Journey into Motherhood: Inspirational Stories of Natural Birth [Paperback]

Sheri L. Menelli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2004

Providing both inspiration and education, this guide to natural childbirth offers 48 personal accounts of labor and delivery without medication. Revealing the many options women have beyond birthing location, the testimonials offer insight into the joys, concerns, and realities of natural birth. From delivering at home with a midwife and hearing the right words from a hospital nurse at just the right moment to describing a combination of the Bradley method and acupuncture at a birthing center and discussing a child's birth at home in warm water, this resource combines personal insight with referential information. A glossary of terms and a resource guide to books, magazines, websites, videos, and CDs, and listings of childbirth classes and instructors nationwide are also included.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...I highly recommend it." -- Gurmukh, Director, Golden Bridge Yoga and Author

"...these inspiring stories of natural childbirth show that childbirth can and should be safe, empowering and beautiful." -- Penny Simkin, founder of DONA and co-author of When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Early Sexual Abuse on Childbearing Women

"women and girls need to hear these stories and know that natural birth is full of magnificent, life-changing wisdom." -- Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause

About the Author

Sheri L. Menelli is a certified HypnoBirthing educator, and she produced and cohosted the San Diego radio show The Real Side of Birth. She lives in San Diego County, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: White Heart Publishing (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974785326
• ISBN-13: 978-0974785325
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Changing The Way Women Think About Birth November 16, 2004

By Dawn Thompson

Format:Paperback

Not just as women, but an entire society, we need to stop scaring the day lights out of women who are venturing into this beautiful journey of motherhood. My hope for this fantastic book is that every pregnant woman read it. That we stop convincing them to read "What to expect when...." This is the kind of book that will prepare woman for a fantastic birth whether they choose medication or not. As a labor doula, it is now on my list of required reading for all of my clients. Please join me in encouraging all pregnant families to have this book on their night table.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource!! December 9, 2004

By Mothering Natured

Format:Paperback

This book is wonderful. Genuine birth experiences which inspire, encourage and uplift. These stories show the many ways we might attain the birth experience each of us seeks, they illustrate the differences each of us needs, and they make clear the fact that our bodies CAN birth without intervention. The natural, rather than standard, birth experience is celebrated time and again within this book. These stories are not the same tale, repeated over and again, in different voices. There is a rich array of experience here and each affected me in it`s own way. Many of the tales left me in tears, rejoicing with Mothers and Fathers I'd never meet. Each also shares personal wisdom gained and resources beneficial in their journey, offering all of us the opportunity to find what we need as we expand our knowledge and reach deeper within, seeking our own empowered birth and the legacy created with each.

For Mothers and Fathers, birth attendees, first timers or the multi-experienced, this book offers so much for every one of us!

What a beautiful way to convey the strength of a birthing woman and how natural and healthy the entire process is.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Do not give birth until you read this book. December 19, 2004

By memo2many

Format:Paperback

As someone who has experienced birth the "traditional" way, hospital, pain medication, interventions, and "alternative", I know all too well that they key to an intervention-free, painless, empowering birth experience is perception.

The horror stories are out there, you don't have to seek them out. Finding strong women who have faith in themselves, their bodies, and their babies is a bit harder, but those are the stories you want, no, *need* to hear if you're pregnant. The Little Engine That Could, not The Little Engine That Couldn't! Knowing that it's not only possible, but very much within your power to have the birth of your dreams is what gets you there. When people push their negatives stories on you, you need to have something positive at hand to counter those harmful images.

This book is it. Not only will it have you beliving in your ability to birth easily, it's addictive! The stories are wonderful, inspirational, emotional (have kleenex nearby!).

I re-read these stories often, and am tempted to grow our family yet again. They help me remember birth doesn't have to be what we're told it is, it can be something beautiful, something joyous, something you want to do again.