THE BIRTHING BOOK: Two Nurses Tell You How to Have an Easier Labor and Delivery

by Catherine & Debra Sperling Keith ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 1984

Two nurses' view of labor and delivery as practiced in a large metropolitan medical center--decidedly not the best view for parents-to-be. Keith and Sperling toe the orthodox medical line: the professionals know best, we're given to think, because they've seen it all. First, they describe ""Life on the Labor/Delivery Floor"": ""in one room, a drug addict with needle marks in her arms can be giving birth to a screaming baby, while down the hall a woman who has had half a dozen miscarriages is having another in spite of all of our efforts to save the fetus."" Next, they emphasize the importance of a labor coach--typing father-coaches as directors, would-be doctors, zombies, inquiring reporters, quick-change artists--and of Lamaze-based preparation technique. For the latter, we have ""Four Commandments""--regarding position, focal point, cleansing breaths, and verbal and nonverbal cue practice. (""Modified chest breathing with shallow breathing at the peaks is good during active labor, as is accelerated-decelerated shallow chest breathing."") On the labor and delivery process, there is much to dispute: ""you cannot drink anything during labor""; membranes will always be artificially ruptured; if there is little privacy, ""you won't mind. . . you'll have other things to think about."" Stay with Simkin et al., Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn (p. 144), for broader, more broad-minded advice.

Pub Date: June 15, 1984

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Times Books

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1984

Categories: NONFICTION