The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
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Book Reviews of The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth
Book Review: Read this if you don't know much about obstetrical care . .
Summary: 5 Stars
Your eyes will be opened. If you are ready to trust your obstetrician and believe that s/he will make the best decisions for you and your baby, you need to read this book. Goer clearly lays out the pros and cons of various medical practices that are common in the U.S. She contrasts these with the common practices in other industrialized nations that have better outcomes for mothers and babies.Goer is fair in that she acknowledges that many obstetricians are doing what they believe to be best--they were trained in medical schools and residency programs that view pregnancy as a disease or condition which usually requires intervention. She also acknowledges that just because you choose a midwife doesn't mean you'll get better care and just because you choose an OB doesn't mean you'll get poor care. Each practitioner is different and it is up to the "thinking woman" to seek out a caregiver with whom she can work and develop a sense of trust.
It is important to know your options. Few hospital birth classes will give you the real low-down on the side effects and complications associated with epidurals. Most obstetricians won't recommend you get a second opinion before performing a C-section even though it is major surgery and, more often than not, not a true emergency situation (obviously, in a true emergency, you'll be rushed to the operating room).
This book will inspire you to seek out alternatives to the way your were born and many of your friends gave birth. Family and friends may think you're strange for not wanting to do it the way everyone else does, but that's often the case with pioneers. This book is not the best for building your skills and confidence for natural birth, but it's a good starting point to help you realize the benefits of natural childbirth.
A great book to read along with this is "Husband-Coached Childbirth" by Dr. Bradley and any other books on the Bradley Method.
Book Review: AN Absolute Must Read for all Mom's to be and their partners
Summary: 5 Stars
The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer is an informative, comprehensive book that all pregnant women and their partners should read. The information presented in this book is organized in such a way as to make it understandable and easily comprehensible. The author is very thorough in including all of the information needed to make an educated decision on issues such as choosing a caregiver or labor assistant, hospital or homebirth, and such important decisions as induction, episiotomy, electronic fetal monitor and many others. Ms. Goer outlines the basic information on such subjects and backs up her information at the back of the book with statistical information and the results of various studies on each subject. Although she makes it clear that she is a proponent for natural homebirth, she honestly and objectively presents the pros and cons of each topic to allow Mother's to make their own decisions.This book lays out the information in a matter of fact manner using non-judgmental language with opinions by the author respectfully and tactfully included. I found the information in this book likely to be inspiring to pregnant women that they indeed have the ability to empower themselves to make informed choices and insist on the quality of care they deserve. Ms. Goer sheds light on the effects of many commonly routine procedures that many women and their partners think of as helpful but are actually harmful to the mother and baby. I like that she backs up all of her information in the back of her book as this supports her theories, information, and personal opinions making them more credible. The Thinking Woman's Guide will be a source I am sure I will refer to many times in my Childbirth career and I will surely recommend it as a must read to all of my clients, friends and family. I wish I could give it 10 stars.
Book Review: Essential Information for any Pregnant Woman
Summary: 5 Stars
The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth contains more evidence-based information about interventions during childbirth than I have found anywhere else. For those already considering natural birth, this book will provide the hard numbers to back you up, instead of the feely, hippie, hokum that you find in most natural birth books. As an intelligent woman, I don't want someone to tell me their way is better because it feels right, I want evidence.
Goer not only provides backup for her statements, but she even examines the studies themselves in the last section of the book. If more babies died in one group versus another, she looks at why each particular baby died in a given group to show whether or not it was actually related to what was being tested. I don't think I've ever seen anyone take such a meticulous approach in a book about childbirth.
For those who are not considering natural birth, you still need to read this!!! Yes, there's some scary information, but as Goer says in her Introduction, better to be uncomfortable than uninformed. You can certainly use the information she provides to balance what you want for your birth. While she is very biased toward natural birth, she does give a fair assessment of both the pros and cons for things like epidurals, cesareans, etc. Those who do not want to attempt natural birth can use her information to decide which interventions will be right for their births--it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Goer also provides many many lists of questions to ask your provider to determine whether or not he or she will be right for you. Here again, she tackles the subject more completely than I've seen with any other pregnancy book.
Book Review: Great reference if you are pregnant or planning to be
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fantastic book, full of information - including the references to where she got her data from, which is very important. Some authors just pull stuff out of their... I mean, they make stuff up, or they may as well be if there are no references to provide the evidence for what they are saying.
As for the criticism that it is "not balanced": I don't know what she was supposed to do. Say that there are some good things about routine episiotomy (when there aren't any)? Say there that from one perspective, it's good that almost 1 in 3 births in the US are by C-section (when of course it's not good)? The facts are the facts and they are unequivocably in favour of a more natural birth, when at all possible (which is the vast majority of the time). She provides the empirical evidence for this position. Try finding empirical evidence (not just somebody's word for it) that the US C-section rate is just right, or that routine episiotomy is necessary, or that women should not be allowed to eat or drink during the hard work of labour. Although something may seem like "common sense" to a doctor, that doesn't make it a good idea.
Yes, it's wonderful that C-sections exist for the few emergency cases in which they are required. Obstetricians are wonderful for that kind of surgery. But midwives are empirically proven to be safer birth attendants at low risk births. There is no way to be more "balanced" than that.
The book is getting a little old now, however, and for a more up-to-date companion, I recommend the wonderful "Born in the USA" by Marsden Wagner.
If you're reading this while pregnant: Have a safe and beautiful birth for you and you baby!
Book Review: Excellent Book that Deserves an Update
Summary: 5 Stars
I am planning a VBAC for May 2010. This book could just as easily be entitled "How to Avoid a C-Section in a U.S. Hospital Birth." It has tons of really important information. My only critique is that on the chapter that addresses VBAC, the information on prostaglandins needs to be updated.
I can see from other reviews that some women are put off by the natural childbirth bias of the book. I will say that, even if you're not down with the idea of "natural childbirth," you still need this information if you want to avoid ending up with a c-section. I went into my first birth with an open mind, planning on a natural birth but open to interventions if needed. I ended up with the classic "cascade of interventions" ending with an unnecessary c-section.
My advice would be to read this book as one of several books you read to prepare for childbirth. If you want to plan for pain relief, you can use information in this book to find out how to use pain relief in the "best" way (the way that makes it less likely to cause you to need pitocin and, subsequently, a c-section.)
Really important for all mothers to know: labors are all different. You may have a fast, dramatic birth or one that the early labor lasts a few days or a week. When you're prepared with information, you're most likely to get the birth you want. Even if you trust your doctor, you don't want to trust your birth to your doctor. Be aware of which obstetric policies are truly helpful and necessary, and which are just based on out-of-date information and doctor's convenience. This book is one resource to help you do that. Another is watching the film, "The Business of Being Born."