The Complete Organic Pregnancy By Alexandra Zissu and Deirdre Dolan

This is a good book. The authors include an extensive range of things to think about. I especially enjoy reading about toxins and how to avoid them. There is plenty of that in this book. For many people, this book could be a real eye opener. There’s so many toxins in our environment that we don’t even think about or consider toxic.

I do have a few complaints of this book. It’s rare for me to find a book that I consider “alternative” enough. Sometimes, books really beat around an issue instead of addressing it head on. If you’re going to mention flu shots in your book, then do all the possible research on flu shots during pregnancy. Instead, the authors address flu shots, but really don’t make a suggestion either way. While of course it’s not the author’s decision if someone should get a flu shot, it’s the pregnant woman’s, it still doesn’t mean the recommendation for all flu shots shouldn’t be the same. I get tired of the classic “what’s right for me may not be the same thing that’s right for you” line. In some cases, this may be true, but in other such as flu shots, it is not. A flu shot is toxic material that cannot produce health. The end. You can get it if you want. You may not even have a noticeable reaction to it. But internally, it will be reeking havoc on your body whether or not you know it and whether or not some scientific study “proves” it. This is simply the nature of a vaccine. Why can’t books just come outright and say this?

Basically, I don’t agree on hundred percent with everything said in this book, however, it is still a good book because many wonderful things are pointed out. I’ll try to list a few of them now.
There is some discussion on the importance of organic food and whole foods. There is discussion on local foods as well. There are some great website resources. There’s a small section on foods to avoid when pregnant. Their list is very basic. I like how they mentioned coffee and the fact not to get chemically processed coffee. Instead buy a water processed version. Many sources forget to mention this.

I like how this book is arranged. Its chapters are planned out thoughtfully. Basically, each environment a woman inhabits is thought of and chapters are arranged accordingly. This makes it easy to find and refer back to information.

I found this book to contain plenty of information of toxins, which I love because it is so important for people to know and understand. There is a website that authors share: www.scorecard.org. This website gives info on your particular city by typing in your zip code. I just found out my city is in the top 10% of dirtiest cities in the U.S. Very cool website.
It seems like most of the discussion in this book is in regards to the toxins in the home and toxins in personal care products, i.e. shampoos, cosmetics, etc. These chapters are very good at addressing the issues and giving pointers on what to avoid. I feel the advice the book gives in practical and important. We can’t avoid every toxic, but we can best control the ones in our home. The work chapter is very short. I suppose it’s harder to avoid toxins at work, but it was kind of humorous to see such a short chapter.

There’s also information in this book about birth, baby, and postpartum. I appreciate what the authors had to say about cloth diapers and breastfeeding. They say to have patience with breastfeeding. I love this because too many women give up way to early. Stick it out. It may be natural, which doesn’t equate to easy, so yes, breastfeeding takes a real commitment. Bravo to the authors for pointing this out.

The bottom line is that I would recommend this book. It’s a great, easy, and fun read. It is an eye opener for some people. It is great to refer back to, which is why I actually purchased to keep in my collection.