Stop listening to the horror stories. Be reassured, excited and inspired. Find out how beautiful and powerful birth can be. Discover the keys to planning your own positive birth - the best beginning to motherhood. Birth Journeys is a diverse collection of 29 encouraging and inspiring birth stories by real women (and men). It includes a wide range of birth experiences and choices: hospital, birth center, homebirth, unassisted birth, water birth, IVF, caesarean, VBAC and twins. Some stories are warm and lighthearted, some are serene and peaceful, while others are a wild whirlwind experience. Each story is positive, uplifting and empowering. Birth Journeys also contains contributions from health care professionals, academics, birth educators and authors including Dr Sarah J Buckley, GP and author of Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering; Hannah Dahlen, Associate Professor of Midwifery at the University of Western Sydney; Renee Adair, founder and principal educator of the Australian Doula College; Jane Hardwicke Collings, founder of the School of Shamanic Midwifery; and David Vernon, editor of Men at Birth.
This unique book focuses on the healing potential of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum rather than on the medical aspects. In Birth as a Healing Experience: The Emotional Journey of Pregnancy Through Postpartum, you will find childbirth preparation discussed as a means to empower women and their partners in the childbirth experience.
"Britta, you are a master at what you do." —P!NK, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter As expecting parents, you’re bombarded with more information—and opinions—than ever about the “right” approach to pregnancy and childbirth. How do you navigate this ocean of information—not only to find the best practical solutions for you personally, but also to embrace this incredible opportunity for emotional and spiritual transformation that comes from bringing a child into this world? With Transformed by Birth, Dr. Britta Bushnell has created the transformative, intelligent, and empowering pregnancy and childbirth guide you’ve been waiting for. This book embraces birth as a metamorphic experience—a rite of passage in which you are initiated by opening to the unbidden, embodying your own wisdom, and gaining freedom from limiting beliefs. Our culture has inundated us with limiting ideals that prevent us from fully engaging in the journey of pregnancy and childbirth—including a need for control and certainty, vilification of pain, and reverence for technology and intellectual knowledge, among others. Dr. Bushnell helps you clear away unwanted beliefs and behaviors so you can open to the meaning and power of this uniquely life-changing experience. Here she offers daily practices, rituals, exercises, and more to help you cultivate resilience, power, and connection during this transformative time. Childbirth is more than just having a baby. Transformed by Birth invites you to discover childbirth as a transformational experience that alters your knowing of who you are and lasts long after pregnancy and birth are over.
Birthing Autonomy brings some balance to the difficult arguments that arise from debates about home births, and focuses on women’s views and their experiences of planning home births. It provides an in-depth exploration of how women make decisions about home births and what aspects matter most to them. Comparing how differently the pros and cons of home births are constructed and contemplated by mothers and by the medical profession, the book looks at how current obstetric thinking and practices can disempower and harm women emotionally and spiritually as well as physically. Written in an accessible style, this book is enlightening for student and practicing midwives and obstetricians, as well as researchers and students of nursing, medical sociology, health studies, gender studies, feminist practitioners and theorists. It will also be invaluable to expectant mothers who want to be more informed about the choices they are facing and the wider context within which their birth options are considered.
Prepare for pregnancy, birth, and the newborn months with this award-winning “thoroughly modern guide to pregnancy” (National Parenting Product Awards). Now in a new revised and expanded second edition, Bumpin’ will radically transform your pregnancy journey from overwhelmed and confused to one of confidence. With over a decade of experience advising women’s health care and technology companies, Leslie Schrock distills cutting-edge research and practical guidance into a comprehensive pregnancy guide—from conception through pregnancy into the first months with an infant. She also shares her own personal journey, including the curveballs she faced on the way. This second edition updates the evidence and includes even more practical advice from experts ranging from doulas, ob-gyns, midwives, therapists, prenatal trainers, nutritionists, and researchers so you can make the best decisions for your family. With a look at the science, it tackles pregnancy FAQs and topics like the truth about cleaning up your cosmetics, nutrition, exercise, and epidurals; and the practical, like putting together a baby budget and navigating work before and after birth. New sections in the fourth trimester after your baby arrives go deeper on breastfeeding and bottle feeding as well as sleep and recovery for you. Inside the second edition of Bumpin’ you will find: -A trimester-by-trimester overview from conception through the postpartum period and return to work -How to optimize your fertile window and getting pregnant -The truth about age, fertility, and managing any issues that arise -Miscarriage and assisted reproduction treatments like IVF -Guidance on diet, substance use, and exercise before and during pregnancy -The science behind your physical changes, leaks, sweats, and every other unexpected pregnancy symptom -Managing your mental health -Understanding what happens during birth and creating your birth preferences -Advice for partners, family members, and friends supporting your pregnancy -Budgeting, finance tips, baby registry, and hospital checklists -Updated research on infant feeding and lactation Warm, funny, and non-judgmental, Bumpin’ will leave you feeling prepared and ready to tackle anything that comes your way.
An inclusive, holistic, evidence-based guide for pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum journey—created for modern moms by the experts at the Motherly online community. Pregnancy isn’t just about creating a baby. It’s also about the powerful transformation we go through on the journey to becoming “mama.” We created The Motherly Guide to Becoming Mama to coach and inspire you each step of the way. This is the pregnancy book we wish we’d had when we first became mothers—a mama-centered guide that doesn’t just focus on your baby’s needs, but honors and coaches you through this profound life change. Here’s the most important thing to remember: you are a phenom, and you are going to rock this. And you don’t have to do this alone. At your highest highs and your lowest lows, there is a village of professionals and peers to traverse this path with you. This book won’t bog you down with demands, give you more to be worried about, or tell you what to do. It’s impossible to know exactly what to expect during your pregnancy—after all, you are your own amazing woman with unique dreams, experiences, and needs. Instead, we’ve filled this illustrated guide with the best knowledge, wisdom, and support we have to offer, including: • Getting pregnant—planning, conception, fertility challenges, and finding the right care provider and birth strategy for you • Pregnancy month by month—how to understand, nourish, and support your own body and your baby’s health throughout your pregnancy • Giving birth—everything you need to feel empowered and prepared through the four stages of labor • The “fourth trimester”—helping you heal, process your experience, and thrive in the super-important and often ignored postpartum period • Tests and complications—no scare tactics, no intimidation; just good, well-researched information about the ways you can best prevent and prepare for challenges • Partners, friends, and family—our best tips for your whole support team • The many faces of mama—adoption, surrogacy, fostering, and the beautiful variety of motherhood experiences • Answers to the most common questions mamas have about finances, maternity leave, baby gear, relationships with family, nutrition, fitness, and much more Whether this is your first baby or your fourth, whether you’re still deciding about pregnancy or have an unplanned baby on the way, becoming mama involves your body, mind, emotions, lifestyle, relationships, schedule, spirituality, worldview—and most of all, your heart. This is an unprecedented time to embark on the journey of motherhood. You are part of a new generation of women elevating empowerment in all its forms. The Motherly Guide to Becoming Mama was made for you—a loving and supportive embrace of your unique motherhood journey in all its power, complexity, and beauty.
From the 1940s through the 1960s, young pregnant women entered the front door of a clinic in a small North Georgia town. Sometimes their babies exited out the back, sold to northern couples who were desperate to hold a newborn in their arms. But these weren't adoptions--they were transactions. And one unethical doctor was exploiting other people's tragedies. Jane Blasio was one of those babies. At six, she learned she was adopted. At fourteen, she first saw her birth certificate, which led her to begin piecing together details of her past. Jane undertook a decades-long personal investigation to not only discover her own origins but identify and reunite other victims of the Hicks Clinic human trafficking scheme. Along the way she became an expert in illicit adoptions, serving as an investigator and telling her story on every major news network. Taken at Birth is the remarkable account of her tireless quest for truth, justice, and resolution. Perfect for book clubs, as well as those interested in inspirational stories of adoption, human trafficking, and true crime.
For a Safe and Healthy Birth… Your Way! Giving Birth with Confidence will help take the mystery out of having a baby and help you better understand how your body works during pregnancy and childbirth, giving you the confidence to make decisions that best ensure the safety and health of you and your baby. Giving Birth with Confidence is the first and only pregnancy and childbirth guide written by Lamaze International, the leading childbirth education organization in North America. Written with a respectful, positive tone, this book presents: • Information to help you choose your maternity care provider and place of birth • Practical strategies to help you work effectively with your care provider • Information on how pregnancy and birth progress naturally • Steps you can take to alleviate fear and manage pain during labor • The best available medical evidence to help you make informed decisions Previously titled The Official Lamaze Guide, this 3rd edition has updated information on: • How vaginal birth, keeping mother and baby together, and breastfeeding help to build the baby’s microbiome. • How hormones naturally start and regulate labor and release endorphins to help alleviate pain. • Maternity-care practices that can disrupt the body’s normal functioning. • The latest recommendations on lifestyle issues like alcohol, vitamins, and caffeine. • Room sharing and cosleeping: the controversy, recommendations, and safety guidelines. • Out-of-hospital births are on the rise: New research and advice on planned home birth, including ACOG’s revised guidelines, which support women’s choices and promote seamless transfer to hospital, if needed. • The importance of avoiding unnecessary caesareans for mother and child. Includes the new ACOG guidelines on inductions and active labor. • The research in support of the Lamaze International’s “Six Healthy Birth Practices,” which are: • Let labor begin on its own. • Walk, move around, and change positions throughout labor. • Bring a loved one, friend, or doula for continuous support. • Avoid interventions that aren’t medically necessary. • Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body’s urges to push. • Keep mother and baby together—it’s best for mother, baby, and breastfeeding.
