The most comprehensive pregnancy guide imaginable, The Whole Pregnancy Handbook covers fertility, nutrition, prenatal yoga, miscarriages, labor and plenty more in between. The book approaches pregnancy and childbirth by combining alternative practices with more conventional medicine. Author Joel Evans sees no conflict, for example, in someone planning a drug-free childbirth yet also taking advantage of the best prenatal testing that modern science offers.
An OB/GYN who is board certified in holistic medicine, Evans also happens to be a beautiful writer who clearly enjoys his work. Birth is an event of joy and continuity; it’s life and breath, he writes. The handbook employs one popular practice of many books in the pregnancy and childbirth genre: including quotes and advice from real-life mothers. The breezy, been-there-done-that style of these entries provides a great balance to the more factual, how-to portions of the book.
As the mother of a nine-month-old, Amy Scribner did extensive personal research for this article.
