Better Birth: The Ultimate Guide to Childbirth from Home Births to Hospitals [Paperback]

Denise Spatafora (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470255617 | ISBN-13: 978-0470255612 | Publication Date: April 6, 2009 | Edition: 1

"It is the mind-body connection that will allow parents to fully experience and appreciate the emotional, physical, and spiritual beauty of childbirth. Better Birth will help guide parents through this journey of creation and destination to birth."
—Donna Karan

Pregnancy should be a time of joy and celebration. But if you're not emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually prepared for childbirth, it can also be a time of stress and anxiety. This groundbreaking book takes the fear out of labor and delivery and arms you with the knowledge to have an informed, safe, and peaceful birth.

Better Birth will be the one resource that you can turn to again and again to get all your questions answered and feel empowered during your birthing process. Birthing expert Denise Spatafora shows you how to prepare yourself to have the childbirth you want, whether you choose to deliver your baby in a hospital, birthing center, or at home. She shows you how to tap into your mind-body connection to draw upon natural relaxation methods that promote a childbirth experience that is beautiful and fulfilling, rather than frightening. If you're pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, you and your baby deserve a better birth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

You have a lot more choices and control over your birth experience than you may know. Better Birth - The Ultimate Guide to Childbirth from Home Births to Hospitals, by Denise Spatafora is really the perfect guide for any woman who wants to be empowered by this important event. Whether you plan on giving birth at home or in the hospital, your birth can, and should, be exactly what you envision it to be. Denise strives to take the fear out of the progression of labor and delivery by providing real knowledge, support and advice on all levels. You will learn natural relaxation methods and the all important mind-body connection when preparing for birth. From water birth to C-sections, you’re sure to feel much more informed after reading through this motivating book. I especially enjoyed the section on “Prenatal Yoga” complete with photos of the poses…with actual pregnant women. And, I also found the section on “Addressing Your Birth Plan” extremely helpful, as it lists key questions you should be considering before you have your baby. But, this only scratches the surface on what’s covered. I recommend that you visit Denise’s site, BetterBirthBook.com, to learn more and/or pick up a copy of her book. You won’t be sorry, you'll be empowered! (DivineCaroline.com, May 11, 2009)

About the Author

Denise Spatafora is the creator of BornClear, a nationally recognized birthing method featured on the Today show that is backed by celebrities and renowned doctors. She is a contributor to many publications and sites, and has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Elle, Women's Wear Daily, the New York Observer, New York magazine, and Allure. Visit her Web site at www.betterbirthbook.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470255617
• ISBN-13: 978-0470255612
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book for Pregnant Women and Those planning..., April 4, 2009

By 

Teacher Mommy (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Better Birth: The Ultimate Guide to Childbirth from Home Births to Hospitals (Paperback)

I read this book after I had already given birth three times and I wish that I had had this book to refer to. Denise Spatafora really provides a tremendous amount of information about all the decisions around conceiving and giving birth. Each of my births was so different from the one before and I had little idea of what I could do to understand the process. Now I know. After reading Better Birth, you will feel empowered and prepared for the birth of your child. The book addresses women as intelligent, intuitive, and emotional people capable of making the best decision for themselves. I really appreciated the birth stories that pepper throughout the book. It provides the reader a way to personalize the information that a woman and her partner need about everything from conceiving, connecting with their unborn child, preparing for birth, giving birth the way that feels "right" for you , to postpartum. I think this book has some definite advantages over the other birthing books. It addresses factors that they ignore or hardly address including the affect of your emotions, thoughts, actions on your baby conceived or not!

The other thing that is great about this book is that it breaks things down into manageable parts and gives specific techniques that I wish I had had when I was pregnant. It talks about all the issues surrounding birth without instilling fear or dread. It describes all the processes around birthing allowing the reader to make informed decisions and to trust her own body. One of the best things in the book is the BornClear Toolbox which has a series of exercises on visualizations, meditations, affirmations, writing, breathing techniques, and art to help you alleviate your fear, connect with your baby and get ready for childbirth. This is THE book to get if you are pregnant or trying to conceive.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book to read for all expectatnt couples, April 29, 2009

By 

Nicole Heidbreder - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Better Birth: The Ultimate Guide to Childbirth from Home Births to Hospitals (Paperback)

Often times when I am working as a doula with couples I try to impress upon them that giving birth is 90% an emotional/spiritual experience. A woman is not only giving birth to a new human being, but to herself as a mother, and what's more, she is giving birth to a new family. Not only this, but birth is one of the most primal experiences a human being can go through and in that it calls upon the deepest parts of your being to be faced, dealt with, challenged, and ultimately called upon. Finally, with the publication of Denise's book, BetterBirth, I have a resource I can hand to my clients to help them get at this core. Denise's book, which is the exceptionally beautiful culmination of a life's work of supporting, coaching, and challenging people to be the best they can be combined with her expertise in childbirth, is a treasure trove of useful tools and information to help parents prepare for this most auspicious rite of passage in life. Denise book gives practical information on how to prepare mentally, physically, and spiritually for the birth of your new child. Everything from her toolbox with helpful tips on preparing one's body for the birthing process, to her very thoughtful and thorough tips on how to plan for the immediate postpartum period, this book is chock-full of useful information. This book is amazing and I can't think of anything better for a couple to read - in fact, I hope that each and every couple gets this book in their hands as soon as they realize they are pregnant. This book will prepare women for birth in a way not found in other birth preparation books. What a gift Denise has given women and couples! - Nicole Heidbreder. Director of International Development for DONA International.

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful resource, March 23, 2011

By 

ambomac - See all my reviews

This review is from: Better Birth: The Ultimate Guide to Childbirth from Home Births to Hospitals (Paperback)

I purchased this book a few months after I had decided to have a natural birth. It was a wonderful companion piece to the hypnobirthing class I was also taking.
Although the class was very informative, it was Denise's book that gave me the tools I needed to have a successful natural delivery. I credit this book with helping me understand childbirth on new level and giving me the courage to embrace the "beautiful pain" that comes with child birth. I was able to move past my fear and actually be excited for birth. As Denise says in the book, it's not only your child's birth, but the birth of you becoming a mother. I owe a lot to Denise and her book, my labor only lasted 13 hours, it was unmedicated, and a beautiful life changing experience. I would recommend anyone interested in a natural birth to get this book.