A Science-Based Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, and Infancy
Deciding what is right for you and your baby can feel impossible, while the will to do the right thing can be overwhelming. But what is right? With blogs, magazines, mother-in-laws, and a general pregnancy establishment telling you what to do, it’s hard to know who to trust, let alone to stay sane in the flood of contradictory information. As a pregnant woman, you may also find that the world treats your growing belly as fair game for unsolicited advice. Let’s face it: alternative facts won’t cut it when you’re expecting a child. And the last thing expectant parents need is moralizing pointers sprung from dubious agendas.
In Parenthood the Swedish Way, two leading medical specialists take on the barrage of questionable information related to pregnancy and infancy in order to debunk myths and replace hearsay with solid science – while giving the power back to women to make their own decisions about their bodies and their babies.
Expecting parents will be relieved to hear: Put away the vacuum – dust does not lead to allergy. Breastfeeding protects against allergies? Never has done, never will do. Stop boiling bottles and pacifiers – sterilizing is unnecessary in most industrial countries. Think you shouldn’t drink alcohol when breastfeeding? Plain moralism.
Dr. Agnes Wold has been named Sweden’s Woman of the Year for her tireless work in educating the public about myths related to women’s health. Paediatrician Cecilia Chrapkowska runs Sweden’s most popular blog on parenting and is a specialist on child vaccinations. Together they have compiled and scrutinized cutting-edge research from around the world in order to present indisputable scientific findings.
Sweden is famous for its generous parental leave and egalitarian social policies. In Parenthood the Swedish Way Dr. Wold and Dr. Chaprowska demonstrate the importance of equal parenting for the well-being of both adults and children while providing practical tools for parents everywhere to share equally. And slaughtering moralizing double standards along the way.
From the progressive land in the North, here is the feminist de-bunk of so-called truths related to bearing and birthing. Written in an upfront and authoritative tone and wholly grounded in science – Parenthood the Swedish Way is a reliable and relatable reference book to guide you through pregnancy and infancy, without getting thrown of course by alternative facts.
Extra Materials
USA, Scribe
Italy, Vallardi
Greece, Patakis
Spain, PRH/Grijalbo
Hungary, Libri
Estonia, Varrak
France, Robert Laffont
Portugal, Vogais / 2020 Editora
Denmark, Gyldendal/Rosinante
UK/AUS, Scribe
Norway, Cappelen Damm
Russia, Sindbad Books
Author
Reviews
“Agnes Wold has been a guiding hand when I’ve been pregnant and had small children. A more comforting hand than various parenting bibles, a more allowing hand than the leaflets from the maternity care and the child health centers. She gives the parent more room to be a human being, and less bad conscience. […] What parents need is advice based on science and level-headed tips. And some encouragement.”
Sydsvenskan (SE)
“Are you of the opinion that the Trump administration relies on alternative facts? That is nothing compared to what women are confronted with as soon as they get pregnant. In the parallell pregnancy reality the alt-facts are commonplace. ‘Truths’ are constantly foisted on you, and shockingly enough they often turn out to be intrusive opinions, moralism, or pure inventions. […] If The Handmaid’s Tale is an exaggerated and dramatized reminder of the anxiety of becoming breeding stock, Wold & Chrapkowska’s book can be a crucial antidote. One by one, they deal with some well-known ‘truths’ related to bearing and birthing and propogated by official institutions, e.g. the variety of advice on what you can eat and drink during pregnancy and breastfeeding – some are correct while other recommendations seem to have been inspired by Christian faith and morality rather than rooted in science.”
Dagens Nyheter (SE)
“From pregnancy and birth, to feeding and sleeping, to vaccines and illnesses, Parenthood the Swedish Way addresses all aspects of parenting and infant health in an empathetic and realistic way. New parents will appreciate this straightforward and thoroughly researched resource that picks apart outdated advice and debunks myths about parenthood.”
Booklist (US)
“Doctors Chrapkowska and Wold do much to dispel the common misconceptions around child-rearing by providing a commonsense, scientific approach. Even if you’re not involved in the parenting business, there’s much to be gleaned from a Swedish take on this crucial undertaking.”
Happy Mag (UK)