Gentle Birth Gentle Mothering New Edition by Sarah J. Buckley MD

Knowledge is Power, and birth is power. In this groundbreaking collection of essays, internationally acclaimed birth expert Sarah J. Buckley, MD, empowers parents-to-be with enlightening explorations of what both ancient wisdom and current medical research tell us about birth and early parenting. Readers will gain a deep understanding of the physiology of normal birth ( what Buckley calls "undisturbed birth"), and of what is lost when the birth process is treated as a mere medical event.

In the first part of the book, in depth examinations of medicalized pregnancy and birth choices (including ultrasounds, epidurals, inductions, and cesareans) and gentler birth options (including unmedicated birth, homebirth, and unmanaged third stage labor) are interwoven with the pregnancy and birth stories of Buckley's own four children - all born at home.

Foreword by Ina May Gaskin CPM