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The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth | 
 enlarge | Authors: Henci Goer, Rhonda Wheeler
Publisher: Perigee Trade
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $8.83
You Save: $7.12 (45%)
New (40) Used (26) from $6.74
Rating:  172 reviews
Sales Rank: 6640
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 367
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0399525173
Dewey Decimal Number: 618.4
UPC: 807728460402
EAN: 9780399525179
ASIN: 0399525173
Publication Date: October 1, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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Product Description
The newest procedures. The latest information. The complete rundown on modern pregnancy and childbirth...for women who want the facts.
Every intelligent, informed woman is used to gathering the most complete information she can get before making a decision. But when it comes to one of the most important decisions in her life--how she will give birth--it can be tough to get the complete picture, even from an obstetrician. Surprisingly, much of the latest research goes against common medical opinion. Certified Lamaze instructor and activist Henci Goer brings women the carefully researched facts they'll want to have. Based on the latest medical studies and literature, The Thinking Woman's Guide To A Better Birth offers clear, concise information on tests, procedures and treatments--and gives advice about:* cesareans * ultrasound * gestational diabetes * breech babies * inducing labor * IVs * electronic fetal monitoring * ruptured membranes * epidurals * episiotomies * vaginal birth after a cesarean * midwives and obstetricians * alternative birthing methods * choosing a birth location * drugs and delivery * elective induction * professional labor support * and much more
* Author is a certified Lamaze instructor and doula who counsels women on their childbirth experiences
* Author belongs to the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
* Drawn upon the most up-to-date medical literature and studies
* Written in an accessible, understandable style, explaining technical medical terms
* Gives advice to women who were dissatisfied with their first birth experience
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| Customer Reviews: Read 167 more reviews...
Wonderful, almost complete resource for expectant parents December 20, 2008
Callie Foulk
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the book I wish I'd had when I was preparing for my first birth. It's a hefty, fully supported resource for informed decision making, covering nearly every situation a birthing woman might face. I was initially put off by the title, wishing it had simply been called Guide to a Better Birth (aren't all women "thinking" women?) But since the author challenges mainstream thought and medical dogma at every turn of the page, perhaps the title is fair warning: prepare to put on your thinking cap!
Henci Goer is upfront about her bias toward natural birth, and after reading this meticulously researched book it's hard to imagine how anyone could come away not fully convinced. She methodically demonstrates how many of the complications and dangers associated with medically micro-managed pregnancy and birth are iatrogenic (doctor caused) and avoidable.
I was particularly inspired by the clear information in support of VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean, pronounced V-Back) and the way the author gets right to the point: "The VBAC-lash is a particularly glaring instance of doctors abandoning their duty to patients and opting to look out for themselves at their patients' expense." (p. 166) Every woman contemplating elective or repeat cesarean needs this information. Goer makes it clear that cesareans, while necessary in some cases, are being done too often and are always a risky choice, never to be entered into lightly.
My only criticism is that she doesn't delve deeply enough into Group Beta Strep (GBS). Goer states that between 10% and 30% of healthy women are colonized with GBS. But she doesn't tell the reader what GBS is (a normal part of some people's body flora) or stress the point that colonization is NOT the same as infection. She tells us what the CDC recommends: screening for all women at 35 to 37 weeks and routine antibiotics in labor for all GBS positive mothers. She ends the section by saying, ". . . the fall in GBS infections in preterm infants has been more than offset by a rise in deadly, penicillin resistant E-coli infections." Unfortunately, she leaves us with that chilling thought, and offers no alternative ideas about how to approach GBS. Since colonization is so common, there will be many mothers who want to know about alternatives to antibiotics and how to further minimize the already low risk of infecting their babies. There are natural, holistic remedies for reducing or eliminating beta strep colonization and protecting against infection. She also doesn't mention that babies sometimes develop GBS infections in the hospital even after their mothers test negative for beta strep. Since about a quarter of women will deal with group B strep and possibly have it affect their birth plans, I wish Goer had treated it with the significance it deserves.
 Best book ever December 1, 2008
Chelsea (California)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Thank goodness for A Thinking Woman's Guide. I mean really folks. Finally a book that talks about the science and keeps it in perspective with risk. I'm glad that Goer is the statistical researcher that she is. Great book. Highly recommended.
 Far too negative November 22, 2008
modadan (NYC USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was expecting this book to be not only informative, but empowering to women and positive. It is informative, but so so negative with it's scare tactics about what "really goes on" in a hospital it sounds like it was written by a man. I am choosing to have a natural birth, but I choose to for other reasons, not because I have been frightened into it by now knowing what goes on the medical way. At the end of the day, I have to be open to the possibility of cesarean if it is required and would like to remain positive about that. Reading this book left me disappointed if I was to have a C Section. Don't waste your money or time with this book. Ina May's Guide to a natural birth is not only extremely informative without the negativity, but SO SO wonderfully empowering. It left me looking forward to the labor experience and provided confidence to trust my body. Still the best pregnancy book I have read.
 Good information, negative tone October 13, 2008
Milla C. (Utah, USA)
I didn't enjoy this book at all. I thought it had great information, but it was conveyed in such a negative light. The medical profession was portrayed as evil bloodsucking beings who want nothing but to ruin your magical birthing experience and damage your baby. I stopped reading it because while I want to be informed, I also trust my doctor. I had a fabulous birth experience in a hospital anyway and my daughter is not a fire monster.
A must-read for all pregnant women! October 11, 2008
L. Nordahl
This is a wonderful book - a pleasant relief from the doom-and-gloom of what to expect books. It is well documented with references from medical literature. Birth can be wonderful if you are prepared!
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