The Birth Partner Handbook: Everything You Need to Know for a Healthy, Positive Birth Experience

by Carl Jones

The Birth Parter Handbook is a concise, contemporary guide for today's birth partners, showing them exactly what they can do to help create a positive birth experience, whether the mother gives birth naturally or with medication, at home, in a childbearing center, or in a hospital. With a special emphasis on the psychological changes of labor, this guide also introduces a new approach to understanding labor made popular through the author's nationwide childbirth workshops, called the "laboring mind response." Birth partners will gain new insight into the mother's altered state of mind and altered behavior during labor, and be given an easy-to-follow, eight-step method that teaches the mind to cooperate with the body and will help make childbirth less stressful and more natural for the mother.

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 1989

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very poorly written and really quite a waste of time. This book was padded full of birth anecdotes instead of useful information. It was full of typos, shaming and dated material.

The author was very biased against medical professionals and hospitals. He would make bold anti-medical claims and assertions without ever actually citing any studies or any source whatsoever.

The author is also extremely judgmental about non home birth and anything other than totally medicine free birth, but then would try to cover himself with a platitude about choice. I'm sorry, but if you go on and on about how terrible and unsafe certain choices are, just including a rote sentence at the end of the chapter about how it's a mother's choice and she shouldn't feel guilty is not balanced writing.

The author actually talks up the usefulness of guided imagery meditation, then does not include any scripts or guidelines, instead plugging another of his books for how to actually do them.

The copyright info said the book was published in 2010, but his mind is clearly 20-30 years ago. He claims women are screened off from their lower halves during all hospital births and have their arms tied down. Several times he references taking your cassette player to the hospital. He also claims that pretty much all grandmothers gave birth using twilight sleep, a practice that died out in the early 70s (making the target audience for this book first time mothers over age 38 or older?

Also, it's not a birth opening, or your "bottom" or your "lower half" or any number of euphemisms. It's a vagina. The baby comes out of the vagina. If you can't even say it or write it, quit claiming to be an expert on it and what women should do with theirs.

[Ryan Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to my by our doula, Melek. Lots of good information here for anyone who will soon be supporting a mother through labor. If you have taken a good birthing class, a lot of this will be recap, but that is not a bad thing. I'm sure I'll forget 95% of it when the time comes, but I still feel better prepared for having read it.

[Hunter Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

very informative, not very engaging. The miracle of childbirth is fastenating and this book didn't make that clear.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's a good basic, easy to read overview on pregnancy, delivery, and what birth partners do. I'm the pregnant one and it was nice to know what sort of advice my husband would be reading and possibly applying. My reading this book will help us discuss techniques presented that we'd like to try and for me to think about what may work best for me.

It was simple, not too detailed, and repetitive - but given that it seems some pick up the book for the first time during labor, I understand the need for reinforcement and simple language.

I think it's a good starting point, and gave suggestions, and that's why I gave it 4 stars. I liked it more than average but didn't love it.

[Rebecka Ockay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very poorly written/edited, which made it rather difficult to read. The information in it might be useful to your hubby or friend, but there was not very much content that is not a) common sense and b) common knowledge. It was a lot of fluff and repeating of information.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Effeulage (is that how you spell it?). Anyway, a light touch massage helps labour. Will make sure he does this. The rest of the info, kind of obvious.

[Angela Elmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a good start for getting the info you need. I heard most of this info in my birth class but if you dont have a good birth class this book will be a five starer for you.

[Kelsey Bourgeois · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED it. Great introduction to birth.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic overview.

[Jesse Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was filled with solid information I didn't know, but it could've been reduced about 40 pages. There was too much unnecessary fluff with quotes that really added no value.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information, but very repetitive.