The perfect shower gift or just-because treat for the new mother, Little Gems celebrates pregnancy, birth, and motherhood with fascinating tales and traditions from more than fifty cultures around the world.

"An old Russian proverb claims that labor will go more smoothly if both parents-to-be confess the names of all their previous lovers. So all that screaming and yelling you hear in the delivery suite? It might not be pain related.”

When it comes to childbirth and child rearing, what can other cultures teach us about motherhood? And what can we learn from the way our great grandmothers did things? Many young women are looking to folk wisdom and folk tradition for guidance (just think of the rise in midwives, doulas, belly-binding, postpartum herb baths, and placenta smoothies). This book is full of little gems—customs, folklore, and cultural practices from around the world as well as the voices of contemporary mothers. This beautifully illustrated book is a delightful read with a good dose of humor and fun. It's a refreshingly different gift for new mothers.