Book Review: Having a Baby, Naturally (by Peggy O'Mara)

I just got a bunch of my pregnancy and birth books back from a friend and thought I'd try to do a few reviews before they go out on loan again. Here is the first.

Overview

Having a Baby, Naturally by Peggy O'Mara, the editor and publisher of Mothering, walks mothers-to-be and families-to-be through issues that they need to consider during pregnancy, labour and delivery, and the postpartum period. It assumes that the couple is predisposed to wanting a natural approach to both pregnancy and childbirth and presents information, options, and advice based on that assumption.

The main sections of the book and chapters within them are:

• Introduction


• The First Trimester: how you feel, what you're eating, making birth choices (place of birth and birth attendant)


• The Second Trimester:self-awareness and self-appreciation, prenatal testing, childbirth education, doulas for labour support, children and the birth of a new sibling, preparing for breastfeeding


• The Third Trimester: revisit your fears, review your birth choices, getting ready for baby, pain in labour, avoiding the cascade of medical interventions


• Labor and Delivery: birth stories, early labour, the first stage of labour, the second stage of labour, the third stage of labour, newborn decisions


• Postpartum:taking care of yourself as a new mother, getting to know your baby, the how-tos of breastfeeding, and baby makes three, the blues and beyond, every mother is a working mother


• Special Circumstances: when a baby dies (miscarriage, stillbirth, and early loss), prematurity and multiple births, birth defects and hospitalization


• Especially for Fathers: preparing for fatherhood, the pregnant father, balancing work and family

What I Like About This Book

A lot of other pregnancy and childbirth books that I read either attempt to present a balanced view of natural vs. non-natural childbirth and talk fairly neutrally about the pros and cons of both or they are focused on natural childbirth and spend a lot of time and effort explaining why the natural approach is better. When I went into my second pregnancy, I was already convinced that I wanted a natural childbirth. I didn't need information on how "great" epidurals can be (because I'd already decided against one) and I also didn't need pages and pages of information on why epidurals are dangerous (because I'd already decided against one). The great thing about this book is that it does assume you are predisposed to wanting a natural childbirth and it doesn't spend too much time trying to convince you that natural is the way to go. Instead, it focuses on ways to make your natural pregnancy and natural childbirth as successful as possible.

The book strikes a great balance between dealing with the medical issues and the emotional issues of pregnancy birth and beyond. It balances very technical sections like "today's pain medications" with information designed to help with your mental state and perspective, such as "pain with purpose". It treats pregnancy and childbirth as a family life event, rather than a female medical condition and medical procedure.

What I Don't Like About This Book

I wanted more in a lot of cases. I think this book could have been twice as long. I found myself frequently taking a concept or a piece of information from the book and heading off to the index sections of other books that I owned, or going to Google, or posting questions on discussion forums because I wanted to learn more. It is already a substantial book at almost 350 full-sized (letter size) pages, but there still could have been much more information.

Recommendation

If you are committed to a natural childbirth and want some information to guide you and help you in your decisions and preparations, buy Having a Baby, Naturally. If you want a more detailed book to guide you through the birth itself, I would highly recommend The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin as a companion book. For a more detailed companion piece for the pregnancy stage, I would recommend The Mother of All Pregnancy Books by Ann Douglas.

Comments

[geriatricmama]

I wish more women would explore the possibility of natural childbirth. I think the media and physicians have painted such a brutal and painful picture of this natural event, that most women aren't even willing to TRY to go without drugs, and have predisposed themselves to being in "the worst pain you'll ever imagine".

As a woman that has had four pain-free natural childbirths (yes, it's possible, ladies.. the mind is an amazing thing), I applaud your reading and I love this author!!

[Want a Natural Birth in a Hosp]

[...] me that meant reading a lot of the right books and developing a strong birth plan. It also meant having a doula to support me and ensure that my [...]

[Canadian Maternity Experiences]

[...] Having a Baby, Naturally (by Peggy O’Mara) - read my review here [...]

[trampoline]

I wanted a natural childbirth

[Sildenafil]

Natural childbirth, in principle, they want everything.

[Trampolines]

Nice information about natural childbirth. It really help pregnant women.