Indeed, I truly hope that many of the options that are discussed in this book can be made available to me. However, considering the insurance situation, it seems that for this particular "minnow" (myself), it will be a hospital birth. And to the author's credit, she did warn the reader that she had biases in her opinions. But still, I often bristled. I firmly believe that a woman needs to feel safe and be comfortable during childbirth. And if that requires an epidural, then so be it. I think what I need most at this moment are books like Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth. Such books can empower a woman to view her body not as something "broken" but as a capable vessel. It can give her the courage to go through the process of birth without relying on drugs and excessive technological intervention.

The first time I 'read' this book, I put it down. I simply didn't 'get' it.

Eventually, I came to the realization that it is more of a reference book rather than a \\"sit down and read from page 1\\" book.

When I began to view it as a reference book, I understood just how much excellent information it held.

This book should be mandatory reading for every pregnant woman or every woman who desires to be pregnant, irrespective of the type of birth she selects.

Whether one opts for a natural birth or drugs, a vaginal delivery or a c-section, it is of utmost importance to precisely know what the risks are for every procedure, drug, and intervention.

Only by being aware of the facts can one make truly informed decisions that are optimal for one's family.

It provides valuable insights and knowledge that can empower women to take control of their birthing experiences and make choices that are in the best interests of themselves and their babies.

Overall, this book is a valuable resource that every expectant mother should have at her disposal.

This book appears to be truly remarkable.

I thoroughly relished the opening chapter that delved into the comparison between obstetric management and the midwifery model of care. The author, who is not only a medical writer but also a childbirth educator and doula, openly discloses her convictions regarding what constitutes excellent obstetrical care. This allows us to understand the perspective from which she is writing.

However, as I progressed through the first chapter on the cesarean epidemic, certain data struck me as being outdated. It dawned on me that the book was published in 1999, and there doesn't seem to be a more recent edition available.

Consequently, this has led to an average rating and my hesitation in recommending the book. It's a pity, as the initial chapters held great promise, but the outdated information somewhat detracts from its overall value.

Perhaps an updated version could address these concerns and make this book even more relevant and useful for readers interested in the field of obstetrics and childbirth.

A solid book that delves into the evidence behind various approaches to birth. It contains numerous great research citations, which add credibility to the information presented. What's more, the content is also presented in nice decision charts, making it easier for readers to understand and apply. These decision charts are accompanied by helpful questions for interviews and other situations.

Whether you're a healthcare professional, a expectant parent, or simply interested in learning more about birth, this book is a valuable resource. It provides a comprehensive overview of the different approaches to birth and the evidence that supports them. The research citations allow you to explore the topic in more depth, while the decision charts and questions help you make informed decisions.

Overall, this is a well-written and informative book that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in the topic of birth. It's a great addition to any library and is sure to be a useful reference for years to come.

While the title almost laughably implies a strict level of objectivity, I was glad that Goer is honest about her own biases and doesn't pretend to be just presenting information.

In fact, it quickly becomes clear that Goer has strong opinions about obstetricians and hospital births. She believes that it's more about "labor management" than mother "care", there's an over-reliance on high-tech interventions, and a tendency to view birth as a crisis rather than a natural process that will likely turn out okay. These opinions are present in every chapter. However, this shouldn't stop the reader from benefiting from Goer's well-researched explanations of the many options and procedures. The book includes questions to ask your provider, steps you and your partner can take to hopefully avoid unwanted "interventions", and pages of cited reference material for further reading.

This book was the first I read on the topic of birth, and I valued the broad overview of what to expect, definitions of unfamiliar terms, and specific situations to look into.

Obviously, those seeking a more objective survey of information will have to look elsewhere. But we should also consider Goer's own conviction and her occasional use of scare tactics. For example, an unfortunately-worded sentence could make you believe that you or your baby is likely to die in the case of a c-section. To me, Goer's conviction seems to come from the research she has done, and it's another piece of information for the reader to consider. It's a comprehensive starting point for further reading, questioning, and decision-making.

I really liked this book. It made me feel that I wasn't completely crazy for desiring a natural birth. In fact, from a medical point of view, there are quite persuasive arguments for making the birth of your baby as minimally invasive as possible.

However, it should be noted that the author is not entirely unbiased. Nevertheless, she does an excellent job of supporting her position with relevant data. If you already have a preference for natural birth, this book will definitely make you feel highly vindicated. On the other hand, if you don't, it is still definitely worth reading just to be more informed about the procedures and all the details involved in labor and delivery.

Thanks to reading this book, I was much more comfortable during the birth of my son. I knew exactly what was going on, and I wouldn't have really understood what they were doing to me and the baby if I hadn't read it. I would highly recommend this book to all of my friends who are pregnant, especially those who are expecting their first baby. It can provide them with valuable knowledge and help them make more informed decisions about their birth experience.

The reason this book only receives 3 stars is not that I didn't consider it useful.

Rather, it's because the subtitle claims it presents an "unbiased" view. However, the author is clearly partial.

I had the impression that she believes if a woman gives birth in a hospital, there is a high probability of her baby dying or at least having a cesarean section.

Nevertheless, in my opinion, a difference of 3 per 10,000 versus 4 per 10,000 is not truly a "higher" risk.

The author conducted extensive research, and I actually concur with most of her arguments.

For instance, why do women have to have IVs during childbirth? Why is birth regarded as a medical emergency? These questions have bothered me since my own medicated childbirth.

In summary, it's a good book with valid facts, but it's not unbiased.

I truly wish I had read it before my daughter was born!

This was supposed to be a "thinking woman's" guide,

so I had high expectations that all the information would be presented in a clear and objective manner.

However, to my disappointment, this book was extremely anti-hospital and against all medical interventions.

It was truly annoying to read as it didn't list facts as I had hoped.

Instead, in each chapter, it simply kept repeating how bad the thing being discussed was.

What I really wanted was a balanced view with pros and cons, as well as an understanding of the situations to expect if a particular medical intervention was necessary.

I didn't appreciate being preached at by a pregnancy book.

Nevertheless, I have to admit that I still managed to extract a significant amount of good information and knowledge from it.

Despite its flaws, it did offer some valuable insights that I found useful.

Perhaps with a more objective approach, this could have been an excellent guide for thinking women.

As it stands, it has its merits but also leaves a lot to be desired.

I read The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer. His book seemed to be highly regarded, and there were good reasons for it. Goer does an excellent job of presenting the findings of a large amount of research in a way that is easily understandable and accessible to those without a medical background.

She has a strong bias towards natural birth, as she explains in the introduction. I appreciate that she acknowledges her biases and is honest with the reader about them.

Despite her bias, this book is very well-researched and clearly written. I think that people who come to read this, feeling rather disappointed with medicalized hospital birth but curious about the other side, can overlook the occasional anti-OB comment and appreciate the really solid research in this book. There are a lot of extremely useful and educational statistics in it.

There is an appendix at the end of each chapter that summarizes the literature sources, allowing you to link a specific assertion with its source. For me, as a scientist, it was bothersome not to be able to link a statement with a citation! But perhaps it is more comfortable for the general reader to read the chapters without being cluttered by citations and journal article titles.

One interesting new medical thing I learned from this book - actually, two: (1) Women are given a large bolus of IV fluid, at least a liter (4 cups), when they get an epidural or before a C-section. This is to raise blood pressure and counteract the blood pressure-lowering effect of an epidural. (2) That's a large amount of water all at once, and it may be (at least partially) responsible for the problem of increased fluid in the lungs and respiratory issues in C-section babies.

In conclusion, this book is really well-researched and clearly written. I think that people who come to read this, feeling rather down about medicalized hospital birth but curious about the other side, can overlook the occasional anti-OB comment and appreciate the really solid research in this book. There are a lot of tremendously useful and educational stats in here.

I also want to add a few links regarding my own research on the importance of keeping one's thoughts pure and virtuous during pregnancy if one wants a virtuous baby. The links provide valuable information on how a mother's thoughts can affect her blood hormones and how these hormones can enter the child's body, potentially undermining the child's moral character and mental abilities. It is important to spread awareness among health professionals and counselors about this so that they can warn mothers to avoid reading certain types of literature during the 2-3 year period between conception and weaning if they want their children to be able to study without internal distractions and achieve higher scores and greater happiness.

Please, if you find any mother who reads erotica, warn her of the negative impact she is having on her fetus or nursing child's future ability to study without internal distractions. Instead of giving birth to a virtuous creative genius, she risks giving birth to a wayward child due to a sexually dominated mind and consequent attention deficit disorder.

This article is extremely informational.

It provides a wealth of valuable knowledge and insights.

However, I can't help but wish that they would create a more up-to-date edition.

Twenty years is an incredibly long time in the context of evolving information and changing circumstances.

A lot can happen and a lot of new developments can occur within such a time frame.

An updated edition would not only incorporate the latest research and findings but also ensure that the content remains relevant and useful to the readers.

It would be great to see the authors take on the task of refreshing and enhancing this informative piece to better serve the needs of the audience in the present day.

Overall, while the current article is good, an updated version would be even more beneficial.

The book "Guide for the Conscious Woman to a Better Birth" came to me as a gift through a great friend, who was already a mother, when I told her how much I feared childbirth.

Well... fear? Rather total panic. At the beginning of my pregnancy, I only thought if there was an option for me to be completely sedated, have the baby removed, and then wake up, completely avoiding the situation.

When I started reading the book at around 18 weeks, due to how technical and distant everything seemed to me, I put it aside next to the sofa. I continued to gather information and read things on the Internet, attend childbirth preparation classes, etc.

At 28 weeks, suddenly I saw the book again and started reading it... it was a completely different experience.

Perhaps I was also a different woman.

Henci Goer, the author, makes it very clear from the beginning that she is pro-natural childbirth and that in the book she speaks in support of that option. If you are not sympathetic to those ideas, I do not recommend it to you. I could not have been more against it at the beginning, and this book made me change my mind.

Something I really like is that from the start it provides data from studies that confirm what she is saying. So you can go on Google and search for studies to contrast her information if you want. It gave me a lot of confidence and all the evidence she shows on her pages had a great weight when it came to planning my birth.

Does childbirth scare you? Do you want to learn more? Do you not mind the technical language?

Then I highly recommend reading it. For me, it served to calm my fears, feel empowered, connect with my baby and with the experience, and above all, it helped me a great deal when writing my Birth Plan.

If you are curious but don't know if you should buy it, on Scribd you can read the introduction.

I firmly believe that this book by Henci Goer is an absolute must-read for a plethora of reasons.

The book masterfully reflects the research in a way that is effortlessly comprehensible to anyone, regardless of whether they have a medical background or not.

The author demonstrates great honesty towards the reader, which is truly refreshing.

In addition to the book, I would also highly recommend an article that would be extremely beneficial for women who are planning to become mothers. The article can be found at https://zealthy.in/topic/guide-to-get....

Moreover, the website https://zealthy.in/ offers a wealth of valuable information on various topics related to health and well-being.

Overall, both the book and the recommended article are excellent resources that can provide women with the knowledge and guidance they need during this important stage of their lives.