Customer Reviews

Home Birth: A Practical Guide

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

 

 

Excellent details about all aspects of home birth, as well as encouragement for those choosing to birth in hospital settings. The history of home birth is included in a well-researched chapter, which is more comprehensive than other books. Many empowering stories and details are within. This book was written in the UK - so there are minor details (such as the common home use of the Tens Machine, and gas/oxygen) that differ from homebirth in the United States. However, it is an excellent resource from which moms-to-be will gain more insight into natural birthing. It is GOOD to get ideas/stories from various sub-cultures around the world - we are all unified as women in birth and learn a great deal from sharing with each other.

A lot of this book is about navigating the option of homebirth if you are U.K. based. Which could be really helpful if you are in the U.K. but not as much if you are U.S. based. However, even if you are not in the U.K. the stories are great - there are a range of stories (and, honestly a lot of them - maybe a tad too many) about home births, how they went, what people struggled with, what worked well, and so on. It gives you a good sense of the range of experiences that women have with labor and birthing. It is reassuring in the sense that it shows that home births can go beautifully, can have challenges, and, for most families profiled, seem to be a choice they really were glad they made. There is some more practical information - what to have at the birth, what to expect, how to deal with challenges (or rather, stories about how people dealt with challenges), and so on. It is a nice supplemental book - and one of the few out there primarily about home birth - but I would suggest Mothering Magazine's Having a Baby, Naturally as a better key book on pregnancy and birth. They cover home birth to some extent. The Sears books on pregnancy and birth, while a little more doctor-focused/a little less natural than I tend to (with little or nothing on home births), are also very good basic books to start with.

I absolutely loved this book. it not only has up to date info but is easy to read. It has a lot of woman's stories and experiences. I loved how this book does not try to convince you to have a home birth. the author discusses the concerns of home birth. the reasons why women choose home birth and if you choose to have a home birth how to go about doing it. I give it 5 stars! definitely a book I will read many times.

I bought this book from the local bookstore two days ago and I just finished it. I was less than impressed. My bookshelf has several shelves dedicated to birth, labor and breastfeeding, and this is the worst one I have read in a long time. Just to be upfront, this book was originally published in London, and it is geared for a British readership. I got nothing useful out of this book except for a "home birth supply checklist." I would recommend any of Ina May's books, "birthing from within", or Deepak Chopra's newest book "Spiritual Lives, Magical Beginnings"