The Birth Book (Sears Parenting Library)

UPDATE: 24 days after I wrote this review, I had a healthy 7 pound, 9 ounce baby boy via VBAC with my husband, doula, and midwives by my side at a respected local hospital. I credit this book along with several others for informing me about healthy options that could help me have the birth I wanted, and how to adapt when things weren't going my way. We did it!!I checked this book out of my local library along with about a dozen others, and it was one of a few that I chose to purchase for myself after reading it so I could make notes and highlight my own favorite parts.The book first tells of Dr. Sears' wife and co-author, Martha, and her birth experiences beginning in (I believe) the 50s. If you know anything about the history of childbirth, her experiences aren't really out of the norm for each year that she describes. The book then clearly lays out its goals and what it will discuss. This is where I get confused at negative reviews that contend that the book is pushy or too preachy about home or birth center births. Within the first chapter, the book immediately begins to handle sensitive readers with kid gloves, reiterating time and time again that some women need medical interventions, and that every woman should make choices that are best for herself, her baby, her family, and her individual situation. I don't know how much more the author could coddle a fragile reader who doesn't want to hear that her expectation of an epidural at first contraction could lead to more medical procedures. I've come to think that women who are touchy and overly sensitive about books that suggest a natural birth are ones who are insecure about their own experiences or decisions, and perhaps the ones to hear this information the most. A healthy woman with a healthy pregnancy and baby are likely to have little need for medical interventions. That's not Dr. Sears' (or any author's) opinion, friends.The book is broken up into 3 sections: Preparing for birth, Easing pain in labor, and Experiencing birth. My personal favorite chapters have been VBAC and Best Birthing Positions. I've long known that lying on your back is a stupid and ill-advised position in which to give birth (umm, hi gravity?), so I love that this book gives illustrations of some great positions that can be switched up to make mom more comfortable. I also enjoy the diagrams of exactly how the [average] baby comes out of the birth canal. The ways in which a fetus turns to make his or her grand entrance into the world are really remarkable!I will agree with the obvious fact that some of the research presented in the book is "old", as it was written in 1994. I would love to see a revised edition that just changes those few things - however I wouldn't expect a totally different book. Guess why? Because women have been having babies for THOUSANDS OF YEARS. The way we deal with childbirth has changed through the decades, but y'all, for gosh sakes, your body does the same basic functions as a woman's body did in 1750! And we have the luxury now of avoiding polio and rickets and other scary diseases that can wreak havoc on a childbearing body. We are so lucky to know so much about our bodies and how they perform - the function of birthing a child hasn't changed since 1994.After an emergency C-section two years before, I was anxious to study up on birth (I had done NO research, reading, or classes for my first) to see if I could have a better birth experience this time. As I suspected, there were choices that I made in my care that really set me on a path to the outcome that I got, and this time I am making different plans so that I can have a better birth experience. Personally I'm just not the "home birth" type, so I am going to the hospital for my birth; since I am a previous recent cesarean patient, home birth is not really the safest option for me anyway. This book has really helped me grasp what I'm going to go through and instead of just being a patient at a hospital, I can go into the birth experience knowing each stage, what my body is trying to do, and how I can feel like I am a part of the experience - understanding options and making my own choices instead of just lying on a hospital bed, waiting for my baby to pop out.If you are a woman who wants to go to a hospital at 9 am on the day of your choice, receive your pain medication, and have a C-section at the hour of your choosing, then no, this book is not for you. If you are a woman who believes that your doctor knows all and the hospital is the best place for you to give birth and you are going to demand an epidural asap and lie on your back to give birth, then no, this book is not for you. And if you're expecting an internationally-renowned, respected, educated, reputable, experienced doctor to tell you that these are the best choices for a woman's body, you're probably going to have to look REALLY hard.But if you're looking for a book that will present you with your options, give examples, talk about the specific ways in which your body is working during labor and ways you can help, not hinder, it from doing its job, if you had a negative birth experience in the past and you're wondering if there was anything you could have changed or anything you could have researched or read about beforehand, then this book IS for you.

This book changed the way I viewed labor and labor pains. It empowered me to have 3 natural births when the first one required an epidural. I always lend it to pregnant moms. It teaches so much about what is happening in your body and empowers you with education while never giving a sense of shame or failure when births go different than planned.

I bought this book after reading a book on the Bradley method and one on Lamaze. The first book was very anti-hospital, anti-doctor, the second was "be a good girl and do what the doctor says, and give birth in a hospital, because otherwise is very dangerous." This book was the perfect guide to me. I was very anxious(as are many first-time moms-to-be) about the whole process, although I knew probably more than others, having a mother whoe was a L&D nurse for years, a sister who was doing her OB/GYN rotation as a Master's student, and married to a nurse(who had forgotten all his L&D stuff, but still had the books!). There's a good mix between medical information and what I call "mother" information. The combined writing of Dr. Sears and his wife is excellent. They make you feel like no matter where you chose to give birth, the most important thing is that you have a health care practitioner (midwife or Dr.) that supports your wishes and having your partner support your wishes. I felt much more prepared and felt like I could actually have choices and control when I was in labor. And despite going into labor on a holiday(Labor day, how appropriate!) and not having my own MD deliver, I felt in control, and got most of my wishes. I'm not so sure that I would have been so assertive if I hadn't read this book. I only wish I'd read it early on in my pregnancy. If you're only 3 or 4 months, go get this book now and read it- there's lots of good information for you now. *note* I wasn't your typical first time delivery in that when I got to the hospital, I was already 7cm dilated. I was in labor in the hospital for only 5 hours, and got to spend a lot of time walking, despite what the dr wanted me to do! And at the end, we had a beautiful, healthy, 9lb, 3 oz boy!

I am very fond of the Sears family. And this book in the Sears library is the guide to the beginning of your journey with children and becoming attached to them. I think I have learned from their books that attachment isn't just for the child it is definitely also for the parent. Attachment parenting teaches a parent how to understand the child and give them what they need instead of being in a deadlock waiting for the child to figure out how to understand you, the parent. And that is what good parenting is all about. Especially because that makes everyone more happy and parenting much more easy. The birth book is a comprehensive guide to starting the process by understanding yourself as a woman and mother in the birth process. There is history, scientific research, and a lot of heart in this book. While they are definitely pro natural birth, they are more pro having the birth that empowers you as a woman. If that means a medicated birth after reading all the research, then go for it and be happy with your decision. That is what the Sears are really about, being an informed consumer. In other words, we should make our own choices based on knowledge and personal strength. For those that want a natural birth but appreciate research, this book will give it all to you. As a scientist myself, some of the natural childbirth books are too much, but this one has it all for me; just the right mix of good research and a ton of personal experience. After reading this book, I truly feel I have the tools to have a birth that is natural with the ability to make choices that are best for me and the baby if something does not go as planned. If I could thank the Sears personally, I would with a big hand shake and a hug.

This is a great book that helps to prepare for birth. It is very well written, concise, and includes all information that a woman (and her partner) needs to prepare for birth. Sears know how to write a book with good quality information, convince the reader with good reasoning behind their arguments, and have a proper attitude while doing all these. They provide good arguments for drug and intervention free childbirth, but they respect the medical world and the interventions they bring and don't impose that 'doctors and hospitals' are evil, as some other books on childbirth do. All they say is that do it as much as you can drug and intervention free, in natural way, and they provide good tools for it. But if it is medically necessary, or you will feel more satisfied with a painless birth, you can choose it too. I am a medical doctor and I find the attitude of Sears much more convincing.I've ordered 3 books on child birth, this is the first one I read. I am so satisfied with this that, instead of continuing with reading the other two books, I am planning to go through the Sears book again with particular attention on exercises, tools and techniques and practice them (perhaps I read only tools and techniques in the other books, to enrich my toolbag for labour and delivery). I personally plan to equip myself with a bag of tools and techniques to cope with pain, and if I cannot suceed with them, I can think of an epidural.The only thing I found that can improve the book is that it could have included massage techniques that eases labour pain.Also, perhaps a short section targeting birth partners and putting all the tips for them in that section would be good.

Has some useful facts, but read it with a grain of salt. It's biased towards natural birth and can unnecessarily scare one against regular hospital birth, which in many countries is nowadays perfectly safe! Would not recommend since it's outdated and geared towards the American medical system.

Excellent book to prepare you for labour- was incredibly clear and easy to understand, really helped me make my own informed decisions and understand what the medical staff were discussing.

Really enjoyed reading it and shared a lot of it with my husband. Definitely know more about pregnancy and the birth itself.

I haven't read the whole book yet, but the first few chapters that I have read give some very good insight - especially if you are a first time mum-to-be. Would definitely recommend it.