Rating: 
Summary: A great book from someone who's been there.
Review: Susan Diamond's book is the most realistic I have read of this type of "true-life" book about the professions dealing pregnancy and birth. I do recommend it for everyone, but with the warning that it may disillusion you! This book should be taken as a call for change in the system. In too many places things are just as she has described them. It does not have to be that way. The only thing I really want to know, after reading this book, is... what is Susan doing now?
Rating: 
Summary: What's special about my book and how I came to write it
Review: This is such a remarkable forum for speaking directly to potential readers! You go, Amazon dot com! Hard Labor started with the story of a couple I took care of during and immediately after the birth of their baby. This baby was born without arms and legs, a complete surprise to everyone at the birth. My experience with this couple and their baby was so profound, I felt compelled to write about it. Eventually, Hard Labor emerged, a book full of amazing real-life stories of the women and babies I nursed over an eight year period. There are terrifically moving stories in this book - none of them fiction - stories that will make you cry (I guarantee!) and stories that will warm your heart. Readers' responses have been universally positive, to my great joy, although some have reported they found parts of the book extremely difficult to read, because of the emotional impact of the stories. One reader passed out on a plane while reading about a cesarean delivery! I wanted not only to share all these wonderful stories but also to add my voice to those who believe that birth in the U.S. has become far too "pathological" and mechanized. I tried to tell the non-medical reader the ways in which the medical community contributes to the process of birth and the ways in which it dehumanizes birth. <P.The book is not a how-to book for pregnant women, although there is some advice offered in the epilogue chapter. It is a book for anyone who's had a baby, or is thinking about doing so. Women who had their babies years ago have enjoyed the book, telling me how many memories it invoked. Several male radio interviewers kept me on the line after the live portion of the interview to tell me all about their own experiences with birth, some over thirty years ago! Hard Labor is an invaluable resource for people in the medical profession - nurses,doctors and students of nursing and medicine. Nursing student readers have found it particularly helpful in preparing them for the real world of nursing. The doctors who've read it have commented wryly about recognizing themselves in the stories about physicians. I would love to hear from readers and I would encourage anyone who is an "ER" or "Chicago Hope" fanatic to get this book - it's the real thing! The stories will touch your heart, I promise!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: This is the first book in a long time that I've read cover to cover. Very engaging and exactly what I was looking for as I am 7 months pregnant and expecting a hospital birth this time. I was feeling quite adversarial toward the medical establishment and this book put it all in perspective, I now have much sympathy for the nurses and doctors. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to have a nurse as involved as Susan.
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