this is really a good boo

Newly revised, this book is an old friend of mine. One of the first midwifery books I read, it covers an enormous breadth of information, yet is understandable for the beginner. It is still one of the 2 or 3 books I refer to first when I need to look something up. Elizabeth Davis just revamped and revised this book in 1997, and it is better than ever, with new sections on herbs and homeopathy, working with apprentices, hepatitis and HIV, midwifery practices, and issues of legalization, NARM, and MANA.

The book is very well-organized, with lots of excellent illustrations that make concepts easy to understand. There are many boxed areas for quick reference on herbs, and issues for pregnant women reading the book. These include questions to ask a potential midwife, self-care in pregnancy, danger signs in pregnancy, and many more. I recommend this book to consumers as well as midwives, as I think educating yourself during your pregnancy is very important, and this book is a wonderful resource.

My only criticism with the book is that the information is not very well documented- Davis will mention that research has found such-and-such, but doesn't cite the researcher or where it was published.

I'm happy Elizabeth has continued the momentum of the first Heart and Hands. I remember seeing her hard at work in her kitchen 'writers corner,' between taking care of her kids and helping San Francisco area mothers-to-be that were lucky enough to have found her. I admired her determination then to put together a book encapsulating the most important things a midwife and mother to be needed to know. I was lucky enough to witness her attending a birth once in the wee hours of the morning, and was impressed with her incredible blending of professionalism, sensitivity, instinct and grace. To see that translated into a text was a miracle, and she did it well. I haven't seen my copy of it in many years, as I loaned it to too many expectant mothers and one time it never made it back. *smiling* It is not only full of vital information, it holds some of the essence of the magic that is midwifery. I recommend it as highly as possible.

Elizabeth Davis has produced a beautifully laid out and well-written book on the both the mystery of birth as well as the concrete practice of birthing. Covering all aspects of prenatal care, birth, and postnatal care, this is an excellent work for both professional and expectant parent. Expectant parents should be aware, however, that Davis responsibly addresses the many possible complications of birth from a professional standpoint - information that might inform one future parent while alarming another - so parents should use their self-knowledge to determine whether they wish to read those parts.

This work would also be invaluable for the professional midwife interested in mentoring students or for the future midwife wanting an overview of midwifery practice and information on entering the profession. Extensive resources and bibliographies are presented. Highly recommended.

Excellent! Shows a new breastfeeding mother how to position a newborn properly. Many books do a better job of explaining subjects like why breastfeed, weening, and introducing solids (like the LaLeche Bible (oops I mean manual)), but this book has pictures of how to position that little one. Breastfeeding is natural, but there are some things to do right to make the experience positive and to increase the chance of a longer nursing relationship. This book will get you, baby (and dad) off to a great start.

Bestfeeding is an excellent book for new mothers wanting to breastfeed. Besides covering breastfeeding "basics", Bestfeeding also deals with many of the difficulties than can arise. Perhaps its best feature are the clear pictures depicting both good and the less-than-perfect positionings of babies on the breast--very helpful for the inexperienced breastfeeding mom. Most other books only give line drawings of a proper attachment. This book shows the reader examples of poor positioning and then explains what is wrong with the picture. If a new mother is going to buy one book on breastfeeding before she has her baby, this is the one I recommend.

I knew that I was going to breastfeed my 1st baby, no matter what anyone told me, and my midwife recommended this book to me. I think I read it 3 times in total. it is absolutely excellent, the author reviews key points throughout, so when you are done, you have a very firm grasp on how to be successful at breastfeeding, as well as giving lots of troubleshooting ideas. The pictures are excellent. Overall an A+ !!

I'm a midwife and an author of a midwifery memoir, BABY CATCHER: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife. When Suzanne Arms' first edition of this book was released, it rattled the bars of the cage of OB departments everywhere. Nurses, midwives, and women lauded SA and sang her praises, while traditional-minded OBs hid in the corners and prayed their own patients wouldn't get hold of The Book. I believe that S. Arms practically fired the cannon that started the Natural Childbirth and Birth Center wars. Thank god.
But, of course, doctors are far more powerful (not to mention lawyers and the insurance industry), so ultimately they prevailed, with the result that Cesarean rates increased, epidural rates skyrocketed, lawsuits increased, the $$$ amounts of lawsuit awards went out the roof, and patient satisfaction rates plunged. Partly as a result of that and their own culpability in setting up impossible expectations ('just trust me, do as I say, and you'll have a healthy baby'), many OBs now find themselves leaving their specialty because of unaffordable insurance premiums - and whole towns are without the services of an obstetrician.
So this newest edition of this desperately needed book comes out not a moment too soon. Buy it, read it, pass it on to a friend. Women have GOT to take back their birthright before we breed an entire generation of women who don't trust their own bodies intrinsic wisdom of How to Birth.

This book is a sequel to Arms' Immaculate Deception, published in the 1960s. It is immensely more compassionate and less angry than the original, and so probably more palatable to most readers.

Immaculate Deception (I and II) opened my eyes to the realities of childbirth. It is not by nature a dangerous process -- an illness that modern medicine has only recently learned to deal with adequately. It is, however, a physically and emotionally demanding process for which our culture does not adequately prepare women, much like menstruation, breastfeeding, and menopause. Hospitals are not "safe" places to give birth. Women who are uneducated about and unprepared for childbirth are placing their lives and their children's lives in the hands of chance, luck, and fallible professionals. No place is a "safe" place to give birth for these women.

The original ID had "conspiracy theory" overtones that Arms has eliminated in this second installment. However, both books contain frank and graphic anecdotes of actual births, photographs, and interviews. Please don't read this book if you are pregnant and have already made your healthcare decisions for prenatal care and childbirth. Above all, this book is about respecting women's natual strength and choices, and reading this book during pregnancy might cause you to second-guess yourself in an unhealthy way.

I read this book and the original ID before getting pregnant with my first child. When I did get pregnant, I was absolutely terrified of having to go to an OB and possibly give birth in a hospital. Thankfully, I had a midwife who taught me the valuable lesson of finding the inner and outer strength to cope with childbirth. Now, I am confident that I could give birth anywhere -- hospital or home -- with the right people supporting me. I hope you take this lesson from this book, instead of feeling angry, defensive, or frightened by what Arms has to say.

This book was THE most important book I read early in my pregnancy. I am a first time mom-to-be at the age of 36 and would likely be following the 'higher-risk" hospital path to childbirth if I didn't find a way to educate myself fast. This book helps to teach us what our past as pregnant and birthing women, has been like. We often see pregnancy as a medical condition and labor as a medical procedure because of historical reasons and present economic/cultural ones. It does not have to be that way. This is not an easy book to read, it will make you angry but eventually, I believe, it will inspire you. I cannot reccomend this book enough to any woman, pregnant or not. We need to know our history and this book offers a part of it, a very important part.

This is absolutely a lovely book. When I first became pregnant, I assumed that when it came time to birth to my baby, I would check into a hospital, get my epidural, and have my baby. However, as the months past and I began to appreciate the tiny individual inside me, I started to get curious about the entire process of child-bearing and birth. This particular book is slightly biased against American Obstetrics, but with good reason. I would advise all pregnant women to read this book, whether this is your 1st pregnancy or your 5th: but do read it with a grain of salt. Our medical establishment, for the most part, is interested in what's best for us and our babies. But this book can help those of us who haven't experienced birth, or had an unsatisfying birth experience previously, to educate ourselves on the birth process in order to make informed, sound decisions about what birthing method is best for us and our babies. I strongly recommend purchasing this book with the accompanying video-the video is excellent: informative and high-quality. It shows several different women actually birthing their babies. The way those babies (free from the sedative effects of narcotic or epidural anesthesia) respond to their parents and the others around them immediately after birth will awe you!

Gentle Birth Choices was my birth changer. I knew I wanted a natural birth, but after reading about the wonderful experiences that other women have had, and also finding out a little more in depth about hospital births, this book has not only swayed my husband and I to indulge in a home birth, but to also give water birth a try. The most important thing to me is serenity. Serenity for me AND the baby - and after reading her book, as well as several others, I have come to the conclusion that this is what we want. Not only does Barbara give you options, she gives you the history. Excellent, excellent book! Highly recommend - as if you didn't know this already. ;+)

Reading negative comments of writer who had positive hosp. birth experience in Austin, TX, i wish to point out that Texas has one of the most active midwifery associations in our country - they have been instrumental in advancing natural birth practices in Texas. You were fortunate to have the options you shared - they are still not the norm for hospital births in much of our country. I live in Virginia Beach, VA, am a nurse, mom and grandmom. Hosp. births here still leave a lot to be desired. Episotomies are standard, induction and c-section rate are very high. When I went to nursing school in the 1980's, I was not taught anything about natural childbirth, I was taught that women needed interventions and taught about the interventions. It wasn't until I became natural childbirth educator that I found out how our bodies really work during birthing and how to work with the body's natural birth capabilities. Many women live in localities where they need to be aware that they have other options than what is traditionally offered in their communities- they may have to fight for their right to have the birth of their choice. This book does an excellent job at empowering women to look for healthy birth choices- I look forward to the day when your experience of forward thinking and practices in a hospital setting is the norm, rather than the exception.