Natural Hospital Birth 2nd Edition

Many mothers-to-be find themselves torn between choosing a natural childbirth with minimal medical intervention, and the peace of mind offered by instant access to life-saving technology that only a hospital can provide. Cynthia Gabriel, a doula who has attended hundreds of births and who advises hospitals on how to facilitate low-intervention childbirths, knows that new moms can have both. In this fully updated edition of her popular and pioneering book Natural Hospital Birth, Gabriel gives moms, as well as partners and even medical personnel, concise and reassuring guidance on how to have as natural a birth as possible in a hospital setting. Gabriel shows expectant mothers how to avoid unnecessary medical interventions, how to take the initiative and consciously prepare for the kind of birth they want, and how to prepare a birth plan to share with doctors and nurses at the hospital.

Offers expectant mothers seeking natural childbirth in a hospital a detailed look at pregnancy and labor, explaining how to create a mutually supportive relationship among birth-care providers and make informed choices.

Written by a physician, this book embraces the power and possibility of integrative childbirth, in which the compassionate tradition of midwives is combined with the technical expertise of western medicine. --from publisher description.

The classic guide to an unmedicated childbirth, fully revised for the twenty-first century—with updated information and attractive new illustrations and photos throughout. For women birthing vaginally, 90% of Bradley births are drug-free! The Bradley Method®, used and praised by women for almost seventy years, prepares you for drug and surgery-free childbirth and puts you in control by providing the tools to navigate evidence-based care. Certified childbirth educator Susan McCutcheon, one of Dr. Bradley’s first students, now makes this natural approach to childbirth more accessible than ever. You will learn: • Exercises and nutrition to get your body ready for birthing • To defuse fear by understanding all aspects of laboring • How to involve your partner as a birth coach and a fully engaged participant • What’s driving the induction epidemic and how to avoid an unnecessary induction • What’s driving the cesarean surgery epidemic and how to reduce your risk • How to get the information you need to make informed decisions about your birth “The Bradley Method’s simple objective, through relaxation, breathing, and visualization, is a birth free of the interventions frequently offered to women in the different stages of childbirth: fetal monitors, drug-induced labor, anesthesia, episiotomy, and Caesarean section. (Its) other defining feature, the husband’s active participation in the delivery, is critical to this overall goal of an intervention-free birth.”—Mothering

Birth as every woman would like it to be • Recommended by Lamaze International as one of the top ten books for pregnant women and their families • Includes a 45-minute DVD of six live gentle births • More than 32,000 copies sold of the original edition New parents are faced with a myriad of choices about pregnancy, labor, and birth. In Gentle Birth Choices Barbara Harper, renowned childbirth advocate, nurse, former midwife, and mother of three, helps to clarify these choices and shows how to plan a meaningful, family-centered birth experience. She dispels medical myths and reimagines birth without fear, pain, or violence. Harper explains the numerous gentle birth choices available, including giving birth in an independent birth center, at home, or in a hospital birthing room; finding a primary caregiver who shares your philosophy of birth; and deciding how to best use current technologies. She also provides practical advice for couples wishing to explore the option of using a doula or water during labor and birth to avoid the unwanted effects of drugs and epidurals. The Gentle Birth Choices DVD blends interviews with midwives and physicians and six actual births that illustrate the options of water birth, home birth, and vaginal birth after a prior Cesarean section. The DVD clearly reveals the strength of women during childbirth and the healthy and happy outcome of women exercising gentle birth choices. It is a powerful instructional tool, not only for expectant parents, but also for midwives, hospitals, birth centers, and doctors.

The first evidence-based book covering natural childbirth practices written by an obstetrician Natural birth plans have emerged as a battle cry of resistance among women who are dissatisfied with today’s medically-aggressive model of maternity care and high cesarean section rates. However, natural birth does not need to be a source of controversy or conflict between women and their nurses and doctors. Natural Labor and Birth: An Evidenced-Based Guide to the Natural Birth Plan seeks to broaden the medical community’s understanding of the motivations and needs of naturally laboring mothers, while also exploring why natural birth is often so difficult to achieve within our current system and what can be done to change that. It is a complete resource on the topic of natural childbirth, teaching healthcare providers and other birth workers the skills necessary to assist a woman through an unmedicated birth and reviewing the compilation of medical evidence in support of those methods. It demonstrates how natural birth can exist within the framework of traditional antepartum care and hospital deliveries, and offers alternative solutions to common challenges that often disrupt the physiologic birth process. Natural Labor and Birth: An Evidenced-Based Guide to the Natural Birth Plan is also an unbiased resource for pregnant women seeking a more thorough and scientific understanding of unmedicated birth. This guide will help women and their partners make their own birth plans from a truly informed place. It will help women understand the barriers they may face when seeking a natural birth and give them the ability to better communicate their needs and preferences. By creating room for natural birth within our maternity system, this book will help readers build a community of care where all women feel respected, acknowledged, and empowered during their birth experience.

FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED 6TH EDITION OF THE WORLD'S BESTSELLING PREGNANCY GUIDE. 'My best friend during my pregnancy' Mariella Frostrup With 18.5 million copies in print, What to Expect When You’re Expecting is read by 93 per cent of women who read a pregnancy book and was named one of the ‘Most Influential Books of the Last 25 Years’ by USA Today. This cover-to-cover new edition is filled with must-have information, advice, insight, and tips for a new generation of parents. With Heidi Murkoff's trademark warmth, empathy, and humour, What to Expect When You're Expecting answers every conceivable question expectant parents could have, including dozens of new ones based on the ever-changing pregnancy and birthing practices, and choices they face. Advice for partners is fully integrated throughout the book. All medical coverage is completely updated for the UK, including the latest on prenatal screening and the safety of medications during pregnancy, as well as a brand-new section on postpartum birth control. Current lifestyle trends are incorporated, too: juice bars, raw diets, e-cigarettes, push presents, baby bump posting, the lowdown on omega-3 fatty acids, grass-fed and organic, health food fads, and GMOs. Plus expanded coverage of IVF pregnancy, multiple pregnancies, breastfeeding while pregnant, water and home births, and caesarean trends (including VBACs and ‘gentle caesareans’). The best pregnancy guide just got even better.