The Art of Conscious Parenting

FAMILY / PARENTING "The Fines truly start with the beginning: Parenting our children. If you have or are considering having children, this could be one of the most important books you read this year." --Thom Hartmann, author of The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight and The Edison Gene "This is a superb book in every respect. I know of no other work quite like it, and none its equal." --Joseph Chilton Pearce, author of The Magical Child, From Magical Child to Magical Teen, and The Biology of Transcendence "A 'Why to' book as well as a 'How to' book, the authors make the case for natural birth, bonding, and parenting. Well written and an easy read." --William Sears, M.D., coauthor of the bestselling The Baby Book The Art of Conscious Parenting won the 2010 Gold Nautilus Award for the best Parenting/Childcare book. The Nautilus Awards recognize books that promote spiritual growth, conscious living and positive social change, while at the same time stimulating the "imagination" and offer the reader "new possibilities" for a better life and a better world. A new model for creating, rediscovering, and renewing the intimate bonds between parents and children Our time in the womb and our first days and months of life are critical in forming the attitudes we bring into adulthood and in structuring the roots of our personality and future physical health. Undisturbed birth and simple bonding techniques--long forgotten in our modern world but stemming from the age-old customs of traditional cultures--are at the core of this new model of conscious parenting that supports the development of happy, intelligent children and healthy mothers. These practices also help parents experience an increase in joy and intimacy both with their children and with each other. Based on obstetric and psychological evidence, Jeffrey and Dalit Fine explain the importance of bonding with your child beginning in utero and how the physical and mental preparation of both parents, even before conception, sets the tone for the future well-being of the child. Through many scientific studies they reveal the physiological advantages of undisturbed birth, delayed umbilical cord cutting, and breastfeeding. Defining the "Fourth Trimester"--the "in-arms" period of early infancy--they explain how to maximize the benefits of this crucial time through sustained physical contact and simple ways of consciously interacting with your infant--eye contact with the newborn, baby-wearing instead of stroller use, and co-sleeping. They also show that "green parenting" practices, such as breastfeeding, contact with nature, and simple low-tech creative play, not only provide a more hands-on and intimate approach to parenting but also are more economical and environmentally sustainable. From in-utero bonding through the challenges and joys of consciously interacting with your growing child, this book will help parents rediscover and apply the natural art of conscious parenting. JEFFREY L. FINE, Ph.D., is a psychologist with an interactive web-based therapy practice and founder and director of the American Foundation for Conscious Parenting. DALIT FINE, M.S., is a family counselor and psychotherapist. Both are members of the Association for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health. They live in Israel and the United States with their son.

Jeffrey L. Fine, Ph.D., is a psychologist with an interactive web-based therapy practice and founder and director of the American Foundation for Conscious Parenting. He is a member of the Association for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health. He lives in Israel and the United States with his wife and son.

Publisher’s Preface: There’s Nothing New Under the Sun Foreword: Not Just Another Book on Parenting By Joseph Chilton Pearce Preface: Don’t Throw Your Baby Out with the Bath Water 1 A New--or Old--Way to Think about Birth 2 High-Tech Birth and the Alternative 3 A Child’s First Schoolhouse: Learning in the Womb 4 Birth: Labor and Delivery 5 Breastfeeding 6 Life after Birth: The Most Important Days of Our Lives 7 The Great Healer Afterword: Thinking of Conscious Parenting as Green Parenting Notes Bibliography Resources About the Authors Index