Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Here's a Nifty Book Review and Giveaway!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

So many of you might realize from reading my posts that I am a bit of a worry-wort, and I am pretty sure that germs, rabid bats, and the like are out to get me and/or my family. You may also know that I carry around copious amounts of hand sanitizer, using 3 ounces on just one outing, and I will spray you with Lysol if you sneeze in my direction, because I am pretty sure you have H1N1. Well, this awesomely paranoid behavior didn't develop overnight, it all started when I had kids.

It was actually worse, if you can imagine, right after I gave birth. And I spent a TON of time calling the triage nurses on Friday nights or early morning for such things as:

-describing in detail Jacob's circumcision and umbilical stump

-a pinpoint spot of red in his diaper

-that weird rash he just developed

-wondering if his feet were too sweaty

- a fever of 99.9

-crying when he wouldn't let me give him his antibiotics with the syringe

-that weird rash he just developed

-the number to the CDC to ask about vaccinations conspiracies

-how much Tylenol to give him, because I didn't believe what the bottle said

-wondering if I should change his poopy diaper before running him to the ER because he went head-first into the rounded corner of our wall and was bleeding from his nose and lip.

-wondering if he needed to go to the ER because he hit his head on the bed and split his forehead a tiny bit, even though it wasn't bleeding...

-that weird rash he just developed...

Then I had Audrey and I was calling:

-because she was making funny sounds when she breathed

-because she had yet ANOTHER rash I had never seen on Jacob

-when she had a gookey eye and I wanted to know if breast milk would take it away like the internet said

-911 when Jacob fell on her and she then passed out in my arms

-Poison control because she swallowed a red berry

-because she ate our dog's poop

-my friend and freaking out, while at the doc office, because Audrey puked up blood after being sick for two days and was admitted with the Rotovirus

And then of course:

-that whole ordeal with Jacob's lump, which you can read about here.

Basically, I am no different than many moms who torture the nurses and freak out about anything that happens between the hours of 11 pm and 6 am. If only, if only, I had had this book.

Lara Zibners, MD, wrote a book for moms just like me, or for women who are pregnant and getting ready to be a mom, but have no flippin' clue what to expect. The book is called, "If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Ok". Don't think after reading it, though, that I let my kids sprinkle some salt on it and have it as a snack, but, if they did, I wouldn't worry so much now...

Dr. Zibners is an emergency room pediatrician, and a former assistant professor of pediatric emergency medicine at Mount Sinai, and she has seen it all. She writes in a light-hearted, humorous tone as she prepares you to use her book as a tool and unpacks your newborn baby, describing each part from head to toe, inside and out, and the "anomalies" that accompany baby, that often cause unnecessary freak-outs. She provides prevention strategies and also gives you guidance and assurance as you make decisions regarding those true "emergency" situations, and helps to prepare you for ER visits and medical exams/tests that might pop up. This is a great "how to respond" book for any stage of mommyhood, but man, an even GREATER gift for those women who have no idea what to expect! Here is the first paragraph of her introduction, a tiny taste of what to expect, should you WIN this fantastic book:

"Are you the kind of parent who panics every time your kid hits his head or wipes away a drop of snot? Or are you the parent handing a hemophiliac four-year-old a box cutter? Maybe you don't actually have any kids and just like dropping fascinating tidbits of information at dinner parties. Whatever the case, this book has got something for you. What would happen if your child ate the decorative pebbles in the fish tank? Actually, probably nothing. But a teaspoon of what liquid lurking in your medicine cabinet could kill a room full of toddlers? How do you know if a kid is dehydrated or not? Sick with pneumonia or just a cold? Has appendicitis or just a belly ache?

This book is not about the basics of child care such as bathing, diapering, and feeding. There are many wonderful books out there that already cover these topics. Instead, this book is a regurgitation, if you will, of all the midnight conversations I've had with stressed out and anxious parents. As a pediatrician with specialized training in pediatric emergency medicine, I have experience in treating ill and injured kids. It's what I love to do. However, somewhere along the way I started thinking, 'Hey there should be a book about this.' "

Yes, and had I had this book, I would have had two less ER visits, one less hospital admittance, avoided a disastrous CT scan, less nurses yelling at me, and a lot more sleep!

SO...here's how to win this fantabulous book:

1. Leave me a comment, with a safe way to contact you, about why you want this book.

For EXTRA entries:

2. Tweet this giveaway, and come back here leaving a separate comment with the link for your tweet.

3. Blog about this giveaway, come back here and leave me a link to the post.

I will choose the winner using the Random Number Generator on July 30th, 2009, at 12 pm.

I hope you win! And by you I mean you, of course.






15 comments:

w said...

i want this book. because i just do. idk. i just want it. i waaaaant. it. i vart it.

i really do. man i want this book.

w said...

i just tweet this.

http://twitter.com/wendiwinn

is it over? did i win?

said...

Ohhhh....and because you're such a giver, you're getting a free subscription to More Magazine! Yup, you and Wendi both - because I don't want to have to separate you when you fight over it and then I'll be calling the triage nurse!

So yup. Head over to Lulu's to get your info so we can get the lovely mag peeps to send you sumpin'.

huongie said...

oh what a wonderful idea. can i win this so i can answer all those questions when moms ask me?

just because i'm a pharmacist, i'm a target :)

huong630atgmaildotcom

huongie said...

umm hurmph. i do not have twitter nor blog. can i fb? :) http://www.facebook.com/dortheaofoz?ref=mf#/profile.php?id=1484889113&ref=nf

yo momma! said...

I would like this book because when my daughter was 18 months old she was stung by a bee. I then spent the ENTIRE night hovering over her with a flashlight searching for signs of anaphylactic shock. I am currently 34 weeks pregnant with my second child, God help me.

Kearsie said...

I've been known to call poison control when I found black specks of something mysterious in my daughter's mouth. Also, I made the lady at the front desk laugh convulsively as I asked just how on earth I was supposed to get that popcorn kernel out of Emma's nose.

Kearsie said...

Just twittered about it.

Maria Donahue said...

I would love this book for information and so I won't be a worry-wart!!
THANK YOU!!
maria(.)donahue(at)gmail.com

Unknown said...

I just bought this book because I am a Class 1 paranoid, OC, germ-a-phobe and I need guidance so that I don't turn my baby into an ER regular. I am loving the advice. I want to win a copy for a friend who just had a baby and is a lot like me. She's already made two trips to the ER!

t_freckleton(at)yahoo(dot)com

Angie128 said...

I should have had this book when I called Poison Control to see if it was ok that my kid ate Play-Doh.

Deanna C. said...

Yes please...I love this blog and that is why I'm entering this giveaway...looks cool!

Shauna said...

I can totally relate to this! I became friends/enemies with the on-call nurses when I'd call about every little thing Taylor did, or didn't do. His poop was too big, it was too small, it wasn't happening, he didn't look happy to see me, etc!!

I am crossing my fingers, as I am pregnant with my second!!

Hugs!
Shauna

lemondropstudio@gmail.com

Shauna said...

I put this on Twitter. @lemon_drop

Thanks!
Shauna

lemondropstudio@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Pick me! Pick me! Haha! Judahmom7@msn.com :-) Seriously, Pick me!

~Crystal

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