Natural Hospital Birth 2nd Edition: The Best of Both Worlds

by Cynthia Gabriel

Overview

Many mothers-to-be find themselves torn between choosing a natural childbirth with minimal medical intervention, and the peace of mind offered by instant access to life-saving technology that only a hospital can provide.

Cynthia Gabriel, a doula who has attended hundreds of births and who advises hospitals on how to facilitate low-intervention childbirths, knows that new moms can have both. In this fully updated edition of her popular and pioneering book Natural Hospital Birth, Gabriel gives moms, as well as partners and even medical personnel, concise and reassuring guidance on how to have as natural a birth as possible in a hospital setting.

Gabriel shows expectant mothers how to avoid unnecessary medical interventions, how to take the initiative and consciously prepare for the kind of birth they want, and how to prepare a birth plan to share with doctors and nurses at the hospital.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558329171
Publisher:	Harvard Common Press
Publication date:	05/15/2018
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	297,103
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Cynthia Gabriel is a doula, a childbirth educator, a medical anthropologist with a PhD from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and a mother of three. She attends births and leads women’s and parents’ support groups in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area, where she lives with her family. She is the author of the best-selling book Natural Hospital Birth.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Timothy R. B. Johnson, M. D 6

Acknowledgments 9

Introduction 13

Part 1 Preparing for You Baby's Birth 17

1 You Can Do It 18

2 Feeling Safe 26

3 Getting Attached to Your Birth Plan 38

4 Creating a Supportive Team 69

5 Extra Support for Special Circumstances 98

Part 2 Giving Birth 121

6 What Labor Feels Like: A Guide to Sensations 122

7 Early Labor: At Home 138

8 A Variation on Early Labor: When Your Waters Break before Contractions 153

9 Active Labor: Taking Your Time 168

10 Active Labor: Coping with Meaningful Pain 176

11 Active Labor: When Progress Slows 194

12 Active Labor: Concerns about Your Baby's Heart Rate 207

13 Pushing and Giving Birth 213

14 After Labor 227

Part 3 Pulling It All Together 241

15 Birth Your Way 242

Appendix 253

References 263

About the Author 268

Index 269