Dr. Mark Sloan, a pediatrician, has been in the trenches (so to speak) of childbirth for 25 years and has been present for more than 3,000 births. Sloan takes readers of BIRTH DAY: A Pediatrician Explores the Science, the History and the Wonder of Childbirth on a remarkable journey, from the dawn of human history to the quiet efficiency of a modern operating room; from Aristotle and Julius Caesar to a trailblazing, cross-dressing army surgeon; from a recent past filled with the horrors of childbirth gone wrong to our present day, in which every pregnancy is expected to end happily.

Among other fascinating tidbits, BIRTH DAY answers--

What happens to a newborn during the first five minutes of its life? What physical transformations must occur for a fetus, living off an umbilical cord,  to become a living, breathing, wailing baby within a few minutes?
Why a pregnant woman might actually prefer to have the body of a gorilla when the time comes to give birth
To epidural or not to epidural? How much does it actually hurt to have a baby?
How has the role fathers play during birth changed over the years? Is there a biological shift that turns a “manly man” into a “gushing daddy”?
What is a fetus able to see, hear and taste in the womb?
Why most people won’t have a “perfect 10” baby—at least not on the Apgar scale

Dr. Sloan will have a book signing at Powell’s Books at 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd tonight at 7:30.