This tape is essentially a sales pitch for the Lamaze method of "natural" childbirth, but it is so balanced and clearly presented that any mother-and father-to-be, especially first-time parents, can learn something. The presence of a number of celebrities who discuss having had children using the method lends a showbiz quality to the presentation. Kenny and Marianne Rogers, John and Nancy Ritter and Cindy Williams and Bill Hudson are among the famous names, with Lorenzo Lamas and his wife and former publicist, Michele, serving as hosts. Lamas is not someone most people would turn to as a font of wisdom, but his low-key style is reassuring. Lamaze teacher Joey Jupiter chirps through her lessons with an attitude more suited to selling laundry detergent than teaching about babies. She does, however, discuss the pros and cons of anesthetics during delivery and offers well-illustrated information on the biology of pregnancy. The tape concludes with a real birth scene shot at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, whose staff provided the tape's technical advisers. The birth itself is shown matter-of-factly, as if it were just another everyday miracle. (MCA Home Video, $39.95)
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