Childbirth Without Fear: The Principles and Practice of Natural Childbirth

This book is SO long and complicated for no reason. It is extremely convoluted. I almost fall asleep reading it, the way the author writes is so complex. I know it is an old book but I have read old books before that were much easier to follow. This is the 5th pregnancy book I am reading and the worst so far. This man just does not know how to be succinct. It is as if he is writing complicated sentences on purpose to seem smart. There are more informative, practical, and to-the-point books out there. Do not waste your money on this book!

Can we just talk about how they chose an absolutely terrifying photo for the new cover image on a book called Childbirth Without Fear? What on earth were they thinking? All the discussion on the cover I've found is about her lack of clothing but that seems inconsequential compared to the polar opposite messages of the title and picture. I wasn't nearly as fearful of my upcoming labor as I am after seeing that. Thanks, whoever made that cover choice.

read by my mother in 1952, and was the reason I was born on the boulevard in front of my grandmother's house. This became quite the education for my fourteen year old aunt who was the first to hold me. I read the book when I was in 8th grade. Thank goodness principles outlined in the book were actually in practice when my babies were born in 1976, 1988, and 1990 with midwives, all three.

This book describes why and how all women can and should go through pregnancy, labor, childbirth, and all of their reproductive functions without fear or pain, but rather in joy. While acknowledging the hard work and courage involved, the author (Grantly Dick-Read, by the way- only the forward is by Michel Odent) writes to help women understand what is happening in their bodies as they make their babies. The Philosophy of the Book What I love about this book is that the author continually re-emphasizes his faith in women, and his belief that all women are strong enough to successfully bear healthy, happy children and that this is one of their great purposes and one of the great joys of humankind. Above all the author seems to have used his common sense when writing. He respects the common sense and experience (though not always supersitions) of ordinary women around the world, especially those who have successfully borne children happily and without pain or fear. I love that he points out that no male OBGYN has never actually done this- though being a doctor himself he does respect medical science for what it can provide. The book has a healthy respect of religion and Dr. Dick-Read includes an entire chapter on the curse of pain on Eve and the translation of the Bible on this particular point. Humanists can skip this chapter if they don't care and I think they will find the book very inspiring from the humanist/naturalist point of view. A number of times I felt like there should be a Walt Whitman poem inserted at the beginning or end of a chapter. Informative It contains sections on psychological preparationg for childbirth, good nutrition, how to prepare physically for labor, pregnancy, childbirth and related issues around the world and in modern society, breastfeeding, and other related topics. There are a number of stories of happy, healthy deliveries. Not a Reference Book The book is not a reference book. It has a number of benefits (including the force of a well-argued essay that will help to convince people with lingering fears) that reference books do not, and there IS an index. However if you want a reference book you would want to get that in addition to this. Old Fashioned Style? Some commented that the style is old-fashioned. I would just emphasize that this only refers to the *style* (think: C.S. Lewis or Bertrand Russell), and not the vocabulary. The book is obviously targeted at the general population and there are not a lot of fancy words. I am seven months pregnant and I am so happy to have found this book. It's alleviated so many of my fears and given me so much solid information. I would recommend it to all pregnant women, even if they think they can't finish the whole book before they give birth, and to their husbands.

I have to admit that there were times that this book made me giggle simply because its age dates it and there were times that I felt that he was far too repetitive. That said, however, the ideas in this book are incredibly powerful. I was one of those people who wanted a natural birth but didn't want to spend a lot of money on classes and didn't get around to practicing much with the exercizes we learned in the hospital lamaze class (or the ones in this book, for that matter). It was the ideas in this book, in particular those concerning the fear-tension-pain cycle, that got me through what turned out to be an easy, unmedicated birth. I am firmly convinced that it was the relaxation that Dr. Dick-Reed recommended that made my labor both relatively easy and quick.

In my opinion, everyone, especially future moms and dads, should read this book. God put this book in my path during my pregnancy, and my husband and I prepared for the birth according to Dick Read (except for the outdated nutritional suggestions). We had a wonderful birth, and I suffered no pain. There was only a few contractions at the end of the first phase of the birth where I felt overwhelmed and I got scared - Dick Read actually mentions this in his book, and had I remembered, I would not have gotten scared, and it would not have felt so overwhelming. Our baby was born naturally, without pain relief, without pain, and without complications. It was hard work though, but the book mentions that as well. One big factor is faith. Without God, I would not have found this book at the right time, nor would I have been able to fend off the fear that attacks from every side (especially other women!), nor hang on during the birth. If anyone wants to know more about our preparation or birth, [...]

It's a shame this book is out of print because it is by far the best book on painless childbirth ever written. A recent segment on a news program talked of a doctor who has had similar success with hypnosis, but it's nothing new. Grantly Dick-Read should get the credit. If you're pregnant and you want an easy, painless childbirth, READ THIS BOOK.

I read this book already believing that childbirth didn't necessarily have to be the horrible painful experience most people warn you about..and reading this book just confirmed all my beliefs. When I had my first child, my labor from beginning to end was only 3.5 hours, contractions, while powerful, DID NOT HURT, and I pushed only 4 times to give birth to my beautiful healthy daughter, all without medication of any kind. It was a great experience, and I firmly believe that much of the pain people feel is caused by their own fears and their reaction to that fear, ie, tensing up. I recommend this book to everyone I know who is having a baby!