Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife

Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: I bought this book because I am doing research for a novel and I have no experience with childbirth. This is a big help. Other books I am reading are "Spirtual Midwifery" and "A Midwife's Tale". BTW did you know that this author writes reviews of other products on Amazon?

Rating:
Summary: Baby Catcher
Review: I could not put this book down! My children kept wanting exerpts read to them as I chuckled to myself or as they saw tears streaming down my face! This book is an amazing affirmation about the beautiful miracle of birth. It is told from the midwife's perspective which gives a new spin to the inspirational birth stories! I am recommending this book to everyone I meet! The other Doulas I work with and I compare so many stories we have to those in this amazing book! You will never regret the purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Thank you for this book
Review: I've been a midwife for more than 20 years, and never before have I read such a realistic accounting of my own profession, of the joys and sorrows, the difficulties and rewards, the benefits and risks. Speaking as one from within the ranks, I can attest to the truth of Ms. Vincent's stories. I've been there, done that, and I'm glad someone has finally written my story for me. Thanks.

Rating:
Summary: A Big Disappointment
Review: I read the reviews of this book and was eagerly awaiting it's arrival. I'm thinking of studying to become a midwife, and I thought this book would give me some insight into what I have in store for me. While I agree that Peggy is a fascinating storyteller, I can't help but feel that she has turned out a highly sensationalized view of midwifery, ignoring every regular birth, and focusing only on the birth on a winding mountain road in the back seat of a speeding car kind of thing, which is not exactly the realistic insider's look I was hoping for. Anyhow, that is not even my big problem with book. I would still think it was a great read, except for the smearing of expletives scattered throughout what would otherwise be beautiful stories. With every page I continue to read, they get worse and worse. I like a good clean read, meaning I could read it to my kids or mother without blushing. If that's what your into, avoid this book!! I don't appreciate vulgarity, and I don't think it needed a place in this book. It also makes Peggy seem much less intelligent. For goodness sakes, WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND A GOOD BOOK? I can't finish the book, which is really sad. It had such great potential.

Rating:
Summary: The best ever
Review: Wow, reading Baby Catcher made me want to have another baby. I laughed and cried while reading these powerful chapters. I whooped and hollered, held my breath, and then raced through the rest of the book. I mean, it just grabs onto you and won't let go. I felt as though I was catching some of the babies myself, in some of the chapters, and in others I felt like I was actually giving birth.
If you're a childbirth junkie, don't miss this story of a California midwife who probably saw it all - and then wrote a great book about it.

Rating:
Summary: Where was this book when I needed it?
Review: If I had read this book when I was pregnant with my first child, I would have done things very differently - and I'll bet I wouldn't have ended up with so much medication, tied down to machines, and just miserable for about 40 hours.
My son is 2 years old, and now I'm pregnant with my second - and I'm having a home birth with a wonderful midwife. And it's all because of this book, which opened my eyes to the real meaning of "normal childbirth," and it's sure not what goes on in OB wards these days!
Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: This book hooks you, and hooks you good
Review: I was hooked from the first chapter about Zelda to the last chapter about the young Muslim woman. There is no other book like Baby Catcher on the market. It doesn't scare you (although all the births don't have happy outcomes, just like in real life); instead, it gives you faith and courage to give birth in your own way. We women all dance to different drummers, and we need to be given permission during labor to listen to our own internal music. That's what Baby Catcher is really about: offering us women the realization that, really, our bodies already know how to have babies; we just need to get rid of all the 'noise' coming from the obstetricians who want us to believe we NEED them in order to birth safely and triumphantly.
No way. For a Special Delivery, hire a midwife!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome! This book made me fearless
Review: All the other books I read during my pregnancy scared me. Baby Catcher empowered me. It made me fearless. If all those women could do it - and do it in so many, many different ways, then for sure I knew I could do it, too.
And I did! I didn't have her at home, but I chose a midwife and a birthing center. And although I think I made a lot of noise, I felt fine about it. Everything went so smoothly, I had no drugs, my awesome midwife was with me the whole time, and my daughter came into the world with wide open eyes.
And I swear it's because someone gave me Baby Catcher to read. Otherwise I'd have stayed with my OB and probably ended up with pitosin and an epidural and a cesarean, like all my friends.
Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: The best and most sensible book on the subject
Review: This is the book for those who want an unbiased and balanced book on childbirth. Ms. Vincent has no agenda, no axe to grind, no diatribe. Her goal appears to be to open the eyes of women who are considering birth options so that they realize they have more choices than they may first have thought.
Baby Catcher is also a story of one modern midwife and how she was ultimately foiled by the Big Three: doctors, lawyers, and the insurance industry. As such, Baby Catcher serves as a wake-up call for women: there are still more battles to be won in this arena.
Read this one before all the others.

Rating:
Summary: This is the biggest waste of time and money,
Review: Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent was the biggest waste of my time and money. I thought this book was a bunch of rot and drivel! Yuck! I do not like this woman's book or her silly reviews of other people's hard earned efforts as writers. She is no one to be passing judgement on anyone else!