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The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth Paperback – August 1, 1999

by Henci Goer (Author), Rhonda Wheeler (Illustrator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 547 ratings
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As an intelligent woman, you are probably used to learning as much as you can before making major decisions. But when it comes to one of the most important decisions of your life--how you will give birth—it is hard to gather accurate, unbiased information. Surprisingly, much of the research does not support common medical opinion and practice.

Birth activist Henci Goer gives clear, concise information based on the latest medical studies. The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth helps you compare and contrast your various options and shows you how to avoid unnecessary procedures, drugs, restrictions, and tests. The book covers:

  • Cesareans
  • Breech babies
  • Inducing labor
  • Electronic Fetal Monitoring
  • Rupturing Membranes
  • Coping with slow labor
  • Pain medication
  • Epistiotomy
  • Vaginal birth after a Ceasarean
  • Doulas
  • Deciding on a doctor or midwife
  • Choosing where to have your baby
  • and much more . . .
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    TarcherPerigee
  4. Publication date
    August 1, 1999
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0399525173
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0399525179
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"*The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth* puts the power of the latest scientific research into the hands of women to help them discern the facts from the myths and make informed decisions about their maternity care." -- Maureen P. Corry, M.P.H. Executive Director, Maternity Center Association

"In Henci Goer, thinking women have a champion, and maternity caregivers have a challenger. Henci has applied her impressive intellect, wisdom, writing skills, common sense, and wit to produce *The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth*. She analyzes and makes sense of a prodigious amount of recent obstetric research, boils it down, and summarizes its findings. And, on the basis of these findings, she makes practical recommendations for better births. Not one to pull the wool over anyone's eyes, Henci lets the reader in on her whole thinking process, providing scientific references, summaries of the articles, and logical recommendations--all in a highly readable, user-friendly format." -- Penny Simkin, P.T. internationally known speaker, birth educator, doula, doula-trainer co-author of *Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn* and author of *The Birth Partner*

"With the help of this book, any intelligent person can obtain the information necessary to make informed choices. This unique book will provide the tools and confidence to have the best possible birth experience." -- Don Creevy, M.D., FACOG obstetrician-gynecologist Clinical Assistant Professor, Stanford University Medical School

About the Author

Henci Goer is a certified Lamaze instructor and a doula (professional labor support). She is a founding member of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, a group made up of organizations and individuals involved with maternity care in the US and fighting for a mother-friendly childbirth environment. Her articles on pregnancy and childbirth have appeared in Readers Digest and Childbirth Instructor Magazine. For twenty years, Goer has been a Lamaze-certified childbirth educator and labor support professional (doula).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ TarcherPerigee; Revised ed. edition (August 1, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399525173
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399525179
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 547 ratings

About the author

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Henci Goer

Henci Goer

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Starting out as a Lamaze teacher and doula, Henci Goer’s life’s work soon became analyzing and synthesizing the obstetric research in order to give pregnant women and birth professionals access to what constitutes optimal care in childbirth.

She is the author of four books: Labor Pain: What's Your Best Strategy?, Optimal Care in Childbirth: The Case for a Physiologic Approach (co-author Amy Romano MSN, CNM), The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth, and Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities. In addition, she has written numerous blog posts and articles and given lectures around the world.

In recognition of her work, she has received, among others, the American College of Nurse-Midwives Best Book of the Year Award, Lamaze International’s President’s Award, DONA International’s Klaus & Kennell Research Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from BOLD Atlanta, and the Media Award from the American Association of Birth Centers.

The “Take Charge of Your Birth” series—short books on single topics to help women make informed choices and obtain optimal care for themselves and their babies—is a continuation of her work.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
547 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mauricio
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative yet sort of fearful
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book explained wayyy more than other typical books like what to expect, etc. Goer does a great job explaining every procedure and the pros/cons of it. I read this whole book during my first trimester and a few other and this one stood out the most. It helped me make informed decisions and deny certain medical procedures. It talks about many things that first time soon to be moms won’t even think about. While I recommend it to all new moms, it does kinda scare you into thinking everything is horrible and that everyone is out to get you for money. That may be true for some hospitals but I don’t think everyone should be scared that the hospital is gonna f you over. I was at first and was very tense, then with my midwife I tried to go natural ( did 24+ hours of labor natural) but I had to trust my midwife and be induced. If not my baby would’ve gotten an in infection form his water being broken for too long. My baby was also premature so I placed a lot of trust into my midwife and she asked what I wanted every step of the way. She only gave me advice and I chose whether I wanted to take it or not. Anyway, I love this book and without it I would’ve been so scared giving birth.
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Lorien Friesen
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent research-backed information on natural childbirth and medical interventions
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2012
Verified Purchase
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning the details behind the advantages of natural childbirth and issues with the highly medicalized approach that is standard in labor and delivery care today. If you are the kind of person who likes to see the research, studies, and statistics behind things before taking an author's word for something, then this book is for you--there are over 120 pages of references and citations in the back of the book supporting each of the author's conclusions.

As a science- and research-oriented person who is generally pro-modern-medicine and pro-technology, this was the ideal childbirth book for me. I was initially interested in natural childbirth for the "challenge" of it, but wanted to research the pros and cons of all options before deciding. Other books on natural childbirth offered good arguments that resonated intuitively with me, but always left me wondering how much of their opinions were overly-biased and how much were backed by solid research and studies. In contrast, the author of this book has done exactly what I would liked to have done if I had the time and resources--she has plowed through troves and troves of medical literature, studies, and statistics to reach her conclusions.

The book is also structured in a way that presents the information in an approachable, easy to digest way. The main portion of the book first presents the author's findings and key data without having you slog through tons of dry references to study after study. Each chapter succinctly sums up the pros and cons of various medical interventions or more natural alternatives, and lists all pertinent 'gleanings' from the medical literature. The last 120+ pages of the book then gives the detailed references and citations that back each assertion presented in each chapter.

All in all, highly recommended as a valuable source of well-researched information on childbirth. I hope the author/publisher choose to release a second updated version at some point to cover any new research or medical advancements made since the original copyright date of 1999.
6 people found this helpful
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PennyS
5.0 out of 5 stars To the 1 star reviewers-our cesarean rate is over 40%. She is not wrong.
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book is not from just a “childbirth educator”, but someone who has invested her life advocating for birthing mothers.
The one star reviewers claim bias and “propaganda”… yet the intervention rate is sky high. It is hard to have a birth in a hospital without intervention. Almost impossible. Prove me wrong.

With an over 40% cesarean rate, the number one concern of caregivers is liability. Period. Mother’s wanting natural births have to fight for it in a hospital setting, or stay home. That should not be the choices we are given as women. If ever women should speak up and out regarding their rights, and be appalled by an industry, it it should be I n this realm. The affects birth has on a mother (and her baby) is far reaching… woman carry the burden of their children’s safety, and caregivers use guilt and coercion to get mothers to do what they want while in labor and birthing. Usually in the name of THAIR convenience and fear of liability if they are not in control…
Again-OB’s are taught all that can go wrong, and are not even trained to delivery breach babies anymore… it’s best to be prepared… this book is a start.
You do not have to agree with it all. But it is certainly worth considering!
16 people found this helpful
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Etta Lim
4.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile read for expectant mothers (and nay-sayers)
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2010
Verified Purchase
As the author puts out early in the text it isn't written by a doctor but an individual who has done their research and actually has critical reasoning skills that many Americans seem to be lacking these days. It explains in layman's language all the pros and cons to epidurals, c-sections, and all the other offered but typically unnecessary procedures available to a laboring woman along with the sometimes highly unpleasant outcomes. Most items aren't things you aren't able to find out for yourself doing research but she saves you a lot of legwork and the book puts all the answers at your finger tips. It could also be good for some of the folks that believe they are experts on the subject of childbirth, encouraging epidurals and c-sections, and not having any idea about all the long and short term problems they can cause. It could be used as a discreet way of chiding them into silence and also save you from a hormone-induced rant in the hallway at work directed at such person. No, of course I'm not saying this from experience... so it's a good read and worth the money!
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazonian
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Information
Reviewed in Canada on April 3, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book had a lot of valuable information. I recommend it.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on October 18, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book is amazing. Gives you a lot of food for thought.
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Wendy Caldwell
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Hospital Book
Reviewed in Canada on November 23, 2012
Verified Purchase
This book is great for women planning a hospital birth. It gives you the pros and cons of the interventions used in hospitals today. The references to studies etc. are at the end of the book so you only need to look these up if you are interested. They don't interfere making it easier to read than some other books. The chapters are independant so you can read the ones you are interested in or all of them or refer to a certain procedure when it comes relevant to you. I highly reccommend it.
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mama panda
1.0 out of 5 stars Patronising rubbish.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 25, 2011
Verified Purchase
Patronising rubbish. I am all for natural births if possible but this book makes you feel as if you are a child abuser for even considering an epidural. Really do not recommend this book to anyone. At best it will scare a new mum and at worst will interfere with making sensible decisions about the safe arrival of a baby in an emergency situation as after reading this book a mother or couple may refuse sensible and life saving interventions such as a C-section and risk loosing their baby. My midwife friend who delivers babies at people's homes was shocked too after reading this book. The "thinking woman" knows that the aim of giving birth is the safe arrival of her child in whatever way that is.
7 people found this helpful
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