Creating Your Birth Plan: The Definitive Guide to a Safe and Empowering Birth

This book with supply you with every tool possible to prepare for a calm, natural birth in a hospital. It teaches the best approach to take in a hospital with nurses and doctors. A must read for anyone who has the goal of a natural birth in a hospital. We ended up using a birth center, which does not require as many tools since natural birth is the standard in those facilities.

This is the best book on birth I have read so far, and I have done plenty of reading. ;-) I hadn't heard of it -- it is not on a lot of the Listmania lists here, nor does it have many reviews. My husband selected it because it seemed authoritative, with an author who is an OB and the former head of the Maternal Health section of the World Health Organization. Unlike some of the slow-going tomes out there, this packs a lot of information into digestible chunks. It is definitely "biased" in favor of a midwife-attending, out-of-hospital birth and natural alternatives to drugs, technology, and surgery. Most persuasive were the statistics comparing practices and outcomes in various developed countries -- what we take for granted as necessary in the U.S. is not the norm, and European babies thrive just fine. Even (especially!) if you are planning a hospital birth, as I am, it is worth reading because it goes through each medical procedure ("intervention") and its benefits and risks. This made clear how one intervention can "cascade" to more, but also made clear the circumstances in which I might want certain interventions. It highlighted certain danger areas where an overly cautious caregiver might hook you up with more interventions than you want, but it didn't have a full rebuttal to how to deal with that (perhaps there is none). I thought that demanding a second opinion was not very useful because wouldn't someone else with rights at the same institution just back up the original opinion? It also has thorough lists of questions to ask a potential provider (OB or midwife or doula) or location (hospital or birth center). The one caveat I would add is that most hospitals in the U.S., at least not where I live, will give the "right" answers to all of Dr. Wagner's questions, such as no time limits on labor, freedom to eat, etc. So don't get your heart set on WHO's ideal model, or you will be :-(. What was unpleasant, but useful, about the book is that it forces you to think about every contingency and plan to make the worst case scenario as much in line with your wishes as possible. Not something I would have dwelt on but for this book, and probably useful preparation. This book teaches you that you deserve the best maternal/infant care and what that care should look like (probably not what you think!) and formulate your wishes for to cover every possible complication. It also emphasizes that birth is a dynamic process and doesn't always happen in accordance with our paper plans.

The book was published in June of 2006 and I honestly have to say that I am utterly amazed! The author gives women the voice that they need to be heard in the delivery room, by giving them statistically-based information on when interventions are not necessary (but why they are often forced on us), and also explains the situations in which they could be necessary. Things such as "failure to progress" (hospitals watch the clock!), routine IVs, why episiotomies should NOT be done (think of how hard it is to rip fabric, and then of how easy it is to rip after you've made a small cut!), electronic fetal monitoring (a stethoscope is just as good... and why!)... He discusses all of these things in an easy-to-understand manner. He also talks about the differences between midwives & doctors, the importance of doulas, and also the difference between home births with midwives and hospital births with midwives (very big difference!), as well as discusses the option of a midwife-centered birth clinic which has been growing in popularity over the years. There is also information on the 3 stages of labour, and techniques to successfully manage each of them, including various positions and styles (squatting, birthing stool, waterbirth, and more). The author headed up many research studies into the effects of evidence-based labour/delivery care, as opposed to "common practice care" and compiled this knowledge in a fascinating book that should be a must-read for all expecting moms and their birth partners.

As a nurse midwife and a registered labor and delivery nurse, this book is absolutely accurate with regard to maternity care and being an informed consumer. I have worked in both low and high risk settings and chose to believe that women are NORMAL when they are pregnant and giving birth. Every weekend (I work then) I see very normal women who have been scared to death by physicians. They have lost faith in their bodies and in the natural process of labor and birth. This book helps to restore that faith. By addressing a women's right to choose, this book helps women ask the appropriate questions so that she receives the care that she desires. In our culture, women just assume that physicians will do the best thing for them and their babies. While in most cases this is true, I have seen things rushed or women not being given enough time so that their physician may deliver them. This is usually presented as "Well, you tried really hard. The baby is just too big." And off we go to a c-section. This book gives women a voice and the courage to ask pertinent questions to avoid unnecessary interventions. I highly recommend this book to any woman who is or is planning to be pregnant. Please be an informed consumer! Even if you desire interventions, read for yourself the risks and benefits, because I can asure you they will NOT be presented to you fairly in the hospital setting. You have to be assertive and able to communicate the type of birth you want. This book helps you do that. There are procedures that your physician will state as being low risk (induction of labor, epidural, planned c-section) that this book will give you the FACTS about. Every intervention carries risk and this book factually tells you about the risks and when they are acceptable. While some things your physician says might sound like a good idea, it is up to you to find out the information to make an informed decision. Please use this book! Pregnancy is not a disease. Pregnancy is uncomfortable, labor is painful. This is NORMAL. Not something to be taken away and relieved. Knowledge helps you get through one of the most rewarding experiences of a lifetime. I cannot say enough for the help Dr. Wagner has provided to women by writing this book!

This book is an excellent resource for coming up with a birth plan that fits your needs and desires. A must-read for all pregnant women! Very informative, especially if you have been questioning the safety of hospital routines for you and your baby.