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The Doula Book
I had The Doula Book Book sitting on my table for a few weeks before I got the chance to read it. When I finally picked it up I was pleasantly surprised to find that I couldn't put it down!
The full title of the book is The Doula Book: How a Trained Labor Companion Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier, and Healthier Birth -- quite a mouthful! In reality the book should have an even longer subtitle. It is truly packed with information. Though I expected the book to cover how having a doula can help, I did not expect it to have so much practical information for working through labor and birth.
The Doula Book examines why doula support during labor is essential. It presents a clear and compelling case for hiring a doula. The book effectively addresses all issues that could arise in a woman's mind as she contemplates hiring a doula or not. At the same time it avoids coming off in a militant fashion.
Natural pain relief techniques are also addressed in the book. Fear and anxiety during the birthing process are examined in depth. I was truly impressed by this as it went above and beyond just explaining doulas. Much of the information is valuable and any pregnant woman would benefit from reading the book.
An excellent portion of The Doula Book gives a clear breakdown of the many scientific studies showing how doulas help during labor and birth. The statistics are compelling and amazing - doulas truly do make a huge difference in birth outcomes. Each study is discussed and broken down into an easy-to-read chart format.
Two birth stories are in the book. One is told by a woman having a hospital birth and the other by a woman having a home birth. Both stories help to show the benefits of doulas.
An extensive chapter addresses fathers and the place of fathers at birth. I was particularly impressed with this chapter. It showed how fathers can be an important and central part of the birth of their child even while a doula was there to assist the mother. Quotes from fathers are sprinkled throughout the text and explain how these fathers felt that their doulas helped them as well as the laboring mother.
The book wraps up with a look at postpartum doulas, a service that will hopefully continue to grow in modern times. An appendix of the book covers doula training and has a good bit of useful information for mothers preparing for birth. An additional appendix gives good guided relaxation exercises for the mother to practice during pregnancy.
I was very impressed with how much information was packed into this slim book. It was very easy to read and set up so that it is easy to reference. It made a wonderful case for doulas and is a great resource for any pregnant woman.