Rating: 
Summary: I've read better
Review: I bought this book for two reasons - one because it's on a list of required reading for a doula certification I'm currently working on and two because of all the great reviews on here. I can't say I was very impressed with the book overall though. There are parts that are pretty good - I liked the information on water births and I do like that overall the book it very pro-birth and pro-natural pain relief, etc. etc. However it also comes across as very biased to me and anti-men. And the information on alcohol was just disturbing and wrong.
I was also very disturbed when I read the section on diapering where she compared cloth to disposables - she states that women who use cloth change their babies less often and that therefore using disposables is better for the baby. This is such an absurd statement and shows that the author not only has no experience in using cloth diapers but obviously didn't even bother to talk to anyone that does. It's impossible to leave a child in a cloth diaper as long as one can in a disposable!! Independent research studies have shown that cloth diapers get changed on average 2 to 3 times MORE often then disposables. That section was so off-base that it made me wonder about the rest of the content.
Rating: 
Summary: Best Pregnancy book ever!
Review: I bought this book while alone and pregnant living in Japan. It was with out a doubt the most informative book I read. I first bought what to expect, stressed myself out trying to eat by their meal plan, and was really offended by their bordering on racist remarks about beliefs of other cultures ( such as sleeping with babies or using babycarriers.) Kitzinger's book helped me to feel confident that I was healthy and able to take on the challanges of pregnancy and childbirth. I did not think that she was too new age in fact she opened my eyes to medicated childbirth as well as water births. I remember reading the part about alcohol, and I feel that it comes from a British perspective. I think that in the U.S. people tend to take things to extremes, and I do not think that having one glass of wine or beer is harmful. If anything I think that it is better to mellow out with a glass of wine then to be stressed out through out one's pregnancy. All in all this is the book I recomend to everyone, the pictures of the different childbirths are themselves worthy of buying the book. The last thing that I would like to point out to the person who wrote such a nasty review is that Shelia Kitzinger is a mother of 5, and an anthropologist who studied childbirth practice all around the world. I think that she is quite qualified to write a book on childbirth.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book and all of Sheila's others
Review: I can't believe people would give this book negative reviews. Sheila helped open so many doors for me during my second pregancy that I didn't even know existed during my first. She helped me gain knowledge and seek out more. I knew of every option available to me and I created a pefectly wonderful birth for me and my second child. This should be required reading for all pregnant women especially if they want to have the wonderful amazing birth that they deserve. Better birthing-better breasfeeding-better babies-----better!!!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, useful book!
Review: I cannot understand how some readers interpreted Kitzinger's meesage as "man-hating," Or even as particularly radical. Midwifery has been common in Europe and many othere parts of the world for centuries (it was even common in the United states until this century!). it is the United States which is currently backward in its birthing techniques, in that childbirth is often considered a "medical emergency," and only normal "after the fact." As a European now living in Canada, Kitzinger hardly seems radical - she makes good sense. This text, now out in a new edition (it is on the bookshelves here) is a pleasure, and I am enjoying it far more than What to Expect When You are Expecting, which was cold, dry and filled with rather alarming DON'TS! I think women (and men) need to find ways to make the birth experience their own, surrounded (of course) by well-trained, knowledgeable medical professionals, who truly hear their clients. Both women and men are guilty of turning their doctors into gods, and we forget we are consumers of a very memorable and important service. Kitzinger reminds us of this, warmly and thoughtfully in her much-needed book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! All first-time mothers should have it!
Review: I just don't understand all these reviews that says that Ms. Kitzinger hates men and doctors! I found nothing in her book hateful! She may be a tad pro-natural birth, but probably only because she had natural births herself. Honestly, I thought she was VERY unbiased. She presents all of your different options for location of birth, pain medication versus natural methods, waterbirth, etc., in a pretty neutral manner. And some of the things that she says about doctor's visits is VERY TRUE, such as the woman feeling like she's on the birth mill. I feel that way at regular doctor's appointments sometimes when I sit for 45 minutes and the doctor sees me for a hasty five minutes. Who doesn't feel like they are on a medical assembly line when this happens?She also talks to you like you are a competent adult capable of making informed decisions instead of a drooling idiot, unlike SOME pregnancy and birth books (What to Expect When You're Expecting comes to mind.) Oh, and by the way, for that reviewer down there who thinks that waterbirth is backwards and New-Agey and uncommon; I think you would be surprised to learn how many women from all walks of life are now choosing this method of birth. It's not just for hippies in tye-dyed clothing, like you seem to think it is. And it is very safe. First-time mothers, if you want to know all your options and weigh the pros and cons of each choice you will have to make regarding pregnancy and birth, GET THIS BOOK. Also try Dr. Sears "The Birth Book". Pregnancy and birth are not diseases, and you ARE competent enough to make your own choices regarding them. Enjoy your pregnancy and the birth of your baby!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book for Expectant Moms-Very Informative and Complete
Review: I loved reading this book as a mother and an in-training doula. I wish I would have had this book when I was pregnant with my first baby. It covers questions that I wanted answers to, but I didn't know what to ask. I felt like the author prefers a home birth over a hospital birth, although she did a great job of giving a hospital vs. home birth atmosphere without making me feel like one way was the right way. Sheila Kitzinger gave healthy options in both atmospheres so I could choose what would work for me. She was very informative and gave enough information to make me feel like I didn't need more.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book for Expectant Moms-Very Informative and Complete
Review: I loved reading this book as a mother and an in-training doula. I wish I would have had this book when I was pregnant with my first baby. It covers questions that I wanted answers to, but I didn't know what to ask. I felt like the author prefers a home birth over a hospital birth, although she did a great job of giving a hospital vs. home birth atmosphere without making me feel like one way was the right way. Sheila Kitzinger gave healthy options in both atmospheres so I could choose what would work for me. She was very informative and gave enough information to make me feel like I didn't need more.
Rating:
Summary: hopeful midwife in training
Review: I ordered this book on accident but after I got it and started reading everything is so easy to referance. Good description of positions for pregnancy labor and delivery- not to mention helpful post pregnancy advice too. I wish I had known about this book when I was prenant with my last baby. I will be adding this book to my lending library (after I get another one that is). Very impressive material. It is easily understood by someone who has little to no medical experiance and is informative enough to keep the attention of those with medical experiance.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for first time mothers!
Review: I purchased this book in 1998 when I was 24 years old, & pregnant with my first child. It was insightful and gave me a play by play on pregnancy & childbirth. I am 35 and pregnant with my second child. I misplaced my book while moving, so last week I thumbed through a copy. It has been updated and is better than ever. I didn't pruchase another copy because, I learned everything I needed to know from my first book. I would purchase this book for a first time mother to be. Thank you Shelia, for the wealth of information that I received from your book. I had no fear doing my pregnancy & delivery because your book was so informative. 2 thumbs up on this book! :)
Rating: 
Summary: Unbalanced, biased, and dangerous
Review: I purchased this book partially because of the reviews it received on Amazon, but also because it was included in a book list from the hospital where I will be taking my birthing classes. And there is interesting information in there about the birthing process, what to expect, and what a woman's options are. However, that's information you can get elsewhere. I would highly discourage any woman from reading this book, but particularly other women who are experiencing the pressure and issues related to high risk pregnancies. I would agree with the above reviews that this book is not anti-Doctor. However, I couldn't help but feel as if the author was being judgmental towards those women who decide to give birth (naturally or otherwise) in a hospital. As a juvenile diabetic, I view my pregnancy as something of a miracle which would not have been able to happen unless I was under the wonderful, and supportive, care of my doctor and hospital staff - the same institutions Kitzinger is obviously weary of. And as a woman, I fully believe that we're suppose to be able to choose whatever methods are best for us, even if that means medical assistance or having our babies in a hospital instead of at home. It's hard enough having a high risk pregnancy without having to feel as if we're still doing something wrong. That would have been enough for me to just set this book aside and turn to another. But than Kitzinger, who even quotes studies suggesting that you're doing something wrong if you want to have even an ultrasound, states the following: "However, most women can drink in moderation during pregnancy and have a perfect baby. Limit your intake to 10 units of alcohol a week and do spread them out over the week." This is someone who has no problem throwing at the reader every obscure study she can find about how dangerous medical treatment can be during pregnancy, but she ignores all the studies which point out, over and over again, how dangerous it is to drink? I was horrified and outraged at the double standard. If you're going to read this book, just make sure you understand where her obvious bias is coming from. And please, please, don't actually think it's okay to have ten glasses of wine a week while pregnant. It will do serious damage to your baby.
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