When my first child was born in early 2005, I spent months researching information about organic food, plastic toys and bottles, cloth diapers, etc. Now that I'm expecting my 2nd, I'm pleased to find that basically everything I painstakingly researched earlier is now available in one well-written book. In fact, I think the advice outlined in this book is not only valuable for expecting and new parents, but for anyone looking for a healthier lifestyle and home.
This book is organized into three sections--transforming (pre-conception), growing (pregnancy), and living (babyhood). In each section, the authors cover food, home environment, work environment, fitness, play, etc. The text is easy to read and accurate, and broken up by essays written by various journalists. I find these essays to be a pleasure to read, not something to skip over. The perspectives are varied and many of them are quite amusing. There is also an abundance of website recommendations throughout the book--a nice perk in any recently published book.
The best sections are the ones that cover food (which are most important to eat organically and why), your house (why not to remodel when pregnant, lead, mold, water filters, plants that can actually filter your air), beauty products (phthalates, what to toss out now), household cleaning products (what's really in them and why it's dangerous), labor (natural or epidural--a great non-judgmental summary of your options), and plastics (why they're dangerous for you and for baby). Some of the advice may be a bit over the top for the average person (can you really afford an organic mattress for you and for baby?), but their advice is sound and not alarmist at all. I'm surprised by the review "Go, Fear Culture, Go!" If it seems like there is danger lurking around every corner, it's because there probably is, not because the authors are trying to scare their readers. I have read far more alarming books about the environment and our health, and I found this one to be a great balance between telling their readers the truth about what's lurking in their aluminum cans and not making you feel helpless.
There are a few sections that I found disappointingly lacking, but most notable was that on diapers. For a book that tauts organic, healthy, and environmentally friendly living, how can the section on cloth diapers be less than two pages? There are so many great cloth diaper options and the authors really gloss over this topic. It appears that in an attempt to cover as many topics as possible, some leave you wanting more (such as the repeated advice to avoid peanuts--if there are no food allergies in your family, why?)
But I still think that this is one of the most important books you'll read while pregnant. It's the only book on the market that I have seen discuss important issues pertaining to mom and baby's health (seriously, even my own doctor had not heard of phthalates or the dangerous chemicals leaking out of my child's #7 plastic baby bottles). I only wish it had been available sooner!