Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

good book. full of necessary info and makes the pregnant reader feel comfortable about all those little "pains" that scare us. Leaves the reader with a sense of security in her pregnancy and lots of information on the expectant 9 months and newborn baby care. Great book for pregnant mommies and daddies. a definite recommend.

I'm only part-way into it, but thus far have enjoyed the holistic perspective and the emphasis on the mind body connection.

This is a wonderful resource for expectant parents that will leave women and their partners educated, empowered and able to trust themselves and their choices throughout the birthing process. The book will help women to choose which medications they should take, choose who is present in the delivery room, and expectant parents will be able to learn to prepare themselves physically and mentally to have a wonderful birthing experience.

What I'd like to know is where was Denise Spatafora 25 years ago when I was having my kids? This book is wonderful. It walks you through everything! It helps you prepare yourself emotionally for what is going to happen so you know step by step how labor will progress. Denise gives you ideas for things to do if you find out your baby is in the breech position. This book is chock full of wonderful insights and information that you need to make informed decisions at every step of your child's birth.

This book helps you maintain control of what is happening and what is going to happen to you, your body and your baby. Reading this book will help you understand your options about different types of delivery, about relaxation techniques and how they benefit you and your child. Denise also discusses communicating with your baby in the first hours and days after birth. Quite simply she has thought of everything! I'm not sure there is anything more comprehensive, and yet easily understood out there.

Denise's approach to childbirth changed my life as I prepared to bring our first son into the world. Better Birth carefully and thoughtfully outlines your options throughout the pregnancy and birthing process, in many cases giving you the pro and con of whatever choice you might make.

For us, the BornClear Toolbox was a lifesaver. It helped me understand that I can shape my birthing experience and allow my mind to lead my body in ways that were productive and healing. I attribute a HUGE part of my short (under 8 hrs!), unmedicated and amazing delivery to Denise. Denise lead us (my husband and I) to know ourselves better, including the possibilities and the limitations we put on our lives. In addition, her ability to tap into the major roadblocks to a positive birthing experience lead to other miracles, ones that positively affected the birth of our son.

If you are willing to take her words to heart you have an incredible opportunity to know yourself and your body better and perhaps even heal parts of yourself. Most important you can give your child the gentle birth he or she deserves. It is more than a book on having a better birth, it is a book on creating a better life.

The Born Clear Book made us aware of how our emotions and fears effect our babies and our births. The tools Denise supplied us allowed us to clear away anything that was worrying us or getting in our way of a clear birth. They were tantamount to the beautiful and intense experience that was the birth of our son. Her explanations of the mechanics of the birthing process and the emotional components that effect how we birth made it possible for us to clear away any issues and clutter that would have blocked the birthing process and allowed us to bask in the moment. Our baby is incredibly calm, and I can't help but associate the clarity and peace we had going into his bir,th with the guidance Denise gave us. Her advise can be used before, during and into the life of your child. Denise makes you face your fears and do the work, and it pays off in folds! I can't recommend it enough.

What a difference Denise makes for having you set up to bring a new person into the world, soup to nuts! Denise coached me before the birth of our second daughter a month ago. My first labor & birth was frightening, even withan experienced Doula to help my husband and me. It lasted 24 hrs, most of which I spent on the couch groaning through it, & ended with my beautiful daughter being diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy hemiplegia from a third trimester mini stroke. I was terrified I had somehow caused the stroke and would do the same or worse to our second child. Denise helped me see a connection in my relationship with my own father between my belief he had "done something to me" (stopped interacting with me when I was about 5 to protect me from himself becoming physically abusive like his father was) and my belief I had "done something" to my first daughter to cause the CP. I actually started having longer, meaningful conversations with my dad the month before my second daughter was born than ever in my 39 yrs! Thanks to Denise's help I went into labor free of fear and dread, with excitement and curiosity about my next child in the foreground! This book clearly lays out everything you need to know about what to expect, and more importantly what choices you really have. I chose to have a massage to induce labor. The massage therapist left my home at 5:30pm and I was in labor by 6! I chose to sit on big medicine ball while in labor. What an amazing way to bounce through contractions! Ichose to go to sleep for 6 hrs of labor! When I woke up refreshed I was in active labor. I even took a shower and got ready on the ball. I pushed this time for 10 minutes and delivered a healthy girl with not even a minor tear! All the choices I made were not preplanned, but easy to make with Denise's coaching.

I was also clear about handling the unexpected: I didn't plan to wait nearly two hrs for an epidural once I got to the hospital, but that's what happened because the hospital had only one anesthesiologist on staff that day and he was doing a c-section for twins when I came in. I was able to focus on my freshly manicured toes and breathe through the intense contractions, while my husband looked into my eyes and gave me palpable love and encourgement. These were things I'd discussed with Denise in our prep for how I wanted labor to go. Ultimately I was totally present to my daughter's birth!

The best part of the book for me is the last part to prep for being a parent of a newborn. Wow! Everything I had to come up with on my own from what was missing the first time and things I would have never thought of, all to make this new phase or your life SO much easier! This is a book no soon-to-be parent can live without!

I recently gave birth to my first child and "Better Birth" was a wonderful guide. I knew that I wanted a natural birth, but the book helped me to understand what that meant for me. I was able to tap into my desires and fears surrounding the birth. It also helped me to align my birth support team to ensure that everyone was on the same page. I ended up going 15 days past my estimated due date, so I had to be induced. I have to admit, I was devastated, but I knew (from the book) that I had to surrender and LET GO. Because of "Better Birth", I was prepared with the BornClear toolbox and I ended up having a BEAUTIFUL birth. I am still amazed by how empowering the experience was for me.