The national C-section rate is at an all-time high of 31 percent. Are all these C-sections necessary, or are some of them done simply for the sake of convenience? Inductions seem to be the norm, but are they always needed? Today, expectant mothers are often left feeling powerless, as their instincts are replaced by drugs and routine medical procedures. What you are about to discover is that you have a choice, and you have the power to plan the kind of birth that's right for you -whether it is at a birth center, a hospital, or at home. In YOUR BEST BIRTH, internationally known advocates of informed choice Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein inspire women to take back the birth experience, with essential advice on: · Positive and negative effects of epidurals, Pitocin, and other drugs and interventions · Inducing vs. allowing your labor to progress naturally · The truth behind our country's staggering C-section rate · Assembling your birth team and creating your birth plan. With chapters such as "Obstetricians: Finding Dr. Right," "Epidurals: You Haven't Got Time for the Pain," and "Electronic Monitors: Reading between the Lines," Lake and Epstein will encourage you to consider whatever your doctor, mother, and best friend may suggest in a new light. The book also includes inspiring birth stories, including those from well-known personalities, such as Laila Ali and Cindy Crawford. Packed with crucial advice from childbirth professionals, and delivered in a down-to-earth, engaging voice, YOUR BEST BIRTH is sure to renew your confidence and put the control back where it belongs: with parents-to-be! Review: "Abby Epstein and Ricki Lake have taken a wonderful and constructive approach to ensuring an optimal birthing experience. Their language creates a 'climate of confidence' for pregnant women and their families, who must make key decisions about where, how and with whom to give birth in a health care system often unresponsive to our needs. This book is like a good friend giving wise counsel." --Judy Norsigian, co-editor of Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth and Executive Director, Our Bodies Ourselves

Stop battling your weight and slim down for life with this no-nonsense, insider's plan from America's health, wellness, and weight-loss guru: Jillian Michaels. She has helped millions lose weight and feel great, and now she can help you, too. Bestselling author and Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels swore she'd never write another diet book. But she realized that with all of the conflicting, overly complicated information being thrown at you each day, what you need is a clear, simple plan that cuts through all the confusion to deliver amazing results, fast. This book distills all she's learned about diet, fitness, and a healthy lifestyle to provide anyone seeking to be slim, strong, and healthy with an easier path to achieving dramatic body transformation. You'll learn to: * Utilize Jillian's insider secrets for optimizing your fat-burning potential * Dispel myths and avoid diet trends that will damage your metabolism and make it harder for you to lose weight * Banish self-sabotage, build support, and cultivate lasting motivation * Navigate and circumvent every possible pitfall presented by any situation or circumstance you could come up against--from weight-loss plateaus to travel, budget, and time constraints * Eat, move, and live in manageable, and even enjoyable, ways that facilitate a slim, sexy physique * Supplement strategically, manage stress, and even purchase the proper home and beauty products--all to help ignite your metabolism No nonsense, no gimmicks, just actionable advice that gets incredible results fast!

"Actress and fitness icon Kate Hudson shares her insights to help every woman become healthy, strong, and beautiful from the inside out in this stunning, full color illustrated lifestyle guide.Kate Hudson is an award-winning actress and founder of the popular active wear line, Fabletics. Long admired for her natural beauty and dedication to wellness and living well, Kate offers readers inspiration for setting attainable goals to create balance in their lives. Her philosophy is straightforward: living healthfully is about simplicity, accessibility, positivity and throwing the idea of "perfection" out the window"--

"What every mother needs to know. You know Jillian Michaels as the world's leading fitness expert and a renowned nutritionist; but she's also a proud mother of two. In Yeah Baby!, Jillian, along with her team of top-notch experts, will change everything you think you know about pregnancy, arming you with the most cutting-edge information available, so you can make the right choices for you and your little one. They will help you navigate the hidden dangers in your immediate environment; understand the check-ups, tests, and treatments your doctor recommends; and provide powerful solutions for all your issues, from heartburn and swollen feet to more serious medical concerns. Also learn how to optimize every facet of your child's development, from IQ and long-term earning potential to future level of physical fitness and even taste preferences! Yeah Baby! also features a complete meal plan with delicious, nutrition-packed recipes, and a one-of-a-kind, trimester-specific fitness program, to ensure you bounce back stronger and better than ever. Expert Dream Team: · Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, MD is an Ob-Gyn, a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist, and board certified in Integrative and Holistic Medicine. · Andrea Orbeck is a PregnancyFitness Specialist who holds an advanced degree in Kinesiology and Intracellular Physiology. · Katja VanHerle, MD is one of America's Top Physicians in Endocrinology as named by Consumer Research Council of America. · Cheryl Forberg, RD is an award-winning registered dietitian, chef, and New York Times bestselling author. · Jay Gordon, MD, FAAP is a pediatrician who specializes in infant nutrition and breastfeeding. JILLIAN MICHAELS is the foremost fitness expert in the world and a renowned life coach. From her hit televisions shows, extensively successful fitness DVDs and exercise streaming platform fitfusion.com, 8 New York Times best-selling books, live speaking engagements, award-winning podcast, a soon-to-be-released iPhone app (which will allow users to train with Jillian both in preset and dynamic workouts), social media channels and her personal website jillianmichaels.com she has built an international community of followers 100 million + strong. Jillian's company, Empowered Media, which she co-owns with business partner Giancarlo Chersich, has become a monumental wellness empire dedicated to providing people with accessible and affordable solutions for all their wellness needs from fitness video gaming to athletic apparel and healthy foods. Her overwhelming success stems from her unique connection with her audience that was born from her own personal journey toward health and happiness. "--

"Building on her lifelong philosophy, bestselling author and world-renowned makeup artist Bobbi Brown provides a total lifestyle makeover for a better, healthier, more confident, beautiful you"--

"The third edition, updated and expanded. Discover the newest cutting-edge research about the wonderful healing properties of niacin! Vitamin B3-or niacin-is a small molecule made of only fourteen atoms, smaller even than the simplest sugar. But this one molecule has profound effects on health: it plays a role in more than five hundred reactions in the body. Many illnesses are caused by too little niacin, and many illnesses can be cured with high doses of niacin. Niacin: The Real Story takes an orthomolecular (nutrition-based) approach to medicine, supporting wellness with substances that naturally occur in the human body. Here the most prominent minds in orthomolecular medicine discuss the widespread use of niacin for the prevention and treatment of health problems. With newly-updated recommendations and on forms and therapeutic doses, we find all of the best ways to take niacin for conditions like arthritis, children's learning and behavioral disorders, mental illness, cardiovascular disease, and much more"--