Midwifery Books

this is sort of a part two of spiritual midwifery. what is nice about it is that she includes many more recent stories of births on the farm (including the story of an obstetrician couple who wanted a natural birth. interestingly, they were among the most fearful couples that she has ever worked with) and a pretty thorough description of labor and delivery. it is full of useful information and things that to try in labor that have proved successful for women time after time in her practice. invaluable.

I loved, loved, loved this book. I read it to prepare for the natural birth of my second child (vaginal breech), and then again to prepare for the natural birth of my third. I chose to have all three in the hospital, and wanted to avoid the slippery slope to a c-section. At Virginia Hospital Center (Arlington) and Inova Fairfax Hospital, where my children were born, the c-section rates are 40%. How is this acceptable?? C-sections are major surgery.

Inductions start the slippery slope. Few women can or choose to cope with pitocin-induced contractions, so an induction almost always means an epidural, which means no early laboring in the comfort of your home, no moving around, and the inability to get into positions that help the baby descend. Pitocin can also affect the unborn baby's heart rate, which causes great concern to all, OB included. So the baby either does not arrive quickly enough or goes into crisis, and the result is a c-section.

Epidurals and c-sections both negatively affect the chance of baby breastfeeding well early on, which means baby is given formula in the hospital and early days post-birth - another slippery slope, this time to early weaning. With strong evidence that breastfed babies have higher IQs, fewer allergies, get sick less often and less severely, have decreased rates of SIDS, etc., this is no small matter. "The AAP Section on Breastfeeding, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Family Physicians, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund, and many other health organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life." http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;115/2/496 Also see http://kellymom.com/index.html for lots of great breastfeeding advice and info.

This book will give you the information you need to trust your body to give birth naturally. The birth stories at the beginning will help you to see that there are a wide range of "normal" births, both in terms of duration of labor and pain. Many coping strategies are discussed, along with the overarching theme that birth is a natural process. The pain of natural birth is not like the pain of an injury or something gone wrong. It has a purpose, and this book will help you learn to surrender to the purpose, rather than fight against it.

PS You probably can't hire Ina May, but you should hire a doula or at least find a friend who has given birth naturally to help coach you and support you through your labor.

Absolutely a must have. Very informative and down to earth!
I wish I would have bought the book early on in my pregnancy! Will forward this book on to a fellow co-worker at work!

I'm a first time mom and my midwife recommended this book. Unlike other pregnancy books this one is not geared towards all of the things that can go wrong. Rather its about all the things that can go right with a pregnancy. This book gives women the confidence they need to approach birth with a calm attitude. Gaskin teaches women that their bodies "are not lemons." That we don't need shiny instruments or machines that go "bing" to help us birth our babies. What we need instead is love, patience, and the confidence to bring our children into this world. This book would be great for anyone contemplating a homebirth, an intervention free birth, or for anyone who has fears about the birth process. I give it five stars.

My first birthing experience was everything I didn't want: induced, heavily medicated, and then a c-section. I was determined to have a completely natural v-bac the second time around. Our doula recommended this book, and it really gave my husband and I the information we needed that we never got from our first ob. I recommend this book to any woman contemplating a natural childbirth, especially those whose doctors are not supportive of such a move.

I was born in my house and witnessed the births of my two younger brothers. Yet I hate to say, I never imagined that I myself could deliver at home. All my friends were born at hospitals, so that must have been normal, right? I used a hospital midwife for my first child and had an amazing birth experience. If I hadn't, (and if I didn't already LOVE my current midwife who will also deliver in a hospital) I would certainly call up a local midwife and "do it at home."
I have to say, as much of an education this book was, it was FUNNY! Peggy Vincent has a great way with telling a story. Its one of those books where you laugh out loud, and then read the passage to whoever is in the room. Even my 20 year old brother laughed at the part when the husband is ready to catch the baby and started screaming.
Another thing I liked about this book is that the chapters are pretty short, so if you have other responsibilities (and really shouldn't be reading a book) you have several good stopping places.
If you are pregnant, or planning on becoming pregnant, or have already had children, are a nurse or doctor, or just want to be entertained, I would highly recommend this book.

My best friend gave me this book as a thank-you gift for flying from Nor Cal (60 miles from Berkley, where most of the action is set) to Phoenix, AZ on a few hours' notice, five days ahead of schedule, in order to be her doula for her first baby. I had read it before I left for California again some days later.

Fast, engaging, memorable life experiences follow a decades-long parade of shifting ideas of how women give birth in our country, from "all stirrups-and-forceps, all the time!" (slight exaggeration... slight.) to the reemergence of midwifery care and homebirth. The chapters tend to be short, which is great if you've only got a few minutes to squeeze in some reading. The stories are exhilarating, often hilarious, sometimes terrifying.

One of my favorite books. I hope someday to meet Peggy and learn more from her as I also work with laboring women, and maybe even get to catch a few babies, myself.

I love that Peggy begins her career as a shy, girlish candy striper & goes on to become the take-charge, seasoned veteran she ultimately is. I love that she chose what appear to be the most exciting, interesting, poignant & pivotal birth stories of her professional career to share with us. She gives the people what we want - action! I've read lots of hum-drum, normal homebirth stories, so I found it refreshing to be riveted at every page.
BTW, Peggy, you got screwed & it's not fair! I was so spitting mad about her lawsuit that happened >20 years ago that I will rant about it whenever the topic comes up. A page-turner, but perhaps not for first-time pregnant mommies. If you're really into childbirth, like me, wait until your postpartum time, when you need something to get your heart racing & overemotional eyes pouring in happiness & sadness.

Absolutely one of the best books I read of late. I was a labor and delivery nurse in the mid 70's when so many changes occurred. This book took me down memory lane of all of the wonderful experiences I had as I labored women before the "electronic age". Thank you Peggy and your women for sharing the most intimate part of their lives.

I've read several births on midwifery and Peggy Vincent's is by far one of the most readable in terms of reaching a broad audience. If you reach for a midwifery book, in general you are pregnant and considering it as a birth option or interested in midwifery itself. There aren't a lot of general interest readers but Vincent's book is in a position to change it. It is both a memoir of a powerful personal journey and a piquant social commentary but beyond those two facets it is a testament to the power of women and the beautiful normalcy of birth. In fact, it's the stories of the women--both happy and sad--- that make the book so compelling, particularly because the author doesn't try to ignore or whitewash births that did not end as planned.
I recommend Babycatcher to any pregnant mom who wants a glimpse of her own birthing capabilities and to any women considering midwifery. I also recommend it to anyone else who wants a moving, informative, often funny adventure into the exciting world of baby catching.

Monique's life story is inspirational. Her example shows what great things one can achieve even in humble circumstances. Author Kris Holloway gives readers an intimate view into the lives of women in West Africa--very eye-opening for me. I found myself cheering for their success!

This is a delightful book, made more special by the fact that it is a true story. Kris is a skilled writer who captures the sense of life in Mali and the personality of her beloved Monique. I am glad she decided to tell her story: I will never forget it, or Monique...

Outstanding!! This book will emmerse and transport you to Mali Africa where you'll experience the conditions and culture of the sweet people that live there. Told indearingly by Kris Holloway the writer and peace corp volunteer who lived this wonderful journey with a friend made in afar away place... as one who is just beginning to explore the possibility of traveling to Africa as a missionary I found this book to be informative & enlightening...

What if you lives in a country where, if you are a woman, you have a 1 in 12 chance of dying in childbirth? What if you are expected to have three, four, five children? What if a complication means being bundled on the back of a moped and being driven fast to the nearest larger village, where the nearest real medical care is?

The author of this fine book, Kris Holloway, spent 2 years with the Peace Corps living in a remote village in Mali. This story is the amazing tale of her friendship with Monique, a midwife who - although only 3 years her senior - was the only medical care most people in her village would ever see.

The story progresses from Kris' early moments being drawn in by Monique's personality and dedication, to an unexpected conclusion that is all too common in the world of Monique. A book I was prepared to not enjoy, I found myself drawn into it. With the plot structure a total shambles, with time jumping months in a matter of sentences with no warning, the book rather focuses in on Monique and her situation. A relatively short book at 200 pages, it successfully paints the picture of a woman who is fully aware of her situation as midwife in a sub-Saharan African village, and faces that with a striking combination of fatalistic acceptance and entrepreneurial will to change the fate of women in her village.

This story should be read by all Westerners, if only to contrast the sanitized birthing process we experience with the trials found in most of the rest of the world.

Monique and the Mango Rains is the moving account of Kris Holloway's experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, West Africa, assisting Monique Dembele, the area's local midwife and medical worker. In the crippling poverty of Mali, Monique and Kris work to help Mali's women and children in times of medical distress. From the birthing of babies to relationship counselling, fending off disease and infection to nutrition education, Monique labors ceaselessly and tirelessly. Her work builds a reputation far and wide that draws women from distant villages seeking her expert help. Kris, while adapting to her harsh environment, becomes more than just an assistant to Monique, experiencing with her the joy of her work and her relationships with the local women. She shares the anguish and disappointment of Monique's life outside the clinic and the close bond of her host family in Africa, becoming a friend to this inspiring woman. As Monique and Kris work to bring education and information to the women, they must broach sensitive topics like birth-control, AIDS, and abolishment of female circumcision. These topics, foreign to the local women, directly affect the survival of the community, and they work tirelessly to educate and inform the women while still dealing with the malnutrition, illness, and injury that besiege them every day.

The candid portrayal of life in the small village was very informative and interesting. I learned a great deal about the regions politics, the African society, and the general day to day existence of the small provincial village. The backbreaking work that the community must endure to prepare for the seasonal rains that fortify their village was explained in rich detail, making the story of the community's struggle for their survival come alive to the reader. Every hand is needed to plant and harvest the life giving crops that will sustain the villagers in the dry season. Monique's inexhaustible commitment to her patients and to her family was awe-inspiring. Her work to repair the birthing house, her bi-weekly weighing of babies, and her educational instruction to mothers for the care of their children was invaluable to the women of her community. Monique's story, though inspirational, was also fraught with sadness. The relationship between her and her husband, who she only calls le gars (the guy) is upsetting and one-sided. While Monique provides the money, care and stability, her husband takes and takes from her, never realizing the treasure that he is entrusted with. Monique works long and trying hours at the clinic, barely scraping by financially, with her young son tied to her back. Though at times the story was sad, there were real moments of joy and laughter throughout this book, from the triumphant birth of twins in an area where a double birth is almost unheard of, to Monique's musings on an airplane ride, I found myself smiling and laughing with Kris and Monique. Monique and Kris's friendship continued even after Kris's time in the peace corps ended, and straddled two different continents and many years.

This was a remarkable story of a remarkable woman. It encompassed the difficulties, differences and uniqueness of African culture that goes unnoticed by most Americans. I found Monique to be a fascinating woman who gave her heart and soul to the people who relied on her for their daily survival. This book was written in part to document the work that Kris did at Monique's side, but more than this, it was written as a homage to her great friend Monique. Monique truly touched Kris's life, and upon reading this book, I found she touched mine as well. Wonderful book, highly recommended.

My first (and only) birth was quite horrifying. After being induced because my contractions slowed the contractions became very painful, after 18 hours I asked for an epidural. The resident put the tube in wrong and the epidural didn't work properly, immobilizing my legs, but leaving the horrific contractions. After 30 hours the midwife broke my bag of waters and after 36 hours I had a fever and my son's heart rate was becoming erratic. They put me in for an emergency C-section, but gave the anesthesia through the same tube as the epidural. Well, it didn't work properly, and I felt almost everything during the 45 minute c-section, so long because my son was stuck and the doctor stopped midway to do a "cease and assess" and to formally complain about the overseeing anesthesiologist.

So! Bad things that you are totally unprepared for can happen! And while this book IS completely biased, it is better to know about all of the possibilities and be mentally prepared for them rather than be blindsided by them. If you are an intelligent woman/couple you can take from this book what it offers: perspective. It will also help you understand what you may and may not want to do during those "informed decision" times they tell you so much about during birthing classes. Yeah, you make the decisions, you can always ask for more information if you need it. Well, what they don't tell you is that if you ask your doctor, your doctor is biased, so if you don't do your own research going in you will do whatever your doctor says because it is the only opinion you have, besides your own, which seems meaningless and naive next to a doctor's recommendation.

Read it, be scared for a little while, and then know you are going into your birth with more information. I am pregnant again, I found that this book helped me decide what kind of physician I wanted to go with. My husband is very against home birth, and I understand his fears, he was traumatized by the first birth, too, he feels that we should still be in a hospital "just in case." So, this book helped me choose a doctor that understands that I want a "home birth" in a hospital. I hope it will help you, too.

This is the most important book that any expecting mother could read. This book reveals the truth about how hospital birth is not the best and safest way to have a baby. Mothers need to know that they do have a choice and that their pregnancy does not have to be treated as a disease. This book is eye-opening and empowering to all women whether pregnant or not.

What praise can I give this book that has not already been said.

Jennifer is a brilliant investigative journalist. Everyone who thinks needs to read this book.

As a doula, CBE and LC I've read a lot of textbooks and advocacy about birth and breastfeeding. What I really enjoyed is this book reads like a novel or mystery. I loved the the familiar tone, and style of Jennifer's writing.

This book is so needed. Women need to know what is happening in hospitals concerning births. Knowledge is the key. I got involved in the natural childbirth movement a couple of years ago. I overheard two businessmen calmly discussing a scheduled c-section. It went like this, "no problems with the meeting. My wife has scheduled the c-section for 3 pm on Thursday." They might as well have been discussing a golf game. Something inside me snapped. This was so wrong on such a fundamental level. I was not a mother and not even married at the time, but I set out to find out as much as I could about this epidempic and it is an epidempic. We fight for so many rights, why not the right to give birth? This book is enlightening, informative, and much needed.

I'm a mother of a toddler and expecting my second baby at Christmastime. I was blessed with a beautiful (for a hospital) birth with my son and hope that I'll have the same experience with this baby -- but I know from experience that I may have to fight for it. I may have to argue with the nurse who wants me to lie on my back, I may have to tell the doctor that I do NOT want an episiotomy, and I may have to kick out the residents buzzing around.

Why do women who want a natural, hands-off birth (without induction, without epidurals, without C-sections) have to fight so hard for one in a hospital setting?

"Pushed" is a very well-researched, readable look at how we got to this point. Block talks to mothers, midwives, doulas and doctors and, I think, really presents all sides of this issue.

I particularly appreciated her interviews with doctors who were sympathetic to moms who want VBACs or vaginal breech deliveries but unable to offer them because of insurance liability reasons. (If I were a doctor, I wouldn't want to risk losing my home or my kids' college fund so that someone else could have a VBAC, honestly.) This is an issue that I think gets the short shrift in many books and articles on modern birth -- it's not that doctors are necessarily trying to manage birth so that they can get to the tee times or make a few extra bucks from a C-section. Many of them want to help mothers have their ideal births but just can't take the risk, from a legal standpoint.

I do wish that Block had presented more solutions -- ideas for solving the current problem weren't really addressed -- and had also taken more of a look at why the insurance industry seems so reluctant to cover doulas, midwives and birth centers, when they usually result in a substantial savings. (My first birth was in a hospital, and my second will be as well, because we don't have the almost $4,000 to pay out of pocket for the local birth center.) She does mention that some moms have hospital births because they can't afford the out-of-pocket expenses of a homebirth or birth center birth, so it seems like it would have been a small jump to investigate why that is.

Now, here's my one complaint: In the final chapter, "Rights," Block took a very obvious pro-abortion-rights stance that I thought was out of place in the book and could likely offend a good number of her readers. (Many of the "crunchy" moms I know are pro-life.) Not to get into an abortion debate here, but I don't know why we can't assert that a fetus (particularly a full term one) has rights, as well as a mother -- especially in light of all the evidence Block presents that VBACs, vaginal breech births, etc. AREN'T dangerous to the baby; it doesn't seem like an either-or argument to me. At any rate, the "fetal rights" cases that Block addresses feel crammed in and not at all relevant to the rest of the book, from my perspective. Not to mention, ending the book discussing abortion, after spending the entire thing talking about what's best for mothers and best for babies, was extremely jarring.

Overall, though, this was a great read and definitely a must for any pregnant woman or anyone at all who's interested in why American women are giving birth the way they are right now.

Very comforting with knowledge that Christ is the creator of the life that lives within the pregnant woman. Very helpful information to aide the pregnant couple in their journey thru labor & delivery.

The author of this book does a phenomenal job capturing and explaining the essence of Christian childbirth, in a manner useful and relevant to life in today's society. The concept of Christian childbirth infuses the message of Romans 12:2 into a world where childbirth has been culturally twisted from the blessed miracle of life into a medical event tainted by fear and distrust. Parents are called to renew their minds through God's word, restoring faith in the process created by God to bring forth new life. While fostering both medically and scripturally informed decision-making, the book guides the reader through the creation of a new family, from trusting God's will before conception, to prenatal communication and pregnancy stewardship, to the labor process and the physiological effects fear has upon it. It also provides the expectant couple with extensive practical information and scriptural encouragement for labor.
This is a vital guide for bringing spirituality back into birth and reinstating the wonder of its divine design. With a sensitivity rarely seen elsewhere, attention is given to such important topics as a father's valuable presence at the birth, and the profound effects of caregivers' attitudes and postpartum depression upon the well being of a new family. With the helpful addition of resources such as Bible study guides, beautiful birth testimonies, an explanation of salvation, and even her own faith statement, author Kelly Townsend addresses all the essentials!

I have really enjoyed reading and learning so much from this book. After reading it I have so much more confidence in myself in having a natural childbirth. My husband has really enjoyed it too. I hope others feel the same way.

I am Founder of Blessing God's Way - a ministry that focuses on the blessing of children as well as our other God-given cycles... and I have sold Mrs. Townsend's book for the last 4 years when I do confernces and hold birth related meetings. This book was so helpful to me, personally, with my 5th pregnancy and delivery - I am so grateful for her constant advice to take my thoughts captive and focus on God's goodness and the work of Christ for us and our salvation. I used her ideas, her techniques for focusing and found them to be most helpful in keeping my eyes upon Jesus during my pushing stage. I tell women now, "God doesn't leave the building, so to speak, during the last stage of labor" and then I direct them to Christ Centered Childbirth to understand how I can say such a statement!
Women need to be encouraged, supported and exhorted during this time in their lives. This book is a practical tool in doing so. I am grateful for her ablility to put this great knowledge in book form to share with so many other women, helping create a better birthing world for us all.

I definitely appreciate that this book was christ-centered and not "new-ageish" like most of the birthing books I have found. That said, it wasn't as good as I had hoped based on the other 5-star reviews. I had expected more nitty-gritty how-to info for during labor. In actuality, I found that it presented a lot of basic info on childbirth that I already knew and less christ-centered coping techniques. I am a born-again Christian, but I was a little bit weirded out by the part asking you to write down ways that you can assure that you won't be rude or inconsiderate to anyone at the hospital while you're in labor. Rudeness is clearly never something to be carried out by a Christian and should be a non-thought. When you're in transition and getting ready to push the baby out, though, I cannot imaging referring to your list of strategies about how to not be rude and thinking them over, etc. Your focus will be on getting the baby out and not much else!

This book is awesome! It is written for the layperson or the doula herself to aid her in assiting her clients. It helps explain the doula role to everyone from the client to her mother and beyond. It has great advice on how to help the father/partner in coaching mom through labor. It just really gives a good overview on how a doula can help from pregnancy to postpartum and beyond. I think it should be required reading for all doulas and their clients as well as anyone considering hiring a doula or becoming one!

This book offers personal insight from couples who used doulas. How their first and second births were different experiences, being the second one more positive, because they chose a doula to help. The various explianations on what types of doulas are available and what their roles are was very helpful in my preparation for finding the right doula for my needs. We haven't given birth yet but are looking for a birthing doula and will be seeking and "postpartum" doula as well. This book was a real find, it opened my husbands eyes because he wasn't willing to be there for the birth but now is more than willing knowing that he doesn't have to be anywhere below my shoulders. He hasn't even met the doula yet and the book alone gave him confidence enough to make that decision. Get this book.

After reading this book, I feel fortunate to count myself amongst such a compassionate array of ladies who call themselves doulas. The author, Rachel Gurevich, (who also wrote the Fab Job EBook on How to Become a Doula) puts a very personal experience out there for all to see and includes many studies and testimonials from real women who have had doulas by their side. She covers every aspect about doulas and their services and even a chapter on "Hiring a Labor Doula" for those who don't know where to start. There are even forms that can be photocopied in the Appendix such as an Interview Guide and Third Party Reimbursement, as well as Organizational Contact Information. If I had to choose only one book about doulas, it would be this one. Why? Because it is personal, has an abundance of practical information and it calls me (a doula) a "special woman". The last chapter is devoted to how to become one of these special women who count ourselves privileged to serve others.

This book was informative and easy to use (you do not need to read it cover to cover, only the sections that apply to you). It comes with good questions for interviewing Doulas for prenatal, labor, or post-natal care. It is not preachy or overly anti-medical establishment, so it comes across in a caring, unbiased manner. It helped me explain to my husband how a Doula could benefit him as well as me during labor, for which he was relieved and grateful! It also gave me some statistics (about shorter labors, less intervention, etc.) to support my decision and justify the out-of-pocket expense of a Doula.

This is the best book about doulas I've ever read. It is much and much better than The Doula Book and as far as I'm concerned this book should be required reading for doula certification in stead of the Doula Book. Also for people who want to know what a doula is and does, this book is the best by far. I highly recommend it for everybody who works with pregnant women and women in labor, as well as expectant parents. The book is very easy to read and is written in clear language.

Having children and reading anything about pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum has lead me to investigate labor, especially during my fifth pregnancy. I have also sat in with a few friends and family members during labor and really wanted to read more. This was a great book and I'm sure I will continue to look back to it.

I own the last edition and find it invaluable in my practice. Can't wait to see what's new and exciting here

The Labor Progress Handbook, though a bit pricey, is an excellent book. It contains a tons of labor information and is complete with many illustrations. It's a nice compact size, which makes it easy to carry with you (great for doulas, midwives, etc.). I love it!

This book is wonderfully full of information, however, as it is called a "handbook", I expected it to be more concise, and so more quickly usable in a labor setting - more of a quick reference book. It is more of a textbook than a handbook. I think I've read everything that Penny Simkin has had published. I am a fan of her writings, just disappointed that this was not more concise.

It's clear that the book is writen for professionals because of the jargon, and in my opinion every professional should read it! I am on my way to become a doula and unfortunately this book is not on the required reading list, I think it should be. It is an important tool for when labor doesn't progress 'as it should', and offers options and ideas to try before the drugs and machines are introduced to speed up labor are introduced.

I am an LVN who has only worked in Med-Surg. I used this book to brush up for RN boards. It was a tremendous help! especially for those who attend flex programs that have limited clinical time. Well worth the purchase and a Easy read!

I purchased this book to be a specific review in this content for NCLEX since OB had been one of my first courses. It was wonderful in giving me all the info I was wanting to know. It gave pertinent assessment data, had chapters for each stage of the maternal process all the way through to normal/abnormal newborn, and it broke the info up into short chapters so studying it was easy to do during limited study hours. It also had a pre and post test for each chapter with NCLEX style questions, I loved that about this book. I would reccommend this to those studying for the NCLEX or as a study aid during your OB class.

This book is WONDERFUL! I can not tell you how this book really helped me prepare for my tests in OB. It was a terrific guide in helping study and land an "A". I would recommend this book to all nursing students...

this book has taken the material i need to know and condensed it. I read it a few times. Figure out clinical applications and then I run with it. When it comes to test time, this books helps me to figure out the imprortant stuff. I still have to read my other text but this book give the best info on rationales.

Like having a teacher available when no teacher is available.

I purchased this book at the beggining of my women's health class. First test out I had a 19 chaper test, with well over 300 pages to read. Probably more.I was totally stressing over all the pages I had to read and how I was gonna retain all this information in such a short period of time. So I started reading this book,which is basically an outline that covers the key information, and gets rid of the "fluff" that's in alot of text books. I did the 50 or so questions for every chapter and made sure it correlated with what was in my text book.A few days later I went to my class , took my test and got a B on it. I was so happy. So now I have another test coming up soon and once again I plan to study this book and eat the NCLEX questions that accompany it. Wish me luck! This book is a GODsend! If you're in Maternal Neonatal Nursing this is the book u should get. It is WELL WORTH the money!

After completely falling in love with the idea of midwifery this book helped me to understand what I was experiencing in my last four pregnancies. This book still assists me when helping out friends as is a great reference.

This is a wonderful text. Unfortunately it is in a soft cover, unlike vol. 2 which is hard cover, but that aside, it is wonderful.

I am a first-time mom who is planning an unattended home birth. Because of various problems I've also ended up without prenatal care so this volume has proven invaluable to me!! It is clear and exhaustive. This volume has a lot of information directed exclusively for midwives (philosophy of midwivery, how to set up a practice, how to work with different kinds of women, initiating contact and establishing care, etc.), but there is plenty of information useful to "do-it-yourself" prenatal care. It covers what to do during a prenatal exam during each trimester, special circumstances, problems that can occur during pregnancy and information on conditions that might preexist pregnancy.

There is a good section that explains anatomy and physiology that you need to know and I found it easy for me, as a non-medical/non-scientific person, to understand. The index is very thorough.

If you are buying the second volume and aren't sure you should get this one I would recommend that you do get this one because the second volume says that you should review the anatomy and physiology covered in the first volume since it doesn't repeat it and the foundation is essential to understanding the information in the second volume. (If you have medical/midwivery training it may not be so necessary, but then you might appreciate the text for other reasons).

Overall I'd say that if you plan an unattended birth and want to be as informed and safe as possible it is very worthwhile to purchase this volume as well as the second volume and invaluable if you are doing your own prenatal care. If nothing else it can give guidance on when you need to seek a healthcare professional. If you have an attendant then it may only be useful to you if you like to know everything and are willing to pay this much. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it to the non-midwife.

Oh, don't let the term "Holistic" throw you. It gives in-depth medical information as well as giving some alternative medicine information. My husband is a bio-chemist researcher and has worked as a nurse; he is very pleased with the scientific information in this volume and the next.

I have known Anne Frye as part of the midwifery community here in Oregon since 1992. I first met her at a midwifery conference where she gave the most thorough presentation of prenatal nutrition I'd ever had in the 4 years, at that point, that I had been learning midwifery. Her clear, easy to understand, but incredibly detailed explanations about such things as how the pregnant woman's different blood volume and makeup affects iron levels, protein needs, and commonly misunderstood conditions known as pre-eclampsia and "prenatal diabetes" still stick with me to this day. From what I recall at the time, Anne wrote this series in response to the lack of a comprehensive textbook that focused specifically on midwifery. Until that time, midwives all over used a couple of standard medical texts for obstetrics, one that focused on British nurse-midwifery (a very different standard, though useful), and a combination of books on more focused topics written by midwives. This book provides enough information that, if a midwife had only this text, she would be able to offer excellent prenatal care.

I was one of the first to receive this book, having placed my order directly with her prior to it's first printing. I have referred to it countless times, as I am about to do again for a Master's level counseling course I am taking. Anne Frye draws from many sources, both modern scientific/medical and ancient health practices, to tell, in completion, everything you need to know to adequately be "with woman" in childbearing. The drawings in this book are also beautiful, amazingly done by an artist friend of hers who took great care to ensure their accuracy.
If you are interested in assisting women in their childbearing year, you MUST have and use this book.

If I had to choose one book on pregnancy and birth from my bookshelf (a very hard pick!), this would be the one. Although not aimed at the general public, women planning a natural birth would find authoritative and invaluable information in this book. Midwife Anne Frye uses her own experience and midwifery wisdom as well as a thorough but critical look at the medical research in the subjects that she addresses. She brings, to my mind, the best of medical research with a holistic and gentle approach. I'm looking forward to Volume 2!

If you bought no other books on midwifery, Anne Frye's books would be the ones you should have. Holistic Midwifery, Volume I is one of the books that I am constantly refering back to in my studies and in dealing with clients. It is worth its weight in gold. I just received the second volume of this set and am ecstatic to have it. I have gotten so much use and learned so much out of Volume one that I know that Volume II will be the same way. Holistic Midwifery is also a required text at most (if not all) CPM midwifery schools in America. I know that I enjoyed completing the requirement for Ancient Art Midwifery Institute in answering the questions relating to and reading/taking notes from Volume I of Holistic Midwifery. In a nutshell, if you don't have it, get it!

This book was very helpful in preparing for the IBCLE exam. The photos on the included CD were similar to those found in the exam. The questions and review sections were also very instrumental.

Whatever tools you use to prepare for the IBCLC exam, you can never challenge yourself enough. Each time you must think through a situation or analyze the facts presented, you are stengthening what you know. And, how can you go wrong with ANYTHING that Linda Smith writes! She is among the nation's most experienced lactation consultants, whose daily work involves handling lactation questions and concerns from around the globe. She has never responded to any of my questions with anything less than excellence!

This text and tests were very helpful in preparation for the lactation consultant exam. Very good practice exams helped those of us who haven't been in school for a while. The exams help with content and timing. CD Rom was helpful for the picture portion of the exam.

I think this book really did help me with the IBCLE exam! I would really recommend using this as a study guide!!

This book is an excellent preparation and a "must have" for the IBCLC Exam. If you have not taken a board exam in a long time, this book gets you into "exam mode". Sometimes, taking a test of this nature requires good exam skills. This book gives you plenty of much needed practice. The first part of the book delves into the different sections on the exam blueprint. It lists topics to learn and resources to read. The second part is three 200 questions tests. Eighty some questions in each test are based on pictures from the CD-ROM. The answers generally give the reasons for the right and wrong answer, list the difficulty of the question, and state from what section of the exam blueprint it pertains to. Having practiced with these tests, I felt very confident going into the Exam. It also is a great review for LCs who are retaking the certification exam. I heard comments from several LCs who stated the first exam they took they did not do as well as they thought because oftentimes taking exams is all about practice. They performed much better on the subsequent exams when they studied their mistakes. This is a "must have" for everyone planning to sit for the board exam.