Gentle Birth Choices lays out the various aspects of childbirth, and explains the drawbacks of medicated birth or birthing interventions that many moms may encounter. This isn't a how-to book (such as Hypnobirthing or Bradley), but it does inform as to why "natural" birth choices are better, both for parents and baby. There are helpful sections at the back, listing questions to ask your health practitioner and your hospital or birthing center so that you can go into your labor and birth better informed (or find a different practitioner while you still have time).

One of the best birth books available, with options ranging from hospital birth to waterbirth. There is also a DVD/video by the same name available by Barbara Harper for those with spouses and/or families to educate, too!

I read this book (and watched the video with my hubby) in preparation for our planned home birth after an "Unnecessarean". I highly recommend it for anyone planning a gentle and natural birth, but also for those who are not sure what they think about epidurals, induction, interventions, et cetera. You may be amazed at how leaving this book lying around the house can turn even a first-time father into a birth advocate, too! ;>)

Suzanne Arms' photography is just breathtaking. This book is worth the price for the pictures alone! It's one you can put on the coffee table.

Thank you, Barbara Harper and Suzanne Arms!!

If you want to be inspired and empowered in choosing the birth that's best for you and your baby, this book is the perfect place to go. Ms. Harper is thorough and honest, she did her research and presents the facts in a way that is concise and easily understood, by even the newest, youngest mom. Too much technology has intruded into the age-old practice of having babies the way nature and God intended - women are strong and powerful and built to have babies, without drugs, without intervention, without doctors. If you think your doctor has 'informed" you, think again. This book has the answers. I used it, I followed it and I recently purchased a copy for my daughter-in-law who is pregnant with my first grandbaby! Buy one for every woman you know who's even considering childbirth, the right way. Find a great midwife and enjoy the ride - it's a joy and a blessing! The bonus with this book was the DVD depicting several births - beautiful!

Gentle Birth Choices

This is an amazing book. It gives complete, accurate information about natural labor and childbirth, and is great source if you have already chosen natural labor or are thinking about it. Though my birth experience was awful and not the way I had planned (planned a homebirth), what I read and what I saw on the included DVD stayed in the back of my mind throughout the entire 37 hours of unmedicated labor.

You CAN do it, and God bless you for giving yourself this option.

I was pretty sure I wanted a midwife when I bought this book. I was hoping for an instruction guide to birthing gently, more naturally, with a CNM rather than an OB.
What this book actually is, is a guide to deciding what kind of birth to have. It's a bit preachy, too, not unusually so, but not exactly openminded, either. So if you are wondering if there is a better way, but don't know anything about midwifery or homebirth, you might learn something. If you have, say, researched it on the Internet, you might already know what this book has to say.
I would recommend one of Ina May Gaskin's great books before this one.

This is a good book full of info on childbirth. It has a good video in it too.

Heather mama of 5

When I was pregnant, I read many books, wanting to explore the many options that I had. I ultimately decided on birthing in a hospital, but with a doula and a midwife. While I knew that both would work to assist me in a natural birth, I still felt unsure of whether or not *I* could handle it. Often, pregnant women are told horror stories of the pain, of how most women are "screaming" for an epidural, of what can go wrong in labor. Very rarely are gentle, beautiful birthing stories told.
For me, this is where this book comes in to play. I did not read this book looking for knowledge and factual information on birth, I'd already gleaned that from several other books. I read this book wondering if a gentle birth was truly attainable.

I read this book a few weeks before my due date. After finishing it, I truly felt at peace with my body and with my decision to pursue a natural birth. Sure, I still had my doubts, but after reading about all the women who had NCB in many different settings, I felt strongly that I could do it. And a few weeks later, I DID. Once labor began, I probably forgot everything I read, but what I didn't forget was the sense that I was just one of many women who embarked on a journey toward a gentle birth, and that if other women could do it, SO COULD I. My memories of my son's birth are gentle and peaceful, most of it spent in the water with my midwife holding my hands and my doula massaging me through contractions. My only regret is not having my husband read this book, too, as I think he was more nervous than I was. The accompanying DVD is also something I found immensly helpful. Neither my husband nor I had ever seen birth, but this DVD gave us an idea of what to expect. While it helped to calm me, it really helped my husband when I was actually in labor because he knew that what was happening was normal and natural.

Should this be the only book you read while pregnant? NO! But then, I don't think there is any one book that really covers every little piece of information about pregnancy. Do I think this is a book that should be read by every pregnant woman? Yes, I do. Perhaps if more women read this book, pregnant women would no longer be treated to horror stories about birth, and instead, would know that, in most cases, it can be a gentle, loving process.

When I was pregnant, I read many books, wanting to explore the many options that I had. I ultimately decided on birthing in a hospital, but with a doula and a midwife. While I knew that both would work to assist me in a natural birth, I still felt unsure of whether or not *I* could handle it. Often, pregnant women are told horror stories of the pain, of how most women are "screaming" for an epidural, of what can go wrong in labor. Very rarely are gentle, beautiful birthing stories told.
For me, this is where this book comes in to play. I did not read this book looking for knowledge and factual information on birth, I'd already gleaned that from several other books. I read this book wondering if a gentle birth was truly attainable.

I read this book a few weeks before my due date. After finishing it, I truly felt at peace with my body and with my decision to pursue a natural birth. Sure, I still had my doubts, but after reading about all the women who had NCB in many different settings, I felt strongly that I could do it. And a few weeks later, I DID. Once labor began, I probably forgot everything I read, but what I didn't forget was the sense that I was just one of many women who embarked on a journey toward a gentle birth, and that if other women could do it, SO COULD I. My memories of my son's birth are gentle and peaceful, most of it spent in the water with my midwife holding my hands and my doula massaging me through contractions. My only regret is not having my husband read this book, too, as I think he was more nervous than I was.

Should this be the only book you read while pregnant? NO! But then, I don't think there is any one book that really covers every little piece of information about pregnancy. Do I think this is a book that should be read by every pregnant woman? Yes, I do. Perhaps if more women read this book, pregnant women would no longer be treated to horror stories about birth, and instead, would know that, in most cases, it can be a gentle, loving process.

This book arrived fast and in great condition. I'll gladly use this seller again. I'm a labor support assistant(birth doula,) and this book is very helpful in my job. Thanks for getting to me so fast.

It seems birth is a mystery, especially to first time mothers, but even to those of us who have given birth. This respectful and highly intelligent book brings all the puzzle pieces together in a beautiful, dignified manner as it tells us the WHOLE STORY of what birth can be.
However, the Gentle Birth Choices DVD that is included with the new version is an essential element to the WHOLE STORY. I would not recommend buying a used book unless the DVD is included. Thank you.

This book is definitely biased toward natural, vaginal birthing. If that is fine for you than this is a great choice. I found it very informative. The author gave a history of childbirth and how it got to be so medicalized. Medical myths were also addressed. The succint pro's and con's of typical hospital interventions I found especially helpful. The differences between midwifes and other providers came in handy for me because I was contemplating ditching my OB for a midwife. Finally, they had in depth info on waterbirths, creating birth plans, choosing a provider and birthplace. Definitely worth reading. I did watch the video also. Besides it being a bit dated, it did show the gentle births that this book is all about. I think the video would have been more helpful if it showed more 1st stage labor. I was hoping to see more of how the women coped with labor pains then to just see second stage.

I have one pretty major complaint, which others should be aware of: this DVD does not have chapters or a menu screen, so you can't skip tracks to the birth you want to show your clients. It's not the end of the world, and I'm going to try making a copy on my computer today with chapters, but it seems to me like a pretty dumb choice not to have done this when they made the original tape into a DVD...

Other disappointments include the total run time of birth footage, which is very low compared to the interviews with medical professionals. The interviews are quite good, some of the top names in the field (Marsden Wagner, Michel Odent are the only two I had heard of), but my clients (many of whom don't speak English) will not be interested. Most of the births only show pushing, or a very little active labor and then second stage. All the births take place in this birth center or at home; several are in the tub.

I was also put off by the blatant demonization of cesarean birth - they literally put a horror movie filter over the camera lens and play scary music for the brief (10 second) montage. And so what happens if a woman who watches this ends up having her baby by cesarean for whatever reason? She's already associated the experience with terror, and perhaps she wouldn't have otherwise. They're trying to make a point, but for the majority of women it's not helpful.

Same with the book - looks very interesting, but not useful as an educational tool for most doulas because it doesn't have very many pictures at all.

Overall, my message is: know what you're buying! This is a political book, made at a particular time and place in the history of childbirth in America, with specific political ends. It is probably not the best choice if you're looking for an educational book/DVD on birth for use with doula clients.

People may not realize that this is a book AND a DVD. The DVD is incredibly profound because you see actual births, including a VBAC and HBAC and lots of other amazing natural births. It's dated, as is evident by the Farrah Fawcett hairstyles, but it's very well done and will inspire anyone thinking of a safe and peaceful birth. My 5 y.o daughter and I watched it on a loop (she actually watched it more than me), at least 20 times! It made a huge difference to me as I prepared for my VBAC (and, on 1/17/06, I had an awesome VBAC). The book is great, too, especially for the more cerebral types who need to be affirmed in print. I found both invaluable and, for the price, it's a great deal. There are few few videos available on natural birth or VBAC births, and this is definitely one of the best ones. In general I have found that there are not many good VBAC or natural birth books, so I was so relieved to find this one. You won't regret this purchase! And good luck with your birth!

I have not yet finished reading the book, but thus far it is incredible. This reveiw is mostly concerning the film that is included with the book.

The film is awesome! It goes through several aspects of the current controversy over "safety" in childbirth. With every point, it clearly states the point, then supports with expert opinions and actual births. The births are extremely graphic, which is important for first time moms to see.

I highly recommend both the book and the free film!

I highly recommend this book to every pregnant woman... filled with practical information and the accompanying DVD version of the video is fabulous. My two children enjoy watching the DVD in preparation for the birth of their sibling, we are planning our second who will be waterbirth at home. Well worth $13 for the set!