Home > Media > Books > Barbara Harper - Gentle Birth Choices: A Comprehensive Book and Video Guide Making Informed Decisions About Birthing Centers, Birth Attendants, Water Birth, Home Birth, Hospital Birth
Barbara Harper - Gentle Birth Choices: A Comprehensive Book and Video Guide Making Informed Decisions About Birthing Centers, Birth Attendants, Water Birth, Home Birth, Hospital Birth
nursing3's Full Review: Barbara Harper - Gentle Birth Choices: A Comprehen...
This is a very comprehensive guide to making informed decisions about birthing centers, birth attendants, water birth, home birth or hospital birth.
The introduction tells the story of how the birth experiences of the author inspired her to writing this book. She hopes this book will help women to read in advance which options are out there, and I think she did a good job describing them.
Gentle Beginnings
The first chapter describes what a gentle birth would look like, and talks about the wonders and joy that are inherent in the beginning of a new life. It goes into the important elements of a gentle birth: preparation, a reassuring environment, freedom to move, quietness and low light. She also includes the part after the birth including the first breath, the first caresses, the baby at the breast and bonding. This chapter will help you a lot if you want to visualize your birth in advance as preparation,
giving ideas of what to focus on.
History
The next part of the book goes thoroughly into the history of childbirth in the United States. It is a good overview of how we came to be where we are now. It explains the medicalization of childbirth and the background of how that happened. It also summarizes the great names in childbirth movements, telling why they were important and what their influence on childbirth was. It covers, among others, Grantly Dick-Read, Ferdinand Lamaze, Frederick Leboyer, Michel Odent, Robert Bradley and Michael
Rosenthal.
Dispelling the Medical Myths
This chapter looks at the medical myths of our time. It looks at the scientific research behind the safety of hospital birth vs home birth, the electronic fetal monitor, repeat cesareans, whether pain relief affects the baby, episiotomy, eating and drinking during labor, 'advanced maternal age' and its associated problems and circumcision.
Midwifery in America
Goes deep into the current midwifery model in America, what kind of services a midwife performs and the legislation around midwifery, which is different in different states. It describes different models of education for midwives and briefly covers the future of midwifery.
Water Birth
This covers an in depth view of the reasons behind water birth, the history of water birth and how accepted it is in different countries around the world. It also has a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) part which covers issues like How does the baby breathe under water?, Will the mother get an infection from the water?, How are emergencies handled?, and Can the water become contaminated?
The Mind-Body Connection and Creating Gentle Birth Choices
The first of those chapters is about the importance of listening to your own body during labor, but also about listening to the baby! It tells how you can use visualization to prepare for your birth and talks about the power of prayer.
The second chapter is the practical application of all which is covered in this book towards your own labor and delivery. This is the chapter which will help you to plan your birth, by choosing your maternity care provider, deciding where to birth your baby, writing your birth plan and deciding who else should be at your birth.
Useful Appendices
The book closes with very useful lists of questions to ask a doctor or midwife, a sample birth plan, procedures and protocols for water birth, and more.
Conclusion
This is a great book to read in preparation for your birth when you are pregnant, but it is also a very interesting read for anybody who is interested in childbirth and midwifery. It is well written, has some great stories, and there are very awesome black and white birthing pictures all through the book.
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