and dependency, encouraging good eating habits, discussing sex, safety, ill- nesses, choosing a day-care center, and intellectual and cultural stimulation. The appendix of the book lists addresses of agencies related to adoption and agen- cies that provide assistance for handi- capped children. The questionnaire that Dr. Curto used in her study also is in- cluded in the appendix.

This well-written book is an invaluable resource for anyone considering single parenthood, either naturally or through adoption. This books one drawback, however, is the need for more detail in some areas. For example, the section dealing with natural parenthood, either through artificial insemination or sexual intercourse, is rather superficial. In terms of the adoption procedure, more specifics would have been helpful. For example, exactly what are agencies looking for in the home visit, and exactly what kinds of questions are you likely to be asked in the interview? What can one do to make the best possible impression and maxi- mize ones chances of being accepted by the adoption agency? Because single people, by choice or necessity, often adopt handicapped, biracial, or other "special needs" children, more informa- tion needs to be included on the prob- lems, challenges, and rewards of adopting such children.

In summary, while more detail in some areas would appear useful, the book con- tains much valuable information for pro- spective single parents. It is written with realism, insight, sensitivity, and clarity.

Inventing Motherhood: The Conse- quences of an Ideal. By Ann Dally. New York: Schocken Books, 1983. 360 pages. $19.95, hardcover.

Reviewed by: Linda Wheeler, CNM, EdD, Associate Professor, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR.

Ir~venting Motherhood: The Conse- quences of an Ideal contains the musings of a British woman who is a mother, psy- chiatrist, and historian. The author states, "l have written this book very much as it has come to me." Indeed the book is full of rambling opinion ("the expec- tant mother with hyperemesis gravida- rum is . . . usually of a nervous disposi- t i o n . . . ") and is poorly organized. The book is divided into two parts. Part I, Changing Motherhood, traces changes in

childrearing practices from the days of high infant mortality to the present. Ex- tensive summaries of selected references are given. Whereas much of this material is interesting, it is poorly edited.

Part II, The Crisis of Motherhood, con- tains ten chapters about dysfunctional mothering (eg, "The Devious Mother," "Restricted and Restricting Mothers"). Occasionally, important insights are of- fered. For example, Dally protests the fact that public "restrooms have no seats for small children or places to change ba- bies, that shopping centers have no places for children to play, that too many highrise apartments for poor families exist." Unfortunately, the reader must wade through pages of impressions by the author to find only a few new thoughts.

Your Baby's First Days, 1980. Color, sound, 21 minutes. Produced and di- rected by Alvin Fiering. Available in 16 mm film and videocassette (VHS, Beta, or U-Matic). Available from Polymorph Films, 118 South St., Boston, MA 02111, (617) 542-2004. Rental $40, purchase $395.

Reviewed by: Ronald K. McCraw, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, USAF Hospital, Chanute AFB, IL.

This well-made film is based on a class for new mothers taught by Kris Leander at the Group Health Cooperative Hos- pital in Seattle. Ms. Leander has a fresh style and an interest in her subject that holds the viewers attention while con- veying a lot of useful information clearly and concisely. Showing a number of dif- ferent infants, this film presents informa- tion on infant care (eg, bathing, burping, swaddling, diapering, temperature taking, etc.) and on the appearance and behavior of the normal newborn (eg, en- larged nipples, "stork bite," mongolian spots, rashes, lanugo, head molding, changes in skin color, bowel movements, puffy eyes, changes in breathing patterns, etc.).

Film quality in terms of sound, color, photography, and editing is quite good. A brief but useful study guide is included and can be photocopied for viewers.

Your Baby's First Days has much to recommend it. The film is a valuable re- source for childbirth and postpartum classes. I showed it to a prenatal class, and the response was unanimously pos-

itive from both primigravidas and multi- paras. An obstetrics/gynecology nurse- practitioner was similarly impressed, but questioned only one part of the film (put- ting an infant whose umbilical cord had still not fallen off into a tub).

The Fourth Trimester: On Becoming a Mother. By Brenda Krause Eheart and Susan Karol Martel. Norwalk, Connect- icut: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1983. 206 pages. $7.95, softcover.

Reviewed by: E. Jean Martin, Ms, ~sN, CNM, Associate Professor on sabbatical leave at PHS Indian Hospital, Tuba City, Arizona from the Nurse-Midwifery Pro- gram, Medical University of South Car- olina, Charleston, SC.

This book is addressed to women who have through vaginal, cesarean, or adoptive birth experiences become mothers and face the inevitable changes that the first three months-- ' 'The Fourth Trimester"--bring. The authors, a psy- chotherapist and a professor of child care, are both mothers themselves.

The book is divided into four sections. Part I addresses the physiologic, emo- tional, and social changes that occur in new mothers. Part II orients the new mother to gaining a healthy perspective on her new role, but also asks her to ex- amine her unique personal needs and to clarify her feelings and fears, thus helping her to differentiate her individual needs from those as a mother. Part Ill is aimed at assisting the new mother in using tech- niques of communicat ion, decision making, and support seeking. Both Parts II and Ill include some questionnaires or brief exercises in which the reader may engage to clarify her beliefs or fears about a particular subject. Part IV examines the experiences and needs of mothers who adopt babies, who face complicated births, or who have babies with special needs. A brief chapter is devoted to the process of grieving over a lost baby.

Although this book is a welcome ad- dition to the literature on adjustment to motherhood, it is much more than that. The authors assist the readers not only to identify a gamut of possible feelings which may include loneliness, anger, guilt, or ambivalence as being quite normal, but take great care to guide the reader to avoid succumbing to stereo- typed roles. "If you are to convert any potential crisis period into an event char-

62 Journal of Nurse-Midwifery • Vol. 30, No. 1, January/February 1985