Darwinian Guide to Parenting

Did you ever wonder: When is the "best" time to have a baby? Why isn't getting pregnant easier? Why do pregnant women find good food nauseating, but usually only in the first trimester? What's the "normal" amount of weight to gain during pregnancy? Why do so many women experience heart-breaking miscarriages? If only we knew the answers to these questions, we might be able to figure out ways to make the process of starting a family easier and more fulfilling. And now we can. The key, as developmental psychologist Linc Craton and biologist Sharon Ramos-Goyette explain, is to understand how nature has designed babies and their grownups. Short, fun, and packed with eye-opening information, this book offers a fresh look at the everyday challenges of conceiving, carrying, birthing, and nurturing a baby. Drawing broadly on recent work in evolutionary science and developmental psychology to describe the evolution of family life, Craton and Ramos-Goyette show parents why having a baby is the way it is. With humour and compassion, they illustrate how to use this knowledge to rise above the challenges and become a better, happier parent-to-be. Straight from the hearts and minds of two scientist/parents who have been there, this book describes in simple language the practical wisdom that comes from an evolutionary view of family living. Different in important ways from "natural family living" and "attachment parenting" approaches, this view is full of surprising new insights that will help you make the parenting choices that work for you. Whether you have already taken the parenting plunge or are preparing to do so, you'll be astounded and enlightened by this book.