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Family birthing
enough carbon dioxide exhaled,” and a prominent British childbirth activist is referred to throughout as “Shirley Kitzinger.” Herbal preparations, including blue cohosh as a labor stimulant, are recommended for various indications. Herbals should be used only by those experienced in their dosage and use. These are just a few of the inaccuracies that should have been corrected during the editing process. The final part on infant care and development gives short shrift to breastfeeding. A pro and con discussion is mildly positive, but guidelines for treatment of diarrhea omit breastfeeding for fluid replacement. The description of the normal infant stool as “greenish-brown to bright green” would leave a nursing mother in a quandary. On the positive side, car seat use is emphasized, and the warning signs of premature labor are repeated several times. However, in one instance the reader is told to be alert for “abdominal muscle activity.” The fairly sophisticated language requires at least a high school education for thorough comprehension. The index is extensive and cross referenced. The Maternity Sourcebook is a good idea that needs extensive revision before it can be recommended to clients. Family Birthing. Produced by Associated Images and Parenting Pictures, 1981. Color, sound, 19 minutes. Available in 16-mm, super-S, and all video formats from Parenting Pictures, 121 N.W. Crystal Street, Crystal River, FL 32629. Purchase price: $325.00, 16 mm; $277.00, %-in and 3/4-in VHS and BETA videocassette. Rental: $45.00 for 3 days; video format unavailable for rent.
Murray, RN, MN, Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist, Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, CA. Reviewed
by: Peggy
This film is an excellent documentary of the birth experiences of three families at the Nurse-Midwifery Unit at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Each of the families has had a low-risk pregnancy and prepared childbirth that is attended by a certified nursemidwife (CNM). Two of the couples are shown delivering their second baby, whereas the third couple is giving birth to their fifth baby; all in an alternate birth setting. The quality of the film production is 306
very good with beautifully depicted birthing sequences. The CNMs appear confident, professionally competent, and very supportive of the mother and family. Consultations between medical staff and the CNM are shown on several occasions: one concerning rupture of membranes and potential need for induction; the other involves meconiumstained amniotic fluid and the need for pediatric support at the birth. Throughout, the film emphasizes that the nurse-midwifery unit offers couples an opportunity to labor, deliver, and recover in a safe, well-equipped, familycentered environment that also provides immediate back-up medical support when necessary. Although each of the couples give birth to normal, healthy newborns, each has a unique labor experience and personal preference for delivery. These preferences include having a medication-free labor and birth, sibling involvement, no episiotomy, no silver nitrate newborn eye treatment, and delivering in a calm atmosphere. Little attention, however, is given to the use of relaxation and breathing techniques taught in most prepared childbirth classes. In summary, this film depicts three normal labors and births in a nurse-midwifery hospital-based alternative birth setting. Because of this setting, the film is especially appropriate for couples who plan to deliver in such a unit. In addition, the film is recommended to all expectant couples. It will help in a nonthreatening way to inform couples of their childbirth options and to acquaint them, if they are unfamiliar, with nurse-midwives. Finally, nursing and medical students will also find this film valuable for learning more about the role of CNMs. Caring and Coping: The New Parent Experience. Produced by Philip and
Gay Courter, 1980. Color, sound, 25 minutes. Available in 16-mm and all video and super-8 formats from Parenting Pictures, 121 N.W. Crystal Street, Crystal River, Florida 32629. Purchase price: $345.00, 16 mm; $294.00 for %in and %-in VHS and BETA videocassette. Rental: $45.00 for 3 days; video format unavailable for rent.
countered by new parents, such as dealing with fussy babies, sibling rivalry, a busy career, and new physical and emotional demands. Five couples and two single mothers are featured; each experiencing childbirth and parenting from a unique perspective. Gayle and Terry, for example, are concerned about their 2-year-old’s reaction to the new baby and how to manage the increased time and energy requirements of caring for two children. Dons and Alonzo, and Judy and Joe, on the other hand, are each parents of two children but their main concerns center on balancing careers outside the home and the challenges of sharing parenting tasks. Postpartum depression is discussed in the interview with Nancy and Guy. Faced with a fussy baby, problems with breastfeeding and lack of self confidence in being a good mother, Nancy seeks emotional advice from her family and a community support group. Julie and Charlie are also first time parents who experience a fussy baby, sleepless nights, and career demands. Unable to initially cope with these and other stresses, they react with anger and frustration. The two remaining interviews are with single teenage mothers who are each caught with the dilemmas of having little financial assistance, job skills, parenting skills, and community support. In summary, each interview presents the unique challenges that are often faced by new parents, and each seems to balance the frustrations of parenting with its joys and benefits. Although the film gives an overview of the many needs of both the single mother and couples who are either first-time or second-time parents, the focus on any one group is often brief and somewhat superficial. In addition, since most of the couples depicted in the film are second-time parents, I would recommend this film especially for prenatal refresher classes.
edition. By L. Wong. Company, illustrations.
of Pediatric Nursing, 2nd Lucille F. Whaley and Donna St Louis: The C.V. Mosby 1985. 1091 pages with 593 $43.95, hardcover.
Reviewed
by: Martha K. Swartz, RNC,
Essentials
by: Peggy Murray, RN, MN, Perinatal Clinical Specialist, Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, CA.
MS, PNP, Assistant
This film clearly presents a variety of realistic situations and challenges often en-
Readily accessible in this comprehensive
Reviewed
Journal of Nurse-Midwifery
Professor, Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT.
?? Vol.
31, No. 6, November/December
1986
Murray, RN, MN, Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist, Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, CA. Reviewed
by: Peggy
This film is an excellent documentary of the birth experiences of three families at the Nurse-Midwifery Unit at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Each of the families has had a low-risk pregnancy and prepared childbirth that is attended by a certified nursemidwife (CNM). Two of the couples are shown delivering their second baby, whereas the third couple is giving birth to their fifth baby; all in an alternate birth setting. The quality of the film production is 306
very good with beautifully depicted birthing sequences. The CNMs appear confident, professionally competent, and very supportive of the mother and family. Consultations between medical staff and the CNM are shown on several occasions: one concerning rupture of membranes and potential need for induction; the other involves meconiumstained amniotic fluid and the need for pediatric support at the birth. Throughout, the film emphasizes that the nurse-midwifery unit offers couples an opportunity to labor, deliver, and recover in a safe, well-equipped, familycentered environment that also provides immediate back-up medical support when necessary. Although each of the couples give birth to normal, healthy newborns, each has a unique labor experience and personal preference for delivery. These preferences include having a medication-free labor and birth, sibling involvement, no episiotomy, no silver nitrate newborn eye treatment, and delivering in a calm atmosphere. Little attention, however, is given to the use of relaxation and breathing techniques taught in most prepared childbirth classes. In summary, this film depicts three normal labors and births in a nurse-midwifery hospital-based alternative birth setting. Because of this setting, the film is especially appropriate for couples who plan to deliver in such a unit. In addition, the film is recommended to all expectant couples. It will help in a nonthreatening way to inform couples of their childbirth options and to acquaint them, if they are unfamiliar, with nurse-midwives. Finally, nursing and medical students will also find this film valuable for learning more about the role of CNMs. Caring and Coping: The New Parent Experience. Produced by Philip and
Gay Courter, 1980. Color, sound, 25 minutes. Available in 16-mm and all video and super-8 formats from Parenting Pictures, 121 N.W. Crystal Street, Crystal River, Florida 32629. Purchase price: $345.00, 16 mm; $294.00 for %in and %-in VHS and BETA videocassette. Rental: $45.00 for 3 days; video format unavailable for rent.
countered by new parents, such as dealing with fussy babies, sibling rivalry, a busy career, and new physical and emotional demands. Five couples and two single mothers are featured; each experiencing childbirth and parenting from a unique perspective. Gayle and Terry, for example, are concerned about their 2-year-old’s reaction to the new baby and how to manage the increased time and energy requirements of caring for two children. Dons and Alonzo, and Judy and Joe, on the other hand, are each parents of two children but their main concerns center on balancing careers outside the home and the challenges of sharing parenting tasks. Postpartum depression is discussed in the interview with Nancy and Guy. Faced with a fussy baby, problems with breastfeeding and lack of self confidence in being a good mother, Nancy seeks emotional advice from her family and a community support group. Julie and Charlie are also first time parents who experience a fussy baby, sleepless nights, and career demands. Unable to initially cope with these and other stresses, they react with anger and frustration. The two remaining interviews are with single teenage mothers who are each caught with the dilemmas of having little financial assistance, job skills, parenting skills, and community support. In summary, each interview presents the unique challenges that are often faced by new parents, and each seems to balance the frustrations of parenting with its joys and benefits. Although the film gives an overview of the many needs of both the single mother and couples who are either first-time or second-time parents, the focus on any one group is often brief and somewhat superficial. In addition, since most of the couples depicted in the film are second-time parents, I would recommend this film especially for prenatal refresher classes.
edition. By L. Wong. Company, illustrations.
of Pediatric Nursing, 2nd Lucille F. Whaley and Donna St Louis: The C.V. Mosby 1985. 1091 pages with 593 $43.95, hardcover.
Reviewed
by: Martha K. Swartz, RNC,
Essentials
by: Peggy Murray, RN, MN, Perinatal Clinical Specialist, Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, CA.
MS, PNP, Assistant
This film clearly presents a variety of realistic situations and challenges often en-
Readily accessible in this comprehensive
Reviewed
Journal of Nurse-Midwifery
Professor, Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT.
?? Vol.
31, No. 6, November/December
1986