Content area
Full Text
Birthing from Within: An Extraordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation
Book by Pam England, CNM, MA & Rob Horowitz, PHD Partera Press, 1998
I'm getting the impression, based on reading journals and magazines such as Mothering, that this book, Birthing from Within: An Extraordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation by Pam England and Rob Horowitz, is taking the birthing community by storm. I have read the book twice and feel that it is a valuable resource for birthing couples. I have included it as part of my tuition "package" for my students, and the feedback has been very positive.
Birthing from Within, in my opinion, communicates many truths about labor that have been glossed over in birthing literature and classes. Birthing is hard, dirty work that is also blissful and rewarding. Birthing classes have tried for so long to make women think that with education and practice they can relax and have a peaceful delivery. I don't believe that is ALACE's philosophy and it has never been mine.
After having two great homebirths myself, I know what it takes to bring forth a baby and it isn't always serene; and even knowing what I know about labor and laboring techniques, I couldn't always relax. To paraphrase England, "There is no one who would rather relax than the laboring woman and she can't until after the baby comes." I love that.
It is true that relaxation isn't so much the key as surrendering to the process and finding the strength within, as the cover of this book so beautifully illustrates. Relaxation still has its place, and I feel that place is between the contractions. That is what I emphasize in class--that the use of relaxation activities is to help one keep from getting caught up in the fear of the next contraction and to spare her energy for the contractions.
The labor techniques included in this book are so realistic for working with labor. Using breath awareness rather than controlled breathing lends itself well to letting go of the urge to try to control the whole process, which doesn't work. And the authors give great ideas for verbal cues to work on awareness of one's breathing; for example, "Notice when exhalation begins/end," "Is this breath shallow/deep," and...