Books and Films

"When I first came across the articles of Dr Robin Fancourt, her book Brainy Babies and the Brainwave Trust - I began to understand how fragile and impressionable young babies brains are... The neuroscience wasn't well defined back then, and most of us were unaware of how important of a baby's first three years...But it is available now.  My intention with Great Fathers is to present this important information in a way that men can really take it in and encourages men to be the best fathers they can be."

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In Home Birth Bound Maggie takes her readers on a journey of discovery about birth in New Zealand – the way it was, the way it is, and the way it should be. Be prepared to be touched emotionally; like a great novel Home Birth Bound has the potential to make you cry and make you angry. This is another welcome book to add to the home birth debate. Written in a clear and readable style it carries with it much passion and warmth from an author who has been through, and challenged, her experiences of hospital and home birth midwife, and mother.

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In the medicalised world of birth that we currently face, many women (and maternity caregivers) seem to have lost touch with the reality that, for the majority of women, giving birth is a natural and healthy part of life that does not require medical interference. A select few of the birthing and midwifery population, however, believe in and trust the natural birthing process. This book is a compilation of the birth stories of these enlightened women. Their positive experiences are shared as a means of informing and inspiring others who are pregnant or contemplating motherhood. Purchase Online here

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This topical new documentary, directed by Brigid Maher, examines a growing shift in the birthing industry: the rise of Caesarean sections. With C-section rates dangerously over 30% in America, are midwives the solution? In recent years, the idea of a “collaborative care” practice where doctors and midwives manage women’s care together has begun to gain traction. Research has demonstrated that collaborative care models produce better outcomes for mother and baby, including fewer C-sections. This moving film provides an intimate lens into how midwives across the country work within and better the hospital system.

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"This is one of the best films of its kind. The photography and film footage of pregnancy and birth is stunning. Deeply affirming, the messages contained within explore the transformations we experience through birth, and what can get in the way of a ‘good’ birth. This is EXACTLY the kind of film to be shown to secondary schools and every antenatal class around the world. There are no scary or traumatic images, but beautiful bold and flowing visions and words. This is a great work of art. I cried and laughed from beginning to end. " Patrick Houser

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In many countries around the world, women are being denied the most basic human right of autonomy over their own bodies. They cannot choose how and where to give birth. In many countries, if a woman wants to have a home birth supported by a midwife, those midwives face criminal prosecution. Some midwives, like Ágnes Geréb in Hungary, are even imprisoned. Freedom for Birth calls for radical reform to the world’s maternity systems so that these Human Rights violations stop and women are afforded real choice as to how and where they give birth

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Executive Producer Ricki Lake and Filmmaker Abby Epstein follow their landmark documentary, The Business of Being Born, with an all-new, four part DVD series that continues their provocative and entertaining exploration of the modern maternity care system. More Business of Being Born, available on November 8th, 2011, offers a practical look at birthing options as well as poignant celebrity birth stories from stars including Alanis Morissette, Gisele Bundchen, Christy Turlington-Burns, Cindy Crawford, Molly Ringwald, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Melissa Joan Hart.

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Foreword by Ina May gaskin Groundbreaking classic of natural childbirth, which started the revolution still going on today. Useful reading for women, pregnant women, mothers, midwives, obstetricians. In an age where birth has often been overtaken by obstetrics, Dr Dick-Read's philosophy is still as fresh as it was when he originally wrote this book. He unpicks every possible root cause of western woman's fear and anxiety in pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding and does so with overwhelming heart and empathy. Essential reading for all mothers-to-be!

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Women are over four times more likely to have a caesarean birth now than they were thirty years ago and eight times more likely than they were fifty years ago. One of the main reasons that the rate is so high is that women are not encouraged to give birth vaginally once they have had a caesarean despite there being no evidence of the benefit of repeat caesareans for mother or child. Aimed at women who have had a caesarean or repeat caesareans, "Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC)" provides suggestions for constructive ways to achieve vaginal birth when this is the right option for mother and baby.

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How did a magnificent rescue operation become such a common way of giving birth? And how safe is it really? Why do some countries have 10 percent caesarean births, and some more than 50 percent?  What are the very first microbes met by a caesarean-born baby? Is it easy to breastfeed after a caesarean? What do mother and baby miss out on by not sharing a vaginal birth? What do we know about the long-term consequences of being born by caesarean and of giving birth by caesarean? What is the future of a civilization born by caesarean?

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Too many women experience birth as nothing more than a routine or painful event. Here is an enlightening book to help women attain the most empowering birth experience possible. Whether choosing to give birth at home, in a hospital, or in a birthing center, Orgasmic Birth provides all the necessary tools and guidance women need to birth on their terms. Featuring amazing stories from mothers and their partners and filled with practical advice and solutions, this one-of-a-kind resource is the next frontier of empowered, intimate childbirth.

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JuJu Sundin has published and lectured extensively in many countries. She has been involved with the design and coordination of post graduate childbirth education courses in both health professional and consumer childbirth classes for many years.  JuJu Sundin believes that even though birth is enormously challenging there is tremendous reward in even trying for a natural birth. And if you need (or choose) some medical assistance, JuJu works with her clients to look upon this as just another option within a range of all options available.

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This is the latest edition of this, now classic, text.  There are a number of revisions that focus on clinical care, with particular emphasis on the latest material on neonatal resuscitation, assisting breech births and dealing with shoulder dystocia, among other additions. Volume II covers fetal and maternal anatomy relevant to labor and birth; the Cardinal Spiraling Movements of Birth (including summaries of all 8 formal positions for vertex, face, brow and breech presentations) attending both straightforward and complex labors, as well as well-baby and high risk newborn support and transport procedures.  

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On a winter night, in a cottage far away from the town, Mum's baby is ready to be born. The midwife arrives and the whole family prepares for the home birth. Written with honesty and warmth by Jenni Overend, whose own children were present at the birth of her youngest son, this moving portrayal celebrates the birth of a baby at home, with joy. This is a book for the whole family to share in preparation for a home birth or the arrival of a new baby. Jenni Overend, who passed away in 2011, lived in a small mountain township with her husband and four children. 

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Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering answers your important question and gives you the information you need to create a safe, satisfying, and gentle start to family life.  Dr Buckley explains, in easy to understand language, the logic, safety and benefits of natural birth and gentle parenting, using the best medical evidence. She also explains the conditions we need to optimize the flow of the “ecstatic hormones” that every woman’s body produces during a natural labour and birth, and that continue to support her during early mothering.

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"Motherhood, and breastfeeding particularly, can be a terribly earnest business and can consequently make for a deathly boring read. So it is refreshing when a writer comes along who can make a ‘how to’ motherhood book lively. Kate Evans is one such writer. Her style is relaxed, chatty and inclusive (not unlike really skilled bloggers), and her book about breastfeeding is both informative and enjoyable to read.  Utterly charming" Blue Milk

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'Bump is delicious and gorgeous and needed in this world. This purposeful and fun book will gently educate, encourage and inspire people everywhere.' –Midwife Evans deftly handles the physical and emotional changes that come with being pregnant, looking at the practicalities of every stage as well as the challenges that may arise. Her no-nonsense, quirky and accessible text is illustrated throughout with detailed artwork to guide the reader through the intricacies of human reproduction, whilst her customary laugh-out-loud cartoons demystify the complexities of pregnancy and birth.

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Janet Balaskas, founder of Active Birth, has been training birth professionals for more than 3 decades, influencing birth education and midwifery practice through out the UK and internationally. This training brings you the most up-to-date information about birth physiology, active birth in practice, and inspirational new teaching methods.The central aim of Active Birth is the empowerment of women, supported by their birth partners and attendants.

                                   

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What you need to know to have the best birth experience for you. Drawing upon her thirty-plus years of experience, Ina May Gaskin, the nation’s leading midwife, shares the benefits and joys of natural childbirth by showing women how to trust in the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a healthy and fulfilling birthing experience. Based on the female-centered Midwifery Model of Care, Ina May’s Guide to Natural Childbirth gives expectant mothers comprehensive information on everything from the all-important mind-body connection to how to give birth without technological intervention.

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Here is the classic book on home birth that introduced a whole generation of women to the concept of natural childbirth. Back again are even more amazing birthing tales, including those from women who were babies in earlier editions and stories about Old Order Amish women attended by the Farm midwives. Also new is information about the safety of techniques routinely used in hospitals during and after birth, information on postpartum depression and maternal death, and recent statistics on births managed by The Farm Midwives.

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Upbeat and informative, Gaskin asserts that the way in which women become mothers is a women's rights issue, and it is perhaps the act that most powerfully exhibits what it is to be instinctually human. Birth Matters is a spirited manifesta showing us how to trust women, value birth, and reconcile modern life with a process as old as our species. Renowned for her practice's exemplary results and low intervention rates, Ina May Gaskin has gained international notoriety for promoting natural birth.

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