Rating: 
Summary: Highly recommend!
Review: A wonderful book that was so helpful in preparing us to have a wonderful and satisfying labor and delivery! One very helpful thing about this book was that it wasn't "scary" like some books on labor/delivery--I felt it prepared me for possible complications, but didn't make me worry about it (and I'm good at worrying!) Part of what gives this husband and wife author team so much appeal is they've "been there, done that" when it comes to pregnancy/childbirth. There's a lot to be said for that. I would definitely recommend this book and their others for anyone during this special time of life.
Rating:
Summary: The Definitive Guide!
Review: I love this book! I read it when I was pregnant and it really encouraged me in my desire to have a drug-free birth. However, it does not judge women who decide to have drugs; it does talk about how to use those drugs appropriately. It also talks about how to move around and use different positions to facilitate labor, which I found very helpful during the actual birth. I especially enjoyed the real-life birth stories in the end.
Rating:
Summary: A definitive source for childbirth education
Review: I use this book as a "text" for my childbirth education series. It is far superior to the best-seller, "What to expect when you're expecting." The information is objective and promotes an empowered birthing woman and family. I only wish more women were aware of it's superiority as a resource. If you are pregant or looking for a baby shower gift, this is the book for you. I have been deeply involved with childbirth for over 20 years and heartily recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: This book proves that knowledge is power!
Review: After reading The Birth Book, I knew I could have the natural, unmedicated birth that I wanted. Friends and family laughed at my ambitions, but I felt I had a thorough understanding of what my body would go through during the birth process. This book made me informed and confident in my decisions and abilities. I DID have the birth I wanted. Although it was long (35 hrs.), I managed without any medication (not even an IV.) My doctor was wonderful in following our birth plan, and we had the help of a doula. I wouldn't have known giving birth could be so wonderful and empowering without this book!
Rating:
Summary: A comprehensive, invaluable must read book!
Review: As a Natural Childbirth Educator, I highly recommend this book for all expecting mothers. It is a comprehensive guide to the risks and benefits of many of the interventions routinely used in birth. This knowledge empowers mothers-to-be to make choices to ensure they have low risk pregnancies and births and avoid many of the routine interventions used in hospital births today. Dr. and Mrs. Sears bring a wealth of knowledge based on their personal experience and their professional backgrounds and I recommend any of their books, especially this one.
Rating:
Summary: The best gift you can give your pregnant friends!
Review: Dr. and Mrs. Sears, thank you! This book has given my husband and me the courage of our conviction that less medical intervention is more for our baby. It is the most informative, uplfting and empowering pregancy book I have seen. Dr. and Mrs. Sears recognize that giving birth is a natural thing for most woman, and women should understand it as such. The information in the book is presented in an easy to understand cost vs. benefit manner, giving the expectant parents the facts they need to decide what tests and other interventions they might or might not want. DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Unbiased, factual account of everything that involves birth
Review: Dr. Sears and his wife offer a wealth of unbiased and factual knowledge of "anything and everything" that a couple may encounter during the course of pregnancy and the birth process. They offer their experiences in childbirth as an introduction as to why they wrote the book. They attempt to explain every possible test and use of technology that may be needed/offered during prenatal care and labor. The entire book is written in an unbiased, risk vs. benefit method. The use of this book alone has psychologically assisted my parents to be to understand that birth is a natural process and it is nothing to fear. I recommend this book to my patients in preconception visits. And highly recommend every pregnant couple to purchase this book no matter what type of delivery they plan.
Rating:
Summary: Thank You! An OB allowing women to be responsible!
Review: It is so refreshing to see an actual medical doctor allowing and even expecting women to take responsibility for their own births! A hospital is not club med for birth and birthing women are not little girls asking daddy to make all the bad go away. I loved that Dr. Sears recognizes the strength inherent in all women and encourages them to gather that strength in protecting and caring for their babies before, during, & after birth! So many books (like the too famous "What to Expect When You're Expecting") always have the overtone: "Don't worry your little mind, your doctor will take care of you" attitude, while they neglect to acknowledge the realities of institutional care and the "birth mill," with drugs, numbed moms, and lots of cutting of perineums to speed you along and out of their way! Thank you Dr. Sears for providing women the information & power to make informed choices in birth. By the way, I labored 3 days with my baby and never took any pain medication & delivered uncut - because I knew it was MY choice. My son lifted his head & looked around at mom & dad immediately after he was born & nursed peacefully because I had the information to know the effects of drugs & interventions during birth. This book is a must read for any expecting family.
Rating: 
Summary: Very informative but somewhat anti-technology.
Review: This book was very helpful in providing information about the birth process as was the sister book by the same authors on pregnancy. However, the book is very anti-ceasarian. I had a breech baby and was scheduled to have a ceasarian. (the baby actually turned in the end) This book scared me and made me question my doctor a little too much. Maybe I am naive but I really trusted my OB/Gyn. Afterall, he sees about 3 births a week. I think it is almost misleading to suggest that a woman should be able to control so much when in fact you can't. It is key to trust your delivery team and this book really made me unneccesarily scrutinize them. Read this book with a grain of salt and be flexible going into your delivery. In the end a healthy baby and mom is the most successful birth story. Do whatever it takes (technology- electronic monitoring, epidurals, etc.) to deliver a healthy baby. I spoke with several woman who chose ceasarian births - this was not discussed anywhere in the book. No wonder so many woman feel like failures if they are not able to deliver vaginally.
Rating:
Summary: Empowering and Informative
Review: The Birth Book advocates an unmedicated birth with few interventions. However it does not condemn the medical establishment. It gives the reader enough information to make well thought-out birth choices. It also gives a woman understanding of her body and the birth process to enable her to know that her body can handle the physical challenges of birth. Overall, the book puts emphasis on having a satisfying birth by fully participating in all decisions, medical or not. An excellent book!
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