Editorial Review:

Gives expectant parents an overview of the options available, offering up-to-the-minute advice on such matters as physical and emotional preparation, the father's role, avoiding a cesarean birth, and other information. 35,000 first printing. Tour.

In The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth, William and Martha Sears, authors of The Baby Book and creators of the concept of "attachment parenting," here turn their attention to the birth experience. In this helpful resource guide, the Searses cover the gamut of possibilities, and teach readers what they need to know to take control of their own birthings. The Birth Book is divided into three parts: "Preparing for Birth," "Easing Pain in Labor," and "Experiencing Birth." You'll find details about vaginal births; cesareans; VBACs; water births; home births; best birthing positions; drugs; pain; how to design your own birth plan; the humor, chemistry, and sexuality of birth; and pages and pages of birth stories.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

a Must Read:

I read several books throughout my first pregnancy, and found this one to be the most informative. There is a chapter on relaxation during the labor process (how to focus on keeping your muscles relaxed during contractions so your uterus doesn't have to fight against them) that I found to be VERY helpful. A very educational book that I highly recommend.

read this if you think natural is the ONLY way:

I was ready to learn about the actual birth process at around my 6th month of pregnancy and picked this book because it looked very complete and informational. Unfortunately I came to find that it was entirely biased on the side of natural birth and that if I chose pain meds it meant I did not "value the birth". Also the information given about pain meds and giving birth in a hospital left me feeling like all my original plans for birth were not good enough. I would not recomend this to anyone looking for... more info

Excellent Information - a little biased:

I decided to wait until after I had my baby to review this book so I was speaking from experience as to whether it was helpful or not!
Overall I found this book useful and it has excellent detailed information about the birth process, drugs, interventions & womens choices during labour. I knew exactly what was happening to me & my baby during labour and I understood all of the options available to me and their potential knock on effects.
Like many of the other reviewers I found a strong... more info

Disappointing:

After reading the other reviews of this book, and another by the same authors (The Pregnancy Book), I purchased both, and am dissatisfied with both. Both books are written at about the 8th grade level, and The Birth Book is definitely written with a solid bias towards one school of birthing techniques.
There's an entire section on "interviewing OBs and deciding which hospital to have your child." For those of us with insurance plans, and a hospital five minutes away, the browbeating about how you're... more info

Accessories:

Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3) from Airborne (Health and Beauty)

RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device from InterCure (Health and Beauty) - Usually ships in 24 hours

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