What a beautiful book! The photographs are so telling of the love existant between mother and child. Frederick Leboyer is gifted with words and descriptions come across as simple poetry rather than dry descriptions. Here is something I wish my mother had done to me as a child. A gift I will give myself and my child when the time comes. On a side note I didn't find the exclusion of fathers massaging as being a bad thing. This is the story of Shantala and her baby. The poetic reference to death is about the death of the soul without love. Whether you are a baby or an adult the results are the same.

Beautiful photographs set amidst poetry and simple instructions guide new parents in positioning and massaging their baby. The book conveys a sense of serenity that a parent may find through interacting with his or her child. It also discusses various oils and lotions that can be used for a smooth and soothing massage. One factor which did not allow for a 10 rating here is the lack of fathers giving infant massage. Also note that if someone wished to give this book as a gift, they should be aware that there is one poem which discusses the circle of life, including death, which can be very upsetting to some new parents. If this book has been revised by Leboyer, I would certainly look for the new; it is very difficult to find the original.

I read this and started the massage when my baby was about 4 months old. It is a wonderful complement to his bedtime routine and does wonders for relaxing him. I only wish I would have started sooner! The pictures were the most helpful in this beautiful book.

Written by professional obstetrician Frederick Leboyer, Loving Hands: The Traditional Art Of Baby Massage is a remarkable and heartfelt presentation of infant massage techniques that Dr. Leboyer learned from a young East Indian mother in Calcutta. Illustrated with more than seventy black-and-white photographs, Loving Hands showcases techniques for a parent's bonding with a child through the medium of touch. Highly recommended reading, especially for new parents, the text is sparse, lyrical, and presents simple, easy-to-follow instructions in this very fine and highly accessible guide.

As a new parent, i want the best for my little girl. I purchased this book and started practicing the massage on my baby when she was about one month old. She really enjoys it, it is like it reinforces the mother baby bond. It explains very clearly what to do mostly by pictures and it also has some thoughtful poems included in the book. A great choice, i highly recommend it.

WOW! This is one of the most touching, honest books I have ever read. Birth is a natural event that should take place in a natural setting. This book brings to light the forgotten beauty and simplicity of birth. It will open your eyes to the horrors of birth (yes babies can feel, see, sense, smell and hear when you yell, poke, prod, spank, shine bright lights and drop burning liquid into their eyes), and turn you on to the beauty of this wonderful experience. This book actually changed my life and led me onto the path of midwifery. Recommended to all humankind!

I adore this book because it examines what birth FEELS like for the baby. Scientific explanations are kept to a minimum, so Leboyer really brings home why it is that babies cry in agony. It's because they are in agony, and Leboyer was one of the first to say it doesn't have to be like that. Indirectly, he may have saved thousands of babies from a life time of unhappiness. In this book one gets to realise what it is like for the baby, he really puts you into their shoes (so to speak). And he does it in a artistic way which I haven't seen matched elsewhere. This is a must read. Buy extra copies and give them to your friends who are expecting a baby.

interspersed between a few quotes, dialogue & lots of beautiful black-&-white photographs, this book is written like a long, free-verse, stream-of-consciousness poem about how beautiful childbirth can be when done without all the bright lights, loud noises, yanking, stretching & slapping of "traditional" (read: "unnecessary intervention") hospital deliveries.

this highly readable book will make you wonder why it ever had to be done that way in the 1st place?

(in my opinion, it probably has a lot to do with the male-dominated world of western medicine & their irrational space-age [read: godless] belief that hard, cold & sterile intervention is far superior to going with the flow of nature's [read: God's] ready-made birth process!)

& due to the inherent beauty of its subject matter, this book would make a great gift for just about anyone interested in children & the process of childbirth -- not just for the mother-to-be!

(although i would definitely give it to a mother-to-be if i thought she was just going to blindly trust herself, her body & her baby to the harsh processes of a "traditional" hospital delivery. in fact, in this dire case, i would have a WHOLE ARMFUL of reading material to give to her! but i would probably start with THIS book, because it is the most unthreateningly eloquent in startling one to the realization that there might be a kinder & gentler way ... )

&, because of its great beauty, i would unabashedly keep this one on the coffee table (if i had one!) for all to see ... :)

The photography and poetry/prose in this book is phenomenal! However, if you are looking for a quality, practical book in yoga during pregnancy this isn't it. There are no descriptions nor illustrations of specific poses. It would be very difficult for someone with limited or no experience with yoga to pick up this book and find it useful. For a more practical book on yoga during pregancy I would recommend _Yoga for Pregnancy : Safe and Gentle Stretches_ by Sandra Jordan.