The Positive Birth Book: A New Approach to Pregnancy, Birth and the Early Weeks

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Finally someone brave enough to say the words feminist and birth in the same sentence in a book that is not an academic polemic. He definitely carries the freak flag for natural childbirth and that may turn some people off, however he provides lots of good information on when drugs and cesareans are probably a good idea. I had to choose carefully when was the right times to listen to it as I can find certain topics triggering, but Milli did a great job at keeping a very positive voice throughout and making the reader feel empowered, reminding them that they have OPTIONS, rights and valid thoughts. Milli Hill usefully divides labour into 14 stages, so you know what's going on with your body and your baby through the entire birth process. These are much-needed, brilliant, reassuring, pioneering, kick-ass books that all women – especially mothers – should read!

I didn't feel at any stage that there was a preference for home birth over other types, but moreso that in more medicalised births, there is less to talk about / less choice and agency for women simply because that is the reality of these types of births (a woman can't perform her own c section, or decide what dose of medication she needs based on her body weight for example), which means there is less to discuss (and less time devoted to this in the book). I really feel better prepared to recognize what phase of labor a woman may be in based on his description of how women "turn in" during active labor.

Stephen's unique way of approaching birth, one that is steeped in science but swathed in soul, is an uplifting one that brings joy and laughter instead of fear and tears to the birthing suite. Give Birth like a Feminist is a galvanising book, asking why birth is such an overlooked feminist issue, and exploring how we can improve birth, both for ourselves and for all women. The first book to truly focus solely on the birth of your baby (rather than pregnancy) and without a specific agenda. I think the book does a good job of preparing women for childbirth by setting the expectation that birth is something you can do, but it's hard and not entirely controllable.

This book was published in 1994 and I would love to see the authors publish an update with more current information and updates to the many predictions they made throughout. Milli reminds us that there is another way; we have human rights and choices, and the evidence base at times shows something very different to what is routinely practised in a lot of hospitals and birthing centres up and down the country.There are various books that I have recommended to people over the years, and I thought it might be useful to list some of them here. Milli’s narration is perfect and talks you through all aspects of birth as though you’ve gone for a coffee and cake break with a mate. This is a concise read, but elegantly describes some of the work of Michel Odent, talking about what supports a woman giving birth. Again, this book is written about the psychological changes and challenges that a woman experiences as she becomes a mother.

I had a long, difficult labor with my first child and I scoffed at the amount of time Martha Sears spent huffing and puffing. Despite my own leanings I realize that for the the number of BBLB readers who would be interested to read an entire book on the hormone oxytocin are likely to be fewer than those who are interested to hear my thoughts on the latest speculative fiction offering from Maggie Stiefvater! The only thing I was disappointed in was that he seemed to not be informed about the possibility of the Fetal Rejection Reflex replacing the second stage of labor. Obviously not one of those 'slice and dice' ob-gyns that are only in it for the hero element or the money! The Positive Birth Book is most suitable for pregnant women and their partners, giving you all the information you need to build a positive mindset, and prepare for every kind of birth, all in one place!This book is also available as an e-book - please see AIMS Kindle Books for further details of all our Kindle books. What better way to be prepared than to have all the information in an entertaining and easy to read book. Challenging negativity and fear of childbirth, and brimming with everything you need to know about labor, birth, and the early weeks of parenting, The Positive Birth Book is the must-have guide for pregnant women. I think this book really caused me to get into my head too much and expect a negative hospital birth (even though I want a hospital birth).