Gentle Birth Choices (Includes 45 Min Dvd) (O)

New parents are faced with a myriad of choices about pregnancy labour and birth. In GENTLE BIRTH CHOICES Barbara Harper renowned childbirth advocate nurse former midwife and mother of three helps to clarify these choices and shows how to plan a meaningful family-centred birth experience. She dispels medical myths and re-imagines birth without fear pain or violence. Harper explains the numerous gentle birth choices available including giving birth in an independent birth centre at home or in a hospital birthing room; finding a primary caregiver who shares your philosophy of birth; and deciding how best to use current technologies. She also provides practical advice for couples wishing to explore the option of using a doula or water during labour and birth to avoid the unwanted effects of drugs and epidurals. The GENTLE BIRTH CHOICES DVD blends interviews with midwives and physicians and six actual births that illustrate the options of water birth home birth and vaginal birth after a prior Caesarean section. The DVD clearly reveals the strength of women during childbirth and the healthy and happy outcome of women exercising gentle birth choices. It is a powerful instructional tool not only for expectant parents but also for midwives hospitals birth centres and doctors. (bkdvd, dvxh)