Customer Reviews

A Good Birth, A Safe Birth : Choosing and Having the Childbirth Experience You Want, Third Revised Edition (Non)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The birth of my first son did not go as I had wished, it ended up being an overly medicalized affair. I thought I had read enough and educated myself enough but I was wrong. I wanted a second child but was more scared of childbirth after having gone through that bad experience. Knowing there had to be a better way, I began reading more books. I read a dozen books before and during my second pregnancy. Each book had a different twist and something to learn from. These authors make bold statements regarding childbirth issues, compared with some of the popular mainstream childbirth books. But just when I was thinking that maybe they were wrong, they cited a reference. Everything these authors state is backed up by references and is credible. The reference section that lists these studies is 34 pages long! There is a very detailed index, which is helpful.

One unique feature this book has is a wonderful chapter on why OB/GYN physicians do what they do. It is explained in detail how the training of an OB is medical in nature, that they are trained to look for and solve medical problems and that they are surgeons by training. This was the only book that really explains in detail why a midwife and an OB have different attitudes toward pregnancy (a medical event vs. a normal life process for a woman). The authors don't doctor-bash, but are very clear about why things happen the way they do in a hospital setting and/or with an OB as the health care provider.

For those interested in home birth, it is discussed and cited as the most safe for both mother and baby, and the references are there (for anyone who doubts that issue).

This book was so full of good information that I ended up highlighting many passages, which I usually never do (as I want to keep my books clean). To get the birth that one desires, one must know much of this information before beginning care with a health care provider. I urge anyone considering pregnancy to research the childbirth issue in the beginning. The chapter on controlling the progress of labor and pain relief is very enlightening and should be mandatory reading for all pregnant women. In the end I realized that we have to advocate for our own healthcare, by choosing a provider whom we trust and who shares the same concepts on pregnancy, labor and delivery. This book covers topics such as what your options for birth are, different types of health care providers, different types of birth settings, OB training and belief system, how to find a provider, questions to ask your provider and hospital, cesareans: why they are popular and when are they medically necessary?, getting support, the nurses role, childbirth support, doulas, and the woman's emotions. The overall tone of the book is positive and "matter of fact".

Oh, and in the end I had the birth I wanted, a normal birth in a hospital setting, with no interventions at all, attended by my midwife, my doula, my husband, and I delivered a healthy 11 lb. 11 oz. baby boy!

My wife and I have read this book multiple times and recommend it to everyone we know who is pregnant. In fact the reason we came to amazon.com today was to order some more copies to hand out to our friends.

Most people know more about choices to make when buying a car than they do when having a baby. Let's face it, which is more important! This book gives you information that will enable you to make the best birth choices for your family. It details the choices that you can and should make BEFORE your baby's birth. If you're already reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting" that's great, but go one step further and find out what to expect during birth.

After a "high-tech" and eventful birth experience with my son, I found myself anxious regarding the upcoming labor and delivery of my new baby. When I began to read this book, I felt as if the authors had written it for me. It was if someone was acknowledging what I had been through before and providing me with the information and resources to place me in control of my next birthing experience. The book is based on the real experiences of real women like myself. It was often an emotional and cathartic experience just reading the book. I recommend it to anyone wanting to learn what it's like, and can be like to give birth in the United States today.

There are so many (too many) how-to books for pregnant moms to read, and each seems to have a bias, a slant, a message to sell. This is the book you need. I was a midwife in Berkeley for 15 years, and I always included A Good Birth, A Safe Birth on my recommended reading lists for clients. It doesn't preach. It gives straight, evidence-based information. Most of all, it helps women to know what questions to ask - and how to ask them so they'll be assured of straight answers.
Valuable information for everyone associated with childbearing, from moms to doulas to nurses to midwives - and darn, I sure wish a few obstetricians would climb out from behind their desks and read it, too!
Buy it, and buy another one for a pregnant friend.

There are so many books about childbirth that explain what *will* happen to you, how great epidural anesthesia is, etc., that it is a necessity as a pregnant woman to have read a book that tells you what choices you have -- and that they are indeed yours to make. It's far better to have that point made very strongly, as this book does, than to have gone through your only (or one of few) birth experience(s) and look back with regret. As profound an experience as giving birth is, each woman should have the best chance for the experience that will mean the most to her. This (or one like it) is a must-read for every pregnant women -- preferably before she has made all of here who/what/when choices...

This is a super book with lots of information about the different "controversies" in birth today. Some of the topics included are: monitoring, cesarean, episiotomy, VBAC, doulas, and much more. They offer practical advice about how to get information you need to make an informed decision. A must read!

I was planning on having a high tech birth in a hospital when I stumbled across this book. It opened a whole new world for me in terms of birthing since none of my friends or family would even think of having a birth outside the hospital/OBGYN scene. The basic premise is that birth is a natural process and should be treated as such unless there is a medical emergency. It gives you information regarding why hospitals/nurses/Dr's do the things they do and why that may or may not be good for you. This book helps you to choose which birth experience is best for you and how to adapt it to different circumstances. I highly recommend it, if only to educate yourself on what will happen during the birth process at the hospital.

I'm a Certified Lamaze Instructor and this is the book that I recommend to all of my students. This book is well written and well researched. It gives you everything you need to know to make wise and informed decisions about labor and delivery.

I really wish I'd had this book when I was pregnant with my first child - it could have saved us a lot of heartache. We had a very difficult delivery with serious complications. I feel that if we had read this book beforehand it wouldn't have been as scary and we would have had the information we needed to make the right decisions for us.

This is the book I buy for all of my pregnant girlfriends the minute they tell me they are expecting!

For those mothers who wish to go beyond the comfort of "What to expect when you are expecting" and take charge of their birthing experience, this book provides very important information. The book is not for everyone--just those who are confident in taking control of their health care and beyond. To me, information is power--it separates me from the many mothers who are content in going along with what everyone else is doing. Having the birthing experience you want takes work, time, and research. The proof is in the pudding--I had healthy baby after a noninvasive, natural childbirth with a certified nurse midwife & doula at a hospital. How many mothers say that childbirth was one of the most empowering experience of their life? I do! Thank goodness for the direction this book provides.

I'm pregnant with my first child, and this book did a very thorough job of explaining what to expect in the hospital, why they do the interventions they do, why these interventions might not necessarily lead to the most positive birth experience, etc. I feel more prepared now for what that might come my way during labor, thanks to this book. Anyone who claims that this book is 'unbiased', however, is sadly mistaken! The overwhelming tone of the book is 'hospitals and doctors are evil and must be destroyed'. I agree that the medical establishment intervenes too much in a natural process, but the bashing gets to be a bit much. Also, I found that much of the book's assertions are based on studies from the 1960's and 1970's...I'd like to see something a little more current. A lot can change in 30-40 years!! I still recommend the book, but I wouldn't make it the ONLY childbirth book that you pick up.