A Good Birth, A Safe Birth: Choosing and Having the Childbirth Experience You Want

by Diana Korte

Based on a survey of two thousand women and responses from readers of the first and second editions, this complete and accurate guide enables women and their partners to take control of the childbirth experience. Diana Korte and Roberta M. Scaer, both long-time La Leche leaders, analyze today's childbirth options and help readers to choose among them â?? to find "Dr. Rightâ? (or a midwife), and perhaps a labor assistant, too, and to pick a hospital, birthing center, or home birth. They describe the pros and cons of medications, fetal monitoring, induction of labor, and other medical interventions during birth, and they tell readers how to avoid an unnecessary cesarean section and ensure that all their wishes are followed. In chapters such as "If You Don't Know Your Options, You Don't Have Any,â? "The Obstetricians Black Bag of Interventions,â? and "How to Have a Normal Vaginal Birth (and Avoid an Unnecessary Cesarean)â?, Korte and Scaer are refreshingly frank but never dogmatic; they want their readers to decide for themselves what's best for them.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Health, Family

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Diana Korte is the author of several books and the winner of more than forty journalism awards, including the American Academy of Pediatrics Award. She writes on parenting for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and Mothering magazine. A mother of four, she lives in Boulder, Colorado.

-harvardcommonpress.com

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the surveys from women’s birth experiences, many of which echoed my own hospital induction exactly. This is a fantastic guide of how to ensure your birth goes according to your desires, and not by the pressures of medical routine or uninformed practitioners. Unless you know your options, you have none.

[Valerie R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decompress and debrief about your birthing experience. You are not a failure. Oftentimes, it's the system that has failed you.

[Anne-Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it's very outdated. The most recent edition was published in 1992, and I'm sure a great deal has changed in the medical industry over the last 18 years! With that said, the book provided a lot of great information and encouragement about how to have a natural, drug-free birth. I skimmed over sections that I am proficient in, and I focused more on sections that will be new experiences for me, including home birth (which I am not doing, but have strongly considered after reading this book), birth attendants (doulas), and the importance of my partner's role during the laboring process.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book talked a lot about your options in pregnancy and birth. It was eye opening on some subjects, others I had already covered in other books. Very easy to read, though, as far as medical jargon goes, and has some resources in the back that are helpful.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must-read for any pregnant woman or any woman who thinks she might want to have kids one day.

This may not be the must up-to-date edition. Get whatever is most recent.

[Emily Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm actually reading this for my Birth Doula classes.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an important read. Pregnant women should learn as much as they can and be in charge of their birth. This is a good start!

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you are pregnant!