Birthing from Within, by Pam England & Rob Horowitz

I’m not sure if *every* pregnant woman needs to read this book, but I would definitely recommend it for those who are pursuing non-medicated childbirth. Or those who are inclined to be “artistic.” Or those who like to ponder deep questions. Or generally interesting people. Basically, anyone who is friends with me.

Pam England, a midwife, developed this curriculum for birth-preparation through classes she taught — and, delightfully, she published it. The book is a mix of amazingly insightful questions, meditative art-based activities, and solid information about natural childbirth. One of the things that impacted me most is in her first chapter, when she talks about “Finding Your Question,” which she describes in this way: “For each woman, the most important thing she needs to know [before going into labor] will be different. I would encourage a mother to ask herself, ‘What is it _I_ need to know to give birth?’ Her answer must be found within, not given to her by an expert. Each mother needs to find her personal, heartfelt question.” After pondering this thought, my own question came to me quite quickly: “Do i have all the resources I need to give birth and become a mother?” This question is very clarifying for me, especially as it is not just about mothering but about all of life — and it helps me to understand why I am constantly reading books, gathering information, and buying groceries.

I really appreciated England’s perspective on husband-wife partnership in birth. She suggests that the husband isn’t necessarily the “coach,” since he has never been through labor himself before, but instead serves as the “birth guardian.” Jon and I both love this image — hence, he is Papa Bear. She also proposes the radical idea that couples refrain from writing a “birth plan,” since, in her view, it is better to communicate one’s needs verbally in a hospital instead of trusting that the medical professionals around you will be studying and following your birth plan. (Jon and I did end up writing a birth plan, but it is very simple and straightforward, and we plan to make sure we communicate well to hospital staff in addition to providing this birth plan.)

England suggests a variety of exercises for mothers and fathers to help them use art to uncover feelings and beliefs about birth and parenthood. She shares great stories of others’ experiences in using these exercises to learn about themselves. (Jon and I had an opportunity to do this in a “class”:http://www.practicallyparents.com and, while it wasn’t what we expected, we learned a lot about ourselves and our parenting — it was amazing.)

_Birthing from Within_ is one of the only natural childbirth books I’ve seen that addresses induction, pain-relieving drugs, and cesarean birth from an active-participant perspective, as opposed to merely a last resort that you weren’t able to avoid. I love how England encourages all parents to view these as real possibilities today, even if you are striving for a non-medicated birth. She gives great tips on how to prepare yourself emotionally and spiritually so that these can be powerful experiences of connected childbirth.

England also spends a lot of time describing various pain-coping techniques in detail: non-focused awareness, breath awareness, finding the “edge” of the pain. Jon and I have been practicing some of these, and we’ll let you know how they work!

There isn’t a lot that I don’t like about this book. It is a bit non-linear at times, which might bother some people. She can sometimes be a teensy bit new-agey in her beliefs, and the amount of art (her own and others’) in the book might not appeal to everyone. But overall, I think this book provides a lot of wisdom and good information without being pushy about it. If I could summarize the book, it would maybe go like this: “Figure out who you really are, and then be that way in your labor, birth, and parenthood.” A combination of self-awareness and freedom to be who God made you — what’s not to like about that?

Considered in this review: “_Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation_”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0965987302/octothorppres-20, by Pam England and Rob Horowitz.