Your Best Birth
A birthing book is an appropriate next step following Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s groundbreaking movie, “The Business of Being Born”. The movie was an eye opener, it left you with your jaw wide open and I think it had a tendency to attract “birth junkies”. That is a phrase that Ricki Lake used to describe herself in “Your Best Birth”. As soon as I read “birth junkie” I knew I found a fabulous book that was written by someone who shared my passion.
Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s book, “Your Best Birth” is a must have for all expectant mothers. Its pages are full of heartwarming and empowering stories about real life “Birth Goddesses” including Cindy Crawford and Melissa Joan Hart just to name a couple. They present information from a variety of highly regarded experts in the field of birthing, including Dr. Michel Odent, Penny Simkin and my personal idol, Ina May Gaskin. You’ll find everything you need to know about the decisions that you may have to make, including birth location, labor support, interventions and postpartum support.
The book includes a wealth of information that many of the more mainstream books neglect to address. Included is a great section on fear surrounding childbirth, a section on routine newborn procedures, and even a portion dedicated to c-sections and vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean). I was thrilled to read about midwifery, homebirths, and doulas right alongside the information on hospital procedures. It’s great to see a book that has it all!
Lake and Epstein are not afraid to tell it like it is about birth and how you can make your experience an empowering one. It took me three births to finally get that empowered feeling that I read about in “Your Best Birth”, I can only imagine how things may have been if this book was available 9 ½ years ago. It was a pleasurable read and I will recommend the book to everyone I know! – by Andrea
Being pregnant with my third child, I was very eager to read “Your Best Birth” written by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein. I haven’t had the opportunity to see their film “The Business of Being Born” yet, but totally want to view it soon.
As a Canadian, with access to universal health care, a lot of the book’s focus does not pertain to me. Our options for child birth are not as vast, due to smaller populations and our system. We are tax payers rather than a pure consumer, so we cannot shop around to the same extent.
That being said I learned so much from this book. Many misconceptions and things that we take for granted as women truly jeopardize our ideal birth situations. The book is definitely slanted, favouring home births, however the authors do present hospitals in good light under the right conditions.
I absolutely love reading other women’s experiences and birth stories. I feel we have so much to learn from each other. The birth stories in “Your Best Birth” were awesome and inspiring. In fact the entire book is written to be empowering, so as women we can take back control of our birth experiences.
The book allowed for extreme cases in which medical intervention was necessary and I respected that. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of judgment that is passed on women when it comes to birth choices. Ultimately knowledge is power and “Your Best Birth” is full of traditional, midwife and medical knowledge to help you and your partner make the best decisions for you and your baby.
There was one part in the book that discussed the baby entry into the world form the baby’s perspective. I really enjoyed that, all too often we think in terms of the mother’s condition and fail to think of the baby. For 40 odd weeks that little bean has been all tucked inside you, perfectly maintained in the perfect womb. The transition from that to the world has to be a rough one!
“Your Best Birth” by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein is a must read for pregnant women and their partners! – by Chelle
Win it! We’re giving away FIVE copies of this book! To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on June 30, 2009.
CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:27 am
This book sounds very helpful ~ I hope to have the chance to read it.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:39 am
that sounds great!
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:52 am
oooh.. i’d love a copy! I have had 3 NCBs in a hospital and had excellent experiences! “we have a secret in our society…it is not thsat childbirth is painful, but that women are strong”
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:42 am
GREAT timing! I am due in September with our first child! I would love to read this book!!!
krsoenen@comcast.net
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:08 am
I just found out I am having a girl. This book would come in handy!
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:07 am
Women and all users of healthcare need to act as informed consumers. The days of the doctor deciding everything without our input is gone. We all need to be active participants in our care.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
would love to read this
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Hello! I’d love to read this book. I just took my Birth Doula training with DONA and have been reading a lot, but hear that this book is fabulous!!
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
I would LOVE to add this book to my library of pregnancy, childbirth and parenting books. Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein are two modern day heroines.
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
i like to read mverno@roadrunner.com
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I am SO excited to have another baby. I want to experience birth the way women are meant to experience birth. LOVED the Business of Being Born!
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Yay!!!! I was just looking at this book and thinking I need it for my Doula/birth junkie library. It looks fantastic! Pick me, pick me…
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Oh hooray!!! I want to read this so much! Here’s hoping I win one!
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I’m a subscriber!
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:48 pm
I would like this.
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:45 pm
I am so torn about what birthing option I should choose. I had a c-section about a year ago and I am now pregnant with my second. I am not due until almost February, so I have a while to think about it.
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I loved the Movie, I’d love to have a chance to read the book. Ricki Lake rocks!
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Pretty cool post. I just came across your blog and wanted to say
that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. Anyway
I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:05 pm
I would love this to share with my adult daughters!
Thanks
nancyrobster@gmail.com
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:32 pm
I’m due at the beginning of August and would love to get as much information as I can!!
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:41 pm
I’ve had 3 babies at home in water, and I’d love to share this with my sister who had a traumatic forceps birth in the hospital for her first baby.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:42 pm
I’m a subscriber.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Thanks for the GREAT giveaway
please count me in
June 24th, 2009 at 5:34 am
a nice prize for expectant moms!
June 24th, 2009 at 7:51 am
I would love to win.
Thank you for the chance
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net
June 24th, 2009 at 10:17 am
I’d love to share this with my husband… we’re trying to decide on the right time!
June 24th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I feel the need to come back and comment that in Canada we have just as many choices for our births as in the USA. We are by no means simply taxpayers with no options. Our choices are also vast – unassisted, midwife in hospital (in some Provinces), midwife with homebirth, hospital birth with an OB or a GP. We can choose our doctors or midwives, we can choose how we want to labour and even who we let assist us in our births (it is the right of the patient to refuse care given by a resident, student nurse or intern) – even if choosing a hospital birth with OB we have options to refuse all or some pain medications, to control when we are examined and by whom.
There are MANY options for Canadian women, in my experience the bigger issue is that Canadian women are not AWARE of their options! And that is really too bad. Read up ladies! Be informed!
June 24th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I would love to read this book. I only caught a portion of their movie, and wish I could’ve watched or read this when I was pregnant. I felt empowered just watching it, plus It felt like I was there in the room. Really cool hoe they did this documentary.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
I subscribe. I would love this for my adult cousins to read.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I loved The Business of Being Born! This book sounds like a must read!!
June 24th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I’m a subscriber.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
This would be a great shower gift!
smchester at gmail dot com
June 27th, 2009 at 10:29 am
‘Taking back the control of the birthing process’ is a revolution waiting to happen. And it sounds more like ‘Back to the future’..
I’d my first baby(boy) 9 months ago : a C-section, although I tried so much during all those 40-weeks- yoga, pranayam, natural diet, meditation…. .
My husband is very much in favor of atleast a second, but I’m resisting. If “Your Best Birth” can convince me that my next baby-birth will be the best birth, then my husband will get the second gift he so often keeps asking me for!!
Will you help me for my best birth…?
June 27th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
I am a subscriber.
June 27th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Would love to win a copy of this!!
June 27th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
i bet my friends wife whos 6 months along would love this
June 28th, 2009 at 7:39 am
I’d love this!!!!
June 28th, 2009 at 7:39 am
and I subscribe
June 28th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I would love to give this to my friend who is pregnant with her first baby. She is due in December so the timing is perfect! Thanks for offering this!
June 28th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
This would be an awesome book! I’m pregnant just now and starting work on my birth planning, this would help me out immensely!
June 29th, 2009 at 8:03 am
I would love this.
June 29th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Happy Summer!
June 29th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I would love to win for my sister! Thanks for the chance.
June 29th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I am a subscriber. Thanks!
June 29th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
awesome gift for any expecting mom, thanks for the giveaway!
June 29th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
i would love to read this:)
June 30th, 2009 at 12:39 am
This looks like a great bookf or the pregnant lady looking for options on birthing
June 30th, 2009 at 12:57 am
What an awesome book! Would love to win this for my pregnant friend.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:59 am
I would really love to read this book. Thanks you.
June 30th, 2009 at 8:25 am
I’d love to read this
June 30th, 2009 at 8:26 am
subscribed
June 30th, 2009 at 8:35 am
Please, enter me, great prize!!! I would love to win this.
June 30th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Sounds like a good book
June 30th, 2009 at 10:21 am
I would love to give this to my daughter (and SIL) who is pregnant with her first baby. She is due in November so the timing is just perfect! Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this useful giveaway!
June 30th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Please enter me into the contest. Thanks!
June 30th, 2009 at 10:28 am
I would like to win this for my daughter-in-law.