Finally, a concise, well-researched and matter of fact guide for women considering a home birth. The author isn't preachy her main goal is to educate those who want to explore home birth but aren't getting the information they need. As a home birther herself, the author peppers the book with her own experiences and presents the material she wishes she had as a first time, home birthing mom how to choose the right midwife; how to deal with inquisitive relatives, friends and colleagues; state by state guides to midwifery; checklists; and advice for the partners and husbands sharing in the journey. The result is a one of a kind reference for pregnant women, mothers, midwives, and ob/gyns. What really sets this book apart is its fresh and funny perspective the writer doesn't take herself too seriously. What she does take seriously is the amount of thought that she put into every chapter of this invaluable resource.
I like her distinctions between a doula and a midwife (p. 22) as well as her tips for interviewing a midwife (p. 27) but I did not agree with her specific requirements of a midwife (p.29) Not every client needs the most experienced midwife for their birth. Not every state licenses midwives. Not every client wants to needs a CPM, CM or CNM, a lay midwife can be an perfectly acceptable option for some clients. Not every state allows formal backup arrangements (the state of CA, where the author is from and gave birth, requires it, but not every state even allows formal backup). I found her presumptions of a skilled midwife misleading (p.30 and p.31) ("maybe the midwife doesn't do a great job preparing moms for the rigors of childbirth or maybe she doesn't offer enough comfort in labor" when on page 22 she clearly states that a midwife is not a labor support person or a doula.) I'm so glad that this author had a pretty straight forward and manageable labor and home birth but not everyone does and it's not the mother's fault nor the midwife's fault if labor isn't managemenable and a mom needs to transfer from home to hospital. The author blames herself for feeling pain during childbirth "I wasn't skilled enough to avoid pain" (p43), and didn't know anyone who had given birth on a birth stool (p46). While in CA, a home birthed baby needs to see a pediatrician within 24 hours, that is not the rule in other states.
I bought 6 of these books at the recommendation of a client with the intention of passing them out to clients but there is too much misleading information for me to share them with anyone.
Buy How Big is a Placenta Bowl?: And Other Weird Questions You'll Ask When Planning a Home Birth Now
This seems like a very unual and helpful book to me. Not a book for deciding if homebirth is right for you as much as considerations you will need to make after coming to that decision. It does have some helpful charts like the legal stats of having a midwife and insurance issues. It was a pleasant read.This book is very informative; with great humor and advice. If you are planning a home birth, it is an excellent source of information.
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