Customer Reviews

Birthing in the Spirit

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This book is a very clear and comprehensive guide to the spiritual aspects of childbirth. It also contains a wealth of practical advice on choosing a practitioner, deciding on the right birth environment (hospital, home, or birth center?), nutrition & exercise, the labor process, and parenting practices. The emphasis is on the integration of the mind, body & spirit, and the powerful and sacred nature of the birth experience itself. The author is a respected childbirth educator who has packed a lifetime of insight and experience into her book.

Most childbirth books focus on the (amazing and extraordinary) physical aspects of pregnancy, labor and birth. These aspects are important, and well covered by Cathy Daub, who is an experienced childbirth educator and doula, and a mother herself. (she also runs the excellent on-line resource BirthWorks International)

What is exceptional about this book is Cathy's exploration of the spiritual and intuitive aspects of birth. She uses personal, traditional and cross-cultural ideas and stories, including those from many spiritual traditions, to inspire, She follows with practical information and guidance, including exercises and visualizations, that explore these aspects.

Chapters cover topics such as: the physiology of birth, intuition, fear and worries, detachment, positive thinking, pelvic bodywork, grieving and healing, and love as a verb. There is ample material to cover an entire nine months here, and working through this material would enhance life and parenting skills as well as birth skills.

As well, she also gives some useful information about nutrition and caring for your body: other sources of information may be helpful for those who are keen to optimize pregnancy nutrition. (My personal favorite is the nutrition section in Elizabeth Noble's Having Twins book, which is excellent for every pregnant woman.).

I have some small disagreements in her parenting section and I also would have liked some recommended reading from Cathy's diverse sources, but these are minor issues.

Overall I highly recommend this rich resource for expectant couples