When I heard about this book/DVD set, I was excited.  Now that I have read/watched them, I am even more excited!  Making Babies is just a really, truly fantastic resource!

I started out by flipping through the book.  Believe me, it is well worth the price.    This is a huge, full-color hardcover book.  It is chock-full of gorgeous full-color photos.  The first thing you’ll want to do is just flip through and look at it, because it’s so beautifully done. 🙂

But don’t stop there, because the information is wonderful, too!  It’s broken into sections that correspond with the three DVD’s and cover the various stages of conception, trimesters of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.  There’s also a section of recipes, and then still another section with more information and remedies.

I can’t think of anything baby(-health)-related that isn’t covered here somewhere.  This would be a great basic pregnancy and baby book.  Its usefulness extends far beyond that, though.  The skills you learn through the specific recipes here carry over to other herbal preparations.  For instance, you’ll learn how to prepare an herbal tea, make a fermented herbal beverage, and create both alcohol and glycerin tinctures.

The recipes are good, wholesome whole-foods recipes, too, full of good fats and packed with nutrients.  And most of them look pretty yummy.  (A few of the more “medicinal” types of things look kind of gross but, hey, they’re medicine.)

The book will stand alone.  If you have the book and not the DVD’s, you aren’t going to have half a recipe or anything.  However, if you can, I highly recommend you grab the DVD’s, as well.  Shoshanna is so fun to watch!  She shows you how to prepare the tinctures and all the other recipes, and her enthusiasm is obvious.  She comes across as very real, like having a friend invite you over to her house to show you how she makes a favorite meal.

The videos are very professionally done, as well.  When necessary, there are split-screen shots so you can see close-ups of what Shoshanna’s doing while still viewing the “big picture.” And there are notes that pop up on the screen occasionally to clarify something, caption what she’s doing, or provide additional information.

The only thing I was a little disappointed with was that a couple of the recipes use herbal blends from the Bulk Herb Store, and I would have liked to see the actual recipes for those.  Some people will still just as soon buy them premixed, but it’s nice to be able to see what sorts of things go into them.  They are the exception, though, rather than the rule.  (I think there were two recipes like this?  Berry Herbal Brew and Mama’s Red Raspberry Brew.)

This would make a great Christmas gift to any new or expectant mamas you know, or ‘most any other woman with an interest in natural health.

Highly, highly, highly recommended!

$35-$110

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Disclosure: I was provided by the manufacturer with a copy of the book and DVD’s to facilitate my review.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This post is being shared at the Tuesday Baby Link-Up.