Giving Birth (Hardcover)

by Mary M. Kalergis (Author) "Childbirth is the great equalizer: the unwed teenager, the young wife and the middle-aged career woman all share a common sisterhood during their labor and..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A serious and beautiful piece of work. -- Cornell Capa, Executive Director Emeritus, International Center of Photography, October 1, 1983.

Product Description
Giving birth is a great emotional and spiritual journey. Images of pregnancy, the birth experience, and spirituality of the birth process are the focus of this classic book of photographs. For years, renowned documentary photographer Mary Motley Kalergis photographed dozens of births, including countless home and hospital births attended by both doctors and midwives.

The resulting book, Giving Birth, was given only limited distribution by its first publisher in 1983, but over the years quietly gained a wide-spread following among birth educators and expectant mothers. Especially revealing were the images of husbands and children who were present with the laboring mother during the birth experience. Recently re-issued and again available, the classic Giving Birth is a required resource for the expectant mother who wants to experience the full wonder of her pregnancy and childbirth. Ninety three pages, including seventy three black and white photographs.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 93 pages
• Publisher: Sugarday Books (March 1997)
• ISBN-10: 0965964612
• ISBN-13: 978-0965964616
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,452,743 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Giving birth paints a beautiful portriat of childbirth, April 13, 1999

By A Customer

Giving Birth is one of the most beautiful books on childbirth that I've ever seen. The use of soft lighting and a "homelike" setting, make you feel as if you are witnessing the wonder of birth yourself. Having two boys, ages 5 and 10, I never had a chance to have pictures taken during either delivery, so seeing these pictures gives me a new prospective of the wonder of the whole childbirth experince. I would recomend this book to any expectant family. I believe that this book is an excellent way to share the childbirth experince with your children in a positive and beautiful way. Seeing a child nuzzling at it's mother's breast is not at all pornographic in nature. Overall, this book is excellent!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful black and white photography of everyday miracles, March 16, 1999

By	N. F. Harris "[e-mail]" (Uriah, Al) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Giving Birth provides a graphic but loving view of a cross-section of couples deeply involved in the process of bringing new life into the world.I'm sure the pictures could be somewhat disturbing to the uninitiated, but to the women who have had an unmedicated birth and can remember both the pain, wonder and pleasure involved,these pictures bring back exqusitite memories. The text is lovely and touching. It adds a great deal to the overall experiance of this outstanding book.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Own for Every Childbirth Educator, April 3, 1999

By	M. Vitale "panthergirl" (NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In addition to being incredibly moved by the photos in this book, I was overwhelmed with the excitement of owning another wonderful visual-aid for teaching natural birth. In this age of High-Tech labor and frenetic media portrayals of childbirth, a beautiful, intense and frank portrayal of women birthing without oxygen masks or IVs is a gift. The soulful images of dads, siblings and the amazing newborns are also magnificent.