This book will help you understand the benefits for mothers and babies of a normal physiological birth and provide the insights you need to attempt normal birth in our high-intervention era.

The easy, trusted way to develop a birth plan As an expectant mother and parent, navigating all of the information and options for labor and delivery can be cumbersome and confusing. Birth Plans For Dummies, is the ultimate resource guide to help you understand, develop, and implement a plan for the birth of your baby. A birth plan is a communication tool for expectant mothers and those involved in the delivery of a child. The plan explains the mother's preferences for labor and delivery and eliminates any confusion. There are a wide variety of methods, strategies, and techniques available to pregnant women preparing for delivery—and this hands-on, friendly guide covers them all. Covers choosing the setting and method that best fits the mothers needs and wishes Informs expectant parents about the numerous pain management and labor intervention options Provides instruction on developing and writing a birth plan and putting it into action If you are an expectant mother or parent looking for a guide to help develop a plan for the birth of your child, then Birth Plans For Dummies is the perfect book for you.

There is no right way or best way to give birth, but if you’re pregnant, you’re likely already hearing advice and stories about what you should do, how you should feel, and what you should want from your birth experience. Your Birth Plan is an intervention: it’s a birth book that equally honors all paths and all pregnant people, guiding and empowering you to make informed decisions, without judgment or prescription, for your own positive birth experience. Long on information, short on opinions, Your Birth Plan is a how-to guide filled with practical descriptions, insights, stories and tips to make it easier for you to pick where, with whom, and in what way you would like to give birth. Your Birth Plan is comprehensive and free from judgment and prescriptions. It offers unbiased information about all birthing options, including birthing in a hospital, at home, or in a birthing center; having an epidural or an unmedicated birth; induction of labor; vaginal or Cesarean birth; and more. This is a new, inspiring, inclusive, and much-needed guide to help you plan for a birth where you are empowered to make your own choices and to have your needs met, whatever they are.

Midwives say The Birth Map is "the best birth plan they have ever seen, and we wish more women would do this". Partners welcome the 'if this, then that' approach to support, and report the process helps them to feel included and less stressed. Others have described it as Revolutionary. Birth Mapping is about communication, understanding and preparation. Birth Mapping provides a personalised, realistic and reassuring foundation for this important life event.THE BIRTH MAP takes you through the Informed Birth Preparation process, helping you to understand and determine the decision points in birth and prepare for life with a baby.What is inside?Informed Decision Makingwhat to expect from standard pregnancy careCreating your Birth MapGeneral Considerations for birth, each stage of labour, caesarean, post birthExample mapspace to summarise your informed decisionsBeyond the Birth - what do you really need, what is normal?A glossary of medical termsRecommended Resources and Support Services for special circumstances.There is more to this book than meets the eye. A wealth of resources and support is made available to you, in the free member area on Catherine Bell's website. An optional monthly newsletter keeps you up to date. Catherine created this space as an alternative to social media: free of trolls and data mining, full of evidenced based information and genuine support. This is Your Birth. Your Way. No Matter What.

With Mindful Birthing, Nancy Bardacke, nurse-midwife and mindfulness teacher, lays out her innovative program for pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond. Drawing on groundbreaking research in neuroscience, mindfulness meditation, and mind/body medicine, Bardacke offers practices that will help you find calm and ease during this life-changing time, providing lifelong skills for healthy living and wise parenting. SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF MINDFUL BIRTHING: Increases confidence and decreases fear of childbirth Taps into deep inner resources for working with pain Improves couple communication, connection, and cooperation Provides stress-reducing skills for greater joy and wellbeing

‘Marie Louise is a dream come true for any parent with her uncanny ability to simplify the most important and complicated questions’ Emma Bunton, co-founder of Kit and Kin Whether you are planning for a baby, just found out you are pregnant or well into your third trimester, this book will help you to feel confident, informed and inspired about your exciting journey ahead. Through years of work with families, Senior Midwife Marie Louise reveals the key things that will make the biggest, most positive difference to you and your baby as you navigate these life-changing months. As well as this, Marie Louise is renowned for bringing complex science to life. You’ll discover fascinating facts that underpin everything you and your baby will go through, including - - How your nervous system is synced with your baby and why baby already knows a lot about you when they are born - The unique process your baby goes through to pass through the birth canal and how you work together in labour - Incredible facts about breast milk Packed with the most up-to-date findings and expert insights, you'll find everything you need to prepare for motherhood and, most importantly, understand and appreciate just how amazing you and your baby both are!