensch, in which femininity will, if we do not change, be erased. She skilfully draws together diverse threads, from the shockingly personal to the broadest societal trends and cutting-edge scientific research, to construct a brilliant and startling thesis that medicinal and recreational drugs have rewired our bodies and brains to an near-incomprehensible extent. Anxiety, artificial wombs, brutality, the class system, depression, dieting, racism and other issues – including the first plausible theory for rubber fetishism and other ‘kinks’ such as choking or breathplay – are explained within the context of the dominant cultural paradigm. A devastating uppercut to a patriarchal ideology that has marred billions of lives, Apple: Sex, Drugs, Motherhood and the Recovery of the Feminine completely revises our understanding of addiction, art, drug use, homosexuality, murder, pornography, sex, war, and, critically, the significance of birth, infancy and motherhood in relation to human existence. You will never see anything the same way again.

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A startlingly large number of women who want to breastfeed have to stop before they are ready, leaving them feeling a range of negative emotions, including grief, anger, guilt, shame and frustration, and often blaming themselves. But in a society that places little value on breastfeeding and mothers' feelings, their painful stories are often swept under the carpet to the detriment of women's mental health and experience of new motherhood. Professor Amy Brown has researched what breastfeeding really means to women, how they can feel when things don't go according to plan and importantly, how we can change things for the next generation of women. Her findings make fascinating reading for anyone with personal experience of breastfeeding difficulties, those who support mothers to make infant feeding decisions that are right for them, or those who simply want to be part of changing the conversation.

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Oxytocin, or the ‘hormone of health and life’, is a hugely important substance for pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding – working in a woman’s body and brain to make changes during pregnancy, optimise labour, increase milk production and support bonding. Research has shown that we can encourage the body’s oxytocin system by supporting mothers’ wellbeing through birth practices and postnatal care. We also now know that oxytocin is present in everyone, of any age, directing a whole system of effects that have consequences for family life, including bonding, stress reduction and social interaction. In Why Oxytocin Matters Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg, a leading oxytocin researcher, shows how a better understanding of our biology can be immensely helpful for new parents and those who work to support families.

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A beautiful book for children and their families, Milky Moments celebrates the joy of childhood and mothering, and normalises breastfeeding as a part of day-to-day life. Delightfully illustrated scenes are complemented by lyrical rhyming text that gently draws the reader into the lives of the families depicted. The hand-painted illustrations are set in a variety of locations including a playgroup, a shopping trip, parks, hospital and at home. The children’s ages range from newborn to 5 years old, baby and child breastfeeding positioning is accurate and realistic, and the love and attention to detail in the book were inspired by the guiding principles of the La Leche League and the author’s own personal experience. Inspirational, intimate and fun, Milky Moments is not only a book to treasure, but also a book that will educate and inform on the importance and normality of breastfeeding – however old you are.

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Leading yoga teacher trainer Melanie Cooper brings you the essential guide to teaching yoga and adjusting asana (yoga poses). The first part of the book explores the fundamentals of teaching in a simple, clear, accessible way. The author covers how to teach crucial concepts such as breath, muscle lock and gaze, as well as more general topics including injuries, ethics and the spiritual aspects of yoga. Part 1 also includes a quick-look guide to counting the Primary Series, and teaching points for each Primary Series posture. In the second part of the book the author demonstrates helpful techniques for deepening common yoga postures, and provides a complete guide to hands-on adjustment for the Ashtanga Primary Series. With a wealth of information, clear writing, and fresh, detailed photography, this is an invaluable resource for qualified yoga teachers, student teachers, and yoga students who want to take their practice to the next level.

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An extraordinary collection of essays on literature and contemporary culture. Gripping, irreverent, smart and entirely original. Passionate about literature, O'Joyce frequently goes out of his way to antagonize a literary establishment that places profit and political correctness before artistic vision. His blunt language may put off some readers, but Joyce will not put anyone to sleep. The health of literary criticism in America today depends on voices like his. Library Journal

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When factory worker Pinquean Smallcreep, who has slotted a certain type of slot into a certain type of pulley for many years, packs his sandwiches and sets out on a journey to investigate what it is he is producing, his discoveries become increasingly more bizarre and disturbing. Peter Currell Brown's brilliantly surreal satire of automation and alienation is as exhilarating and unforgettable today as when it was first published.

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Despite being least affected by the virus itself, children and young people bore the brunt of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. When schools were closed, playgrounds taped up and play outlawed, children’s lives were closed down. The catastrophic impact on children and young people’s education, mental health, wellbeing, and life chances is becoming ever clearer, with the most disadvantaged suffering disproportionately. In May 2020 Liz Cole and Molly Kingsley founded UsForThem to advocate – in an often hostile climate – for children to be prioritised during the pandemic response. Having heard from thousands of families, and having often clashed with policymakers, they have a unique perspective on how the state’s response to the pandemic has affected our children. Here they document their shocking findings: how completely children’s health and welfare were sacrificed for that of adults; how policymakers appeared to disregard the harms they were causing; and how adults charged with protecting the young stood by and watched as children visibly struggled or slipped out of sight altogether. This dereliction of duty should haunt us for decades to come. With exclusive testimony from academics, politicians, scientists, educators, and parents, as well as former Children’s Commissioners, the book exposes the problems at the heart of policymaking which led to the systemic and ongoing betrayal of children. From public health to politics, and from media discourse to safeguarding, the authors show how children were too often used as the means to further adult interests. Ahead of the public inquiry, the authors call for an honest appraisal of what went wrong, and commitment from stakeholders to reimagine – not just recover – childhood.

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As the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, pregnancy and maternity services underwent a rapid transformation in an attempt to deal with transmission of the virus and the growing pressure on healthcare services. In a climate of fear, and with many unknowns about the virus and the risks to pregnant women and their babies, restrictions and hastily implemented policies often overrode years of work to improve maternity care, with devastating consequences for new families. Covid Babies: how pandemic health measures undermined pregnancy, birth and early parenting considers how policies put in place to protect us from the immediate threat of the virus ultimately had the unintended consequence of harming many who needed maternity and postnatal care. It highlights how hard-won gains, even when supported by overwhelming evidence, can be lost at the drop of a hat in a crisis. By learning the lessons of the pandemic – through close examination of the evidence base that is now emerging – Amy Brown shows how we can begin to move forward and unravel what has gone wrong. This is no easy task when our health services continue to face significant challenges, but one that is necessary to ensure the health and wellbeing of our new families and those who care for them.

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Many parents worry about their child’s sleep, and parents of new babies are often exhausted – but there is hope. This realistic, reassuring, and refreshing guide to sleep looks at sleep for both parents and children, and aims to empower and encourage parents to feel calm, confident and compassionate in their parenting. It strikes a balance between prioritising infant and child mental health and attachment, and being compassionate about the reality of raising a family in today’s society, with social support and understanding often in short supply. With practical and easily implementable ideas, and clear explanation of the many myths surrounding infant and baby sleep, this gentle and holistic guide is sure to allay many parents’ fears and help everyone in the family get the rest they need.

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Childhood illness affects thousands of families every year and can have a profound impact on everyone connected with a child, including their parents, siblings, extended family and community. In Why Childhood Illness Matters paediatric nurse and researcher Lyndsey Hookway explores the experience of having a sick child, explaining the effects on families and how they can best be supported by those around them. She examines how illness affects both a child and their family's quality of life, psychological wellbeing, and relationships, as well as a child's education, opportunities, sleep and play. She also explores how the effects of acute, chronic and palliative illness can be understood and managed to improve outcomes for children and their families.

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For parents of babies with feeding difficulties, the journey to a diagnosis of tongue-tie and the challenges involved in accessing treatment can be long and arduous. Information is often conflicting, and professionals do not always agree. Why Tongue-tie Matters aims to steer a course through research and practice to explain how tongue-tie impacts feeding, when you should suspect tongue-tie, and how to access assessment and treatment. With strategies that can help alleviate the feeding difficulties associated with tongue-tie, and information about recovery after division and the impact on speech and oral health, the book is an invaluable guide for parents and the health professionals supporting them.

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All babies need feeding – and yet in modern life something so simple has become an issue fraught with difficulty for new parents. Society, politics and culture have worked together to create a situation where parents are presented with a ‘choice’ – breast or bottle? Such a ‘choice’ implies that the product (the milk) and the method of delivery (breast or bottle) are equal, but is this true? In many countries bottle-feeding has become so common that it is never questioned, and indeed is often seen as the answer to parents’ problems. Not sleeping at night? Not enough milk? Mum needs medication? Reach for the formula. Every day women are told by their friends, family and even their doctors that bottle-feeding is the answer. Yet research shows that most mothers want to breastfeed, and that babies who are not breastfed are at increased risk of illness. Why Breastfeeding Matters tackles some of these issues head-on, in a frank discussion intended to help parents and others navigate the world of infant feeding. It is neither preachy nor a ‘how-to’ manual; it outlines some of the reasons why breastfeeding matters, to mothers and their babies, and explains how these issues can affect the way in which mothers use bottles and formula if they need to. Drawing on research, and the author’s experience as a lactation consultant, it is essential reading for anyone wondering about how to feed their new baby.

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Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is the key text of yoga. Yet for many contemporary practitioners, its deeper treasures remain either unknown or mired in obscurity. Ranju Roy and David Charlton focus on 18 of the most important sutras and show how each one illuminates the relationship between the body, the breath and the mind in a practical, clear and contemporary manner. The sutras are carefully deconstructed, put into context and then developed into ideas for practice. They examine the interplay of three key terms: support, direction and space. They suggest that only by taking support on something can you establish a clear direction; and only then can a space open up to grow into. This formula can be applied as successfully to the body (in asana) as to the breath (in pranayama) and the mind (through meditation). With illustrated asana sequences and suggested practices, Embodying the Yoga Sutra is both a practical as well as a deeply philosophical book. Roy and Charlton give readers a whole new vocabulary with which to understand yoga as a living, vibrant and dynamic tradition.

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OMG, I'm pregnant! What do I do now? Like most nineteen-year-olds, Deirdre Curley was thinking about boys, parties and independence. She was living in Glasgow, care-free and falling in love with her ideal guy. She didn't expect to find herself staring at the pink line on an at-home pregnancy test. But suddenly there she was: definitely pregnant and wondering what on earth she should do next. In this warm and witty memoir of falling in love and falling pregnant, between stories of heartache, growing up and taking the plunge into parenthood, you'll find all the information and resources you need to help you at each stage of your pregnancy, to make sure you're doing what's best for you and your baby. The trimester-by-trimester guide takes readers through Deirdre's own experience and provides practical advice about exactly what is happening to your body (and when), and what you should be doing to ensure you stay on the right track. Growing Up Pregnant is a must-have book for all first time mums no matter what stage in life you are at. From party time to nappy time, tan marks to stretch marks, sanitary pads to breast pads, romantic dates to play dates, prosseco bottles to baby bottles – this book will give you the knowledge and tools you need to survive the changes your body and life goes through during pregnancy whilst also empowering you with the confidence to enjoy your own journey into motherhood.

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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.

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Sheila Kitzinger, passionate campaigner for women's and babies' rights, childbirth educator and author, describes the experiences that have shaped her since childhood and the enormous changes that have taken place over the last 50 years on the subject of birth. Her work as a social anthropologist has taken her round the globe and the knowledge, wisdom and engaging warmth of her books continues to be revelatory and indispensable for thousands of women. This is a rich cross-cultural adventure, a fascinating insight into her world of babies, birth, women, social justice and challenging powerful institutions, a lifetime of dedication to positive social change.

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This adorable keepsake combines imaginative illustrations with bite-sized tips and practical information to help birthing companions take a hands-on role on the birthing day. A loving gift for any birth partner. Originally designed for the author's husband, Whoosh! is an intimately written guide, balancing scientifically accurate medical facts with humorous truisms, illustrated throughout with quirky line drawings and loving explanations. Whoosh! is a beautifully constructed pocket sized guide, intimately thought through, personal, easy to digest and lovely to read.

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Our ageing population is a modern success story, and success brings problems. The new demographic is for people to die in old age, or extreme old age, but with multiple illnesses and diagnoses, and on a cocktail of medication. But where is the balance of medicine between curing and caring? Are we neglecting the wellbeing of the dying person in our desire to fight death at all costs? Margaret McCartney, author of The Patient Paradox, examines the way we care for people at the end of life. She finds that medicine can harm as well as help, that loneliness and social isolation are endemic, and a lack of hands-on, human care means that people are not able to die where they would choose. She argues for a more compassionate and humane approach to the care of the dying which puts the needs of the individual first.

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Birth without Violence revolutionised the way we perceive the process of birth, urging us to consider birth from the infant's point of view. Why must a child emerge from the quiet darkness of the womb into a blaze of blinding light and loud voices? Why must an infant take its first breath in terror, hanging upside down as its vulnerable spine is jerked straight? Why must the infant be separated from its mother after spending nine months inside her nourishing body? Frédérick Leboyer’s Birth Without Violence is one of the milestones in the history of humanizing childbirth. It was the first book to express what mothers have always known: babies are born complete human beings with the ability to experience a full range of emotions. This Pinter & Martin edition is the definitive edition, published exactly how the author intended it.

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Upbeat and informative, Gaskin asserts that the way in which women become mothers is a women's rights issue, and it is perhaps the act that most powerfully exhibits what it is to be instinctually human. Birth Matters is a spirited manifesta showing us how to trust women, value birth, and reconcile modern life with a process as old as our species. Renowned for her practice's exemplary results and low intervention rates, Ina May Gaskin has gained international notoriety for promoting natural birth. She is a much-beloved leader of a movement that seeks to stop the hyper-medicalization of birth-which has lead to nearly a third of hospital births in America to be cesarean sections-and renew confidence in a woman's natural ability to birth.

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Many parents plan to introduce a bottle early in their child’s life, whether they’re going to use formula or expressed breastmilk. Many more find themselves going down this pathway even though they hadn’t planned to. It can be difficult to find useful information to navigate the journey of mixed feeding, balancing giving formula alongside maintaining the production of breastmilk, and parents often feel unprepared and unsupported with this decision. Breastfeeding Counsellor Karen Hall has been supporting parents to feed their babies in different feeding situations for over 10 years, and draws together her experience and understanding of what parents need to know, to have a positive experience of mixed feeding.

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Carrying your baby - in a sling, wrap or other carrier - often known as 'babywearing', is more than just a convenient means of transport. In A Baby Wants to be Carried author Evelin Kirkilionis explains in detail why babies expect to be carried and respond so well to it - they have been designed for it over millions of years of human evolution. From our hunter-gather ancestors to the present day, when a vast array of baby carriers can be found in stores and on the internet, in some ways little has changed. Held close to the body of a familiar caregiver, babies thrive on the sense of security they feel as they interact - on their own terms - with their surroundings. But modern parents must navigate their way through a mass of conflicting information about babywearing. How should a baby be carried, in what, for how long, and will it be safe? The answers can be found in these pages, as the author takes care to ensure that parents understand what to look for - and what to avoid - while making many helpful suggestions that will enable parents to make babywearing work for them. Her practical and informative approach makes the book a readable introduction to the joys of babywearing that will appeal to parents everywhere.

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How do we know whether a particular treatment really works? How reliable is the evidence? And how do we ensure that research into medical treatments best meets the needs of patients? These are just a few of the questions addressed in a lively and informative way in Testing Treatments. Brimming with vivid examples, Testing Treatments will inspire both patients and professionals. Building on the success of the first edition, Testing Treatments has now been extensively revised and updated. The Second Edition includes a thought-provoking chapter on screening, explaining why early diagnosis is not always better. Other new chapters explore how over-regulation of research can work against the best interests of patients, and how robust evidence from research can be drawn together to shape the practice of healthcare in ways that allow treatment decisions to be reached jointly by patients and clinicians. Testing Treatments urges everyone to get involved in improving current research and future treatment, and outlines practical steps that patients and doctors can take together.

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Do bottle fed babies sleep better and feed longer than breastfed babies? Are modern formula milks as good as breastmilk? Are breastfed babies woozies that want picking up all the time? And is it really easier and more convenient to bottle-feed? Many women thinking about breastfeeding their babies are put off by rumours and myths. In their award-winning, beautifully illustrated book infant feeding specialist Val Finigan and embroidery artist Lou Gardiner's tackle commonly held beliefs about breastfeeding with wisdom, warmth and wit.

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As revealing as "Freakonomics", shocking as "Fast Food Nation" and thought provoking as "No Logo", "The Politics of Breastfeeding" exposes infant feeding as one of the most important public health issues of our time. Every thirty seconds a baby dies from infections due to a lack of breastfeeding and the use of bottles, artificial milks and other risky products. In her powerful book Gabrielle Palmer describes how big business uses subtle techniques to pressure parents to use alternatives to breastmilk. The infant feeding product companies' thirst for profit systematically undermines mothers' confidence in their ability to breastfeed their babies. An essential and inspirational eye-opener, "The Politics of Breastfeeding" challenges our complacency about how we feed our children and radically reappraises a subject which concerns not only mothers, but everyone: man or woman, parent or childless, old or young. It is the 3rd fully revised and updated edition.

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It’s all in a day’s work for high-flying literary agent Alexander; manuscripts to read, deals to be done, celebrity clients to be taken out to lunch… but first there is an author to deal with whose latest book the agent thinks is, frankly, not up to scratch. However he hadn't counted on the author's resourcefulness...

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In 1997 the Albany Midwifery Practice in Peckham, South London, negotiated a pioneering NHS contract with King’s College Hospital Trust. The Albany model of midwifery care was loved and respected not only by those who experienced it first-hand, but also by the wider midwifery profession. Founded to serve one of the most disadvantaged populations in London, its innovative approach led to improved outcomes for mothers and their babies. Why, then, was the practice suddenly shut down in 2009? Although it was widely acknowledged that the Albany model offered gold-standard care, the hospital trust claimed that since March 2006 this care had been ‘unsafe’. But both the data and the methodology used to condemn the practice were flawed, and the real reasons for the closure remained obscure. Despite extensive protests by mothers and families, midwives, and many high-profile supporters, the Albany was forced to close its doors and one of the midwives was subjected to a punitive investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, which eventually found that there was no case to answer. Midwives and campaigners have long pushed for answers about what really happened to this flagship midwifery practice. In this damning assessment, based on years of careful research and interviews, the authors reveal how a hugely successful healthcare project was undermined and dismantled, to the detriment of mothers and babies, the wider community and the midwifery profession as a whole. As maternity services are scrutinised once more, and as the NHS struggles to implement its policy of continuity of midwifery care, this hard-hitting account of the fate of the Albany could not be more relevant or more timely.

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You matter. Your body matters. Pregnancy and birth may be everyday occurrences, but they are not easy, and the after-affects can be wide-ranging and sometimes difficult to live with. Taking care of your physical and mental health is paramount, not only because a healthy, happy you will be more able to cope with the demands of parenthood, but because you are still the whole human being you were before you conceived, and you deserve to recover and thrive. With proper care postnatally, we can strengthen and support our bodies to recover – and maintain optimal physical health for life. This book aims to hold your hand and lift you up as you navigate your new body, giving you information to help you to relish motherhood, not just survive it. It deals comprehensively with the common bodily changes you may experience after birth, explaining what is normal and what may need attention. Research and interviews with health experts are complemented by women’s experiences of how they overcame a range of physical challenges postpartum, including stories that often go untold. The book does not shy away from tackling the hardest aspects of postnatal recovery, but aims to be hopeful and genuinely helpful. Not only will you understand your body better, but you’ll also gain confidence that you can and will get back to optimum health. Your Postnatal Body is relevant for everyone who’s given birth, whether you are a brand-new first-time mum or already a few years (or decades!) into motherhood.

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Feeding your baby is a big part of the first year. It can be an exciting and enjoyable time but also one that can raise many questions and concerns. What to give them? How much? And when? It can feel like everyone has an opinion on what you should do and what worked for them, with a confusing array of information online to wade through. Let’s talk about feeding your baby helps support you through this. Covering breast and formula feeding, mixed feeding, starting solids and more, this supportive and non-judgemental guide brings you the evidence, top tips and lots of support to answer all your feeding questions. Focusing on both the practicalities and emotions attached to feeding decisions, it will answer your questions big and small, supporting you to confidently feed your baby as they grow, in whatever way works for your family. With expert contributors and quotes from parents, Professor Amy Brown’s authoritative but easy-to-read style ensures that this book will inform and reassure anyone wanting to know more about how to support their baby to be a healthy and happy eater however they decide to feed them.

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You have probably heard of postnatal depression, but did you know that most cases of postnatal depression actually began in pregnancy? And that most people who have antenatal depression have had depression in the past? And did you know that postnatal depression is not caused by women’s hormones gone awry; men are suffering postnatal and perinatal depression in larger and larger numbers too? This is why “postnatal depression” has now been renamed “perinatal depression”(‘peri’ means around, as in the word “perimeter”). Why is the seemingly joyful event of new parenthood causing so much suffering? Depression seems to be related to the stresses that a modern couple undertake when they have a baby. The lack of support, lack of celebration, overload of expectations, overwhelming responsibility, isolation, judgment, blaming by the media, tiredness, mixed messages, confusion, high expectations and lack of tender loving care serve to eventually break parents and their relationships. And when we break parents, we break a baby. Babies are our future, and if we break a baby, in the long run, we break society. Postnatal depression takes a high toll on society. Dealing effectively with perinatal depression is about valuing love, connection, calm and stillness, over and above productivity, achievement and acquisition.

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Pregnancy is a time of profound physical and psychological change. The transition to motherhood can be complex and difficult, and in all the discourse about pregnancy and birth the huge personal changes that women undergo can be overlooked. In the 21st century it can seem that mothers are blamed and blame themselves for everything, as they struggle to manage their multiple identities as mothers, lovers, sisters and daughters. Why Mothering Matters is a nuanced and revealing discussion of how it can feel to become a mother in modern society. It calls for better recognition of the work of motherhood, and better support for women and families as they learn what parenting looks like for them.

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In the 21st century, women are supposed to have a choice about where they give birth. But when that choice is home, women often encounter obstacles, despite robust evidence that birth at home is safe, beneficial and should be available for women who want it. Why Home Birth Matters is a clear discussion of the reality of modern home birth, which aims to show how the home environment supports and powers the birth process, while encouraging parents to consider how it might work for them.

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