Risking the Future

Risking the Future
Author: Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 1987-02-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309036984

More than 1 million teenage girls in the United States become pregnant each year; nearly half give birth. Why do these young people, who are hardly more than children themselves, become parents? This volume reviews in detail the trends in and consequences of teenage sexual behavior and offers thoughtful insights on the issues of sexual initiation, contraception, pregnancy, abortion, adoption, and the well-being of adolescent families. It provides a systematic assessment of the impact of various programmatic approaches, both preventive and ameliorative, in light of the growing scientific understanding of the topic.

My Mom's Having a Baby!

My Mom's Having a Baby!
Author: Dori Hillestad Butler
Publisher: Turtleback Books
Total Pages:
Release: 2007-03
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 9781417785827

Told through the voice of the excited big sister, an informative look at how babies come about traces the embryo's development, explains conception, and shows the process of her mother going into labor.

Science and Babies

Science and Babies
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 183
Release: 1990-02-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309041368

By all indicators, the reproductive health of Americans has been deteriorating since 1980. Our nation is troubled by rates of teen pregnancies and newborn deaths that are worse than almost all others in the Western world. Science and Babies is a straightforward presentation of the major reproductive issues we face that suggests answers for the public. The book discusses how the clash of opinions on sex and family planning prevents us from making a national commitment to reproductive health; why people in the United States have fewer contraceptive choices than those in many other countries; what we need to do to improve social and medical services for teens and people living in poverty; how couples should "shop" for a fertility service and make consumer-wise decisions; and what we can expect in the futureâ€"featuring interesting accounts of potential scientific advances.

The Best Intentions

The Best Intentions
Author: Committee on Unintended Pregnancy
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 393
Release: 1995-06-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309556376

Experts estimate that nearly 60 percent of all U.S. pregnancies--and 81 percent of pregnancies among adolescents--are unintended. Yet the topic of preventing these unintended pregnancies has long been treated gingerly because of personal sensitivities and public controversies, especially the angry debate over abortion. Additionally, child welfare advocates long have overlooked the connection between pregnancy planning and the improved well-being of families and communities that results when children are wanted. Now, current issues--health care and welfare reform, and the new international focus on population--are drawing attention to the consequences of unintended pregnancy. In this climate The Best Intentions offers a timely exploration of family planning issues from a distinguished panel of experts. This committee sheds much-needed light on the questions and controversies surrounding unintended pregnancy. The book offers specific recommendations to put the United States on par with other developed nations in terms of contraceptive attitudes and policies, and it considers the effectiveness of over 20 pregnancy prevention programs. The Best Intentions explores problematic definitions--"unintended" versus "unwanted" versus "mistimed"--and presents data on pregnancy rates and trends. The book also summarizes the health and social consequences of unintended pregnancies, for both men and women, and for the children they bear. Why does unintended pregnancy occur? In discussions of "reasons behind the rates," the book examines Americans' ambivalence about sexuality and the many other social, cultural, religious, and economic factors that affect our approach to contraception. The committee explores the complicated web of peer pressure, life aspirations, and notions of romance that shape an individual's decisions about sex, contraception, and pregnancy. And the book looks at such practical issues as the attitudes of doctors toward birth control and the place of contraception in both health insurance and "managed care." The Best Intentions offers frank discussion, synthesis of data, and policy recommendations on one of today's most sensitive social topics. This book will be important to policymakers, health and social service personnel, foundation executives, opinion leaders, researchers, and concerned individuals. May

Making a Baby

Making a Baby
Author: Debra Fulghum Bruce
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2008-12-10
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0307487911

You may have waited a long time. You may have tried and tried. Now your chances of having a baby are better than ever! For ten years, Making a Baby has been the definitive source for couples who want to get pregnant, offering vital information on fertility technology, advances in baby-boosting medications, and cutting-edge medical techniques. Written with compassion and clarity, and now with even more tips on the best ways to prepare the body to get pregnant, this invaluable book, in a newly revised and updated edition, reveals how to protect, increase, and extend your fertility. Inside you’ll find • the four basic requirements for reproduction • findings from the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study that explain dietary ways to boost fertility • breakthrough information connecting insulin levels with ovulation • updates on the importance of marine omega-3 fatty acids in your baby’s development • groundbreaking pregnancy advice for women over 35 • news about polycystic ovary syndrome—and the recommended fertility drugs that may temporarily override this condition and boost chances of conception • what every man should know about his long-term reproductive health, including the most recent findings on male infertility This detailed, insightful, and meticulously researched book will help guide you to a wonderful new beginning as a parent!

It's Not the Stork!

It's Not the Stork!
Author: Robie H. Harris
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2024-07-23
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1536242705

"In their previous landmark volumes . . . Harris and Emberley established themselves as the purveyors of reader-friendly, straightforward information on human sexuality for readers as young as seven. Here they successfully tackle the big questions . . . for even younger kids." — The Horn Book (starred review) Young children are curious about almost everything, especially their bodies. And young children are not afraid to ask questions. What makes me a girl? What makes me a boy? Why are some parts of girls' and boys' bodies the same and why are some parts different? How was I made? Where do babies come from? Is it true that a stork brings babies to mommies and daddies? It's Not the Stork! helps answer these endless and perfectly normal questions that preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary school children ask about how they began. Through lively, comfortable language and sensitive, engaging artwork, Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley address readers in a reassuring way, mindful of a child's healthy desire for straightforward information. Two irresistible cartoon characters, a curious bird and a squeamish bee, provide comic relief and give voice to the full range of emotions and reactions children may experience while learning about their amazing bodies. Vetted and approved by science, health, and child development experts, the information is up-to-date, age-appropriate, and scientifically accurate, and always aimed at helping kids feel proud, knowledgeable, and comfortable about their own bodies, about how they were born, and about the family they are part of. Back matter includes an index.

Birth Settings in America

Birth Settings in America
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2020-05-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309669820

The delivery of high quality and equitable care for both mothers and newborns is complex and requires efforts across many sectors. The United States spends more on childbirth than any other country in the world, yet outcomes are worse than other high-resource countries, and even worse for Black and Native American women. There are a variety of factors that influence childbirth, including social determinants such as income, educational levels, access to care, financing, transportation, structural racism and geographic variability in birth settings. It is important to reevaluate the United States' approach to maternal and newborn care through the lens of these factors across multiple disciplines. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings.

How Men Have Babies

How Men Have Babies
Author: Alan Thicke
Publisher:
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2003
Genre: Fathers
ISBN: 9781588720603

There are books written especially from the perspective on how to parent, and how to participate in the birth -- but none on how to be pregnant. Until now. What you hold in your hand is a combination sage advice, expert opinion, and side-splitting truths on the up and downside of pregnancy for men. Alan Thicke, one of America's favorite funny men and father of three, with a little help from father-friends -- including Ray Romano, Wayne Gretzky, and Dave Barry -- has written the ultimate how-to guide for dads-to-be. Alan provides the real information and comic relief necessary to assure that your sense of humor doesn't fall victim to your pregnancy, as he expertly guides you through each step of the nine months. From breasts to birthing class, How Men Have Babies is about pregnancy from a man's perspective, intended to get him involved early and fully. Book jacket.

Social Dynamics of Adolescent Fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa

Social Dynamics of Adolescent Fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 225
Release: 1993-02-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309048974

This examination of changes in adolescent fertility emphasizes the changing social context within which adolescent childbearing takes place.

Expecting Better

Expecting Better
Author: Emily Oster
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2024-11-12
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 0593833201

A gift edition, with a new letter to the reader from Emily—perfect for baby showers and special moments “Emily Oster is the non-judgmental girlfriend holding our hand and guiding us through pregnancy and motherhood. She has done the work to get us the hard facts in a soft, understandable way.” —Amy Schumer What to Expect When You're Expecting meets Freakonomics: an award-winning economist and author of Cribsheet, The Family Firm, and The Unexpected disproves standard recommendations about pregnancy to empower women while they're expecting. Pregnancy—unquestionably one of the most pro­found, meaningful experiences of adulthood—can reduce otherwise intelligent women to, well, babies. Pregnant women are told to avoid cold cuts, sushi, alcohol, and coffee without ever being told why these are forbidden. Rules for prenatal testing are similarly unexplained. Moms-to-be desperately want a resource that empowers them to make their own right choices. When award-winning economist Emily Oster was a mom-to-be herself, she evaluated the data behind the accepted rules of pregnancy, and discovered that most are often misguided and some are just flat-out wrong. Debunking myths and explaining everything from the real effects of caffeine to the surprising dangers of gardening, Expecting Better is the book for every pregnant woman who wants to enjoy a healthy and relaxed pregnancy—and the occasional glass of wine.