Better Birth: The Ultimate Guide to Childbirth from Home Births to Hospitals

by Denise Spatafora

Book Overview

Achieve a healthy and beautiful birth with Better Birth.

Pregnancy should be a time of joy and celebration. But if you're not emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually prepared for childbirth, it can also be a time of stress and anxiety. Better Birth takes the fear out of labor and delivery and empowers expectant mothers to have an informed, safe, and peaceful birth.

Better Birth...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470255617
• ISBN13: 9780470255612
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

The book to read for all expectatnt couples

Often times when I am working as a doula with couples I try to impress upon them that giving birth is 90% an emotional/spiritual experience. A woman is not only giving birth to a new human being, but to herself as a mother, and what's more, she is giving birth to a new family. Not only this, but birth is one of the most primal experiences a human being can go through and in that it calls upon the deepest parts of your being to be faced, dealt with, challenged, and ultimately called upon. Finally, with the publication of Denise's book, BetterBirth, I have a resource I can hand to my clients to help them get at this core. Denise's book, which is the exceptionally beautiful culmination of a life's work of supporting, coaching, and challenging people to be the best they can be combined with her expertise in childbirth, is a treasure trove of useful tools and information to help parents prepare for this most auspicious rite of passage in life. Denise book gives practical information on how to prepare mentally, physically, and spiritually for the birth of your new child. Everything from her toolbox with helpful tips on preparing one's body for the birthing process, to her very thoughtful and thorough tips on how to plan for the immediate postpartum period, this book is chock-full of useful information. This book is amazing and I can't think of anything better for a couple to read - in fact, I hope that each and every couple gets this book in their hands as soon as they realize they are pregnant. This book will prepare women for birth in a way not found in other birth preparation books. What a gift Denise has given women and couples! - Nicole Heidbreder. Director of International Development for DONA International.

Very informative and empowering...

I recently gave birth to my first child and "Better Birth" was a wonderful guide. I knew that I wanted a natural birth, but the book helped me to understand what that meant for me. I was able to tap into my desires and fears surrounding the birth. It also helped me to align my birth support team to ensure that everyone was on the same page. I ended up going 15 days past my estimated due date, so I had to be induced. I have to admit, I was devastated, but I knew (from the book) that I had to surrender and LET GO. Because of "Better Birth", I was prepared with the BornClear toolbox and I ended up having a BEAUTIFUL birth. I am still amazed by how empowering the experience was for me.

The beauty of "Better Birth"...

We live in a multidimensional world that is all too often dealt with in the most superficial and simplistic ways. This book does not do that with its subject. It approaches the phenomenon of birth from all the aspects that encompass it, thereby providing information and support for the woman in process. Denise has dug deeply into her subject, exploring the technical, physical, emotional, energetic and spiritual aspects of it. She has elicited information from experts in these fields and brings forward to all who read it, a sense of the depth of what it is to be a woman on the road to creating a Better Birth. Raja Shaheen Holistic Hands-On Practitioner, Somatic and Developmental Trauma Counselor, Interfaith Minister, Reiki Master, Intuitive Energy Healer(IEH), Shamanic Balancing.

Awesome Book for Pregnant Women and Those planning...

I read this book after I had already given birth three times and I wish that I had had this book to refer to. Denise Spatafora really provides a tremendous amount of information about all the decisions around conceiving and giving birth. Each of my births was so different from the one before and I had little idea of what I could do to understand the process. Now I know. After reading Better Birth, you will feel empowered and prepared for the birth of your child. The book addresses women as intelligent, intuitive, and emotional people capable of making the best decision for themselves. I really appreciated the birth stories that pepper throughout the book. It provides the reader a way to personalize the information that a woman and her partner need about everything from conceiving, connecting with their unborn child, preparing for birth, giving birth the way that feels "right" for you , to postpartum. I think this book has some definite advantages over the other birthing books. It addresses factors that they ignore or hardly address including the affect of your emotions, thoughts, actions on your baby conceived or not! The other thing that is great about this book is that it breaks things down into manageable parts and gives specific techniques that I wish I had had when I was pregnant. It talks about all the issues surrounding birth without instilling fear or dread. It describes all the processes around birthing allowing the reader to make informed decisions and to trust her own body. One of the best things in the book is the BornClear Toolbox which has a series of exercises on visualizations, meditations, affirmations, writing, breathing techniques, and art to help you alleviate your fear, connect with your baby and get ready for childbirth. This is THE book to get if you are pregnant or trying to conceive.

Amazing resource for pregnant women!

From across the world, I was lucky enough to have Denise mentor me and my husband through the end of our pregnancy and the birth of our first child. Her fierce commitment to enlightening and empowering women (and couples) around the world shines through in every interaction and is captured beautifully in her book, Better Birth. No matter what type of birth you're planning on or where you want to have it, this resource is a goldmine of support, education and encouragement. With the support of the BornClear method, I had exactly the birth I had dreamed of and, amazingly enough, I can't wait for the next one!