Rating: 
Summary: An excellent resource no matter how you plan to birth
Review: Every woman planning to have children should read at least one book about "unassisted" childbirth -- birth without medical or midwifery personnel -- no matter what her plans might be. Does it sound far out? You betcha, when the idea first enters your mind. But is it really any more extreme than the typical hospital birth, with iv's and bleeping machines and the assumption underlying it all that birth is a dangerous and pathological condition? The more I learned about unassisted birth, the more I realized that it is birth reduced to its essentials --- truly normal birth, unhindered and "as safe as life gets." This book was part of that learning.Laura Shanley takes a spiritual approach to her exploration of birth. Though it differs from my own spiritual philosophy, I appreciated learning about her journey. She does not skimp on well-referenced information on safety, but I would say the strength of this work is personal empowerment and appreciation of truly normal birth. This book and others on unassisted childbirth are certainly helpful to those seeking a similar experience, but even those planning a conventional attended birth will surely benefit from the balance this book would lend to the usual collection of pregnancy advice that simply assumes birth NEEDS attending. I used midwives when I birthed, but my experience was certainly better than it would have been had I not been aware that they were a choice, not a requirement.
Rating: 
Summary: Philosophical psychobabble BLEH!
Review: Highly recommended to me by everyone I spoke to about UC - I was dissapointed. Half way through the book I had a migraine. Laura's beliefs about the universe, god, the "Christ myth" etc. simply do not agree with my own beliefs. I had a difficult time sorting through the philosophy to apply concepts to my own belief system. The Seth stuff is too weird for words. It's a shame one has to come off sounding like a psychco fruitcake in order to promote Unassisted Childbirth. She makes it sound like a tree-hugger, liberal, feminist, godless thing to do. Normal human beings can have safe, beautiful unassisted births as well. Someone write a book about it & save us from this blah blah blah.
Rating: 
Summary: The Myth of Medical Safety
Review: I am a Certified Childbirth Educator, and I wholeheartedly support and endorse Unassisted Childbirth by Laura Kaplan Shanley. In this country, we tend to worship the medical model as if it is the only viable alternative. Speaking as a health care professional, a former labor support person, and a person who has experienced a home birth, I cannot tell you the number of times I have observed complications caused by the medical handling of birth and prenatal care. Yes, fetal deaths happen at home, but even more of them happen in hospitals. If you take 100 home births and 100 hospital births and look at how many end up with complications or death, you will find in every case that home births have fewer complications than hospital births. The fact that someone had a baby die at home should not dissuade them from taking charge of their own health and having the birth they want next time. Does every person who ever had someone die in the hospital stop going to the hospital for good? But that's what some people would have us do with home birth. Laura makes good sense, and she has been there. Even SHE did have a baby die after giving birth at home, but her doctors told her that the baby would have died anyway even if it had given birth at the hospital. You see, medicine is not the answer to everything.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the read
Review: I first read Unassisted Childbirth before my first was born. I had already decided we were going to UC, but I wasn't totally committed. Although I don't agree with all of Laura's spiritual/religious beliefs, they did not detract (for me) from the ultimate message of the book, which is that UC is a viable choice and the key is trusting yourself and God. She does not denigrate those who don't choose UC, but shows that it is a respectful decision for those who so decide. We have had two beautiful, planned, unassisted births and look forward to many more. This book was the clincher for me. It brought me to the ultimate peace and tranquility I needed to proceed with our decision. I have never turned back and I thank Laura for sharing her journey and stories and thoughts with us. She has brought unassisted birth to the forefront of birthing choices and I believe the world is better for it.
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Summary: Finding faith to birth unassisted...
Review: I have given birth unassisted twice now and I am fixing to do it again! This book was immensely helpful in my journey to birth alone...I took a great deal of wisdom and comfort from her pages. I learned that I have the power to create my own reality and that I can have the birth of my dreams through meditation and faith...Although Laura's book was not my all time favorite book on this subject, it definately has points to ponder and insights that aren't available in some of the other books on unassisted birth. I highly recommend this book to any woman who is planning or wants to birth unassisted, which is the safest and most beautiful way to have a baby, in my opinion (and yes, I have given birth in a hospital, so I should know!!) I believe our bodies are perfect and that birth is natural and beautiful and will happen regardless of where you are or who is with you, but it will happen more easily and safely if you are comfortable in your body and in your surroundings...
Rating:
Summary: Answer to my prayers
Review: I thank Laura for being a strong woman and for standing up to what she believes in. I always believed that birth "had" to be taken place in a hospital and it was going to be painful (from what people instilled in my head and what I had watched on Baby Story, Lifetime, etc) and having birth at home was something from the dark ages. But not anymore! My outlook on childbirth is different now now that I have this book and from Laura Shanley's website and I PLAN on giving birth at home ALONE with our first child and peacefully! I recommend this book to any expectant mother or people thinking on starting a family. Though giving birth at home unassisted isn't the only option (this is YOUR decision), but an option for many women, it will give you a refreshing outlook on life!
Rating:
Summary: Answer to my prayers
Review: I thank Laura for being a strong woman and for standing up to what she believes in. I always believed that birth "had" to be taken place in a hospital and it was going to be painful (from what people instilled in my head and what I had watched on Baby Story, Lifetime, etc) and having birth at home was something from the dark ages. But not anymore! My outlook on childbirth is different now now that I have this book and from Laura Shanley's website and I PLAN on giving birth at home ALONE with our first child and peacefully! I recommend this book to any expectant mother or people thinking on starting a family. Though giving birth at home unassisted isn't the only option (this is YOUR decision), but an option for many women, it will give you a refreshing outlook on life!
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Summary: This book helped change my life for the better.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It enabled me to make a paradigm shift from the average modern medical mindset. So, that I was able to birth my baby at home in the safest most loving environment possible. I thank God that I found this book. I learned so much.
Rating: 
Summary: Please don't buy
Review: I was appalled when I received my copy of this book. I think the author and her husband are completely irresponsible, if not insane. The author advocated unassisted childbirth for everyone regardless of the circumstances. This is very dangerous brain washing. Women and babies have died from heeding her advice. As a matter of fact, the author had one of her own babies die after an unassisted birth. This is written about in her book, but it is something she does not share with the many women in her following who go to her web site and belong to her email list. But judging from her laid back attitude about the death of her baby, perhaps she feels it is not something even worth mentioning. After all, in her book she makes it clear she did not want the baby and felt his death was for the best.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, just not what I expected
Review: I was looking for more of a how-to book on UC. For example, how to cut and tie the cord, how to take care of minor complications (read: variations of normal) that may occur, and how to stabilize more serious conditions, such as a newborn who doesn't breathe right away. Instead it was mostly stories and perspectives. There was a chapter on the dangers of medical intervention, but it was way too short. Nowhere in the book does it say that UC or homebirth is for every woman, or that medical intervention is never necessary. In other countries (with better infant and maternal mortality rates) homebirths are 33% of all births; in the U.S. they are 1%. I believe homebirth can be for most women. If a woman is comfortable with UC, it's probably because it's right for her. I was born by planned UC in the late 70s; I grew up thinking that was how all babies were born. I decided to have my first child in the hospital, out of ignorance and fear, and I am planning an attended homebirth for my second, with midwives who have agreed to be hands-off. Shanley mentions one important thing - medical intervention cannot save all babies. Some are just not going to live. In the case of her UC birth where the baby died, it was later determined that he would not have survived even if born in the hospital. If he didn't have a chance of living very long after birth, the best thing was probably for him to have been born peacefully at home. So, the book was fairly good, but I actually got a lot more out of the website.
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