Alternative Birthing Options

One of my local television networks has aired a story about Alternative Birthing Options. It's a brief article, but pretty good. I think it's good for this information to be presented to the public and help people see that they have options other than the standard norm.

Information/education = informed choice = empowerment

My Thoughts on "Your Best Birth" by Ricki Lake & Abby Epstein

For a while I was reading everything I could get my hands on about pregnancy and childbirth, and soaking up every bit of it. I got to the point of saturation a few months back, feeling like everything I was reading was a rehash of what I had already read. I guess that's good, because I was retaining the information I was reading.

The publishing of Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein's new book Your Best Birth was a really good excuse to start reading again, and they have not disappointed me. Your Best Birth is written with the intention of giving women a book that is easy to read and provides them with the information they need to make informed choices for their own childbirth. I feel the authors have definitely achieved that.

The beginning of the book includes Ricki and Abby's personal childbirth stories and explains the purpose of the book. Very quickly, however, they dig right in with the important information, and there's a lot of it. Interspersed with the information, are stories from other women and their experiences.

I enjoy reading birth stories of all kinds, and this book is full of them, as well as the educational material that everyone should know about childbirth. I would recommend this book to everyone, male or female, whether they are expecting a child or not. Compared to many other books I've read on the subject it's an easy read, and a relatively short book.

For more information about the book: Your Best Birth

For more information about the new pregnancy and childbirth online community: My Best Birth

For more information about the documentary film that sparked the interest in bringing us this wonderful new book: The Business of Being Born

Amazing Birth Experience

I recently attended a birth, and the experience was incredible. The first-time parents had taken a Hypnobabies course and prepared themselves as much as they possibly could for the birth of their baby. Even though the the labor did not go exactly as planned, the mother still went through with her plan for a birth with no epidural and kept her focus. The baby came very fast, and it was intense, but everyone came together to help and support the mother and her baby, and we all had a wonderful experience.

I was very impressed by the father, who stayed at his wife's side the entire time and put his whole focus on her. He was able to tune in to her feelings, and when she started to show even the smallest amount of hesitation he was able to capture her focus and help her to be calm almost immediately. The mother was amazlingly strong, and followed her husband's cues excellently. She listened to our instructions and did a fabulous job. I feel in awe and truly privileged to have been a witness of such a miraculous event. My love for women and their roles as mothers is increasing with everything I learn about birth and every experience I have with it. I've asked the mother to write her birth experience and allow me to share it with you all here on my blog. I hope that will be forthcoming in the near future.