Childbirth without Fear: The Principles and Practice of Natural Childbirth

by Grantly Dick-Read, Michel Odent (Foreword)

In an age where birth has often been overtaken by obstetrics, Dr Dick-Read's philosophy is still as fresh as it was when he originally wrote this book. He unpicks every possible root cause of western woman's fear and anxiety in pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding and does so with overwhelming heart and empathy. Essential reading for all mothers-to-be!

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Health, Childrens, Unfinished, Science, Adult

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Asho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although "Childbirth Without Fear" is a catchy title, I think a more accurate title would have been "Childbirth Without Ignorance." The basic gist is that the more a mother knows about the mechanics of childbirth, the more she is able to relax and break the fear-tension-pain cycle that leads to [in Dick-Read's view, abnormally] painful labors. The book also strongly encourages medical professionals to allow mothers to fully participate in their natural labor and the baby's delivery, rather than being sedated. This book is apparently a classic in the field of natural childbirth. As such, it is important to keep a few things in mind when reading it (things that I wish I had known about it before I picked it up):
1) It was written quite a long time ago. The earliest sections were written in the 1930s and 1940s and the "updated" version I read was published earlier this year with a few editor's notes but for all intents and purposes written in 1953. That makes some parts of the book seem extremely dated. Some of the social stuff (such as the idea that motherhood is every woman's dream) definitely made me snort.
2) The intended audience for this book is NOT the mother-to-be, it is the doctors and midwives who will be attending the mother. After a while I got tired of reading about myself referred to as "the woman".
3) The whole book is about encouraging the mother to relax and avoid fear, and yet there is surprisingly little practical information on how to actually relax and push fear out of your mind during labor.
4) This book must have been an extraordinary pioneering text when it was first written, but now most of these teachings have been absorbed by anyone who advocates for natural birth. I still wouldn't say the desire for natural childbirth is completely mainstream, but it's no longer the sort of thing that makes people look at you like you are a totally wacky, on-the-fringes hippie. So most of the ideas in this book are now pretty well understood, and if you read a variety of other childbirth preparation books you can probably skip this one and leave it to the medical professionals who need to understand the history of their profession.

The other thing about this book is that I could see how it could become a bit demoralizing in the event that labor does end up being especially challenging. Dick-Read points out again and again that sometimes pain relief is necessary in the case of abnormal presentations, and of course c-sections are sometimes necessary in the case of really abnormal circumstances. So certainly his intention is to simply be reassuring. Yet I sometimes got the feeling from reading this that if my labor experience does end up being painful, it is only my own fault for perceiving it that way. That just seems...unfair and probably unreasonable. I especially found the parts of the book that say that things like morning sickness and fatigue are basically just neuroses and if the mother can get over her fear and apprehension she'll magically not be sick pretty unbelievable. I think medical advances since the '50s have made it clear that there are definite biological reasons for pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness. So I have a hard time believing that labor pain could also be something entirely a product of the mother's perception.

Anyway, I'm glad that I read this, but I am also glad I read it conjunction with other childbirth prep books that were more practical.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!! I read this book quickly, especially enjoying the author's tone and unapologetic honest insights into not only his observations of natural childbirth but pregnancy and women in general. He stresses that education about childbirth is key to alleviating fear (and therefore tension and inevitably "pain") in order to succeed in a happy natural birthing experience. Everything he discusses is ultimately common sense but so much so that our minds rarely think about these simple points which are too often overshadowed by the brainwashing our modern society has steeped so many women in: an irrational fear of our most natural physiological function.

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

For someone like myself who eats up medical books....well, this one left me upset. Perhaps because I read it right after a wonderful birth book that celebrated pregnancy and birth. I read the first chapter of this book without having read the authors name, and I just kept thinking "this HAS to be written by a man" sure enough I turn to the cover. Bingo, written by a man.

It seemed so out of date (Yes, it was written a long time ago, but it shows that it has been "updated and revised".....really? I just laughed when he mentions that the only time labor should be any discomfort is for a period of maybe "6-8 contractions as the body is preparing for the third phase of labor" and even then it's only a slight discomfort.

I get that some labors are easier then others, that some peoples bodies are built different, but I don't think this guy gets that. He simply restates that if it hurts its because of fear. As I prepare for my 6th birth, I laugh at this. I have had babies at the hospital and at home. With an epidural and completely natural, ironically for me, the easiest birth was the one when I decided to switch to a midwife and have a natural birth at home. I can honestly say I had some real fear going into that birth, so by all accounts it should have been the worst, and yet it was the BEST! Go figure ;-)

Don't read this when there are so many other wonderful choices of books out there!

[DaNette · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a HUGE supporter of natural childbirth I loved this book. It has a lot of information that calms, buoys up, and supports women in their quest for a natural childbirth. It encourages the idea that women have been having babies naturally for centuries without pain and fear and it's still possible today. Birth does not have to be a trail or affliction, it should be a right of passage into motherhood and can be a beautiful experience. This book addresses the most common fears among woman during childbirth with the idea that by eliminating fear we eliminate pain. It also educates the reader on the physiology and anatomy of a woman's body during birth in hopes to decrease the fear felt by sensations experienced and allow them to relax and let their body work. I will definitely be reading this book again in preparation for my next birth.
Read it again for baby number two and still LOVED it. I nearly underlined the entire book! What a great confidence builder for an upcoming birth.

[Lady Alexandrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is outdated, that's true. There are some parts that have only historical value and many author's remarks have no reference to our current situation concerning giving birth. Still, I recommend this book to all future mothers who are preparing themselves for giving birth for the first time. I don't agree with the author, that giving birth doesn't hurt, but this pain is not meaningless, it serves a wonderful purpose of facilitating giving a birth to your child.

For myself and my baby I knew from the start that I wanted an unmedicated birth, with no pain relief medication. I wanted to be 100 % present in the moment for my baby and for myself. Of course it is an individual decision for every woman to make and there and no wrong or right decisions here. The main concern should always be the well-being of a woman and her child.

What I enjoyed about the author's approach to the subject of giving birth is that he wanted to empower women and give them the right to make well-informed decisions concerning giving birth. He wanted women to be educated about giving birth and fully aware of all the possible decisions they can make. It was painful to read how misinformed and confused some women were in the author's times. Without family to inform them, practitioner's guidance or resources on the subject, they were left on their own to fear the unknown.

The author describes the childbirth as a nearly mystical experience and something that men can envy women, because they are not able to experience it themselves. I liked that, because I believe it to be true. Giving birth is a truly mystical, extremely emotional and wonderful experience and it is worth trying to embrace it as such. Without fear.

[C.J. Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was literally a life changing book for me. I haven't a clue if it is still in print but he was responsible for early education for women in approaching childbirth in a healthy way.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. I agree it's not for everyone though. Some people will find the writing style too inaccessible or judge it as too outdated as it was originally written in 1933. But don't let that deter you from the wisdom this man has. He's called a pioneer for a reason and his reverance and respect for women is clearly apparent throughout the book. Everything I've read on natural childbirth has taken their ideas from Grantly Dick-Read. There are a few things that are outdated. (It isn't believed to be necessary to toughen the nipples ahead of time for breastfeeding anymore.) But again, don't dismiss the whole book as irrelevant. I totally understand the criticism many women have in accepting that childbirth can be painless, but again. Don't reject his premise because he's a man. For a doctor who's assisted births in the London slums, WWI trenches and during WWII air raids, that's a damn flimsy excuse.
Painless birth is still a revolutionary idea today and so I feel this book is just as topical now. The kind of natural birth Dick-Read emphasizes is possible and even the natural order of things is under attack in America today so you will have to go out of your way to find a doctor who agrees totally with his fear-tension-pain model. I don't see this as evidence that Dick-Read is off the mark but evidence of how we've lost touch with nature in the effort to make childbirth efficient.
Keep in mind that the natural birth he outlines is the ideal, nature-taking-it's-course birth and he acknowledges that some births can't or won't turn out this way. (Read ANYTHING by Ina May Gaskin for evidence on how rarely this truly happens.)
Other people have criticized this book for lacking step-by-step instructions on how to relax and prepare yourself for natural childbirth. This book is more about the philosophy of natural childbirth and introducing women to what is possible. I feel like that information is easy enough to find and that this book is really a good starting point for doing your own research.
This book has been very inspiring and only encouraged me more in my goal of a drug-free VBAC. I'm not going in expecting no pain but I now believe in the power of my own mind in relaxing and the very real effect that will have on my childbirth experience.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book's philosophy jives with mine, I'm afraid it left me with the feeling of "Ok, great, but when do we get to the part that tells me how to birth a child without fear?" I read the first 7 chapters and decided to put it aside for now. Despite being updated, it doesn't really feel like it. In the first couple of chapters, Dick-Read waxes poetic about how ALL little girls desire to grow up, fall in love, get married, and become mothers, and it made me roll my eyes Liz-Lemon-hard. I did enjoy the chapter on the anatomy of the uterus and what it does physiologically during labor. It was very detailed and I gained insight into my own anatomy.

The language can be a bit hard to get through. I have an English degree and am used to reading lit from many different periods in many different genres, and even I found the language plodding. I'm on a quest to find good books to recommend to my pregnancy massage clients, but I think I'll leave this one off the list. There are many other great books that follow Dick-Read's philosophy (and are even influenced by this book), that are modern and more palatable.

[Amina Elidrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

great book indeed for both obstetricians and pregnant women, Dr Grantly has made it clear from his own observations that childbirth is painless. mentioning a great information that fear is the only enemy of the whole natural process of giving birth
by fear the urerus shuts down and became white without oxygen or blood the thing that makes the muscles so tense and eventually the contractions so hard to bear
the key to avoid all of this is to relax and let it go, is to not interpret contractions as pain and to rest physically and emotionally before laboring, plus to avoid listening to the horror birth stories of some women, it has a negative impact on pregnant mamas according to the writer.
only 3 stars because the book is written in the early fifties with so much details many of them addressed to obstetricians

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I am prepping myself for the birth of my fourth child, I thought I would refresh my childbirth knowledge and expand my knowledge regarding the recent history of childbirth. I'm sure this book was revolutionary considering it was written before either of my grandmothers became mothers and updated after they became mothers. I struggled to get past the condescending tone and outdated views he had at times towards women. On the whole, it was ok if I kept reminding myself of the time period in which it was written. I did love his explanation of the Fear-Tension-Pain cycle and how the uterus works during labor.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the book is B.S. A totally relaxing labor and delivery, feeling zero pain? Obviously written by someone whose never given birth. I did find the fear-tension-pain syndrome to make sense, but he never really goes into detail about how not to feel fear except for stating over and over that you won't feel an ounce of pain. Which is clearly not true, so it's hard to believe whatever else he claims.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow reading, as it is written by an OB during the first half of the 20th century--the writing style is a bit taxing. I skipped some of it, but all I read makes sense! Dick-Read expounds on his philosophy that childbirth was intended to be pain-free, and that any pain in childbirth is caused either by fear, or by an actual medical problem that the mother has.

[Jasmyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish...too clinical for me right now. Maybe another time. Also written by a man, which means I'm skeptical. It's all well and good to talk about pain free childbirth and I have no doubt the pain is lessened if you can let go of the fear and tension, but pain free? I'm thinking this guy has never birthed a baby before....

[Amy Kannel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finally gave up on this one. I found it insulting. Every time I picked it up I just kept saying, "he is so full of crap!" Nothing like a man telling women that childbirth doesn't hurt if you're doing it right. Ugh.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life Changing.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy was ahead of his time.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought it for $2 - changed my mindset toward birth and made for an amazing experience.

[Paige Cuthbertson| Turning_Every_Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent information. It is a hard read— somewhat archaic and very technical— but I enjoyed it and found it very helpful and empowering. Childbirth is beautiful, and should never be cast in a fearful light. Despite what past experiences have been, each birth is a new and unique experience, and you can look forward to it with anticipation rather than dread.

[Sarah Fontenot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend if you are pregnant.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

While paternalistic and really showing its age (a personal favorite: if you do need pain reliever in labor, heroin is recommended), this was still worth reading.

[Elizabeth Gunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot of good information in here, but some of it is a bit out dated. I also could have done with less personal anecdotes.

[Stefani McIntyre · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read half of this book before decidedly moving on. I should have looked up some reviews first. This book is completely outdated (30’s, 40’s, 50’s) despite its ‘revised and updated’ and 2004 publishing date. Being both outdated and written by a man makes for an interesting combination of being told that labor pain, nausea, discomforts are basically ‘all in the woman’s head’ and due to so much drama surrounding the event of childbirth.
I do understand the mind body connection and that overly expected and perceived fear does cause more pain inherently but the way this info is delivered in this book just pisses me off as a mother to be who’s already been through a rough/complex natural labor. I want to learn techniques, and more about labor itself, not about some dudes perceptions of how dramatic I am and how that’s making my pain worse.

Maybe there were some good information nuggets further along in the book, but I couldn’t keep reading. There are plenty of other options for what I’m looking to learn written by actual mothers and midwives.

[Justine Bryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was hard to digest and definitely seemed outdated. Probably my least favorite read so far but I loved the emphasis on scripture and the connection between mind and body.

It reminded me that fear and dread of labor is imprinted on us from a young age. I’m not naive to the fact that it will be painful, but I also believe the narrative can be rewritten.

I enjoyed this quote:

“What is natural childbirth?
Natural childbirth is:
Fearless childbirth
Trained childbirth
Relaxed childbirth
Easier childbirth
Satisfying childbirth

Natural childbirth is NOT:
Not necessarily painless
Not an endurance test
Not a failure if anesthetic is used
Not a denial of the achievements of modern obstetrics
Not a stop backwards
Not a denial of the importance of the doctor for physical care during pregnancy and labor but a belief that psychological care is also important”

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Очень много воды и хождения вокруг одних и тех же тем. Многие упоминания об исследованиях других авторов приводятся без цитат, без сносок.

"Сказки еврейского доктора" - пришло мне на ум описание книги. Надеявшись увидеть научный труд или хотя бы вразумительный научпоп, получила тотальное разочарование, т.к. все КПД книги можно было разместить МАКСИМУМ на ста страницах. На протяжении книги идет один и тот же лейтмотив, от которого на середине в буквальном смысле начинает тошнить: "если хотите безболезненные роды - расслабьтесь". Техники расслабления? Нет. Техники дыхания? Нет. Научное пояснение того, что где на каком этапе напрягается - была пара попыток от автора, но и те он завалил.

Более того, по мере прочтения перестаешь понимать, где действительно мысли Дик-Рида, а где - додумки редакторов. И вообще, я весьма разочаровалась, поняв, что это книга не его авторства, а просто "по мотивам книги", так сказать.

Некоторые фразочки совершенно скудоумные и мне кажется, такое стыдно вообще говорить вслух врачу-мужчине своей пациентке-женщине. Когда врач берется рассуждать о ментальном внутреннем мире женщины как о чем-то, совершенно ему понятном и обобщает-обобщает-обобщает, меня от этого просто воротит. В этом плане книга крайне старомодна и описывает типичных женщин-домохозяек с ретро-карточек.

[Nerida Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fascinating social commentary on how birth used to be (first edition was written in 1944 and this is the 1952 revision), but if you're looking for practical advice, it's pretty thin on the ground. His writing style is old-fashioned and therefore quite hard to trawl through compared to today's more snappy, conversational books. He spends a lot of time in "defensive" mode, explaining and re-explaining concepts and ideas that were probably very new and challenging at the time, but are pretty easy to accept for the modern reader, and it's tedious to spend five or six chapters getting across a few simple ideas. Also, it seems aimed more at the medical student than the mother-to-be (which probably accounts for the dry tone). The last two chapters have some useful information on relaxation techniques and some (very dated-looking) exercises, but for the most part Dick-Read talks around the subject giving you a lot of background and not a lot of substance. I'm glad I read it, but glad I just got it out of the library.

[Liuba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Dick-Read goes a tedious way from analysing the historical genesis of the notion of "pain" in the context of childbirth to physiological and psychological aspects of labor. His point of view is more relevant for medical workers, far from practical use of the patients, and is well outdated for the 21st century, to ridiculousness sometimes.

This book's main verse used to be an agenda more than 60 years ago. Still, it feels up-to-date in the philosophical sense, providing a valuable point of reference for those seeking a clearer vision on childbirth.

If accompanied by other materials, it serves well enough as a compass for the beginning of pregnancy.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's important to read this book selectively. That means when something sounds painfully anachronistic, ignore it. When something sounds like it makes damn good sense, memorize it. (It's not the author's fault that he was writing in the 1940s and that therefore many of his cultural notions about women are woefully outdated.) The careful and thorough explanation of the "fear-tension-pain" cycle is what I found absolutely most useful throughout my labor process. For that, this book gets five stars.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some points are good and forward thinking for the 1940s but pregnancy is case by case basis. I believe in natural birth but women shouldn't feel bad for having assistance either. It's rare to find a woman these days who gives birth without intervention.

[Jostalady · Rating 3 out of 5]

This idea that childbirth is natural and that if you fear it, you have pain and that pain encourages the fear and you get trapped into that cycle is the foundation for hypnobirthing, which I highly recommend.

[Tien Manh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book mostly focused on education of childbirth, for expecting mothers, their husbands, midwives, nurses, and doctors. There is some technical description of the actual, three stage process.

One thing I seriously disliked: half the book is about how with fear is the root cause of (almost) all labor pain, that most childbirths should be natural, and in such natural childbirths analgesics "should" not be used. While the author does have a point relating fear with the sympathetic nerve system, reducing blood flood to the reproductive organs (cervix/uterus), increasing muscle tension in those areas and increasing perception of pain (Fear - Tension - Pain cycle), I am highly skeptical of childbirth pain being completely psychological.

There's the evolutionary argument, of: pain evolving only for adaptive purposes, and labor must be a rewarding behavior for propagation of the genes, therefore childbirth must be devoid of pain because moms must like giving birth to actually do it. I can't buy into this, either: evolution is relative to the environment, maybe successful moms just have a bit less pain in labor than others. And since when did nature care how much pain it inflicts on us?

In the perfect world, maybe obstetrics education would be provided to expecting moms, their husbands, the moms would execute upon the optimal childbirth algorithm on the big day: contracting here, relaxing there, deep breath in X times... There would be an infinite amount of nurses and doctors, with infinite patience and understanding towards the laboring women, and the author's visions will come true. I do not claim to be an expert, or to know anything else on obstetrics besides this book, but I still have my doubts on many of this book's conclusions. Would recommend reading something more recent.