Birth matters A midwife's manifesta

Approximately one in three babies is born via Cesarean section in the US. In contrast, midwives attend most births without significant intervention through most of western Europe. Gaskin, a widely recognized midwife, hopes to change this in the US by renewing women's confidence in natural birth and refocusing birth within the women's domain through her manifesta of natural birth. The book is divided into nine chapters. The beginning chapters offer a social and historical context of birth in the US, focusing on the history of midwifery, second-wave feminism, and women's health. The remaining chapters discuss Gaskin's concept of natural birth in the 21st century, beginning with a discussion of empowerment and continuing with a discussion of obstetrics and natural birth practices. Each chapter begins with a birth story to illustrate the chapter's thesis. The book includes informative appendixes with lists of resources for birthing women, suggestions for further reading, and reports from Gaskin's birthing center, The Farm Midwifery Center. This valuable resource for women shows how to respect and trust the natural process of childbirth. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and consumer health sciences libraries. M. L. Charleroy University of Minnesota