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Summary: A MUST READ for any pregnant woman
Review: There is so much to learn about childbirth that you will never hear from your Dr. or the Hospital. I highly recommend this book for any woman who would like to be able to make her own choices on her birth experience. You DO NOT need to be treated like an ill paitent and do what your Dr. tells you. In this case, they do not know best. There are many potential complications with the medical procedures and drugs they can provide. You can actually have a better, shorter, safer labor and delivery than you would have ever imagined if you do it naturally. This book will also introduce you to the role of the Doula birth partner if you don't already know how a Doula can help you make child birth a POSITIVE experience, rather than just another disappointing horror story to share with other mothers. Along with this book, you should at least read "Birthing from Within" and you should take a childbirth class other than Lamazze. Imagery Birthing, Hypnobirthing or the Bradley Method are all mother/child friendly techniques that help you understand how your body works and what it needs to do during labor and delivery. It's a way of making the pain bearable as it works to deliver your baby. It can be a positive experience as you will learn. Good luck to all you expectant moms and dads!
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Summary: Read this if you don't know much about obstetrical care . .
Review: Your eyes will be opened. If you are ready to trust your obstetrician and believe that s/he will make the best decisions for you and your baby, you need to read this book. Goer clearly lays out the pros and cons of various medical practices that are common in the U.S. She contrasts these with the common practices in other industrialized nations that have better outcomes for mothers and babies.Goer is fair in that she acknowledges that many obstetricians are doing what they believe to be best--they were trained in medical schools and residency programs that view pregnancy as a disease or condition which usually requires intervention. She also acknowledges that just because you choose a midwife doesn't mean you'll get better care and just because you choose an OB doesn't mean you'll get poor care. Each practitioner is different and it is up to the "thinking woman" to seek out a caregiver with whom she can work and develop a sense of trust. It is important to know your options. Few hospital birth classes will give you the real low-down on the side effects and complications associated with epidurals. Most obstetricians won't recommend you get a second opinion before performing a C-section even though it is major surgery and, more often than not, not a true emergency situation (obviously, in a true emergency, you'll be rushed to the operating room). This book will inspire you to seek out alternatives to the way your were born and many of your friends gave birth. Family and friends may think you're strange for not wanting to do it the way everyone else does, but that's often the case with pioneers. This book is not the best for building your skills and confidence for natural birth, but it's a good starting point to help you realize the benefits of natural childbirth. A great book to read along with this is "Husband-Coached Childbirth" by Dr. Bradley and any other books on the Bradley Method.
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Summary: Balanced information, cohesively presented
Review: I found this to be the most helpful book I read on labor and delivery. While I ended up having a C-section, (after baby was nearly 3 weeks later than due date) and never went into labor even after attempted induction, my feelings about the situation were much more accepting than they would have been had I not read this. I ended up choosing midwives for my childbirth care, and their c-section rate was about 7%. The OB I started with had a rate closer to 25%, something it took several questions to get her to reveal. All in all, it speaks to the need of health care to be viewed as something we are actively engaged in wtih our care providers, not as passive acceptors of decision making we are not part of. This can be applied to all aspects fo health care, not just childbirth.
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Summary: Comprehensive guide to informed choice
Review: As a Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator I recommed this book as a resource to my clients when they are looking for a good information based book. Henci Goer clearly shows concise information backed by medical and evidence based studies. She is a natural birth advocate, which she admits, and honestly states her biases. There certainly isn't anything wrong with that; it is her book and she isn't making up the facts or stating untruths, it's all in the evidence. A few reviews took offense to her tone and her biases and I found it very interesting how defensive a few people felt when reading the book. Ms. Goer does not have a "natural birth at all costs" attitude, although it is apparent that some readers took her opionions as such. She states the hard facts that are seen every day in every hospital in the United States; they are facts that not everyone wants or is able to hear. Ms. Goer is not trying to scare women about invasive medical procedures. The fact is that procedures like inductions, epidurals, vacuum extractions, episiotomies and cesarean surgeries are scary all on their own, and women should know all of the information about these procedures before pursuing them. The reality of it all is that not everyone wants to have an un-medicated or natural experience; and that is absolutely their choice. It is important that they have all of the information in order to make their choice an informed one about their bodies, their babies, and their births; this book gives women the information they need.
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Summary: Encouraging, incredibly informative
Review: In my opinion, this book best fits the woman who finds comfort in knowledge and who wants to educate herself on hospital delivery--what tends to happen, the outcomes of interventions on yourself and your baby, and how to avoid problems. For example, there is a chapter on epidurals that tells how they're done (with picture) and the pros and cons of the procedure. Do realize that the author does openly promote a "natural" style of birth (p.136). I wanted that, so I found this book incredibly encouraging and informative. It gives research that supported my desires and it tells procedures of how to avoid episiotomy, unneccessary c-section, IVs and narcotics, etc. This book also helped me to develop my birth plan and gave me confidence in my decisions. The last third of the book is filled with literature summaries to support the claims she made in the text. Full references are there, in case you want to look up the research article yourself.
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Summary: This book is a must have for any woman planning a pregnancy!
Review: This book is extremely informative in all aspects of pregnancy and delivery. The book is based on research, rather than mainstream "doctor" culture, as most others are (i.e., What to Expect When You're Expecting) and will give you straight facts about various procedures and how to best equip yourself for a safe birth. It has information in there that doctors won't tell you- risks of various procedures in particular. When I read this book after having a primary cesarian, I was disgusted at how my doctor had totally glossed over the risks associated with cesarian births, and had not even hinted at some of the risks that could affect my body for future pregnancies. It is the job of every woman to be informed when making choices for her own body and baby, and this book is a wonderful comprehensive guide to start a woman on the path of the informed.
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Summary: birthingnaturally.net recommends this book.
Review: Henci Goer has done a phenomenal job reviewing the available research for parents. The book is broken down by specific research topics such as pitocin, epidurals, and cesarean. Each topic is again broken down into reviews of the research, pros and cons of procedures and recommendations to parents. If you want to have a medicated birth, this book will help you understand the risks of procedures and give you suggestions for ways to minimize the risks. If you want to have a natural birth, this book can provide you with research and resources to help you achieve that goal. This book is written in easy to understand language, but does refer to medical research and procedures. There is no attempt by the author to write in an "upbeat" or positive manner, and her discouragement at the medical establishment because of thier failure to practice according to research recommendations is obvious. For some families, this book works better like an encyclopedia or other reference book than a "read it cover to cover" book.
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Summary: I can't say enough about the importance of reading this...
Review: ...even if you aren't an advocate for natural birth. Though the author does have a bias towards birthing being as natural and unmedicated as possible, it is with good reason. I admit that I share her bias, though I'm going to remove my cape here and say that I believe it is more important for women to be informed about their birthing choices than to agree with me personally. I don't believe doctors tell women in enough detail what the risks or benefits are of any procedure or intervention. This book fills a large hole where the medical community may have forgotten or failed to mention something that might have otherwise made the woman's decision truly informed. Whatever your position on birth, this book is a worthwhile read, for the vast and heavily-supported information on the choices and options women have in childbirth.
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Summary: All Hypnobabies Students are recommended to read this book!
Review: I would also recommend it to ANY pregnant couple, since they will easily learn how to make informed, intelligent decisions of their own for their pregnancy, labor and birth. Knowledge of birthing choices is a key component to a safe and satisfying childbirth experience.This book keeps its promise to educate and empower, emparting vital information on the technology driven birthing world in which we find ourselves today, and how birthing couples can attend to their own agendas instead of serving those of their medical care providers. A MUST READ.
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Summary: Read Other Books Too
Review: It seems to me that this book encourages women not to listen to Doctors and to only listen to the methods in this book. It gives you some preparation for seeing a Dr but really tells you not to. Not sound practices. I know many women who have natural birth and they read many books to get different viewpoints.
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