Can you recommend a good active birth book?

[CitizenOscar]

I'm expecting my first baby. I'm doing yoga & hypnobirthing and I'm interested in finding out more about active birth. I'm open-minded - as I've never given birth before I have no idea how it's going to be. I'm interested in practical techniques and positions.

So, any book recommendations or personal experiences gratefully received.

Janet Balaskas New Active Birth is quite good although the photos are very 70's, I read this cover to cover, did all the yoga from it and then ended up being induced and having an emergency caesarean so that was a total waste of time then!

I really like Birth Skills - very practical, loads of ideas about techniques / positions etc. Am reading during current second pregnancy, so haven't actually put some of the techniques into practice, but I actually instinctively used some of them during my first labour, so I reckon that the author is pretty good! And am hoping to use more of the techniques this time round. Much less lentil-weavery / birth is an amazing / sexual / spiritual experience (no it's not, it's bloody painful!) than some books I've read, much more "it's going to hurt but there are loads of things you can do to help yourself and cope".

When are you due? .

Citizen hope it all goes well. I fancied an active birth with both of mine but was stuck to the bed. It wasn't because I was being monitored, my poor legs just seemed too weak to support me. Both times I just got in a position that seemed to suit me and stayed that way.

Not necessarily active birth but I found Ina May Gaskin's child birth book v inspirational and informative.

Good luck

here

Second the vote for BirthSkills

Second vote for Ina May's guide to childbirth, although it's not strictly about active birth. Bloody fantastic book on natural birth generally though!

this is really good. Be warned though, the picture shown is not the front cover; it has a really cheesy cover so I have been embarrassed to read in public

It's very partner-involved but I liked this about it.

Definitely recommend Birth Skills by Juju Sundin. Reading it now, really wish I'd read it first time round.

Thanks everyone, I'll definitely take a look at those. I don't have fixed ideas about how the birth should be, but I'd like to have some techniques/positions to try so I don't just end up on my back because I don't know any alternatives. Of course, if it turns out on my back is most comfortable (and I am a BIG fan of lying down in everyday non-birth situations!) then so be it but I'd like to have some other things to try.

I'm due mid-June and am planning a hospital birth, so hoping there will be enough room to move around etc. Will book a tour soon so I'll know a bit more about that.

Thanks again!

Birth Reborn by Michel Odent is fab.

I was part of a university study on ecstatic childbirth and have a pdf copy of the dissertation if you want a read of that. Its mostly birthstories.

Firky I would love to read that! Shall I pm you my email....?

OP: Definitely possible to have an active birth in a hospital, even a small room - you don't exactly need a space the size of a tennis court. In fact you can have an active birth whilst being mostly on a hospital bed - eg on all fours, on your knees leaning over the back of the bed (both of which I did for most of the part of my labour I was in hospital).

Sounds like you have a very sensible, pragmatic attitude - good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

Ohhelpohno- yes, send me a PM and I'll try and get it out this evening once the DC are asleep

Thanks all. I've had a look at them online but I can't choose and I think 4 might be a bit excessive! Might pop down to my local library and see if it has any of them so I can have a look without buying.

Sounds like a good idea Citizen. If you are lucky your local branch of the NCT or LLL might have a library you can borrow from too.

i liked Michel Odent's book Scientification of Love.

i found your body, your baby, your birth by jenny smith brilliant- all about making you feel positive and strong enough to do it! It really helped me. good luck.

I liked the Janet Balaskas one too. There's a book called Beautiful Birth by Suzanne Yeates that's got a lot in about shiatsu for birth preparation. My #1 active/natural birth tip though is to use acupressure - gets the partner involved, is AMAZING for pain relief and does lots of other things like restarting contractions.
Also - just to say - I wish I'd read more books about the first few weeks and early parenting stuff, rather than just reading about birth before my 1st was born. I think it's easy to forget that to an extent, birth just takes care of itself a lot of the time... I wish I'd taken some of the time I had available to read up and do a lot of prep and think about what the hell I was going to do when the baby arrived! Can't do quite so much reading when they're born!
No Cry Sleep solution is brilliant for once the baby's arrived, if you have time for a post-labour book!
x

Forgot to say about acupressure - Debra Betts' site at acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/ has a free download leaflet telling you how to find points, she's also got a dvd.

One of my clients really liked this one-
www.natalhypnotherapy.co.uk/33.html