The Doula's Guide to Empowering Your Birth: A Complete Labor and Childbirth Companion for Parents to Be

by Lindsey Bliss

Experienced doula, Lindsey Bliss, shows you how to prepare physically and mentally for every element of having a child, from pregnancy to fourth trimester in The Doula’s Guide to Empowering Your Birth.

Lindsey Bliss, who has assisted as a doula at hundreds of births and is herself a mother of seven, reveals here all the wisdom and advice that doulas share with the new mothers who hire them.

The Doula’s Guide to Empowering Your Birth covers the period from pregnancy through labor and birth to fourth-trimester healing. The focus, however, is on preparing for birth—including topics like how to pick the right childbirth class and the right birthing method for you. You’ll also

How to handle and treat morning sickness What things you can do during pregnancy, and what to avoid How to reduce anxiety during pregnancy, including meditation and ritual baths How to assemble the team of professionals, family members, and friends who will support you through labor and birth Tools, tips, and positions for labor How to approach last-minute decisions about pain medications and cesarean sections Post-partum information, including breastfeeding, newborn care, and the transition into parenting Bliss’s tone throughout is at once authoritative and confident as well as warm and encouraging. Her concern in her practice as well as in these pages is to listen to and help secure each new mom’s own personal vision of a birthing experience that is safe, fulfilling, and meaningful.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Health

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2018

Reviews

[CC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, not great. I was super put off by the author's compulsive need to compare sugar to the devil/demons, include the "fact" that refined sugar is more addictive than cocaine, claim that most people cannot digest gluten, and advise that because dates have sugar, eating the recommended six daily in the last month of pregnancy is probably too much but a couple is fine. Neither helpful nor evidence-based, just the author's personal diet culture hang-up shining through super brightly. Overall, nothing that stood out as exceptionally helpful or uniquely comforting/validating/empowering compared to other excellent pregnancy/birth/postpartum books I've read.

[Ashley Osa-Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book was a bit off putting. Idk maybe it would have hit different if I was actually pregnant or wanting to be. But I didn't appreciate the author's tone of voice. Especially her fixation on discouraging sugar consumption (pregnant or not) and referring to sugar as "the devil", without ever actually citing solid reasons for her view. It's weird. And then there was ironically a part where she condemned people who try to tell pregnant people what they can and can't eat....

There definitely are some valuable bits in the book, nothing I've never seen or heard before but informative nonetheless. I'll definitely include some of her key points for the birthing person's 'Birth Preferences' in my form that I usually use with my doula clients. There are lots of fun facts, recipes, and little inserts, which I enjoyed but I wish (and I don't think this is on the author) they were arranged in the book in a logical way -- like not being interrupted in the middle of a sentence with a block about something else and having to flip two pages to find the rest of the sentence/paragraph??

I appreciated her inclusive language in the book and her emphasis on not necessarily telling the birthing person what to do (besides "never eat sugar" :/), but trying to lay out all the options that a lot of birthing people don't actually know are available to them.
I also liked her anecdotes and criticisms of the over medicalization of birth in healthcare today and the way doctors often try to make it convenient for them. This is something I have also noticed through my doula practice. Luckily, most of my clients choose the midwife route, which definitely approaches birth differently.

Overall, it's probably a good book for people who are expecting and have not witnessed a lot of births and want to know the ins and outs. She goes into a lot of nice detail, especially about the postpartum period, which I think is super important and often comes as a surprise to people who have just given birth.

One last dig, the first ingredient of one of the recipes in here is listed as "organic roast chicken carcass"
girl, what?

[Jessie Holbrook · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan. 👎 From the cover and description (I know, don’t judge a book by its cover) I thought this would be a natural approach and view of how Doulas support women in labor. That’s not what it was about at all! It mainly focused on the authors opinions on hot topics, following government and mainstream advice, new age practices, and a lot of progressive ideology. I did enjoy her birth stories. “Sugar is the devil” is a phrase that was used multiple times. The dietary recommendations were interesting. I didn’t expect her to be so adherent to government recommendations. Since when has the government really had our best interest in mind? It was specifically stated that raw milk and unpasteurized cheese are unsafe food, but in the same paragraph said she ate sushi during all her pregnancies and her kids “turned out fine.” Knowing that you’re more likely to contract listeria from lettuce, I’d ditch the salad and go for the raw milk. Makes presumptive statements such as “if you don’t prepare for birth you’re likely to suffer from PTSD.” Maybe in some cases, but I don’t think that’s the case for everyone. There were spelling errors; “cervadil,” and a personal pet peeve, recommending women laboring in hospitals ask for a hep lock if an iv is necessary, and using the terms hep lock and saline lock interchangeably. Just call it a saline lock! It’s not that hard. The majority of pregnant women certainly don’t need heparin before their birth. Oh, and the worst of all, “chest feeding.” 🤦‍♀️

[Hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh.

Oh, dear.

I'm giving this a GENEROUS 2 stars because there were some helpful little spots of information that could potentially help someone make their own decision.

THAT BEING SAID: this book should have been published as a memoir... It was nearly all anecdotal, and not evidence-based material, based on the author's experiences and preferences.

My personal qualms:

*A couple random instances of crass language that felt unnecessary

*Dishonoring a woman's unique, God-given ability to carry, birth, and breastfeed a child by using "inclusive"/dehumanizing terminology

*Un-cited "nutritional" suggestions and guidance

*Literally no conclusion— I thought my copy had pages missing or something. Really, really.

*Writing to too wide of an audience and somehow not being super helpful to anyone in the process

*Not enough helpful information about pros and cons in birth/postpartum decision-making and interventions (which maybe is just what I expected from this genre of book?)


Thanks for sticking with me! I will be seeking other, more helpfully informative literature on the subject. That's all she wrote.

[Crista Lash · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book might as well be called an autobiography due to the amount of times the author says “this is what I did”

At one point, the book goes on a rant about LGBT & people of color - the rant, a projection not relevant to what the title suggests this book is.

The author suggests that men can have babies and sticks with that theme throughout the book.

The book poorly laid out - chapters, paragraphs, sentences, thoughts are all broken up with little snippets that are disruptive to the flow of the book.

I read this book because I am curious about Doulas & their work. I believe it could mildly helpful for a pregnant woman, especially the suggested questions to ask your care providers & chosen places of birth however this book doesn’t seem like “the one” - it’s not the one I’d suggest to expecting mothers.

[Christen Friedman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying I read this simply because I am a doula myself and many clients have asked me if I recommend this one. The answer is no. First of all, I did not like the authors tone. Second, she briefly mentions how important it is to find a provider that gives evidence based care, but doesn’t provide any evidence based information on many things she mentioned in this book. In fact, she doesn’t explain the risks of anything at all. I really did not like the way she communicated a lot of topics. I could see this book swaying people in the wrong direction. Also, her obsession with sugar being the devil and baths is overkill. A lot of it was her talking about her own births and what worked for her - NOT the information most people are seeking.

[Amelia Sanders]

Saw this on Spotify and decided to give it a listen. Learned a couple (hopefully) helpful things but the majority of her thoughts in this book are definitely rooted in a non-christian worldview and some are just straight up wacky lol

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this guide to childbirth. The author was strong in her opinion of consuming sugar and her idea of creating a birth alter was off putting. Some advice was helpful but overall I didn’t agree with a lot of her beliefs.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth the read, primarily if this is an early book in your reading list, otherwise you may already be am familiar with the contents.

[Ashłe Potter · Rating 1 out of 5]

There were some good nuggets in this book but it wasn’t at all what I was hoping for and expecting. Does it really need to be said that only WOMEN birth babies and only BREASTS produce breast milk?! 🤦🏼‍♀️
It was really hard to get past her agenda.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the voice of this book (not forced bff, but more down to earth and engaging, while still maintaining an informative tone), I didn't learn anything new. I have birthed four children, so it may be more helpful for a first time parent, who has no idea what to expect. I was hoping for more details on natural birth, but beyond a few positions, I didn't really find what I was expecting. The author also calls sugar the devil, multiple times, then talks about eating cupcakes and having a sweet tooth. She mentions avoiding fish, due to mercury, than proceeds to talk about consuming sushi. Ironically, every OB GYN I have had has recommended eating fish a few times a week for the DHA and avoiding sushi, though I know some doctors say it is okay if it meets certain qualifications. While every doctor seems to have different recommendations, most seem to be fine with regular consumption of low mercury, wild caught fish. It just annoyed me that she condemns certain foods in one breath, then talks about eating them, or more controversial ones during pregnancy, in the next, simply based on her tastes. A few things she mentions seems to be a bit outdated, so I was surprised to see the book was only published three years ago. The cover is beautiful and the format was nice, however. She shares many personal experiences and seems genuine. All in all, not a bad read, but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I had expected to.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's very pretty. That baby on the cover is beautiful. These author's attitude was also very refreshing and inclusive, both of different ways of giving birth and the different people doing it. Her writing has a comforting, open minded quality which I enjoyed. She's not here to shit on other people's choices. One thing she doesn't tolerate though, is sugar. She urges the reader to eat real food over empty calories which of course means avocados and things that take the adjective "nourishing." I prefer to continue my pregnancy regimen of aggressively healthy and truly unhealthy foods paired together at random, and in the absence of alcohol, large quantities of hot chocolate. Who are you to call a calorie empty, Lindsey Bliss? But as with all things baby and pregnancy, we can take what's useful and leave the rest.

[Lindsay Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book...apparently more than a few who read this book. I appreciated the different approach to birth from a Doula. I think Lindsey does a great job helping mothers remember just what they’re doing—CREATING LIFE and BRINGING IT INTO THE WORLD. She is kind in how she discusses various scenarios. I love how she didn’t preach one method of birth over the other. She’s had plenty of experience in hospital births and home births. I didn’t feel like the decisions I’m making toward my own labor we’re being demonized or judged by the author. It’s a great book for a first time mom like me and it’s one I’ll keep on my book shelf for reminders in my next births.

[Bedoorable · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of pseudoscience in the book which I did not find comforting. Second start is for the information that was useful and data driven. Even though I avoid sugar in general, calling it the devil and more addictive than coccaine is very judgemental to pregnant people who are experiencing sugar cravings. It could have been explained in more neutral terms. I picked this up as my OB recommended a doula, but now im hesitant due to the misinformation. There were a lot of recipes from a witch, I wouldn't want to experiment with herbal items when many of them can have a negative or unknown side effect to the pregnancy. Borrowed

[Rachelle Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just really not super great. I wanted this book to be awesome so badly, but it’s just not. The writing feels very rushed and not skillfully put together, and the “facts” and “experts” sometimes lack a lot of validity. I wanted it to be a lot more about why “alternative” birthing methods (by U.S. standards) are scientifically proven and safe and effective, and how to implement them and create the best headspace for those methods. In reality, it’s just a crunchy woman’s ramblings and citations of other like-minded doulas, as though that makes her points more valid.

Spoiler: Sugar is evil.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very pretty book. I also found it pretty thin on helpful content. I may have appreciated it more if it was the first book I read related to pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. One aspect that is 5 stars though is the author’s tone and inclusivity. She does not write in the sassy or overly familiar girlfriend tones (which irritate me to no end!) of so many other maternity-related periodicals. She also makes the effort to consistently acknowledge the many different arrangements into which children are born.

[Jamie Cartwright · Rating 3 out of 5]

As lots of other reviewers have mentioned, this author has a huge hangup about sugar, literally referring to it as the devil. I agree that it is critical to advocate for a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy and beyond, but the sugar stuff was extremely off putting. Otherwise, I rather enjoyed this book. It isn’t a comprehensive resource, but does have a lot of great tips and general information that I’ll use as a jumping off point to further research the topics. I am also looking forward to revisiting this closer to my due date for labor tips.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was exactly what I needed when I needed it. The perspective of a doula is so much different than a week-by-week monstrosity filled with all the things that can go wrong. It reads super fast which is also helpful when preparing for baby. And it endeared me to the idea of including a doula in my life. Lastly, I was pleasantly surprised at how inclusive Lindsey’s book was to LGBTQ folks. She seems like a fantastic human being.

[Emmie Maggie ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Certifying Doula - LOVE this book!

I really enjoyed this book as a certifying labour, birth and postpartum doula. There is so much valuable information and feels so authentic. I loved the various recipes throughout and learned a lot about myself as a doula and a first time momma currently pregnant! I no longer use “birth plan” and love the alternative of “birth preferences”. Overall so good and would highly recommend for parents and birth workers alike!

[Elizabeth Crawford-Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple and easy bath read.
This author really likes green smoothies apparently. There are some super crunchy things in here and a lot of early pregnancy things that I didn’t need to read, so I just skimmed over those parts.
I feel like this book was decently rudimentary compared to the education I have already acquired during pregnancy, however it did have me write a few notes down so I’m appreciative of that!

[Kristen McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book! I wish I had heard about it earlier in my pregnancy however still good! She has a wonderful writing style that is informative and easy to read. There are a few opinions in there I don’t necessarily agree with, but just looked passed. It is a little “hippy” so be prepared for that!

[Hillary Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for first pregnancy\mother. Puts in a lot of different perspectives and provided positivity towards birth, reduce the fear. The author is very experienced as doula and her own kids. Spirituality is involved in the book which was the best part such as bringing crystal rose quartz to birth/labor. I wanted to read more details about water birth as there was simple summary about it.

[Kam]

Noting some things and disregarding a lot more. Haha the diet hangups that the doula pushed as well as other opinions that shined through created a very unsubjective perception. Which was interesting because she often stated that heavy opinions from a caregiver were bad. Like ok girl BFFR. Anyways she seems like she just lives a very natural, organic lifestyle and it shows.

[Jina · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some bits of good information mixed in, but overall it's a bit of an odd read. At times, the author comes across as "super crunchy" and at other times she's "pro government guidelines" - I know being crunchy is a spectrum, but it felt like there was a lack in cohesion. I would still recommend this book to others, but just know - it's an odd read.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of great information in this book, though I thought there would be more about home birth. There are some things written in the book that might make you raise a brow, but overall the information is relative and helpful.

[Rachael Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t agree with some the info presented in this book, but it was a quick and easy read. Parts of it I appreciated. But there are many other birth related books/resources I’d recommend before this one.

[Janelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good nuggets, but very base and too pandering for me. Big sections on men giving birth, calling breastfeeding “chest feeding”, encouragement for holding crystals while in labor and beyond.

If anything it taught me what I don’t want in a doula which is still very insightful.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The author has some weird nutritional beliefs but she also has good tips and advice for expecting moms. I took some notes for a hospital bag, labor positions, postpartum questions, and healing tonics and bath recipes. Worth a read with a grain of salt.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of wish I had read this at the start of my pregnancy, but still, good to read later on with lots of tips, tricks, and advice, with the hippie crystal loving slant that I embrace.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great addition to a mom-to-be's reading list.