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Pregnancy and Birth

Pregnancy and Birth

Adventures in Natural Childbirth: Tales from Women on the Joys, Fears, Pleasures, and Pains of Giving Birth Naturally
edited by Janet Schwegel, 39 women shareinspiring accounts of unmedicated births - even hypnobirths. Stories areorganized according to attending caregivers: physicians, midwives, and doulas, with the last chapter dedicated to unassisted births. It's just what the doctor - or midwife - orderedfor prospective natural birthers needing a dose of encouragement. (Marlowe & Company, 2005)

After the Baby's Birth: A Complete Guide for Postpartum Women by Robin Lim (Celestial Arts, 2001)

At Highest Risk, by Rebecca Rivas, is a fascinating, well-crafted documentary on the grave state of maternal health care in Peru, which has the second highest maternal death rate in South America. Peruvian women have been subjected to mass forced sterilization and can actually be fined for having a homebirth. They are made to stay at clinics for weeks, provided with shelter but no food. As the film follows the pregnancy and delivery of Judyth Aguero Vega, a 27-year-old unmarried Andean woman, we see the flower-petal adorned rituals and other age-old practices that characterize traditional pregnancy and birth in Peru. Rivas does a fine job of capturing the hearts of her subjects while providing a comprehensive view of the issues that contribute to their dire circumstances. (Documentary Educational Resources, 2006; www.der.org)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta

Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent (Scribner,2002)

Baby on Board: Becoming a Mother Without Losing Yourself - A Guide for Moms-to-Be
In Baby on Board: Becoming a Mother Without Losing Yourself—A Guide for Moms-to-Be, personal coaches Joelle Jay and Amy Kovarick offer concrete exercises for helping pregnant women access their creativity and personal power and determine what kinds of values, perceptions, and dreams they want to bring to new motherhood. (American Management Association, 2007)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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Better Birthing With Hypnosis: Mindful Pregnancy and Easy Labor Using the LeClaire Method by Michelle LeClaire O'Neill, PHD, RN (Keats Publishing, 2002)

Birth As We Know It
An excellent new film from Russian midwife Elena Tonetti-Vladimirova. Featuring stunning footage of serene water births, including an entire segment on birth in the Black Sea, this DVD may convince many a mother that water birth is not only wondrous and desirable but absolutely attainable. I was almost moved to tears viewing the stark contrast between a cesarean birth in which twins suffered obvious emotional trauma, and water births in which alert babies emerged calmly from the birth canal. Tonetti-Vladimirova speaks eloquently about the importance of peaceful labor to a child's developing psyche, and addresses the need for mothers to heal their own birth traumas in order to facilitate such births. Her esoteric language may alienate some viewers, and the omission of specific ways to heal birth trauma is unfortunate, but these drawbacks are small compared to the overall power of this profound film. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in water birth, and natural birth in general. Be sure to also check out the DVD's special segments on circumcision, lotus birth, and exercises for pregnancy. (Elena Tonetti-Vladimirova, 2006; www.birthintobeing.com)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta.

Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born
Tina Cassidy's Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born is a fascinating ride through centuries of childbirth practices—from the days when midwives reigned to the dawn of male doctors, from the modern natural-birth movement to the astronomical increase in C-sections—and all the bizarre gadgets and lore in between. Cassidy's spirited writing makes this historical account read like a compelling novel. To top it off, she even includes a recipe for a Placenta Cocktail, courtesy of a 1983 issue of Mothering. (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2006)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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Blessed Events: Religion and Home Birth in America by Pamela E. Klassen (Princeton University Press, 2001)

Blessingways: A Guide to Mother-Centered Baby Showers by Shari Maser, CCE, offers ideas on how to create a meaningful ritual for amother-to-be—from footbaths to birth necklaces, from belly casting to fine feasting. Included is a resource section of organizations and websites as well as helpful books, magazines, and videos. (MoondancePress, 2004) (Princeton University Press, 2001)

Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First
By Marsden Wagner, MD, former head of Child and Maternal Health for the World Health Organization and a Mothering Living Treasure, this book blows the whistle on "defensive obstetrics"—doctors who choose practices, such as cesarean sections, that they believe will help them avoid lawsuits but that aren't necessarily in the best interests of their patients. Wagner's prescription for this tragic situation? Care that is evidence-based and woman-centered—not physician-centered. I highly recommend this lucid, authoritative analysis of the state of maternity care in the US. (University of California Press, 2006)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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Born in Water: A Sacred Journey documents touching father-attended water births that take place through the Andaluz Waterbirth Centers in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and Tualatin, Oregon. You'll witness how safe and peaceful an intervention-free water birth can be. Meanwhile, The Birth of Sabine, a 10-minute short from Andaluz, illustrates how natural methods can be used to help induce labor after a premature rupture of membranes (PROM). (Born in Water, 2001; The Birth of Sabine, 2005; Andaluz Waterbirth Center: 877.885.0228)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta

Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful: Experience the Natural Power of Your Pregnancy with Kundalini Yoga by Gurmukh (St. Martin's Press, 2003)

The Caesarean
Michael Odent explores the cultural, psychological, and medical reasons for the skyrocketing rate of cesarean births. Odent writes from the perspective of one who has watched the evolution of the cesarean over the decades and this compelling book upholds his reputation for visionary work. (Free Association Press, 2004)

The Community-Based Doula: Supporting Families Before, During, and After Childbirth
Rachel Abramson, Ginger K. Breed-love, and Beth Isaacs chronicle the development of the Chicago Doula Project, which has served inner-city teens with great success: lower rates of cesarean section and epidural, and significantly higher rates of breastfeeding initiation. At one site, the latter rate went from almost zero to 65 percent in the project's first year. Practical as well as inspiring, the book outlines how to replicate the program, as has now been done in several states, including New Mexico. (Zero to Three, 2006)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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Complete Pregnancy Fitness with Erin O'Brien: Workouts for Before & After Childbirth Two DVDs - Prenatal Fitness Fix and Postnatal Rescue. O'Brien, a personal trainer at elite fitness clubs, offers solid instruction in modified Pilates, body sculpting, Feldenkrais, and, in Prenatal Fitness Fix, cardio training. Postnatal Rescue includes an extremely gentle stretching routine for the first few weeks after birth. (Acorn Media, 2006)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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Creating Your Birth Plan: The Definitive Guide to a Safe and Empowering Birth
This is a succinct, authoritative gem on natural birth from Marsden Wagner, MD MS, former director of women's and children's health for the World Health Organization and a Mothering Living Treasure. Easy-to-digest chapters cover choosing a care provider and birth location, risks and benefits of medical intervention, and natural alternatives to drugs, technology, and surgery. (Perigee, 2006)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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The Doula Book: How a Trained Labor Companion Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier, and Healthier Birth by John Kennell, MD and Marshall H. Klaus (Perseus Publishing, 2002)

Eating for Two: Recipes for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women by Robin Lim (Celestial Arts, 2003)

Enhancing Fertility Naturally: Holistic Therapies for a Successful Pregnancy by Nicky Wesson (Healing Arts Press, 1999)

Expecting Trouble: The Myth of Prenatal Care in America by ThomasH. Strong, Jr., MD (New York University Press, 2000)

The Garden of Fertility: A Guide to Reading Your Fertility Cycles to Take Control of Your Reproductive Health by Katie Singer (Avery, 2004)

Getting Back in Shape: Fitness and Nutrition after Pregnancy byDeborah Mackin (DK Publishing, 2003)

Giving Birth: A Journey Into the World of Mothers and Midwives by Catherine Taylor (Perigree, 2002)

Having Twins & More: A Parent's Guide to Multiple, Pregnancy, Birth and Early Childhood by Elizabeth Noble with Leo Sorger, MD, is the definitive, comprehensive, attachment parenting-friendly resource on multiples. Noble and Sorger cover the gamut, from natural, vaginal birth to lactation. And there is an extensive bibliography and resource section to boot! The work of many noted authors, such a perinatal psychologist David Chamberlain, birth reformer and scholar Henci Goer, and midwife Nancy Cohen—to name just a few—are referenced in this superb volume. (Houghton Mifflin, 2003)

Heart & Hands: A Midwife's Guide To Pregnancy and Birth
by Elizabeth Davis. This is the fourth edition of this well-loved book from one of midwifery's finest practitioners. Though primarily for birth care providers, the manual also serves parents who want to be fully informed about the process of labor. Written with warmth and clarity, the book is beautifully illustrated with intimate black-and-white photos by noted photographer Suzanne Arms and drawings by Linda Harrison. (Celestial Arts, 2004)

A Holistic Guide to Embracing Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood:Wisdom and Advice from a Doula by Karen Salt (Perseus Publishing, 2002)

Hypnosis for a Joyful Pregnancy and Pain-Free Labor and Delivery by Winifred Conkling (St. Martin's Griffin, 2002)

Honoring Our Cycles: A Natural Family Planning Workbook
by Katie Singer is a charting booklet for keeping track of fertility cycles, to gauge gynecological health or to avoid or achieve pregnancy. The book is written in very basic language; mother and adolescent daughter can use it together. For an in-depth, well-researched discussion of fertility awareness, see Singer's The Garden of Fertility: A Guide to Charting Your Fertility Signals to Prevent or Achieve Pregnancy—Naturally—and to Gauge Your Reproductive Health. (Honoring Our Cycles: New Mexico Trends, 2006; The Garden of Fertility: Avery, 2004) Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth
by Ina May Gaskin. Ina May Gaskin, mother of the modern midwifery movement, combines soul-nourishing birth stories (a la Gaskin's Spiritual Midwifery) and hard-hitting facts about the dangers of medicalized birth in this wonderful book. Drawing on 30 years as a midwife, Ina May discusses the safety—and, yes, the ecstasy—of natural childbirth.
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Journey Into Motherhood: Inspirational Storiesof Natural Birth edited by Sheri L. Menelli (White Heart Publishing, 2005)

Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives: A Holistic Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth
by Deepak Chopra, MD, David Simon, MD, and Vicki Abrams, CCE, IBCLC. This book applies the spiritually nourishing principles of Ayurvedic medicine and the sensibility of Western science to conception, pregnancy, and postpartum care. This gently written book also offers valuable insight into how couples can effectively communicate, and how one might best meet a pregnant partner's needs. (Three Rivers Press, 2005)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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Buy the Audio Download

Messages from the Womb Meditation/Beautiful Birth Meditation, from Kate Street and LovefromBaby.com, is a two-CD set of calming, nicely paced visualizations and encouraging affirmations that aim to facilitate intuitive prenatal communication with your baby as well as a fulfilling birth experience. (Kate Street and LovefromBaby.com, 2007)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta

Miscarriage: Women's Experiences and Needs by Christine Moulder (Routledge2001)

Mother's Nature: Timeless Wisdom for the Journey into Motherhood by Andrea Alban Gosline and Lisa Burnett Bossi (Conari Press, 1999)

A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health by Dean Raffelock,DC, Dipl. Ac., CCN; Robert Routree, MD (Avery, 2002)

Natural Health after Birth: The Complete Guide to Postpartum Wellnessby Aviva Jill Romm (Healing Arts Press, 2002)

The Natural Pregnancy Book: Herbs, Nutrition, and Other Holistic Choices by Aviva Jill Romm (Celestial Arts, 2003)

Nurturing the Unborn Child: A Nine-Month Program for Soothing, Stimulating and Communicating With Your Baby byThomas Verny, MD and Pamela Weintraub (Olmstead Press, 2000)

The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence
by Judith Lothian, RN, PhD, LCCE, FACCE, and Charlotte De Vries of Lamaze International, is a no-nonsense handbook for laboring without medical interventions. Choosing a caregiver and a birthsite, creating a birth plan, and findung drug-free comfort are among the issues covered. The authors point out that Lamaze is no longer a method but a philosophy: birth is normal and women can handle it (Meadowbrook Press, 2005)

Parenting Begins Before Conception: A Guide to Preparing Body, Mind, and Spirit for You and Your Future Child by Carista Luminare-Rosen, PhD (Healing Arts Press, 2000)

The Pilates Pregnancy: Maintaining Strength, Flexibility and Your Figureby Mari Winsor and Mark Laska (Perseus Publishing, 2001)

Pilates Workbook for Pregnancy by Michael King and Yolande Green (Ulysses Press, 2002)

The Pregnancy Countdown Book: Nine Months of Practical Tips, Useful Advice, and Uncensored Truths
by Susan Magee with Kara Nakisbendi, MD, is not what I'd call a typical Mothering book, mostly because it's orientated toward doctors and hospital births. However, two expecting Mothering staffers love it for its reassuring tone and anecdotes, and its spot-on, day-by-day tracking of the emotional and physical changes that occur during pregnancy. (Quirk Books, 2006)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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The Pregnancy Herbal: Holistic Remedies, Nutritional Therapies, andSoothing Treatments from Nature's Pharmacy for the Mother-to-Be by Jaquelene Harper-Roth (Three Rivers Press, 2001)

The Prenatal Yoga Deck by Olivia H. Miller with Diane Philos Jensen (Chronicle Books, 2003)

Prenatal with Gurmukh features graceful instruction in Kundalini yoga from Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, esteemed founder of Golden Bridge Yoga in Los Angeles. Gentle poses relax and energize the body, while Khalsa's spiritual guidance inspires mothers to face birth with courage. A beautiful temple-like setting and Indian flute and tabla music create an atmosphere of serenity. Postpartum, check out Khalsa's Postnatal with Gurmukh DVD, which includes a segment on yoga for baby. (Conscious Enlightenment, 2007)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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Spirit Babies: How to Communicate with the Child You're Meant to Have, written by clairvoyant medium Walter Makichen, fascinates with stories of the author's communication with babies yet to be conceived. It contains exercises for connecting with the unborn. (Bantam Dell, 2005)

Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin (Book Publishing Company,2002)

You Just Have to Talk to the Man
This film's subject, Granny Midwife Margaret Charles Smith (1906?2004), attended more than 3,500 births without ever losing a mother. She lived and worked in rural Eutaw, Alabama, a town ruled by Jim Crow and the Ku Klux Klan.
Reviewed by Debby Takikawa

Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond
Francoise Barbira Freedman. Sharp, bright photos of realistically sized (though mostly white) pregnant women demonstrate poses for early, middle, and late pregnancy, (DK, 2004)

The Well-Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook: Give Your Baby a Healthy Start with 100 Recipes That Adapt to Fit How You Feel by Karen Gurwitz with Jen Joy, dishes out easy, pleasing recipes with a unique twist: Each comes with variations for when dear reader is feeling ravenous, a bit "green," or particularly full and round. Gurwitz, who runs Mothers & Menus, a service that delivers organic foods to new mamas, includes feedback about the recipes from her clients. (Clarkson Potter, 2007)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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With Woman: A Documentary about Women, Midwives & Birth
With Woman, directed by Knelly Dettinger, and featuring extensive commentary from renowned midwife Ina May Gaskin, is a great introduction to the philosophy and practice of midwifery care. The film follows the births of two thoughtful, well-educated clients of Morning Star Women's Health and Birth Center, in Wisconsin. The first woman experiences a safe, intervention-free VBAC, the second ends up having a medically necessary cesarean. The message: embrace natural birth, but don't rule out the possibility of interventions when they are truly needed. An even-handed, calmly paced film, With Woman encourages women to trust themselves and the birthing process. (True Story Productions, 2006)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
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