The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence [Paperback]

Judith Lothian (Author), Charlotte DeVries (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 4, 2005

The Official Lamaze Guide is the first and only official pregnancy and childbirth guide endorsed by Lamaze International, the leading childbirth education organization in North America. It presents childbearing as an elegant, simple, healthy process instead of an experience fraught with danger.

Written in plain English with a respectful, positive tone, this book presents: - How simply pregnancy and birth unfold when allowed to progress naturally - What can disrupt the natural course of birth - Information on maternity care to help readers choose a caregiver and birth site - Research evidence to help women distinguish fact from fiction in obstetrics - Practical strategies for communicating and negotiating with medical caregivers

This book encourages mothers to trust their ability to give birth without needless medical intervention. It’s an excellent resource not only for Lamaze students, but all expectant parents who want a childbirth that reflects their informed choices and results in a healthy, happy, and fulfilling birth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“"The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence" is one of the rare books today containing an unapologetically woman-centered view of birth…. The authors strongly advocate natural birth…. They emphasize that women’s bodies are beautifully designed to grow, birth, and nurture babies. "The Official Lamaze Guide"…should be in every [pregnant mother’s] hands.”

—Jane Pincus, BA, MAT, MFA, "Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Judith Lothian is a nurse and childbirth educator with over 30 years of experience. She is an associate professor at Seton Hall University College of Nursing and is chair of the Lamaze International Certification Council. Dr. Lothian is a nationally recognized speaker on birth and breastfeeding, a columnist for The Journal of Perinatal Education, and a mother of five and grandmother of seven.

Charlotte DeVries is a journalist, past president of Lamze International's board of directors, and a current board advisor.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Meadowbrook; 1 edition (October 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684031744
• ISBN-13: 978-0684031743
• Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 5.9 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #402,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judith Lothian is a nurse and childbirth educator with over 30 years of experience. She is an associate professor at Seton Hall University College of Nursing and is a member of Lamaze International's board of directors. Dr. Lothian is a nationally recognized speaker on birth and breastfeeding, a columnist for The Journal of Perinatal Education, and a mother of five and grandmother of six.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book about childbearing, respectful and encouraging, and, above all, wise. November 18, 2005

By Jane Pincus

Format:Paperback

Reading this book is like conversing with loving, knowledgeable friends. By being so gently, matter-of-factly certain about the "elegance" of the birthing process, Lothian and DeVries strongly counter today's obstetric fear-mongering and the non-stop "medicalization" of birth.
The authors provide a calm, strengthening atmosphere, blending physiological facts with practical advice and the wisdom of experience. They encourage women to apply to their labors the strengths they acquire while meeting life's challenges. They connect childbearing to the whole of women's lives.
Positive childbirth stories abound. The authors suggest that woman-to-woman conversations are especially important, and advise carefully listening to others' experiences -- how have other labors and births unfolded, where did they flow. or not flow, and why? Pay careful attention to what is said, and what is not said, the feelings that exist beneath the words.
Readers are referred, among other sites and publications, to The Maternity Center Association's useful website (now called The Childbirth Connection) and its literature, to birth advocacy groups, and to midwifery organizations.
This book is rare in its wholehearted support of natural birth. It reclaims the word "natural," which has been so scapegoated and abused. It's one of the books I'd recommend, along with Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth, to young women as a necessary part of their learning about pregnancy and childbirth. And it's a breath of fresh air to all of us so passionately concerned with the well-being of women and their babies.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I am wild about this book!!! November 10, 2005

By Jacqueline Levine

Format:Paperback

At last!!! Here is a book that illuminates the miracle of what a woman's body does throughout pregnancy and birth in a wise and human way. It presents powerful, evidence-based information that explains and supports a woman's ability to give birth: it honors and celebrates this ability with the inclusion of wonderful birth stories. The book is informational and inspiring in equal measure, has a pleasing format and is movingly written. It's a first in its honesty, and the first book you should read about pregnancy and birth. I recommend this book with complete "confidence" that you will recommend it, too!!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars the best gift you can give your baby November 9, 2005

By Mary N. Gibbons

Format:Paperback

I wish this book had been available during my first pregnancy! First time mothers are naturally filled with fear--mostly of the unknown. What will happen? Will it be as painful as they say? Will I get through it? This book would have alleviated those fears. In a simple way, it tells you what will happen and how you can get through it. But, most importantly it tells you over and over again not only that you can do it, but that you were made to do it. Buy this book. It will be the best gift you can give your baby and yourself.