Birthing From Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz

 

Title: Birthing From Within

Authors: Pam England and Rob Horowitz

Genre: Medical/Spiritual

Rating: 4/5 stars

This book was an enjoyable and informative read for the most part - I have tried to just appreciate it for what it is and use other natural birthing books where this one may have gaps. My midwife highly recommended it, so it was one of the first ones I picked up (along with Ina May's Guide to Childbirth). 

In general, this book may border on being slightly too "spiritual" and abstract. I think some new mothers might have a little bit of a hard time with that. There isn't really any way to totally describe or prepare new mothers for what labor is like though, so I think every little bit helps. Although it does offer some great concrete advice, evidence, and statistics, there are a lot of elements that are difficult to grasp right away. In particular, I found the pain management techniques difficult to understand, and I have gone through labor three times already! It kind of comes down to "you do what feels natural" and "let go of your inhibitions," which is fine I suppose, though not particularly informative. Reading Ina May's book, which is full of stories can help fill in some of those gaps about what real women have done to cope with labor pain.    

What makes this book particularly unique is the birth art. I actually read it on my Kindle Oasis, so I didn't see any color, but I have since ordered a paperback copy. The author holds classes in which couples not only learn about the birth process but also have the opportunity to create art related to how they feel about different aspects of the childbirth process. I found that very interesting and am hoping to do some of my own at some point! It was also really interesting to see throughout the book some of the rituals, customs, and art from other cultures and throughout history. Birth has become so "commercialized" in the United States - it's truly wild. Almost everything they insist on in the hospital hinders the natural course of labor, so women are put at a disadvantage right away. But the sad thing is, you are almost considered radical and irresponsible to have a home birth nowadays (though it seems like that might be changing a little bit.) 

Minor things bothered me like the author's distaste for birth plans in general. I remember how the nurses at the hospital acted when we visited L&D to tour with our birth plan in hand. But I didn't expect that attitude from a natural birth advocate. I understand that making a plan can lead to disappointment. However, I think it's extremely important for women to learn as much as they can about the birthing process and understand what interventions are not necessary and be able to have as much control over their birthing environment as possible. The scoffing at birth plans seems counterintuitive to me. And with that being said, my first birth went almost nothing like I "planned" and I don't remember feeling all that crushed or disappointed about it. Looking back, being in the hospital in the first place was my first mistake. Lack of mobility and being on my back made my labors long, exhausting, and difficult. 

Also, this book talks a lot less about home birth than some of the others I have. I can understand the value of presenting both options to readers, but since I have already decided on a home birth, I would have liked to be able to just get some good information about that instead of having to trudge through the chapters about how to tour different hospitals and ask certain questions of obstetricians. In our area we have exactly ONE hospital, and they will only accommodate people to a certain extent. It's nice that people can go "shopping" for the ideal hospital I suppose, and I appreciate the movement to make hospitals better for natural birth. 

This would be a good book for women who are undecided about where to give birth for sure, and new mothers especially. It has a good variety of information - facts about what labor is like, a few stories here and there from women who gave birth in different circumstances, suggestions for coping with pain, facts about hospital interventions, etc. It's one I will want to keep handy during these last few weeks for sure, if only to look at some of the art! 

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