This book was helpful to read before I gave birth. I liked the interviews with women, OBGYNs, midwives, nurses, and others about different approaches to pain. This book gave realistic information without pushing you to think one way to deal with the pain of childbirth was superior. The bottom line is you have to do what works for you and be flexible.

This was a really informative book on labor, labor options, and some real-life stories by both moms and those who help in the delivery process (from anesthesiologists to ob/gyns to midwives, to duolas). It didn't go into too much detail to scare me more than I already was, but left me feeling more informed about options out there, and didn't try to sway you one way or the other on the different delivery options. This book was very much about making you feel empowered and informed about the different options out there.

Seems very factual and helped me affirm my choice for labor. I could see how some might see the book as biased and pro-medicinal, but I did not read straight through and I like the way the facts are laid out. One of the most helpful books I have found as it's not too lengthy, and puts things into terms understandable.

A great guide for any mom-to-be who is choosing her method (and back-up methods) of pain management. The authors are non-judgmental and offer information about natural methods of pain management as well as the medication options. Most helpfully the authors remind women to prepare in case their plan needs to change at the last minute during labor.

Book 25

This is a great book. I was able to learn about all the ways to manage pain during labor, without feeling like the author was pushing his views on me. This book covers natural and medicated childbirth.

Perhaps one of my favorite books for anyone about to give birth. It covers all the pain management techniques - from natural to medicated. There's no judgments about your choices and my favorite part was that it reported on scientific studies about how women (and babies) responded to the various choices. It also stresses that a woman should remain flexible in her choices - a woman that has chosen a medicated birth may not have that option, and a woman that has chosen a natural birth may have to reconsider.

Lots of good information here - a great overview of a variety of pain management methods for labor. As someone who is using CAM for a natural birth, I did not find it had an overt bias towards epidurals. Would definitely recommend.

One of the most balance pregnancy books I have yet to read. The book gives a description of the different medical and alternative forms of pain management available to women in labor. The message of the book is that whatever type of pain management you choose it is wise to know all of your options because childbirth almost never goes as planned.

The best childbirth book I read, and the one I recommend!

I've read several books with a strong "natural" childbirth bias, from Your Best Birth to a book on Bradley techniques and The Big Book of Birth. Most of them claim to be unbiased, but they all have an agenda. This book is really no different, but its agenda is in favor of medication and especially the epidural (as opposed to narcotics). Anyway, I think it's worthwhile to read books from both perspectives, and I thought the author did a nice job of making his case.

This was a really good book. It explained all kinds of methods of childbirth--from bathtubs to those big rubber exercise balls. It also explains your pain-relief options if you choose to go that route (I did!). I really wish I could have tried some of the alternative methods like the tub or exercise ball, but my hospital did not have those options available. Still, it was good to know they existed. This book helped me to know what to expect w/o freaking me out.

I liked being exposed to all of the different perspectives in this book, though there were many I disagreed with. I also liked the birthing stories written by Obstetricians, Anesthesiologists, Doulas and Nurse-Midwives about their experiences in labor. It was neat to hear what they thought about being 'on the other side of the stirrups'. :-)