HEALTH BOOKS / REVIEW : Moms and Babes, Health Online, Guide for Girls
Bonding: Building the Foundations of Secure Attachment and Independence
By Marshall H. Klaus, M.D., John H. Kennell, M.D., and Phyllis Klaus, C.S.W.; Addison-Wesley, $22
In these days when having a baby is reduced to a quick epidural to cut off pain, a hasty 24-hour hospital stay and a concise six-week maternity leave, it seems reasonable to wonder if the ability of baby and mother to emotionally attach has been lost in the shuffle.
According to this fascinating book by the undisputed experts in the field, bonding is not a lost art. But mothers may not fully take advantage of powerful impact of early bonding. For example, new research detailed in the book shows that, oftentimes, if a newborn baby is placed on the mother’s abdomen, covered with a light cloth and allowed to rest quietly, the baby will eventually creep to the mother’s breast--perhaps guided by her odor--and start to suckle.
In presenting the latest information on bonding, Marshall Klaus and his co-authors bemoan the rush to use pain medication and the chaos in delivery rooms that interrupt the chance for early bonding. The book explores various birth practices and settings--including neonatal units for preemies--and its impact on the parents’ feelings and the development of later relationships.
Health Online: How to Find Health Information, Support Groups, and Self-Help Communities in Cyberspace
By Tom Ferguson, M.D.; Addison-Wesley, $17
Given the explosion of health information permeating cyberspace these days, it was imperative that someone step forward and explain what’s out there and how to take advantage of it. Tom Ferguson has done this in a clear, functional guide.
Ferguson, founder of Medical Self-Care magazine, provides a primer to the online world and goes on to define terms and describe valuable resources available through America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy and the Internet.
It’s fun to read his “hot tips” as well as the “Health Online Awards,” which he says represent “unique and wonderful resources.” With this guide, anyone with access to a computer can become a more informed and successful medical consumer.
Finding Our Way: The Teen Girls’ Survival Guide
By Allison Abner and Linda Villarosa
HarperPerennial, $13
No single segment of the population is under greater physical and emotional stress than teenage girls. Smoking, substance abuse, eating disorders, poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyles, pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease--the list of troubles that can swallow adolescent girls goes on and on.
This book, however, represents a hopeful guide to help teens detour the potholes. Without moralizing, the book addresses teens’ fears and questions with direct information and sound advice. Its greatest strength is the attention paid to subjects usually neglected in teenage literature, such as how you spot an abusive guy before you start dating him.
The hip writing style and presentation will appeal to teens. But parents will benefit just as much from this glimpse at the world their daughters face. The book is endorsed by Mary Pipher, author of “Reviving Ophilia” (Ballantine Books, 1995), another book about the lives of teenage girls that is truly a must-read for parents.