The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth (Sears Parenting Library) by William Sears, Martha Sears Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth (Sears Parenting Library)
Book Review: Very empowering and informative!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is for all the women out there who have ever felt some mild anxiety all the way to a wrenching fear about the childbirth process. Dr. Sears and his wife Martha Sears, RN give readers a brief history of childbirth practices, they discuss the myths and fears surrounding birth, and then come full circle to help women understand that childbirth is a natural process. The Sears' articulate that many of today's complications of childbirth are related to the overuse of medical interventions and not enough education about the birth process itself. Although the Sears' advocate for drug free childbirth and as few interventions as medically needed, The Birth Book provides readers with the information that a woman (and her partner) need to make their own wise and individual informed decisions about medical treatments during childbirth. I found the book very empowering. I choose to have my baby at a hospital with my family practicioner and because of the information I gl! eaned from The Birth Book I was able to feel good about the many decisions I had to make surrounding my baby's birth. Many hospitals and doctors have a set of "standard procedures" for birth but I found my doctor and the hospital both were willing to work with my preferences because I was informed about the decisions I was making. Some of the decisions in my baby's birth included not to induce my labor (I went 11 days overdue), to decline the use of pitocin to "speed" my labor when it did come, to ask for pain relief when I needed it, to request not to have an episiotomy and to labor and deliver in the position of my choice. As a result, I had a wonderful (and yes, intense) first birth. Although I fully realize every woman and every labor is different, I believe that my birth experience was definately influenced positively by being educated about technologies, making informed decisions, and trusting my own body. This book helped me to do all those thi! ngs.Book Review: Fantastic, empowering, a MUST for your pregnancy library!
Summary: 5 Stars
I came out of my childbirth prep class scared out of my mind--the class severely lacked for those who wanted an unmedicated birth like we did. I found this book to be WONDERFUL and a great supplement to all the other books I had read so far. Read your what to expect and The Pregnancy Book but add this to your library to prepare you for birth. Especially if this is your first. You will not know how defining a moment your first birth is until it happens. So don't go in with blinders on. Read this book, learn all your options and plan your birth as best you can. My birth was wonderful-- thanks to the information in this book!
Book Review: Balanced, informative, and relevant to all births
Summary: 5 Stars
I read a wide variety of books during pregnancy, ranging from the very conservative "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" to the very liberal "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way." This was the only one that prepared me to make my own choices, communicate with my doctors, and have a satisfying birth no matter what I chose. Yes, it slants toward unmedicated births. But it also talks about how to arrange the interventions you want and/or need without giving away control. Unlike the other two I mentioned, this book put the choices in my hands, and always explained its advice. I had an unmedicated hospital birth because I chose those options, and this book helped me make those choices.Book Review: Empowering and Informative
Summary: 5 Stars
The Birth Book advocates an unmedicated birth with few interventions. However it does not condemn the medical establishment. It gives the reader enough information to make well thought-out birth choices. It also gives a woman understanding of her body and the birth process to enable her to know that her body can handle the physical challenges of birth. Overall, the book puts emphasis on having a satisfying birth by fully participating in all decisions, medical or not. An excellent book!Book Review: Thank You! An OB allowing women to be responsible!
Summary: 5 Stars
It is so refreshing to see an actual medical doctor allowing and even expecting women to take responsibility for their own births! A hospital is not club med for birth and birthing women are not little girls asking daddy to make all the bad go away. I loved that Dr. Sears recognizes the strength inherent in all women and encourages them to gather that strength in protecting and caring for their babies before, during, & after birth! So many books (like the too famous "What to Expect When You're Expecting") always have the overtone: "Don't worry your little mind, your doctor will take care of you" attitude, while they neglect to acknowledge the realities of institutional care and the "birth mill," with drugs, numbed moms, and lots of cutting of perineums to speed you along and out of their way! Thank you Dr. Sears for providing women the information & power to make informed choices in birth. By the way, I labored 3 days with my baby and never took any pain medication & delivered uncut - because I knew it was MY choice. My son lifted his head & looked around at mom & dad immediately after he was born & nursed peacefully because I had the information to know the effects of drugs & interventions during birth. This book is a must read for any expecting family.