Book review: Birth Day; Exploration by a pediatrician on the science, history and wonder of childbirth
Published by Ballantine Books available in USA for $25.
Mark Sloan M.D is a pediatrician of 25 yrs of experience and fellow of AAP practising in nothern california region.In his book BIRTH DAY ,he refreshingly looks at the science of childbirth and explores the history and the wonder of childbirth. His book is arranged in 4 parts having 10 chapters.
As neonatologists we are trained in identifying and treating the diseases of neonate in day to day practice.We have not been exposed to the history of neonatal medicine and hence we do not know how some treatments have become established and some have vanished.
This book fills in the gap and lets us to know about evolution of childbirth, the changes in the first five minutes after birth and the origins ,the future and it's latest popularityof Caesarian birth ,the rise and fall of twillight sleep, nitrous oxide and the ubiquitous epidurals to help ease the labour pains.
I was surprised to know that fatherhood brings out paternal hormones helping them in their emotional evolution of becoming a father.The truth about the five senses of the unborn and the newborn is not dealt in our text books.Birthday updtes us on the truth about light entering the womb,the hearing and the loudness in the womb, the smell and the vision of the unborn.The newborn reflexes and it's usefulness in breastcrawl is illuminating.
The chapter on infant origami is delightfully written about why the newborn looks the way we see, the differences between them and older babies.He takes us on a tour of newborn's body -the springy skulls,hairy ears, innies and outies( on the shape of umbilicus) and the controversial circumcision.
He has given 12 pages of notes on the concepts mentioned and it's sources which are excellant.As mentioned in the book, this is one pediatrician's meditation on the hiding-in-plain-sight marvels of human birth.I learnt the history of childbirth in an interesting way by reading through. i recommend this book to pediatricians and neonatologists of all countries .
Dr.Selvan Rathinasamy
neonatologist &Pediatrician
Lotus Hospital
Erode,India
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