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Abby Epstein

Auteur de Your Best Birth

4 oeuvres 157 utilisateurs 16 critiques

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Comprend les noms: Abby Epstein (Director)

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Œuvres de Abby Epstein

Your Best Birth (2009) — Auteur — 108 exemplaires
The Business of Being Born (2008) 34 exemplaires
V-Day: Until the Violence Stops [2003 film] (2004) — Directeur — 9 exemplaires
More Business of Being Born (2012) — Directeur — 6 exemplaires

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So I am not pregnant.

But my sister-in-law was. And she had a miserable delivery. My neighbor(who I'm still convinced is superwoman) was also pregnant and she also had a terrible experience. Literally traumatizing. So much so that she may never be able to physically have another child.* So I'm becoming a bit of a best birth advocate. Which is why I read this book.

So, let's look at this book. It's definitely biased in favor of natural birth, less intervention, and being able to choose your experience instead of being dictated to by (sometimes) a person who has never and will never have a baby in their life.

That being said, they have plenty of evidence that this might be the best way in most cases. I liked it because it was less hipster than Gaskin, who kinda freaked me out at the beginning of her book, and also because I have seen, as pointed out at the beginning of the review, extreme negative experiences. It was also interesting that there is a spike in c-sections around 4pm and 9pm. Suspicious? Yep.

They are definitely more biased in favor of the patient than they are in favor of natural childbirth (at home, at a hospital, wherever). There were positive stories of hospital births. There were, according to them, valid reasons for going to the hospital, using an OBGYN, etc. ** I felt that they tried to be neutral and definitely wanted the best for their readers. However, the terminology "birth goddess" bugged a bit. Just a teensy bit hippie-ish.

Now I want to watch the film and see if they talk about the billing aspect... If Drs got paid less for a c-section and more for a natural delivery would they still schedule them as frequently?

My personal opinion is that we have become a society that can't deal with pain. I have ancestors who buried multiple children, spouses, left their homes 7 times, never saw their parents or siblings again, were dirt-poor for the entirety of their life. They didn't avoid or block the pain(and, for the records, surprisingly few of them died in childbirth) . For them it was a part of life. Something to be worked through, not buried. We're a little different of a society now. If you can't handle this kind of pain, get that epidural. No shame. But I don't believe that any birth will be 100% pain free. It can't. That isn't the nature of life.

Final note (and please don't be insulted): I read several of the negative reviews that were rather scathing about the "agenda." Yes, there is a bias. Yes, their agenda aligns with that bias. But they have the stats and reports to back it up. And they are accessible. Provide your own stats, instead of emotionally rationalizing that they must be wrong. Or, acknowledge that your fear of the unknown might be the greatest need and then go to the hospital and use all the stuff. Guilt does not seem to be their objective.

You can go into your Drs office and ask what he thinks is best. Then ask for the studies. Then read the studies. Pills have been pushed based on studies that included 50 people or less and, up until a surprisingly short time ago, it was not permissible to do studies involving pregnant women.*** Just saying. And then, if you're satisfied, take the advice. That's why it is so important that you do this before delivery. I have another sister-in-law who's had 3 children. She's done induction, epidural, and natural(in the hospital). And, for her, the natural was the easiest, least painful experience between the three.



*My husband is compiling a list of physicians I can never see based on our acquaintances' experiences. Who does that? He does, because he rocks.
** Thank you Downton Abbey for a making Preeclampsia education a thing. And thank you Downton Abbey for also making pre-birth jitters more prevalent.
*** Read [b:Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions|34921573|Lost Connections Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions|Johann Hari|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1500785858s/34921573.jpg|56184854] and [b:Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick|30653955|Doing Harm The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick|Maya Dusenbery|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1513491498s/30653955.jpg|51198903]
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
OutOfTheBestBooks | 12 autres critiques | Sep 24, 2021 |
This book definitely slants towards drug free and home births, but I really appreciated having an entire book devoted to the actual birth process. So many pregnancy books only have a chapter or two on birth. I also found the list of questions to ask really helpful.
 
Signalé
lovelypenny | 12 autres critiques | Feb 4, 2016 |
I think this book is much more relevant to an American audience. In Australia many of our maternity wards are staffed predominantly by midwives, and there just isn't the huge litigation problem that pushes doctors onto such a medical system.
 
Signalé
Karyn_Ainsworth | 12 autres critiques | Dec 29, 2014 |
Easy to read, but very, very biased toward natural birth, as much as it pretended to be otherwise. Demonizes medical interventions quite a bit, and doesn't mention any downsides at all to the "amazing super-empowering birth goddess" way of thought. Talks a lot about medicine wanting only to take your birth away from you. Decent read, but the bias left a bad aftertaste.
 
Signalé
papertygers | 12 autres critiques | Sep 26, 2013 |

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Statistiques

Œuvres
4
Membres
157
Popularité
#133,743
Évaluation
4.0
Critiques
16
ISBN
7

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