Birthing a Better Way: 12 Secrets for Natural Childbirth

Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Series

by Kalena Cook, Margaret Christensen M.D., Christiane Northrup (Foreword)

Birthing a Better Way: 12 Secrets for Natural Childbirth presents a fresh, proactive, and positive approach to why you may want to consider the safest and most satisfying kind of birth—natural childbirth—especially in these times of overused medical interventions. Kalena Cook, a mother who experienced natural childbirth, and Margaret Christensen, M.D., a board certified obstetrician-gynecologist, have written this much-needed book for expectant mothers and their caregivers, imparting proven safe or “evidence-based” information with compelling narratives. Think of What to Expect in Natural Childbirth meets Chicken Soup for the Natural Birthing Soul!

Unlike other books that overwhelm with data, Birthing a Better Way simplifies the best key points. Going beyond actual birth accounts, the authors reveal 12 Secrets which bring confidence in the normal process of birth and inspire you to believe in what your body is beautifully designed to do—a far cry from what is portrayed in the media or from some fear-based conventional medical practices.

More than fifty powerful testimonials include healthy mainstream women who answer why they chose natural birth (instead of Pitocin, inductions, epidurals and C-sections), what it was like, and even how it compared to a medicated birth. Six physicians share why they birthed their own children naturally, and not in the hospital.

Through Birthing a Better Way, choose whether you want a doctor or a midwife and decide where to birth: in a hospital, birth center, or at home. Get informed about the variety of births such as waterbirths, breech birth, twins, VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean), and using hypnosis. Find out about ways to avoid Pitocin, an induction, or an unnecessary C-section. Discover what is in an epidural and its effects. Know what safe comfort measures truly work and how to overcome fear. Learn what you need to know about ultrasound and nutrition. Approach natural childbirth with a mind-body-spirit stance to strengthen your commitment.

Don’t take labor lying down. Get armed with these vital strategies. You can make a healthy difference with the many benefits of natural childbirth for you and your baby. Positive mothering begins with being satisfied with, not depressed by, your birth experience. This book will guide you step-by-step toward getting the empowering birth of your life.

Number 4: Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Series

“Thank you for writing Birthing a Better Way; it is exactly what we need now. The storytelling model plus expert commentary is perfect. We need this alternative. I love the book and will recommend it to everyone!”—Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

“The most sacred experience I've ever had is having babies myself. Five daughters all born at home. They were the high points in my life, both spiritually and psychosexually. Everything I've done has come out of my joy in birth. Through positive birth stories, Birthing a Better Way helps women work out what they want and gain self-confidence.”—Sheila Kitzinger, author of Pregnancy & Childbirth: Choices and Challenges

Giving birth in the most natural and tranquil way, within an environment filled with love and gratitude, opens the doorway to a new and more fulfilling life for any child. Caring and gentle hands embracing a newborn's precious moment of entering its new world is truly a gift to any expecting mother and loving family and for that matter the world. To reawaken a woman's natural and intuitive ability to express birthing and mothering is a must in our fast-paced, time-pressured society of quick fixes. Birthing a Better Way opens the way for a new era in child birthing for the many beautiful and wise mothers of the future. Dr. John F. Demartini, author of Count Your Blessings: The Healing Power of Gratitude and Love

Kalena Cook and Dr. Margaret Christensen have discovered something too many prospective mothers aren't getting elsewhere: Birth as it is meant to be in its pain and glory and above all consciousness is at once the most primal, and at the same time transcendent, human experience. I have never been more alive than during the unmedicated home birth of my daughter. This book offers that aliveness to any mom who doesn't want to miss out on a milestone. Victoria Moran, author of Creating a Charmed Life: Sensible, Spiritual Secrets Every Busy Woman Should Know

363 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2010

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good info, but needed better editing and the organization was odd. One story had an anti-vax slant, which automatically makes the book ineligible for five stars.

[Mariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contains a good mix of birth stories but also is in need of editing. Come on, "breach" birth?

[Rebecca Thieme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many helpful ideas, but should have been condensed and layed out differently.

[Hope Gunther · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 rounded up
Some inspiring stories

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I put this on hold at the library and it didn't come in until 6 days before I gave birth, I didn't have time to read every word. But I might not have anyway, because it kind of made me feel bad, since I always have to be induced, which is not "natural." I agree, in theory, with just about every stance, and wish I could birth my babies completely naturally, as the book advocates. There are a lot of good stories in this book and I appreciate that, since it is true that when a woman is expecting--particularly with her first--she hears all kinds of horror stories, which do nothing to allay her fears and give her peace about the whole process. So I would particularly recommend this book to first-time mothers-to-be as a way to learn positive birth stories, as well as a way to become more educated about the things doctors won't tell her, so that she can make more informed decisions.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading the positive birth stories in this book--they were very inspiring and brought back good memories and future desires. There were some stories, I'll admit, that were a bit cooky and made me laugh out loud at the way people do/perceive things. I'm not a first-time mom, and my first birth was planned to be natural and it was a great experience, so that may make a difference on my perception of this book. However, I would recommend this book to all pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant--even if not considering natural birth. I agreed with so much of what was discussed in this book--especially that you need to prepare for a natural birth, not just hope it will happen and plan on drugs or other interventions "just in case." Natural birthing definitely takes an active approach all throughout pregnancy.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the secrets is to listen to positive birth stories. I was excited to read the stories provided in this book, until they started getting less positive and scaring me (I'm currently 8 1/2 months pregnant). After plenty of reassurance from my midwife that the situations some of the women found themselves in were highly unlikely to happen to me I put the book down and moved on to other birthing books.

One specific thing that made the stories hard to take was that they weren't dated, I don't know if they happened to someone last year, 5 years ago, 10 years ago, etc.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some neat birth stories but really hated the "notes" added by the author-editors, some of which were really judgmental and invalidating. There was also a lot of mixing of anecdotes with tips with facts without clear boundaries between them.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read of first-hand accounts of positive birth experiences with quite a bit of research tossed in.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of accounts of natural births, but no real "secrets" to having a natural birth. Kind of long for the little amount of helpful info it had.

[Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent if you are considering a natural birth!