shopping cart
Call us:  800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Original Essays | October 14, 2009

Emily Pilloton: IMG Will Design for Change...



About six months ago, at a fundraising event for the nonprofit I founded, Project H, a six-year-old girl handed me a pickle jar full of pennies.... Continue »
  1. $24.46 Sale Trade Paper add to wish list

Ships free on qualified orders.
Add to Cart
$24.95
New Trade Paper
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
17 Local Warehouse Health and Medicine- General

More copies of this ISBN:

Gentle Birth Choices: Book with DVD

by Barbara Harper

Gentle Birth Choices: Book with DVD Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

FAMILY / CHILDBIRTH

”Should I give birth at home, in a birth center, or in a hospital? Should I see a midwife or an obstetrician for prenatal care? What approach to pain relief should I use during labor? How does a waterbirth work?”

Expectant parents are faced with a daunting array of choices to make about prenatal care, labor, and birth. In Gentle Birth ChoicesBarbara Harper, renowned childbirth advocate, nurse, midwife, and mother of three, explains all the available choices and shows how to plan a truly meaningful, family-centered birth experience. She dispels the medical myths that so often shift control of birth away from women and reimagines birth without fear or violence and with minimal pain. Harper reveals the abundant range of gentle birth approaches, including:

•giving birth in an independent birth center, at home, or in a hospital birthing room
•finding a primary caregiver who shares your philosophy of birth
•deciding how to best use current technologies

She also provides practical advice for couples wishing to explore options such as hiring a doula or laboring in water to avoid the unwanted effects of drugs and epidurals.

“Exactly the sort of guide that pregnant women have been needing to help them sort through the myriad choices and options that confront them today.”
ROBBIE DAVIS-FLOYD, author of Birth As an American Rite of Passage

Gentle Birth Choicesprovides a new model of maternity care that reduces the need for high-tech crisis intervention and focuses instead on preparation and health.”
HEALTHWORLD

“A must-have for expectant mothers and their loved ones. . . . Gentle Birth Choicesis an intelligent and sympathetic guide to birthing options that explores nontraditional ways that put women and their babies first.”
NEW AGE RETAILER

The author’s accompanying 60-minute Gentle Birth ChoicesDVD blends interviews of midwives and physicians with footage of six different birth experiences--including a home birth, waterbirths, vaginal birth after a prior Cesarean section, and birth with other children present. The DVD vividly demonstrates the strength of women during childbirth and the healthy and happy outcome of women exercising gentle birth choices. It is a moving and powerful instructional tool, not only for expectant parents, but also for midwives, hospitals, birth centers, and doctors.

“Brace yourself for a powerful experience. This remarkable production combines art, education, and politics. Highly recommended.”
MOTHERING MAGAZINE

BARBARA HARPER’s passion for natural birth led to the founding in 1988 of Global Maternal/Child Health Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to education and research about natural childbirth. She lectures worldwide on maternity care reform and waterbirth. She lives outside of Portland, Oregon.

Review:

"Exactly the sort of guide that pregnant women have been needing to help them sort through the myriad choices and options that confront them today."

Review:

"One of the Top ten recommended books for pregnant women and their families."

Review:

"Gentle Birth Choicesis the best film on childbirth available today."

Synopsis:

andquot;One of the Top ten recommended books for pregnant women and their families.andquot;
< p > < em > Lamaze International < /em > , Fall/Winter 2001 < /p > andquot;Exactly the sort of guide that pregnant women have been needing to help them sort through the myriad choices.andquot;
< strong > Robbie Davis-Floyd, < /strong > author < em > " < /em > of < em > Birth As an American Rite of Passage < /em > Barbara Harper's passion for natural birth led to the founding in 1988 of Global Maternal/Child Health Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to education and research about natural childbirth. She lectures worldwide on maternity care reform and water birth." She lives outside of Portland, Oregon. andquot;Brace yourself for a powerful experience. This remarkable production combines art, education, and politics. Highly recommended.andquot;"
< em > "Mothering Magazine < /em > andquot;Harper is among the most active, enthusiastic, and effective writers and advocates in the field of childbirth education today.andquot;
< strong > Michel Odent < /strong > , M.D., author of < i > Birth Reborn < /i > In Gentle Birth ChoicesBarbara Harper, nurse, former midwife, and mother of three, helps parents to plan a meaningful, family-centered birth experience. The DVD blends interviews with midwives and physicians and shows six actual births, including water birth, home birth, and vaginal birth. A powerful instructional tool for expectant parents, midwives, hospitals, birth centers, and doctors.andquot;Exactly the sort of guide that pregnant women have been needing to help them sort through the myriad choices and options that confront them today.andquot;
< strong > Robbie Davis-Floyd < /strong > , author of < em > Birth As an American Rite of Passage < /em > In Gentle Birth ChoicesBarbara Harper, nurse, former midwife, and mother of three, helps parents to plan a meaningful, family-centered birth experience. Harper explains numerous choices, including giving birth in an independent birth center, at home, or in a hospital birthing room; finding a caregiver who shares your philosophy of birth; and deciding how to best use current technologies. The Gentle Birth ChoicesDVD blends interviews with midwives and physicians and shows six actual births, including water birth, home birth, and vaginal birth after a prior Cesarean section. The DVD clearly reveals the strength of women during childbirth and the healthy and happy outcome of exercising gentle birth choices. A powerful instructional tool for expectant parents, midwives, hospitals, birth centers, and doctors.

Synopsis:

Recommended by Lamaze International as one of the top ten books for pregnant women and their families, this text includes a 45-minute DVD of six live gentle births.

Synopsis:

Birth as every woman would like it to be

•Recommended by Lamaze International as one of the top ten books for pregnant women and their families

•Includes a 45-minute DVD of six live gentle births

•More than 32,000 copies sold of the original edition

New parents are faced with a myriad of choices about pregnancy, labor, and birth. In Gentle Birth ChoicesBarbara Harper, renowned childbirth advocate, nurse, former midwife, and mother of three, helps to clarify these choices and shows how to plan a meaningful, family-centered birth experience. She dispels medical myths and reimagines birth without fear, pain, or violence. Harper explains the numerous gentle birth choices available, including giving birth in an independent birth center, at home, or in a hospital birthing room; finding a primary caregiver who shares your philosophy of birth; and deciding how to best use current technologies. She also provides practical advice for couples wishing to explore the option of using a doula or water during labor and birth to avoid the unwanted effects of drugs and epidurals.

The Gentle Birth ChoicesDVD blends interviews with midwives and physicians and six actual births that illustrate the options of water birth, home birth, and vaginal birth after a prior Cesarean section. The DVD clearly reveals the strength of women during childbirth and the healthy and happy outcome of women exercising gentle birth choices. It is a powerful instructional tool, not only for expectant parents, but also for midwives, hospitals, birth centers, and doctors.

About the Author

Barbara Harper's passion for natural birth led to the founding in 1988 of Global Maternal/Child Health Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to education and research about natural childbirth including the use of water to ease labor and delivery."She lectures worldwide on maternity care reform and water birth." She lives outside of Portland, Oregon.

For more information on alternative birthing techniques, check out <>Barbara Harper's website.

Table of Contents

Forewordby Robbie Davis-Floyd

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1
Gentle Beginnings

Wonderfully Made
Ingredients for a Gentle Birth

Chapter 2
The Medicalization of Childbirth
Our Legacy of Birth
From Midwife to Physician
The Promise of Science
Pain Relief: The Era of “Twilight Sleep”
Hospital Births for Everyone
Unmasking Prenatal Testing
Medical Legal Dilemmas
The Results of Medical Intervention

Chapter 3
Dispelling the Medical Myths

Myth: The Hospital is the Safest Place to Have a Baby
Myth: Maternity Care Should Be Managed Only by a Physician
Myth: The Electronic Fetal Monitor Will Save Babies
Myth: All Babies Should be Born On or Before Their Due Date
Myth: Drugs for Pain Relief Won’t Hurt the Baby
Myth: Once a Cesarean, Always a Cesarean
Myth: An Episiotomy Heals Better Than a Tear
Myth: Birth Needs to be Sterile
Myth: The Older You Are the More Difficult Your Birth Will Be
Myth: It’s Better Not to Eat or Drink during Labor
Myth: Family and Friends Interfere during Birth
Myth: The Baby Needs to be Observed in a Newborn Nursery
Myth: Baby Boys Need to Be Circumcised

Chapter 4
A Gentle Revolution

Birth without Fear
Birth without Pain
Birth without Violence
Birth Reborn
Birth without Rules
Birth with Consciousness
Women Take Back Their Births

Chapter 5
Midwifery In America: A Growing Tradition

The Midwives Model of Maternity Care
The Evolution of Midwifery
Midwifery Revolution
The Politics of Midwifery
A Midwife for Every Mother

Chapter 6
Waterbirth

Why Waterbirth?
Waterbirth History
Beyond the Leboyer Bath
Labor Pools in France
Making Waves in the United States
The United Kingdom Takes the Plunge
Waterbirth around the World
Questions Everyone Asks About Waterbirth
Just For Providers
The Future of Waterbirth

Chapter 7
The Mind-Body Connection

Womb Ecology
Mind-Body Response
Listening to Your Body
Listening to the Baby
Mind-Body Preparations for a Gentle Birth
The Sexuality of Childbirth
Holistic Prenatal Preparation
Mind, Body, Spirit in Unity

Chapter 8
Creating Gentle Birth Choices

Planning Your Birth
What Women Want
Consumers Create Choices
Health Care For All Women and Children by 2015

Appendix A:Questions to Ask a Doctor

Appendix B:Questions to Ask a Midwife

Appendix C:Sample Birth Plan

Appendix D:Sample Letter to Hospital

Appendix E:Resources

Notes

Bibliography

About the Photographs and the Photographers

Index

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
ashrose, September 5, 2007 (view all comments by ashrose)
I would recommend it to everyone...
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Barbara Harper, September 25, 2006 (view all comments by Barbara Harper)
I am the author leaving a comment for the mothers and others who browse the web to find great books on pregnancy, childbirth and parenting.
I created the book and DVD package so that women would have something to give them intellectual as well as emotional experiences surrounding birth. The beautiful photographs of this edition are actually primarily done by Christy Scherer and Anna Verwaal, both doulas who have a way of capturing the spirit and energy of a labor and birth.
It is no secret that the birth scene today is confusing and the web is full of lots of often conflicting information. This book is the culmination of 20+ years of working with families and researching the history of childbirth. Just how did we get to the place where something so simple, natural and life-afirming can't be done without drugs or epidurals?
The film, although originally made 10 years ago, shows all unmedicated, undisturbed births. Each one is more powerful than the next. The music is original and heartfelt and the interviews with parents before, during and after birth leave you with the wonderful understanding that birth is normal, natural and of benefit to the baby, the mother and the family when left that way.
I am in Wilsonville, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, where we run a nonprofit agency that helps women all over the world find a voice to their concerns about the over medicalization of birth and assists them in finding those midwives, doctors, educators, doulas and community support to help them create a safe, calm, loving environment in which to give birth, often in water.
Enjoy the book AND the DVD. It is my gift back to the thousands of mothers who have trusted me with their confidence over the years.
Love and Light,
Barbara Harper
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(8 of 11 readers found this comment helpful)
View all 2 comments

Product Details

ISBN:
9781594770678
Author:
Arms, Suzanne
Publisher:
Healing Arts Press
Photographer:
Arms, Suzanne
Author:
Harper, R.N., Barbara
Author:
Arms, Suzanne
Author:
Harper, R. N.
Author:
Barbara Harper, R.N.
Subject:
Pregnancy & Childbirth
Subject:
Natural childbirth
Subject:
Motherhood
Edition Number:
3
Edition Description:
Boxed Set
Publication Date:
August 2005
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
320
Dimensions:
9.76x8.00x.78 in. 1.76 lbs.

Other books you might like

  1. $13.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  2. $8.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  3. $19.95 New Trade Paper add to wish list
  4. $16.95 New Trade Paper add to wish list
  5. $9.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  6. $10.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.