Rating: 
Summary: good
Review: A bit dated in regards to what hospitals offer, but that may be because we live in a progressive major metro area with lots of different cultures so the hospitals around us tend to allow more choices than the book suggests. Of course, you must be informed and take control no matter what.The book has some good suggestions and ideas for those who don't want to be a part of the "baby factory" of many large hospitals.
Rating: 
Summary: Most OB/GYNs won't recommend this book...
Review: because it focuses on the mother-to-be naturally reclaiming the birth process. This book was one of my tried-and-true resources during my pregnancy while I was thoughtfully trying to decide what birth experience I wanted. I ended up making an informed decision to have a midwife-assisted natural homebirth, and it was the most exhilarating experience of my life. There is no other way I would want to bring a child into this world. I challenge any mother-to-be to think for herself, inform herself of all the options, and make the choice SHE (not just her OB/GYN) feels is right. Thank God a medically-controlled hospital birth is not the only option. Blessed are the babies who receive such a warm welcome into the world. And, my heart breaks for every innocent little soul who is yanked from his mother's womb by a pair of cold, latex-gloved hands in a cold, bright, sterilized hospital. Trust me, women...there IS a better way! You have all the resources and strength within you to have exactly the kind of birth you want.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for somethings,
Review: but don't read this if you are only going to read one book.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for any pregnant moms!
Review: Everyone always told me the hospital was the only place you could give birth and I was absolutely terrified of the thought of a birth in a hospital. Even my insurance company and my doctor told me there were no other options. This book is WONDERFUL. Not only does it tell you how to make a hospital birth better by giving you information your doctor won't and voicing your opinion (and meaning it), but also covers all of the other non-hospital options available to you (such as birthing centers) that your doctor will never tell you about. I have the book and video set, and would strongly recommend the set to anyone having a baby, whether they plan to go to a hospital or not. I noticed a VERY distinct almost unreal difference in the births in the video compared to video of hospital births. This is a MUST HAVE.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent information on natural options, beautiful photos.
Review: Gentle Birth Choices is a wonderful book to read whether you have already decided to birth naturally, or you are considering it. Even if you have decided to use medication, the material is so informative, it may be an educational experience for you. The information provided on birthing "myths" is extremely helpful to women given that all too often we are provided only one side of the story when dealing with the medical profession. The photographs are also so gorgeous. They show women birthing in all different settings. The photos show how birth can look when women trust nature and their bodies. I would recommend this book to all pregnant women so they can see that there are options to hospitals and medical procedures.
Rating:
Summary: Drastic Birth Change..... for the better!
Review: Gentle Birth Choices was my birth changer. I knew I wanted a natural birth, but after reading about the wonderful experiences that other women have had, and also finding out a little more in depth about hospital births, this book has not only swayed my husband and I to indulge in a home birth, but to also give water birth a try. The most important thing to me is serenity. Serenity for me AND the baby - and after reading her book, as well as several others, I have come to the conclusion that this is what we want. Not only does Barbara give you options, she gives you the history. Excellent, excellent book! Highly recommend - as if you didn't know this already. ;+)
Rating:
Summary: In 2000 not all hospitals have left the dark ages
Review: Harper has good points and empowers women to make wise choices and take responsiblity for their own labor, deliver, births. Unlike the reader who found it to be information not pertinent to today (I wish I had her hospital & doctor in my town), my birth experience with my first (& so far only child) was very much taken out of my control. My child was never in danger, I was never in danger. And despite my "birth plan" and my constantly telling my doctor that I was okay with however long my labor took as long as baby & me were fine,she intervened and eventually I ended up with a c-section. Hospital protocol dictated that I be put in hospital gown, hooked up to iv and fetal monitor despite the fact that it slowed my labor and made the pains more intense. A nurse came in every hour and offered me some sort of pain releif despite the fact that I had expressed that I didn't want it. She'd tell me I didn't have to be martyr. That was agrivating. As a result, I've been looking for hope to avoid this the next time around. Had I read this book before I believe I would NOT have the physical or emotional scars of the cesearean. I know some women are okay with their c-sections and I probably would be too if I knew that my life or my baby's life had been saved. But neither of us were ever in jeporady.
Rating:
Summary: Myths about Austin childbirth
Review: I couldn't help but add that the previous reviewer from Austin's comments are way out of line regarding childbirth in this city. First of all, not all hospital's and doctor's in Austin are as left leaning as the reviewer indicated, in fact they are way to the right. Perhaps she was in an unusual practice, or perhaps she was just misguided about the realities of what are being practiced. I, myself was with a woman OB who practiced in a female dominated practice, and they delivered babies in one of the most "liberal" hospitals in Austin. However, all of the talk was merely window dressing, and their actions were a far cry from the "we're so modern and supportive" pep talk they give you in the examination room. The practice as a group still delivered a large number of babies by cesarean or surgical vaginal extraction, and almost all of the patients had epidurals and delivered their babies on their backs in stirrups (yes, they do for a fact.) The statistics on the Austin hospitals indicate lower cesarean rates for the hospitals who service lower income women, and cesarean section rates for privately insured women in the suburbs nudge the %50 rate. Clearly, I don't believe that these higher income women have more problems giving birth, and since the fetal outcome rates are virtually the same for all of these hospitals (including the lower income public hospital), I do not believe that they are getting "better" service in these areas either. The other Austin reviewer needs to bear in mind that in order to employ a full time anesthesiologist on the labor and delivery floor, the epidural rates need to be rather high in order for them to make enough money to stick around. After all, insurance generally reimburses at a standard rate for these procedures, and the anesthesiologist needs to make a living too. Also, if more women are anesthetized, it can free the nursing staff up to take care of more patients because there isn't any support needed (or at least enough for the partner to handle) - and the patient is on full time monitoring stuck in bed and not walking around. Therefore reducing the nurse to patient ratio, and costing the hospital less money. Because of this, hospitals don't exactly discourage epidurals. Last I checked, even the most liberal hospitals in Austin had a 2-4 patient per nurse ratio. That doesn't sound like supportive staffing to me. Also, if you don't believe me, check out the hospital sponsored "Prepared Childbirth" classes that are offered at Austin's hospitals. They spend more time talking about what medical interventions to expect, along with some lame Lamaze breathing techniques which might work until the laboring women reaches the requisite 3-4 cm before they're allowed to get an epidural. I believe that the other Austin reviewer needs to bear in mind that just because a doctor is a woman does not change the pregnancy/childbirth=pathology training that they receive when they are in medical school. I myself can attest that my female OB who was so great in the beginning ended up treating me as an object that needing processing because of my "malfunctioning birth machine". Gender in obstetrics really has little if no bearing on the overall practices that are employed. Most hospitals in Austin allow rooming in, but the majority of women I know did not have the most supportive nursing staff with regard to breastfeeding. One actually had the staff accuse her of starving her baby because she didn't want them to give it a bottle, another friend couldn't have her baby discharged until she was seen by the nursing staff feeding her baby a bottle herself. No hospitals in Austin are exactly vying for the "Baby Friendly Hospital" initiative. Another indication of Austin's conservativeness regarding natural childbirth is the recent removal of midwifery services from all Austin hospitals. The OB community in Austin does not desire the competition, and would rather not promote the level of care that midwives deliver. This action alone demonstrates how backward and medieval Austin can be when it comes to having a baby. In the end, yes "Gentle Birth Choices" probably needs some updating with regard to the way many OB's try to show how modern and supportive they are by giving the option of "no pain meds", "birthing in any position you want", "rooming in", or having female OB's in the practice, and then failing to live up to those expectations. After all, a zebra can't change it's stripes. For the most part the moves toward more compassion are merely hollow words that frequently have no solid action to support their assertions. They are window dressing to get you into the practice instead of hunting down a midwife or researching more "gentle birth choices".
Rating:
Summary: Great if you're not sure about a hospital birth
Review: I first read this book while I was still at peace with the idea of a hospital birth. At that time, I thought it was a good book but quite a tough read. Then when my personal circumstances changed, I began to question hospital birth. This book was invaluable in helping me switch to a birth center, ultimately experiencing a beautiful, gentle birth in water.
Rating:
Summary: I went from being terrified to feeling empowered
Review: I have always been really scared of the birthing process. After reading this book, I felt much more empowered and confident about the whole process. Now I am really looking forward to it and feel like I understand so much more about how our bodies naturally can help us through birthing. This book sparked my interest and now I have learned a lot more about natural, drug-free birthing options. I am excited instead of scared. As with anything, we still need to make our own personal decisions about how we want to do things, but I really feel like reading this book opened me up to many options that I wasn't aware of or hadn't considered. It amazes me how many people go through being pregnant and birthing with a very limited view of how it "should be done". When I was reading the book, there were so many times where I thought, "yeah, that makes a lot of sense", even though I had never thought about it myself.
I highly recommend this book!
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