The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth (Paperback)

The authors (a pediatriction and a nurse) begin by making it clear that they are supporters of natural birth, and explain why using their experiences, published research and history. However, they go on to present the most unbiased collection of information I have found in any book promoting natural or medicated birth. They not only explain why you might not want a test or procedure (missing in most childbirth books), but also why and when it is helpful and necessary (missing in many 'natural birth' books).

If you are looking for a book that will tell you "what to expect" from your ob, this book is not it. The authors write about every decision that is made as the parents decision, supporting the parents right to choose how they give birth. Having both sides of the issue provides families with the information they need to make decisions for themselves. The authors provide the information in a way that makes it easy to bring the book with you to your doctor/midwife appointments as a tool to discuss your birth options.

Most of the "labor" information is how to labor without medication. This makes sense when you realize that it only takes a couple pages to expain what medications are available and how they work, but volumes have been written on other things that can be done to help a woman in labor. Additionally, because there is less health risk involved with natural birth any true review of the pros and cons of medicated vs. natural will always appear to favor natural.

In addition to providing information about ways to handle labor, the authors have written a book that encourages mothers and builds confidence in birthing abilty (which according to published research is the main contributing factor to being successful in natural birth plans).

I could write my own book with my thoughts and feelings about childbirth, childbirth prepartion, and postpartum recovery. I'll just say this,however...

Childbirth hurts. Take all of the classes, read the books, get drugs, it still hurts. Go to a hospital and expect them to hold your hand during labour and you'll be disappointed, they're too busy to do that. Have someone there with you to support you through the whole thing. Preferably at least one person that has done this before. Could be a doula, could be your best friend or mother... Interventions DO lead to more interventions. Less is better for the birth, the mother,the baby and your recovery (I've done both types). If you can swing less, do that.

Reading books like these, taking classes to practice positioning techniques and exercising your body actually does HELP. Having some ideas on things to try when the going gets rough HELPS. Not everything will work for everyone,but many things will work or at least help you cope. Everyone should be prepared for natural childbirth, regardless of whether or not they are planning to have drugs, even major ones. You can't get an epidural until you are at least four cm or it can stop your labour. I wasn't four cm with my first child until I was 24 hours into labour. And both times I tried an epidural, and it didn't take the first time at all, only took partially the second time. The only type of medication that will give you total relief from childbirth discomfort is general anesthesia. Having a list of things that I could do to cope made all of the difference in the world to me. The first birth I was much more passive. The second birth I was much more proactive and had a much better time of it. My recovery was night and day too.

I respect Sears and his wife as both parents and healthcare professionals. Their series of books are not perfect, but I would say, after reading reams of drivel or hyperbole on the subject at hand, they actually do the overall best job for a basic book. Most folks read one, max two books pre-birth, so if you have to choose only one, this would be it. And their book "The Baby Book" is also the best one out there regarding babies.

Btw, regarding the comment about the AFP test. It is famous for false positives, which can cause unneeded stress to parents. I don't have an opinion about having the test, either way beyond that. As to Down's Syndrome, some parents want to know in order to terminate the pregnancy. Looks like termination is not on their list of things to consider, so why should they have the test? (I had an amnio, much more accurate.) The way the review was written, it sounded like they had done something irresponsible. Some parents want to know, others don't. Knowing or not knowing neither causes Down's Syndrome (a chromosomal abnormality apparent at conception), nor will change the outcome of the pregnancy.

I wouldn't just read this book. I'm the type of person that reads everything that I can get my hands on, both on a professional level and from the mainstream press. But this is certainly a book for my short list. Read it.

Although they believe that medical intervention is grossly overused in this country (in large part due to fear of litigation by obstetricians), the authors readily acknowledge that it can be useful and even necessary in limited situations, and they encourage mothers to plan ahead in case things don't go as planned.

Although I felt like the book is a bit more alarmist than the typical birth book (and I found myself summarily dismissing parts of it -- as I have found ultrasounds & the Doptone monitoring of baby's heartbeat at my regular OB appointments to be extremely helpful), on the whole, it seems like one of the more balanced and informative books available. It's not all about "trust the doctor completely", nor does it fault women who chose intervention. For example, although the authors do caution about the risks of epidurals, in several parts of the book, the authors specifically relate how epidural anesthesia can be very helpful in causing labor to progress. The book is also chock-full of information & detail, as well as being very easy to read. It provides much information to allow parents to become more active participants in decision-making regarding the birth of their child.