The Positive Birth Book: A New Approach to Pregnancy, Birth and the Early Weeks

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The book is informative, thorough, and realistic, and really equips the reader to grab her childbirth experience by the reigns and steer, as well as to know when to let go and let others drive. Whether it’s your first, second or fifth baby, most of us approach childbirth with some trepidation. Most books are either written to talk you into a natural birth or else only talk about general hospital policies never mentioning other options. Sears is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and a fellow of the Royal College of Pediatricians (RCP). I think the book does a good job of preparing women for childbirth by setting the expectation that birth is something you can do, but it's hard and not entirely controllable.

Covering everything from scans to stretch marks, hypnobirthing to pain relief, as well as specific advice for partners, The Happy Birth Book will be there for you every step of the way. The Calm Births book is a comprehensive guide on how to achieve a positive, calm birth no matter what happens on the day.Milli Hill usefully divides labour into 14 stages, so you know what's going on with your body and your baby through the entire birth process. The insights it offers will allow many women to flip their upcoming birth experience from a potentially nervy tiptoe through a dark unknown to a cherished day. She has received grants and fellowships from the International Women’s Media Foundation, the International Reporting Project, and The Investigative Fund, reporting stories around the US and the world.

This book is a valuable resource for anyone who is soon to give birth, and to birth workers and anyone supporting parents through pregnancy and birth. William and his wife both "talk" in this book and while Martha's experience with Birth is not the norm, it is nice to have a women and RN's view as well as a medical doctor and father of 8. A great book if you are scared about your thoughts - contains really useful and reassuring information, a good self-help section, an explanation of different treatments and also discusses what others can do to help.

An enlightening and accessible portrait of maternal healthcare in America" ( Publishers Weekly, starred) Birth is an inspiring look at one of life’s most profound rites of passage. This book was published in 1994 and I would love to see the authors publish an update with more current information and updates to the many predictions they made throughout. If you are too scared to talk to someone about how you are thinking, I'd recommend reading this first. If you are struggling to find your own way as a parent, and feel bombarded with different approaches, this might be a bit of an antidote as it shows how varied (and at times contradictory) different childcare approaches are.

Finally, we can put to bed the old saying that, ‘as long as mother and baby are healthy that is all that matters’. Many parents-to-be and their support people have little knowledge of what to expect in the birthing suite.I tend to agree with the Sears' naturalistic tendencies in general, but I do think the subject of pain medication during labor (and the epidural in particular) are handled in a somewhat biased fashion. Re-reading this book has helped me remember a lot of little details that I'd forgotten, especially things that did not apply to my first birth experience.

I hope to be better prepared to help laboring women to find the positions that will work the best for them. My personal experience tells me that no matter how relaxed I am, I'm still going to experience cervical stretching as painful, and that for me, more active pain coping practices will work better.

In The Happy Birth Book, Beverley Turner, with the help of midwife Pam Wild, lays out all the facts about pregnancy, birth and new parenthood. Hypnobirthing certainly doesn't involve being hypnotised; instead, it teaches you how your body works on a muscular and hormonal level when in labour and how you can use various relaxation techniques to ensure you are working with your body (rather than against it), making birth more efficient and comfortable. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. It is easy to read, is non-alarmist about birth and seeks to help women feel calm, confident and flexible in the options available to them, no matter how unpredictable or far from an "ideal" birth their journey takes them. Thandiwe Newton, actress and campaigner 'This is a wonderful book; honest, wise and immensely practical.