Books

Fit to Bust - a comic treasure chest  

Alison Blenkinsop (nee Fookes), a former Kingston Hospital midwife and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, has written a book to celebrate the lighter side of breastfeeding and motherhood. It includes stories, cartoons and images from around the world, and many songs which Alison has written. She hopes to get people laughing at the same time as becoming more aware of the importance of breastfeeding, and also to raise funds for Baby Milk Action. This organisation exists to protect breastfeeding and protect babies fed on formula milk, by the adoption of international standards in infant food production.
 
Alison was a lead midwife for breastfeeding promotion at Kingston until 2001. She then moved to Aldershot, and worked as Infant Feeding Adviser at Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals Trust in Chertsey for five years. She now helps mothers privately with breastfeeding, plays the piano for choral groups and exams, and is a pastoral assistant at her parish church. She is delighted that Kingston's Maternity Unit is now on its way to becoming accredited by the Baby Friendly Initiative. This will help ensure that parents get the right support and information to have a real choice in feeding their babies.

Available through Amazon UK and main bookshops and direct from the author. ISBN 978-1-906206-89-5. Published by Pen Press. RRP £9.99
Alison can be contacted through her website www.linkable.biz and by email on aliblenk@hotmail.com.

The Bloke’s Guide to Pregnancy by Jon Smith
(Hay House, March 2004)
Sensible yet humorous look at the many stages of pregnancy.  It explores the changes, physical and emotional, that any man can expect to see in his partner and in their relationship over the coming months.

Depression After Childbirth by Dr Katharina Dalton and Wendy Holton
(Oxford University Press, April 2001)
It is estimated that there are about 1,000 new cases of postnatal depression in Britain every week.  In its most extreme form, it can lead to infanticide or suicide.  This updated edition includes chapters on careers and motherhood, coping with stress and a look at the role the partner can play.

Feelings After Birth: The NCT Book of Postnatal Depression by Heath Welford
(Book Production Consultants, 2002)
A practical and sympathetic text explaining exactly what postnatal depression is in all its forms, why it occurs and what to do.  It contains useful case studies from mothers, friends and families.

Twins and Multiple Births by Carol Cooper
(Vermilion, March 2004)
Written by a GP and mother of twins, this guide to coping with multiple births offers advice on development and rearing twins from conception to adulthood.  It also looks at how it feels to be a twin and the relationship between twins as they grow up.

The Twins Handbook: From pre-birth to First Schooldays by Elizabeth Friedrich and Cherry Rowland
(Robson Books, 1998)
Advice on coping with the demands of more than one baby and anecdotes from those who have gone before.

When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads: A Complete Resource by Barbara Luke and Tamara Eberlein
(HarperResources, 1999)
A definitive guide for parents expecting multiples.  Buy this book!

Your Amazing Newborn by Marshall H Klaus and Phyllis H Klaus
(Perseus Books Group, 2000)
Illustrated with over 100 photographs, the incredible new research findings on newborns guides parents and caregivers through the fascinating first weeks of a baby ’s life.

Your Premature Baby: 0-5 Years by Nikki Bradford
(Frances Lincoln, 2000)
A guide for parents with premature babies that seeks to demystify complex medical information and advise on everything that can be done to help.  Deals sensitively with parents’ emotional problems and includes many personal testimonies and case histories.  The book is supported by Tommy’s the Baby Charity, an international charity funding research into prematurity, and royalties will go to Tommy’s.

Special Care Babies and their Developing Relationships by Anne McFadyen
(Routledge, 1994)
Looks specifically at the experiences of the premature baby in hospital and how the way professionals and parents interact with it and between themselves affect its future development.  Also explores institutional, cultural and family beliefs about prematurity.

Sent Before My Time by Margaret Cohen
(Karnac Books, 2003)
A psychotherapist’s account of life on a neonatal intensive care unit, with thought provoking insights based on detailed observation of the babies’ behaviour.

The Earliest Relationship: Parents, Infants and the Drama of Early Attachment by T B Brazelton and B G Cramer
(Karnac Books, 1991)
A paediatrician and psychoanalyst and pioneer in infant psychiatry have combined lifetimes of research and practice to write the definitive work on early parent/child relationships.

Coping with your Premature Baby by Penny Stanway
(Orion, 1999)
Easy to read and matter of fact guide to looking after yourself and your baby after a premature birth with a wealth of information on what to expect and how to cope.