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37th out of 74 books
—
66 voters
Adventures in Natural Childbirth: Tales from Women on the Joys, Fears, Pleasures, and Pains of Giving Birth Naturally
Over the last few years, more and more women have been resisting the allure of "labor-free" elective C-sections in favor of the benefits of natural childbirth. Not only is it widely considered the best and safest way to deliver a child, natural childbirth empowers women by reinforcing their belief in themselves and their abilities. In Adventures in Natural Childbirth, edit...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
March 25th 2005
by Da Capo Press
(first published March 10th 2005)
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I read this book because natural birth stories are usually so positive. I guess I didn't notice that "pain" and "fear" are part of the title, ick. It sounds so negative. Luckily, the first books I ever read on natural birth led me to believe that I didn't need to have fear of natural birth or expect a lot of pain, so I didn't. My resulting birth wasn't scary or very painful. Anyway, overall, this is a nice collection of birth stories. The few scary stories included in this book aren't about moth...more
If a friend came to me asking for book recommendations on natural birth or birth in general, I don't think this would be my first choice. There isn't as much practical how-to as others I've read.
I was expecting this book to be much more "hippie" than it actually was. (That expectation probably came because of the "hippie" level of the woman who loaned me the book.) In fact I found it very balanced and realistic in the many ways a woman can prepare for and experience a natural and positive birth...more
I was expecting this book to be much more "hippie" than it actually was. (That expectation probably came because of the "hippie" level of the woman who loaned me the book.) In fact I found it very balanced and realistic in the many ways a woman can prepare for and experience a natural and positive birth...more
This was a book my childbirth instructor gave me to look through--it's just a collection of stories written by different women about their birth experiences. They are all positive and upbeat, even though they don't sugarcoat birth. I only read the "birthing with a midwife" stories.
I thought I related to these stories a little bit more than the Ina May stories--no one called their contractions "rushes" or was too hippie about the birthing process. :) But they were really empowering to read. I als...more
I thought I related to these stories a little bit more than the Ina May stories--no one called their contractions "rushes" or was too hippie about the birthing process. :) But they were really empowering to read. I als...more
For the second time reading this book I think it has made more of an impact this time around. I love how every story is so completely different. I am able to take serious inspiration from every single story, even the home births which is something I have never been or ever will be interested in doing!! I love knowing how there are so many women who plan their births to happen a certain way and it just doesn't end up like that. I was like that and I'm still having a hard time with it. Birth is an...more
Aug 17, 2008
Jamie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
women interested in natural childbirth
Shelves:
pregnancy-birth
This book is an important part of my self-education about natural childbirth. The coping tidbits I picked up from the stories have great power for me--like the woman who packed a notecard that said "you can do this" as she was leaving for the hospital, the woman who realized how saying "yes" over and over helped her so much more than the constant "no" message she told herself with her other births, and the women who had to turn their minds off so their bodies could do what they needed to do. I f...more
A refreshing, mind-opening text. This book opened the door to a whole slew of natural childbirth possibilities, most of which I had only heard brief mention of before. From midwives to physicians to doing it alone (you heard me right - alone!), Adventures in Natural Childbirth lets women share their birth experiences in their own words.
Having decided on natural childbirth for myself, but not knowing where to look to learn more about preparing for it, this book opened my mind and pointed me in t...more
Having decided on natural childbirth for myself, but not knowing where to look to learn more about preparing for it, this book opened my mind and pointed me in t...more
Jun 02, 2011
Amanda
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Every pregnant lady out there!
Recommended to Amanda by:
My mother-in-law
My mother-in-law, who birthed all four of her children naturally with midwife assistance, recommended this book immediately after my husband and I shared the news that we're expecting our first child this December. When I read the title, I thought she was crazy - there was no way I would plan to give birth naturally. Boy, did this book rock my world! Less than a quarter of the way through, I decided I want a natural birth and I've since begun to see a midwife and plan to have our baby at a free...more
I really enjoyed the perspective this book offered and that it represented natural births in both the home and hospital setting. The individual stories were inspiring.
I ordered this book during the summer of 2007 with the intention of reading it before attending the birth of my sister's fourth child (her second anesthesia-free birth). The book didn't arrive before I left, so I didn't get around to reading it until recently. It is a compilation of birth-stories written by women who wanted to give birth naturally, and it was pretty interesting. It is organized into different sections with introductory commentary by women in various childbirth professions, and I...more
A great collection of essays about natural birth. Does not discriminate between homebirth vs. hospital birth. Good preparation for my upcoming birth, and would probably be helpful for someone who hasn't decided where they wanted to birth. Non-judgmental.
I love reading birth stories and this was a nice comiplation of a variety of settings and styles of births. 3.5 stars.
I enjoyed the Hypnobabies stories. However, overall, the bias against hospitals really bothered me.
Yes! Finally some happy birth stories! It's not all pain and gore!
I've read several books that are filled with women's birth stories, and this is one of my favorites. Not only does it include fascinating stories from women giving birth in a variety of settings, but it also throws in several tips for giving birth that are very helpful. An enjoyable read no matter what your birth preferences may be, and especially helpful if you are planning an unmedicated labor/delivery.
This book was very entertaining. I really enjoyed that all of the stories weren't all happily ever after endings.Great mix of stories. It really gave a good overview of all of the different situations that can happen during childbirth.Even natural ones. I think the most important thing I took away from this book is that no matter what your birth plan is.... always be flexible!
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This book is easy to pick up and put down, but probably not interesting unless you are pregnant.
This book was very inspiring and gave me the strength to trust that its all in Gods hands. And that having a child is very different from one person to another, there isn't a right or wrong way of how our babies come into this world.
I found this book surprisingly hard to put down. It's made up of a number of different birth stories and they were all compelling and different from each other in interesting ways.
Very helpful to read stories of natural childbirth if that is your goal for the big day!
Jun 08, 2013
Kristine Pipes
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