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.


Very empowering and informative!   July 27, 1998
 105 out of 105 found this review helpful

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.


Childbirth for Luddites, but read it anyway   July 21, 2001
 69 out of 124 found this review helpful

Easy to read, well organized, well illustrated, and informative. This book will be most helpful if you are already strongly opposed to any medical intervention, and if you think of giving birth without medical intervention as a competitive sport. But if you are mostly focused on a good outcome for you and your baby with a minimum of unnecessary pain, and don't have an ideological commitment to "natural" childbirth, this book will be less helpful and a bit annoying. The authors try to be evenhanded, but they are unsuccessful and seem irrationally anti-technology at times--although at points their skepticism is clearly warranted. I think what it boils down to is that the authors are very risk averse when it comes to technology (e.g., they are unusually nervous about the use of ultrasound), but seem to accept the "natural" dangers of childbirth without batting an eye, pointing out that kids have been delivered for thousands of years without medical intervention. (Yes, and they used to die all the time, along with the mothers.)

Telling, I think, is that they elected not to do prenatal screening with their SEVENTH child. They decided on no AFP (the screening test for many fetal abnormalities) not because it is dangerous per se but because the test isn't 100% accurate, and is especially prone to false positives). This seventh child has Down's Syndrome. Their reaction? It's not so bad; s/he's still a lovely child. To be sure, but to trivialize this outcome the way that they do speaks volumes about their hostility towards technology and their embrace of whatever is supposedly natural. If they think have a Down's Syndrome child is an OK result, what else do they think is OK?

One reviewer above has it right: this book tries to make you feel like you have been "robbed" if you end up with medical intervention. I'm just not sure that all women feel that giving birth without medicine is the most important achievement in their life, if it is an achievement at all. If you think that it might be, this book is probably the one for you, even if you end up needing medical help.

Still, this book is valuable because it does tell you about alternatives to overly-medicalized births--the value of which doctors and nurses are now coming to see, probably thanks to people like the Sears. (Most docs I know want to see the C-section rate go down, as the Sears do.) Especially helpful are the sections on episiotomy (I'm persuaded by what they say) and the overuse of epidurals. The section on prenatal nutrition is redundant--one of your other books does it better. But as a result of this book I am considering water birth, I am hiring a doula, and I am planning on delivering upright, squatting, with my husband massaging my shoulders. That's not something I would have known about if it hadn't been for this book.


Excellent Pregnancy Book (even if you're not a Sears fan)   August 4, 2003
 50 out of 52 found this review helpful

I have to STRONGLY disagree with other reviews that this book guilts you into a natural childbirth. The book is filled with examples of women who chose epidurals and other intervention and had satisfying births.

The overwhelming theme in this book is that it is the expectant parents' responsibility to educate themselves about their choices in childbirth, discuss their wishes with their caregiver, and write a birth plan to help convey these wishes to hospital staff (if they chose hospital birth). The Sears believe that if the parents are the ones making the informed decisions, rather than having decisions made for them, they will have a joyful, beautiful start to their family.

The Sears clearly lay out the benefits of natural childbirth, and do discuss in detail the risks of the various tests and interventions, as well as when they are justified. My favorite part is in the back, where mothers and fathers have submitted their birth stories. It is wonderful to read first-hand accounts of the emotions and sensations of birth. As I said, all kinds of births are included: planned C-sections, home births, epidurals, birth centers, high risk, etc. What is emphasized is that when the parents are informed and able to make their own choices, they are at peace with the outcome. It is when the parents feel that their wishes were not respected or that risks and options were not explained to them that they feel angry and bitter at their caregivers.

This is a great read for parents who know they want natural childbirth and for parents who want to consider it. You will never regret knowing your options. The birth and the child are your responsibility. It can be a time of joy and empowerment or a time of fear and helplessness. Having those choices, wouldn't you choose the former?


Wonderful and Empowering Book!   September 27, 1999
 34 out of 36 found this review helpful

This book treats mothers as intelligent, capable people worthy of making informed birth decisions with their doctors or midwives. Such a refreshing change from the condescending "don't question your doctor" tone of many books! It is very thorough detailing what happens during the birth process; and also explains common interventions, when they are needed and when they are not. I liked that the information was based on scientific evidence (not just doctors' traditions.) It emphasizes natural pain relief methods, but still covers medicated pain relief in a non-judgmental way. Their family's anectdotes made the book into thoroughly enjoyable reading.

Following the advice of this book for my 2nd pregnancy (wish i had had it for my first!) I had an intervention-free hospital birth. I could hardly believe how much better I felt and how much more quickly i recovered than in the more common "high-intervention" method I experienced the first time (what so many books champion.) If it hadn't been for this book, I would never have known what was possible!