9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read this for birth information without an agenda, August 22, 2010
I have read this book, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and Ricki Lake's Your Best Birth. I am 32 weeks pregnant and will be delivering in a hospital. Frankly, I have grown weary and tired of childbirth books with an agenda. The Big Book of Birth is the only one of these three that doesn't politicize birth. Ina May's Guide and Your Best Birth made me afraid of what I might encounter in the hospital. The Big Book of Birth conveys even more information, without instilling fear. There are many instances where the authors say things like "The pros and cons of this intervention are X,Y, and Z. If this happens to you, guess what, you'll still have a beautiful baby to hold at the end!"
I highly recommend the Big Book of Birth, especially if your plan is to deliver in a hospital.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fills a missing void - a must have for any pregnant woman., May 20, 2007
This review is from: The Big Book of Birth (Mass Market Paperback)
All around one of the best books I've read throughout my pregnancy. This book had exactly the information I've been looking for about childbirth. It's just plain pure useful information written in a highly readable way - far better than what we were provided in our birthing class or from what I've read in other birth books or on the internet. It's clear, to the point, up to date and, most importantly, comprehensive. I highly highly recommend this book.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Empowering, May 26, 2010
This review is from: The Big Book of Birth (Mass Market Paperback)
I have never written a review about anything, but this book is so awesome! Being pregnant with my first child and as a registered nurse I felt I had a lot of understanding of pregnancy and labor and delivery. Also, I prepared myself for becoming a mom by reading a book on pregnancy and taking a child birth class through my local hospital. However, my labor and delivery did not go as planned and I felt soooo disappointed at how things went.
When I got pregnant the second time I knew I wanted things to go differently. I realized I needed to be much more informed. I realized that nine months of pregnancy pretty much boils down to the labor and delivery, and that that was where I needed to focus and prepare myself. With baby number one I was not prepared for the unexpected, and that is why I decided to read this book before having baby number two. If only I had known I had different options other than what my provider gave me, I could have made a couple simple choices about my care that would have made things so much better that first time around.
In this book Erica unveils the pain of child birth (she also talks about several other fears many mothers have) in a way that made me no longer fear, but rather gave me an understanding of child birth pain. Her detailed description of the entire process of labor and delivery empowered me, giving me the strength to believe that I could have that all natural childbirth I'd been dreaming of. She lets you know all the possible variables that can be encountered during the labor and delivery and what your choices are. The birth of my second child was that all natural childbirth I'd been dreaming of... I made the choices in my care, I used the tools she taught me to deal with the pain of labor and it was awesome. Thanks to Erica Lyon I was empowered to follow through with my goal of experiencing the full spectrum of the birth of a child.
Now, I don't want you to think that she is critical of medication use during labor and delivery, trying to make moms feel bad. Erica simply gives you the information unbiased and lets you make your choices and do what you feel is best for you and your baby.
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