Customer Reviews

Emergency Childbirth : A Manual (Spiral Wire Binding)

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

 

 

Dr. White's book is very short and basic. For more complete information on emergency childbirth (plus lots of other first aid and self medication subjects), I would get David Werner's excellent book, "Where There Is No Doctor". For a beautifully illustrated book that covers all aspects of home birth, including complications and emergency childbirth, I recommend "Heart and Hands: A Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy and Birth" by Elizabeth Davis.

You never know when you might need to pinch hit for the "professionals" and assist in the birth process. Emergency Childbirth prepares you to do just that! Emergency Childbirth walks you through the birth process from preparation to delivery. Subjects covered include how to recognize First Stage Labor, assisting with the birth in Second Stage, and receiving the placenta in Third Stage.

However, Emergency Childbirth covers not only preparations and birth for a "normal" birth, but also equips you to deal with the rare and unusual -- buttocks or legs breech births, hands first, cord first, hemorrhage, recognizing babies in danger, artificial respiration, dealing with eclampsia, and other illnesses or accidental injuries you may encounter.

Overall, Emergency Childbirth is easy to understand and use, regardless of your age or birth experience. I heartily recommend this manual for anyone who might need it in a pinch -- from expectant parents to EMT's, Fire, Police and Taxi Drivers.

There are a lot of people who may want to use this for a "How-to-guide" on birthing at home by yourself. (It isn't only useful for an "accidental" home/car/hotel/middle of nowhere/unattended birth). I'd recommend this book for anyone who thinks they'll be in this situation by accident, or on purpose. It was very informative for my husband & I. (We felt a DITY birth was better than the "care" we were getting in our state.) The index in back is helpful, because it allowed us to hurriedly flip the pages & find out "Oh! Okay... this is normal." I would recommend that the book be read before your partner (or self) goes into labor. (Along with other Emergency Childbirth information.) You more than likely won't need it. We really didn't... it relieved a lot of stress towards the end (after the baby was born), when we were waiting for the placenta to come. The only "bad" thing about it, is it tells the helper to have the woman lay on her back. Have her lay any way SHE wants to. As he even states in his book, "When in doubt, do nothing." Babies are born this way all over the world everyday. It's nice to know a Dr acknowledges this & put out a manual to help us acheive this naturally and safely.

There are a lot of people who may want to use this for a "How-to-guide" on birthing at home by yourself. (It isn't only useful for an "accidental" home/car/hotel/middle of nowhere/unattended birth). I'd recommend this book for anyone who thinks they'll be in this situation by accident, or on purpose. It was very informative for my husband & I. (We felt a DITY birth was better than the "care" we were getting in our state.) The index in back is helpful, because it allowed us to hurriedly flip the pages & find out "Oh! Okay... this is normal." I would recommend that the book be read before your partner (or self) goes into labor. (Along with other Emergency Childbirth information.) You more than likely won't need it. We really didn't... it relieved a lot of stress towards the end (after the baby was born), when we were waiting for the placenta to come. The only "bad" thing about it, is it tells the helper to have the woman lay on her back. Have her lay any way SHE wants to. As he even states in his book, "When in doubt, do nothing." Babies are born this way all over the world everyday. It's nice to know a Dr acknowledges this & put out a manual to help us acheive this naturally and safely.

I had heard so many things about this book that it had been built up for me, so I was slightly disappointed to find it's just what it says--a manual. But I think all expectant parents (and especially those who intend to purposely not make it to the hospital on time) should read it for information. It could be information that saves a life!

The funniest part of this book was on page 37, "It is important to the eternal destiny of the baby that he be baptized" in the event that it looks like his life is in danger. I laughed really hard and called my pregnant friend long distance to tell her about it, and she laughed really hard too. Maybe the fact that I found this so amusing means I'm not mature enough to have kids yet. :) It just seemed so out of place to have religious instruction in the midst of this otherwise step-by-step scientific instructional guide.

What will you do when the ice storm has blocked the roads, the doctor's phone is out, and the baby is coming NOW? Dr. White's book, designed as a guide for emergency servics professionals, should be required reading for every expectant couple. 99.9% of them will never be faced with catching their own babies, but for the one couple in a thousand who does, this book is commonsense, practical, and realistic.

Dr. White says any 9-year old can help birth a baby. After reading it, my (then) 9-year decided that yes, maybe she could.

Additionally, it's a good overview of the birth process in one easy-to-read, easy to understand document.

Note: Some birth professionals feel that this book should be updated, as it has been over 10 years since it was revised. But the info included is still very solid, and policemen have been delivering babies in taxi cabs using its instructions for almost 20 years.

Doctor Gregory White was our family doctor through the years! He was an amazing man, the kind of doctor we need more of in our health care system today. We miss him dearly.