Customer Reviews

Choosing Waterbirth: Reclaiming the Sacred Power of Birth

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lakshmi Bertram has given birth to five babies, all under water. She shares her experiences in Choosing Waterbirth, a book filled with practical advice and encouragement.

Bertram knew from the beginning that she wanted home births, maintaining that "most births do not actually require doctors or hospitals or fetal monitors or forceps or episiotomies or drugs." She researched birthing methods carefully, learning about water birth shortly before her first child was born. She learned that not only did water make birthing easier and less painful for the mother, it also provided "a kind, loving, and gentle entry into this world" for the baby.

In water birth, the mother immerses her lower body in a tub of water heated to body temperature. The baby is born into the water. The baby continues to receive oxygen from the umbilical cord. It is then brought gently to the surface and handed to the mother. Babies will not try to breathe until the air hits their faces and are in no danger of drowning.

Bertram emphasizes that giving birth is a natural process for women and that, if left to their intuition, they have the ability to deliver healthy babies. Having a baby does not have to the overwhelming and frightening experience that modern methods have led women to believe. She provides lots of encouragement for women who want home births, even if they choose not to have a water birth. Alternatively some hospitals and birthing centers have water birth facilities available. Each woman must do what she feels is best for her and her baby.

For those who do choose waterbirth, Bertram provides a wealth of information on where to find birthing tubs (she purchased her first one at an animal feed store!), midwives and other attendants, and birthing centers. She also details exactly the things to expect about birth in general, and water birth in particular.

A long time yoga practitioner and certified instructor, Bertram includes a section on how expectant mothers may use yoga for relaxation and for strengthening and stretching the muscles that will be used during childbirth. The detailed instructions are accompanied by pictures.

The final section of the book is entitled "Practice," and in it Bertram has included pictures of her "water babies" and notes from her journals on their births. She says she hopes "to give women a different view of what birth can be." Her experiences helped make childbirth "a part of the joy of having children instead of a traumatic ordeal that had to be gone through in order to get children."

Sandra McLanahan, M.D. , in a preface to Choosing Waterbirth says "Lakshmi's book provides inspiration and support for women to learn to turn away from excess interventions, to return to the innate wisdom of the body and its natural resources." Every woman contemplating pregnancy, whether interested in water birth or not, will find a wealth of information and encouragement in Bertram's book.

This book supports women who are looking to give birth to and parent their baby au naturale.

Choosing Waterbirth did so much to prepare me psychologically for the road ahead, as a first-time mom planning for a non-medicated waterbirth. I read so many books that attempted to enlighten me as to what to expect from natural birth, and how to prepare for it psychologically, but could never quite 'get it'. Well this one took the cake. The author described the process in such a way that I felt like I was there going through it myself. Because she described first-person her five stories of waterbirths, she was able to take it on a very deep and personal level, which allowed me to imagine that I was her as I was reading her story. I could never get a clear picture of what to expect when reading other natural birth/ water birth books, but this novel format finally gave me the understanding I wanted. In the end, I was able to feel this woman's strength as she pushed through the pain, which gave me courage rather than fear of the pain in my own birth experience. This book also thoroughly covers the 3 stages of birth, described in a way that I could get a good understanding of without having ever gone through the process myself.

There's also an extensive chapter on prenatal yoga, with easy-to-follow pictures to learn the excercises, and guidance on relaxation and breathing techniques. She also tells you how to 'set the mood' for the occasion; how to choose and dress up the environment for maximum comfort.

The books ends with post-partum help: supportive information on breastfeeding, infant massage, and co-sleeping with your baby.

The information was obviously intended more for the birthing mother rather than the midwife/birth assistant. It covers many details and specifics that are important to the mother...attaining a tub (not building your own), finding a waterbirth center, who should & shouldn't consider waterbirth, and several resources to look into to 'make it happen'.

I thought this book complemented Water Birth by Napierala very well.

I expected more information about, um, waterbirth---tips and techniques for getting the most out of laboring and birthing in water, positions to try, safety information, etc. Instead, this is a pretty generic childbirth book by an author who used water for her children's births. She does provide her own birth stories, but these offer no practical information for a reader's own waterbirth. I suppose that if you didn't realize the water should be warm, that would be a tip---but who doesn't know that? Bizarre. On the plus side, I liked the yoga routine she suggests. Otherwise, I got nothing out of this book & I'm glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it! (On a side note, the more childbirth books I read, the more I realize that they all say the same thing! You really only need one good one; I recommend Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.)

This book is clearly written and very positive. She is not a medical professional nor a midwife but after 5 waterbirths certainly has enough experiences to tell about! I thought it was a good introduction to waterbirth but not technical enough to convince a skeptic. But still, worth reading and there are some lovely pictures of her giving birth.

This book is wonderful! I was really hoping for a waterbirth for my first child, however she decided to come too early for me to have it at the birthing center. But this book was excellent in preparing me mentally what it would be like to go through labor and birth, and helped me learn the mindset to be in during labor. It has great instructions for prenatal yoga, and is a very easy read. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in waterbirth, or simply getting in a more peaceful frame of mind for labor.

As a first time mom, I really found this book to be a nice read that I really enjoyed. It was very readable and not clinical or hard to read like many other childbirth books. I identified with the author and appreciated her birthing stories. I felt like I understood where she was coming from and I really enjoyed the inclusion of photos. She touched on many topics, including breastfeeding and infant massage, but really focused well on the benefits and reasons to consider waterbirth. I found it inspiring and am very glad that I read it. I am recommending to my midwife.

After reading the great customer reviews and the description of the book, I was really looking forward to getting my hands on it. I soon saw that there's not much content (it only took a few hours for me to get through) and the place she comes from does not resonate with me. She sees the birth process as inherently painful; I do not. This made it difficult for me to get through the book because she mentions pain many times. That was not inspiring (or even simply nice to read to it) in the least. She also comes from the place of labor being inherently hard or difficult; I do not. I see it as an ecstatic, rewarding, and a possibly pleasurable experience.

I was hoping for more of an objective point of view, or, at the very least, a positive point of view about labor and birth. This book is basically about her own experiences. She does give the basics of waterbirth, of course, and why it's appealing. It isn't necessarily a means for pain relief if the woman isn't experiencing pain, though, which she doesn't mention at all. Her birth stories were filled with a lot of difficulty and pain, for the most part, and I finished the book trying to figure out what I learned. Not much; just a little bit about the basics of waterbirth.

The yoga chapter and baby massage chapter are awesome, and I can also see how this would be a great book for the average, mainstream mom. However, I wouldn't recommend it because with the small amount of content and the subjective point of view, I'm inclined to suggest that other people simply look up information online or spend their money elsewhere.

I think this is a book every pregant or soon-to-be pregnant woman should read. It dispells a lot of doubts and fears that society teaches women about delivering at home and in water and it is told as a first-hand account with short and very organized chapters. It is a book that I plan to read and reference several times during my pregnancy. Very easy to read. Make sure you get the copy with the photograph and not the illustration on the cover. The copy with the photograph has better resolution on the pictures inside the book.

Beautiful book, wonderful stories and insight about natural child birth. Absolutely worth the read if you are considering a home waterbirth.

As we plan a home water birth this book was full of great stories and information. An easy read.