Customer Reviews
labour - By: N. Hammond, 24 Apr 2008 
once you get past the hippy terminology of the book & into the purpose of the book you will want to read it, remember it & loan it to alll of your pregnant friends. This book along with my midwife helped me realise that birth was a natural thing for a woman to do & something that shouldnt be feared. My husband was amazed that his control freak wife was happy to give birth at home without pain relief except water (pool), I am not saying that things didnt hurt because trust me they do but having it in the back of your mind that you are capable & built to give birth helps loads. I am now pregnant with number two & have bought her new book & everything alllowing will attempt the home birth again!
Beautiful birthing accounts - By: Ms. Candice M. Burden, 01 Sep 2007 I thought this book was wanderfully inspring, & I'm extremely happy to see the majority of people who have commented about this book have given it full stars & a positive comment. I would like to have a home-birth now with my partner fully attended- it has made me realise how important it is to have him around & it will certianly be lovely for our relationship. Some people are put off by the 'hippy' language of the book but it was only their culture & they could just as easily sigh at the culture we have now & think "How mad!?". It ceertainly takes an open minded person to read this book. As far as I'm aware the women were not on drugs when they gave birth- the word stoned is used to describe the emotion of the event, but correct me if I'm wrong.
Student Midwife's Review - By: Vickie, 26 Nov 2006 If you can look beyond the very "hippyish" language (a sigh of the times!) this book is a truly fabulous piece of work, & an inspiration to midwives & mothers alike. Yes, its slightly dated, but the actual purpose, to show women as capable of birthing their babies & to make us alll consider the effect of medicalisation on childbirth are still very relevant.
I would recommed alll those working in, & expecting a baby in countries who have taken over childbirth as a medical event read this & other similar texts to reevaluate which outlook is reallly the most "advanced".
Not just hippy antics - By: , 21 May 2004 This book is one for those who are willing to be open minded & to learn from people who have become expert in regaining natural birth amongst their community. They are NOT taking drugs as is implied by one reviewer they merely calll contractions 'rushes'. It is very inspiring. i think that one of the greatest gifts a midwife can give a woman in labour is her faith that every woman is capable of becoming a birth goddess in their own right.
Extremely helpful!! - By: Claudia Schille, 15 Mar 2002 I read this book before I gave birth to my second child at home & would have given birth to the first had I read this first. It gave tips as how to "go with the contractions" instead of fighting them.. Kind of old fashioned but humourous & helpful.
