Invaluable guide to home birth that tells you how to deal with nay-sayers (Home Birth: A Practical Guide - Nicky Wesson)

Member Name: worst_trip

Product:	Home Birth: A Practical Guide - Nicky Wesson
Date:	10/11/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Proforma letter and script for phone conversation with (negative-attituded) midwives are highlights

Disadvantages: Not all that much content on the actual giving-birth aspect (covered in other books however)

Although the book "Home Birth - a Practical Guide" is misnamed in a sense because it doesn't actually tell you all that much about the practicalities of giving birth to a baby (it seems clear that as the author, Nicky Wesson has written a whole other book about that aspect of things she didn't want to give too much away in this volume) you'll find there is some mildly relevant information on the bearing-down-and-fetching-water-and-warm-towels aspect of the proceedings over two pages of Chapter 10 - 'the do-it-yourself delivery.' While I can say from recent personal experience that this isn't nearly enough to be of help to you when the midwives haven't arrived at your home birth as yet and the sprog is actually making its way out, Nicky Wesson's book is still one I wouldn't want to have been without while planning my own home-based labour and delivery.

There are 14 chapters, as follows:

1. Introduction
2. History
3. Why women want babies at home
4. Safety
5. Deciding to have your baby at home
6. Obtaining a home birth
7. The high-risk pregnancy
8. Complications of pregnancy
9. The birth
10. Do-it-yourself delivery
11. Problems in labour
12. Problems after birth
13. Death at birth
14. Rest after birth


While the author, obviously, is in favour of home birthing where possible, the tone of the book is overall, quite balanced throughout. While the information and data presented may not be completely impartial, Nicky Wesson manages overall to avoid giving an overly 'rose-tinted' view of the home-birthing process - a feature that makes this book stand out from some of the similar pro-home-birth books I've seen that are currently popular today. The factual information is supported throughout by abundant, up-to-date print and web-based references and resources; there is also a 'further reading' list given at the back of the book as well as abundant 'useful addresses.' So the book is all about helping women to make an informed choice about home birth. The potential worst-case scenario - the death of a mother or baby after birth is also discussed.

Much of the content in this book is given in an other peoples' 'birth stories' format, which on the whole is pretty useful, although there is some overlap in content between the different true-life experiences.

What 'Home Birth - A Practical Guide' is all about really, though, is dealing with negative attitudes to home birth that you may encounter from midwives and other health professionals. This is the real 'meat and bones' of the book. Trying to secure a home-birth on the NHS in Britain in 2009 is a complete post-code lottery; if you are extremely lucky you might find yourself (as it turns out, I do), living in an area very close to a conurbation that contains a high proportion of lentil-eating, farmers' market-visiting, ageing hippy types; thus home-birthing in this particular part of fairly rural Gloucestershire isn't considered to be quite as much of an oddity as it is in most other parts of the country. At the other extreme when I lived in East London, for example, some of the midwives in the hospital where my older daughter was born had literally never seen a 'normal' (ie non-medically-assisted - so non-Cesarian, non-forceps, or ventuose-delivery) birth before - much less attended a woman giving birth in her own home. In such a situation it can be very difficult to obtain 'compliance' from your health-professionals for a home birth.

'Home Birth - A Practical Guide' explains a little about the 'hierarchy' of midwives in the NHS as it currently stands, and, if difficulties in booking a home birth are encountered, tells you who to contact next (in writing - ie. the Supervisor of Midwives for your region) and who to send a copy of the letter to (your MP). It then gives you a proforma letter detailing EXACTLY what you need to say to the Supervisor of Midwives, and then even gives suggestions on what to say to the Supervisor of Midwives on the 'phone when she rings you up to try and dissuade you from booking a home birth.

During my most recent pregnancy I was very lucky indeed to find myself living in a region where my choice to have a home-birth was (eventually) supported by the local community midwives. From previous experience however, I know exactly how intractable these people can be - which is why this time round, I was fully prepared for a fight over this issue. Reading 'Home Birth - A Practical Guide' was a great help in preparing me for this - even though I didn't, in the end, need to use the letter or telephone techniques outlined in the book, it gave me a great deal of confidence to know more about my 'rights' regarding a home birth (such as they are).

The RRP for the book is £8.99 but it's currently selling on Amazon.co.uk for £5.99 new. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone thinking about or considering a home birth.

Summary: Definitely to be recommended for anyone with any interest in the subject