The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer, Rhonda Wheeler Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth
Book Review: Every pregnant woman should buy this book!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is clearly very thoroughly researched. Many books with similar information are presented anecdotally, while Henci Goer backs up all information with medical research (cited in the index). Perfect for the skeptic! Pros and Cons are clearly listed with respect to each possible medical intervention. I wish I had had access to this information during my previous pregnancy.Book Review: Important, non-patronizing information for birth
Summary: 5 Stars
After I read this book I wondered if birth in U.S. hospitals is really as badly mis-managed as Henci Goer says so I chcked some of her claims in the Medline database of medical journal literature. It turns out Goer has really done her research and according to the medical literatre (which Dr.s presumably should be reading) she is absolutely right. OBs in the U.S are trained to intervene in births when nothing is actually going wrong yet, and these needless interventions frequently cause unnessessary complications for mother and baby. The research indicates that a hands-off approach leads to the best outcomes as long as there is no clear need for medical intervention. This is a lesson the U.S. medical profesion is having a hard time learning. They are trained to do somethng not just wait, even when waiting would be more beneficial.If every pregnant woman had the information in this book instead of simply trusting doctors to do the right thing it would lead to drastic improvements in U.S. health care for labor and birth.
Book Review: Full of Important Information for Birthing Couples
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the best book I've ever seen in regards to condensing current research on childbirth into readable and understandable terms. The author gives clear and concise descriptions of various OB procedures and interventions that are easy to follow. She gives pros and cons of each [working within her own bias, which she does freely admit]. I think this would be an excellent book for any couple expecting an uncomplicated birth to read. This is information that every pregnant woman *should* have access to in order to make good decisions. However, there is definitely an anti-OB bias [which the author admits] and this isn't a book designed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy about a hospital birth. Be aware of that going into this - the author raises very important but possibly disturbing points for those planning a hospital birth with an Obstetrician in attendance.
My only dissappointment with the book is that there was no chapter on assisted delivery [vacuum cap and forceps]. I would very much have liked to see a chapter on the pros and cons of these common procedures and their safety for mother and baby. There is only one page that has a small bit of information on this, but no extensive discussion or gathering of the research data available. It seems a glaring omission from an otherwise excellent and complete book.
Book Review: Disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
While this book contains good information and cites many research studies (a significant portion of the book is devoted to documenting research), the author's tone seemed negative to me. Ms. Goer obviously has some hostile feelings towards the medical community, and as the book progressed, this became distracting to me. I much preferred "The Birth Book," by William and Martha Sears, which contains similar information and outlines the same pros/cons, but manages to be very positive.Book Review: Most informative pregnancy/labor book I have found
Summary: 5 Stars
Two of my greatest passions - birth and reading - have led me to this book among pregnancy books! Even before I became a doula, I devoured pregnancy and labor books by the dozens and I can honestly say that this one is a MUST READ for anyone pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant.As a doula, I ask every one of my clients to read this book. The information on drugs, induction and other hospital protocol is on-target and backed by scientific research.
It's not just about "natural birth" either - it's a comprehensive run down of everything you might encounter during your labor and how to make the best informed decision for you and your baby.