Pam England

I was almost put off this book at first glance by the sections on birth art, which is simply not my cup of tea. I will not be making any drawings or sculptures or belly casts, but if you think that sounds fun, this is definitely your book.

But I read the book anyway, and I’m glad I did. It’s the most realistic of all the natural childbirth books I’ve read, which is to say it acknowledges that most of the people reading it will be having their babies in the hospital. It has suggestions show more that are practical, while discouraging the parents-to-be from getting into an adversarial relationship with their care providers. (Not that they aren’t encouraged to ask questions and stand up for themselves--on the contrary.) The basic idea here is that childbirth preparation is more about the mother-to-be knowing herself and facing her fears and assumptions rather than mastering certain techniques; there’s a particularly strong contrast with the Bradley method, in which the mother is “trained” and the father “coaches” her. In fact, Birthing from Within discourages the idea of “coaching” at all, suggesting as it does that someone is directing the mother. show less

As I approached the end of my first pregnancy, I began to become increasingly anxious about the possibility of a cesarean section. The woman teaching my prenatal class gave me her copy, suggesting that I work through the exercises in order to process my fears. The stories told are empowering and encouraging; the exercises were therapeutic.

this is not a bad book but it's just a little too new-age/metaphysical/"spiritual" for me. if you have a higher tolerance for that, then this book will be wonderful. for me, there was certainly some good content here; i just had to skip the sections on painting what birth means to you or unleashing your birthing tiger. ok, i'm making that up but you know what i mean. i am very passionate about natural birth but i tend to find the practical and biological arguments (it's safer for mom & baby; show more it makes nursing easier; it helps facilitate the "love" hormones; medical interventions are often risky and not based on good science; it is a more gentle transition for the baby, etc.) more convincing than the spiritual. show less

I agree with another reviewer who found it difficult to get past all the birth art stuff. If you're interested in unlocking your subconscious thoughts about birth through art, then this is the book for you. (As you can see by my rating, I am not super into drawing pictures that unveil my hidden feelings.)