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
Now completely revised and updated for today's parents-to-be... The book that started a revolution in the birthing experience and helped millions of women and their partners to a safe and natural childbirth. The Bradley Method has changed the way men and women—and the medical establishment—think about childbirth today. Now this new, updated edition of the groundbreaking work by Robert A. Bradley, M.D., has all the information you need to approach a natural childbirth safely, confidently, and wisely. From the reasons to choose the Bradley Method to the steps you will take as your birth day approaches—and after the birth of your baby—this book is designed to help couples share completely in the birthing experience. •Build better, deeper, and more trusting communication skills with your partner in preparation for a drug-free childbirth •Learn the physical, emotional, and mental relaxation techniques essential to a natural childbirth •Discover how you and your doctor can work together toward your natural delivery •Monitor your weight, nutrition, and your overall well-being during pregnancy •Use natural prevention methods for the most common pregnancy problems •Get the most out of the bonding experience you will share with your baby and your partner With its time-tested wisdom, medical soundness, and reassuring first-person accounts of natural childbirth, this book is the “gold standard” of childbirth books. The Bradley Method is an essential guide for anyone considering childbirth without unnecessary medications or medical intervention and to share fully in your child’s arrival into the world.
Since the original publication of The Birth Partner, partners, friends, relatives, and doulas have relied on Penny Simkin's guidance in caring for the new mother, from her last trimester through the early postpartum period. Now fully revised in its fifth edition, The Birth Partner remains the definitive guide to helping a woman through labor and birth, and the essential manual to have at hand during the event. The Birth Partner includes thorough information on: Preparing for labor and knowing when it has begun Normal labor and how to help the woman every step of the way Epidurals and other medications for labor Pitocin and other means, including natural ones, to induce or speed up labor Non-drug techniques for easing labor pain Cesarean birth and complications that may require it Breastfeeding and newborn care and much more For the partner who wishes to be truly helpful in the birthing room, this book is indispensable.
"What do a Dutch university lecturer, a US Marine, a Scottish artist, and an English engineer have in common? They have all experienced the transformative power of home birth, and their stories - and many others - are told in this groundbreaking book. As hospital-based maternity services become increasingly medicalised, more and more parents are deciding that birth belongs in the home. For many women, this choice may be an easy one, but for their partners, home birth raises some serious questions. For the first time, The Father's Home Birth Handbook provides a resource aimed specifically at exploring men's hopes and fears around home birth. Thorough research, balanced discussion, and dozens of home birth stories from real men all over the world make this book essential reading for all fathers-to-be and the professionals who support them."--Publisher's description.
Feel informed and empowered with this thoroughly updated, full-color pregnancy guide, which recognizes that “one size fits all” doesn’t apply to maternity care. Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn provides the comprehensive guidance you need to make informed decisions about having a safe and satisfying pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period–decisions that reflect your preferences, priorities, and values. This sixth edition includes: -CDC guidelines regarding COVID-19 -Updated dietary guides and breastfeeding and surrogacy information -Birth plans including doulas and caesarians when necessary -Tips on how to reduce stress -And so much more Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn is inclusive, reflecting today's various family configurations such as single-parent families, blended families formed by second marriages, families with gay and lesbian parents, and families formed by open adoption or surrogacy. This pregnancy guide speaks to today's parents-to-be like no other.
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.