Pregnancy is a time of natural stress. It is the healthy stress of changes that flow within a woman physically and emotionally, as she grows towards motherhood. Ever evolving, a woman's travels through pregnancy and birth ready her for the work of mothering and family synthesis. Birthing Normally is about the very intimate nature of personal growth in pregnancy, and woman's quest towards birth, in both physical and psychological terms. It is also a very practical guide to understanding and applying holistic principles of prenatal care for the physician, midwife, and childbirth educator interested in decreasing complications of birth, and increasing potential for normal childbearing. It is the first technical book about birth that is widely read by both the childbirth professional and by women preparing for labor and birth.
Gayle Peterson, MSSW, LCSW, PhD is an international expert specializing in prenatal and family development. She is the founder of: www.makinghealthyfamilies.com, an online resource that has won acclaim from the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy for guidance about what contributes to healthy family relationships. Her articles on family relationships appear in professional journals and she is an oft-quoted expert in popular magazines such as Woman's Day, Mothering, Fit Pregnancy and Parenting. She is also the author of "An Easier Childbirth: A Guide to Birthing Normally"" and "Making Healthy Families: A Guide for Parents, Spouses and Stepparents".
Dr Peterson trains professionals in her prenatal counseling model, available online at www.makinghealthyfamilies.com and has produced a CD for helping women prepare for giving birth, "Body-Centered Hypnosis for an Easier Pregnancy and Childbirth", and a Training DVD for professionals in her method, "Body-Centered Hypnosis for Childbirth: A Training DVD".
She is a clinical member of The Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and a Diplomate with the National Association of Social Work. She also serves on the advisory board for Fit Pregnancy magazine.
Gayle has written a monthly family column for the San Francisco Bay Area's Parents Press and is an expert on numerous parenting websites. She has also hosted a live Internet radio show, "Ask Dr. Gayle", answering questions on family relationships and parenting, as well as appearing on numerous radio and television interviews, including The Today Show and the Canadian Broadcast documentary "Baby's Best Chance". Dr. Peterson is also a former clinical director of the Holistic Health Program at John F. Kennedy University and has served as adjunct faculty at the California Institute for Integral Studies in San Francisco.
Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, Gayle currently lives with her husband in the California Sierra Foothills and enjoys playing music, writing, attending yoga classes and being a grandparent. She and her husband are parents of two adult children and proud grandparents to three lively boys, and one sparkly granddaughter!
