.com In The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth, William and Martha Sears, authors of The Baby Book and creators of the concept of "attachment parenting," here turn their attention to the birth experience. In this helpful resource guide, the Searses cover the gamut of possibilities, and teach readers what they need to know to take control of their own birthings. The Birth Book is divided into three parts: "Preparing for Birth," "Easing Pain in Labor," and "Experiencing Birth." You'll find details about vaginal births; cesareans; VBACs; water births; home births; best birthing positions; drugs; pain; how to design your own birth plan; the humor, chemistry, and sexuality of birth; and pages and pages of birth stories.From Publishers WeeklyThis guide will do more for new parents than a pacifier will for a newborn. It is a comprehensive, soothing work which will ease the fears and anxieties that explode during a pregnancy, especially during the last trimester. The Searses ( The Baby Book )--he a pediatrician and professor at the University of Southern California's School of Medicine; she a childbirth and labor expert--are themselves the parents of eight children. They explain clearly and reassuringly the array of options available to pregnant couples, from what to consider when selecting a birthing team and environment and how technology can be a mixed blessing during pregnancy to having a VDAC (a vaginal delivery after having had a Caesarean birth). The book's philosophy is that delivering a baby is often an event that parents are more caught up with than the end-product--the baby. But the book offers more than philosophy. It gives men practical advice on how to survive the changes, both emotional and physical, that arrive with impending parenthood. There are quick-reference charts on the medical tests commonly ordered by physicians during pregnancy, contraction timing and the stages of labor. The final chapter is devoted to 14 birth stories which illustrate how labor and delivery are different for each woman. While no two experiences are alike, all illustrate the importance of making conscious choices about the birth of one's child. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.From Library JournalWith expectant parents confronted with a variety of childbirth choices, the Searses, a noted husband-and-wife team (he's a pediatrician and she's a nurse), have written a guide that outlines a number of options available for birth along with pros and cons for each. Their emphasis is on the natural birth experience--without drugs and with as little intervention as possible. They provide information on alternate settings and nonphysician birth assistants. The book is well written and well organized; references and additional reading provide avenues for further information. A complement to other books on the birth process, including Gayle Peterson's An Easier Childbirth (Tarcher, 1991); recommended for consumer health/patient education collections.- Mary J. Jarvis, Methodist Hosp. Medical Lib., Lubbock, Tex.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. what is the best selling fantasy books of all time The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth (Sears Parenting Library)
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Three cheers for Sears!By Rachel LuedkeExcellent book. Priceless information. Love the Sears perspective! The Pregnancy Book and especially the Baby Book are also amazing. Used these attachment parenting techniques with my first child and she is such a healthy happy loving little four year old now. Just a great way to go about birth and parenting.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good overview of many optionsBy CustomerI like this book for an overview of birth options but prefer other ones over it, like Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg. If you wanted a good overview to help you decide on details of your birth plan, this would be a good one. If you've already decided what you'd like for your baby's birth, go with something more specific to your preferences.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. The reason I was able to deliver naturally!By A CustomerOnce again, the Sears duo comes to the rescue! I read this book after getting hooked on the Sears' advice from "The Pregnancy Book" during my first pregnancy. As I approached those last months, I wanted to find out all that I possibly could about my options in labor so that I could make informed decisions and a birth plan that I would be happy with. "The Birth Book," fully and clearly explaining each possible eventuality that can happen in childbirth, also expresses the Sears' view that natural childbirth is both possible and wonderful, and gives specific steps to achieving those results. In addition to reading this book, I also took a birthing class, but found that I could have saved my money and time without the class--this book had all the information and motivation I needed!