Product Description

For more than twenty-five years, Mothering magazine has captured an audience of educated women who appreciate its "we'll inform, you choose" approach to parenting. Having a Baby, Naturally reflects this spirit with straightforward, uncensored information about pregnancy and childbirth, addressing common concerns and questions in a compassionate, nonjudgmental style.

Written by Peggy O'Mara, the longtime publisher, editor, and owner of Mothering magazine, it synthesizes the best theories and safest practices used in natural childbirth, including recommendations from the World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Throughout, O'Mara reinforces her belief that each woman's pregnancy and birth experience is a one-of-a-kind event. She covers such topics as:

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55912 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

About the Author

Peggy O?Mara has been the publisher, editor, and owner of Mothering magazine since 1980. A dynamic speaker, she has lectured and conducted workshops on natural family topics in conjunction with organizations such as the Omega Institute, Esalen, La Leche League International, Lamaze International, and Bioneers.

She is the author of Natural Family Living and the editor of Vaccinations: The Issue of Our Times.

Peggy O?Mara is the mother of four children: Lally, 29; Finnie, 27; Bram, 25; and Nora, 21.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction: In the Beginning

Congratulations! You're pregnant. You are now wondering how to create the best possible environment for you and your baby, and the environment that you have the most control over is your mental one. It is important that you have a good inner opinion of yourself during pregnancy. Rest assured that your body is already equipped for the challenges of pregnancy and birth. You can educate your mind, develop trust in your body, and fortify your spirit with accurate and objective information. And you can trust yourself to act in your own best interests and in the best interests of your child.

With pregnancy, you may be surprised to find how deeply your choices have been influenced by the beliefs, attitudes, and customs of society, by the opinions of family members, and by your general lack of exposure to birth. Unless you have witnessed them, pregnancy and birth can seem strange and frightening when in fact they are simple and natural. Several factors contribute to our collective belief that pregnancy and birth are complicated. The overmedicalization of childbirth in the United States, the human tendency to be intimidated by custom and authority, and the fact that insurance companies often only cover hospital birth make real choices in childbirth difficult if not impossible.

In 1982 psychiatrist Ronald Laing wrote, "We do not see childbirth in many obstetric units now. What we see resembles childbirth as much as artificial insemination resembles sexual intercourse. And, birth, as a home and family event, has virtually been cultured out." Laing believed this change was a matter of power. "Women are allowed or not to have their babies at home. In hospital, they are allowed or not to move, scream or sing, stand, walk, sit or squat. Women are allowed or not to have their babies after birth....To allow is to exercise as much, if not more power, than to forbid." Laing pleaded for genuine choice, asking, "Why should any one way have to be imposed on all? Why cannot two or more ways coexist in the same society? Why should there be any monopoly on what is available?"

Pregnancy and birth are normal biological events. They are not medical events, but they take place within a cultural context and are colored by the beliefs and attitudes of the community at large. Hopefully, this book will give you a bigger sense of these events as they occur in this larger community, and help you to find the information and support you need to plan for your own birth environment and the arrival of your new baby.

You deserve to have true informed consent regarding the decisions you make during this time. While it sounds like a fancy term, informed consent simply means that you have the right to know the risks and benefits of treatment, and the right to choose which procedures you want during pregnancy and birth, regardless of how commonly they are used. All too often, we undergo procedures passively, without being aware that we could question or even decline a treatment.

Informed consent has been a legal principle for 100 years in the United States. This doctrine requires practitioners to disclose all information needed to make a decision, and requires that consent be given voluntarily and without coercion. The concept of informed consent is critical: in thousands of letters to Mothering magazine, women have said that they regret that they had not known more about their choices during pregnancy and birth.

The advice and suggestions in this book are based not only on scientific evidence but on the experiences of these women who have come to trust Mothering magazine as a respected authority on natural family living.

Mothers-to-be are often confused by the conflicting medical literature that is available. For example, guests on talk shows routinely quote contradictory findings to prove a specific point. In addition, practices in common use are not always supported by medical research. As a pregnant woman, you will want to look carefully at the evidence, so I have sought out a definitive and objective resource.

The recommendations in this book are based on Oxford University's Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth, a 1,500-page, two-volume book that summarizes the most authoritative international studies available on the effects of care practices during pregnancy, during childbirth, and after the baby is born. The first edition, published in 1989, was widely acclaimed as a landmark publication. For the first time, evidence-based information on the effects of pregnancy and childbirth care was made readable and accessible to all who needed and wanted it.

The second edition won first prize in the British Medical Association 1995 Medical Book Competition in the Primary Health Care category, and has been translated into several languages. The third edition of this book was prepared by the editors of the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group, along with Murray W. Enkin, M.D., a prominent physician and author of the first edition.

Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth has been compiled into an electronic database consisting of a register of over 9,000 controlled studies from almost 400 medical journals, in 18 different languages, from 85 different countries -- as well as a systematic review of their results. The suggestions here are based on the latest, most comprehensive scientific evidence, providing you with the most up-to-date information on which to compare choices for yourself during pregnancy and childbirth.

As the title implies, this book focuses on natural pregnancy and childbirth, subjects Mothering magazine has been reporting on for over twenty-five years. During that time, we've learned that women who experience natural childbirth not only report greater satisfaction with their birth experiences than those who do not, but also feel less pain and discomfort during the early weeks and months of motherhood. It is unfortunate, therefore, that these concepts have been misunderstood in recent years. For instance, some consider a birth "natural" simply if the mother is conscious, while others, more accurately, understand that a natural childbirth is a drug-free birth. Even more unfortunate is the fact that so few women are helped and encouraged to have a natural birth.

You may be frightened when the subject turns to drugs in labor and wonder if natural birth means that your choices will be limited. Some of you would hate to have drugs foisted on you; others want to make sure that you have access to the comfort level of your choice. In pregnancy and birth, what you want is simply choice. And yet you may not realize how much your choices are limited by the constructed culture of birth, by custom unsupported by evidence, and by our general lack of exposure to and discomfort with birth. For example, most women will experience ultrasound scans during their pregnancies, even though ultrasound is not recommended for routine use by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Electronic fetal monitors are routinely used in hospital birth, yet they have never been shown in scientific studies to be any more effective than a simple stethoscope. And it may surprise you to learn that birth is safe in any setting -- home, hospital, birth center -- although only 1 percent of births in the United States take place outside of a hospital.

Twenty-three other countries have better birth outcomes than we do in the United States. All of these countries spend less money on health care than we do. Even with all of our technology, we are not protecting as many babies and mothers as other countries do with less. American insurance companies define pregnancy as a disability; obstetrical medicine acts defensively to ward off malpractice suits; pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of birth technology entice practitioners to try their products by offering incentives; in short, as a culture, we are uncomfortable with the intimate physical events of pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding.

What do those twenty-three countries have in common -- those who spend less money yet have better birth outcomes than the United States? All of them rely on midwives. In New Zealand, for example, midwives attend 70 percent of births. In the United States, midwives attend nearly 10 percent of births.

Compare these labor and delivery outcomes for low-risk mothers who were clients of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) with the clients of physicians (M.D.s):

Labor and Delivery Procedure CNMs M.D.s

Oxytocin induction* 8.5% 15.2%

Oxytocin augmentation** 11.7% 37.2%

Internal electronic fetal monitor 16.2% 43.5%

Epidural anesthesia 17.3% 32.7%

Episiotomies 10.8% 35.4%

Third- and fourth-degree lacerations*** 6.6% 23.3%

Operative deliveries**** 11.0% 30.1%

* Oxytocin induction is the use of the drug oxytocin to attempt to end pregnancy and stimulate labor to begin.

** Oxytocin augmentation is the use of oxytocin to attempt to increase the strength or effectiveness of labor contractions.

*** Third- and fourth-degree lacerations are tears of the perineum, usually following an episiotomy, that extend into the rectum.

**** Operative deliveries include those delivered by vacuum extraction, forceps, or cesarean section

The Institutes of Medicine, the Office of Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress, and the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality have all published statements of support for the development of nurse midwifery in the United States. In 1989, the National Birth Center Study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a study that demonstrat...

Customer Reviews

Excellent comprehensive resource for all pregnancies
I received this book as a gift and it has become one of my favorite prenatal books so far. I've read the book cover to cover because it was so extremely interesting and very comprehensive that I couldn't put it down! It covers all the questions I've had as a first-timer in a very thorough way. Even moms who've given birth before can learn alot by all the info provided by this book. Basically the book will discuss a topic such as episiotomies by explaining the history of them and how they originated, what your experience is and what the risks are, in what instances might they occur, how to avoid one (a list of things to do beforehand), and if you do tear naturally what happens next. I like how when it discusses what an Ultrasound is, it not only explains what it is, but how it works, what your experience will be like on the table, how safe it is based on studies available, how useful it is during pregnancy, and when it is unnecessary. This is how the book covers all the topics: in a very thorough way. Other highlights for me were the statistics provided with the supporting info. For example, it will say that you need 27mg of Iron and then will list food choices and serving sizes to achieve that. I love how remedies are always provided for common prenatal concerns such as nausea, poor self-image, labor fears, sexuality, post-partum, etc. The book discusses sexuality and then gives you a list of ideas to help with issues you may be experiencing. It also sprinkles a couple illustrations of stretches or poses that are helpful during pregnancy with directions. I also love the side boxes throughout the book that give little tips like how to squat, aromatherapy, pregnancy affirmations to say each day, natural soothers, etc.

It takes the fear out of pregnancy by providing so much useful and practical information for anyone who is planning on being pregnant, those that are supporting a pregnant partner, and those that are actually pregnant. I just can't imagine NOT having this book, it's an invaluable resource for me. I have too many questions and fears and this book seemed to answer them and calm me down.

Other books I highly recommend are the "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" (Goer/Wheeler) midwife perspective that discusses the pros and cons of typical medical intervention, and my weekly favorite "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" (2004, Dr. Glade Curtis OBGYN/Judith Schuler) And incredible book that tells what parts of the baby are developing each week, as well as an actual size illustration of your baby's size, changes in yourself, and other important info each week.

Good book if you're looking at all the options
Diehard Mothering readers might think this book is a little too mainstream, but I think it's very valuable for people who are learning about the concept of natural childbirth and evaluating all their options. It gives a detailed analysis of the risks involved with everyday interventions and encourages birthing mothers to be fully informed before submitting to them. It offers suggestions for natural remedies, yoga postures, meditation, and natural comfort measures while in labor, and even mentions that you might use a midwife and birth at home. However, the book also assumes that you might feel more comfortable delivering in a hospital -- without making you feel guilty about that choice. I came away from this book feeling positive about being pregnant, not nervous or worried like after reading "What To Expect...". I think it does a good job of debunking many of today's obstetrical myths and gives new moms courage to ask questions. My first birth was totally natural, in a hospital. I just finished reading this a month into my second pregnancy. It validates the ideas I had the first time around and gives me even more resolve to pursue a drug-free, interventionless birth again.

Very comprehensive book; good for first-time moms
I purchased this book from Amazon last November for the library of my local La Leche League group. I own a copy as well. (I also own Peggy O'Mara's other book: "Natural Family Living", which is wonderful.) In "Having a Baby, Naturally", Ms. O' Mara is very balanced and straightforward in her presentation of pregnancy and childbirth. I especially enjoyed the section explaining the types of tests women are presented with during early pregnancy. I have given this book to several expecting friends as a gift and plan to give it to my sister in the future. This book is included in La Leche League's recommended book list. I do own Ina May's book " Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth", which is also very good and highly recommended for someone planning a home birth. I am a longtime reader of Mothering Magazine. Fans of Mothering should be aware that "Having a Baby, Naturally" was written to appeal to a wide mainstream audience and not the relatively small segment of the population interested in alternative practices. I am the mother of twins born by C-section in 1997 and a child born naturally at home in late 2001. This book would have been extremely helpful to me in my first pregnancy and would have allowed me the information I needed to avoid an unnecessary C-section. The special situations section is extensive and the breastfeeding information is good. Overall, this is a great book.