Cesarean Section: Understanding and Celebrating Your Baby's Birth

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Summary: I'm the one on the cover.
Review: I am the mum on the cover. I was approached to have the photos when I was due with my 3rd child. If I had this book when I had my first child I would have been more prepared for the let down I suffered from not being able to deliver my child naturally. I feel that this should be part of any childbirth class. Too little focus is put on C-Sections. Being unprepared for them is a very daunting experience that I would hate for anyone to go through.

By the way, baby and mother are doing fine here down under.

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Summary: Recommended reading for Csection Moms
Review: I found this book really good and helpful. I read it overseas when I was about to try for a vaginal birth after my first Csection (VBAC) The authors explained everything that was involved and how the main thing is to have a healthy baby, that was very reassuring. In the end I had another C but felt I had done my best. It is full of information about going home after a C, how to cope, getting over the surgery that I wished I had known the first time, and it does talk about painful scars. I recommend it to anyone who has had or might have a Csection. Queenie

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Summary: Not helpful at all
Review: I had a c/s earlier this year and have struggled to accept it. So I bought this book thinking that it would help me come to terms with it. However, I felt more upset after reading it. The reason I had a c/s was never mentioned (baby was posterior) and it doesn't discuss any of the discomforts I experienced afterward, such as burning and tingling of the incision line for months afterward. If I had read this book prior to my delivery it would not have prepared me any more than I was anyway. This book did not explain anything that watching one of the TLC shows such as "Maternity Ward" or reading magazine articles. Pass on this one!!

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Summary: I felt really bad ending up with a Cesar until I read this
Review: I had a cesar for the birth of my son earlier this year, and felt really terrible, physically and emotionally - both of my sisters had their babies without needing any surgery, at the end of last year. I felt like I must have done something wrong, but the writers explained to me properly why I had needed it, how important it was for me and my little boy, and how common it really is. I thank them for their understanding and their gift for explanation.

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Summary: review by Taylor Mansfield, 3 time Cesar mom
Review: I'm a US citizen currently living overseas and the mother of Todd (9), Marty (7) and Clio (4).
I found this book on amazon a few months ago and bought it for a friend who was expecting - in the end she didn't have a C but she was really glad for the information. But I wished I had it for myself, especially the first time,when I didn't get the natural birth I was planning for. The authors describe very well how I felt then, like I'd really let myself down, although I had a beautiful healthy son. The way the authors write just gives the information, they don't make any judgements. I opted for 2 repeat C's because I didn't want to go through another failed labor, now I've read what they wrote about VBAC I know I made the right decision. Their chapter about sterilization with cesars is also good, and would be really helpful to anyone trying to decide for or against sterilization with a planned C as I was. And the cover and photos are great, just showing that it's all about having a healthy baby.

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Summary: Suggested reading for all who have had or are facing a C-Sec
Review: This is a very good book with an excellent examination of the whys and hows of C-sections. I'm recommending this one for the library at my birth center because it's very helpful in presenting medical information to a layman audience without talking down to them, and it even helped me understand my medical record. While I believe my C was necessary for the health of the child (whether or not I should have been induced is another issue) and I did not have any depression about it, I really liked that the authors want people to understand what happened to them and to hopefully receive some peace about having had a C if they have feelings of failure.

Rating:
Summary: Suggested reading for all who have had or are facing a C-Sec
Review: This is a very good book with an excellent examination of the whys and hows of C-sections. I'm recommending this one for the library at my birth center because it's very helpful in presenting medical information to a layman audience without talking down to them, and it even helped me understand my medical record. While I believe my C was necessary for the health of the child (whether or not I should have been induced is another issue) and I did not have any depression about it, I really liked that the authors want people to understand what happened to them and to hopefully receive some peace about having had a C if they have feelings of failure.

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Summary: An Unflinching Look at the Realities of C-Sections
Review: You couldn't ask for a better look at "surgical birth", as the authors call it. While this is quite a thin book, it adequately covers everything an expectant mother needs to know. Chapters include "Why are Cesarean Sections Performed?", "A Brief History of Cesarean Section", "What Happens in Cesarean Section and Who Performs the Surgery", "Considering the Risks of Cesarean Section" as well as discussions of recovery, postpartum depression, and contraception choices. This book takes the hype and argument out of C-sections. I've read several of the "big" books of childbirth, and none of them covered Cesareans as completely and honestly as this one.