The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence

The Official Lamaze Guide helps expectant parents experience childbirth with confidence. In clear, easy-to-understand terms, this book dispels the myths that pregnancy and birth are fraught with risk. Lothian and DeVries offer solidly researched evidence to document that common medical interventions (such as pitocin, epidural block, c-sections, IV fluids, and electronic fetal monitoring) often have the effect of putting both mother and baby at greater risk than an intervention-free or "normal" childbirth. In collaboration with Lamaze International, the authors bring decades of professional and personal experience backed by strong research support their views on preparing women for childbirth.

 

iParenting Media Awards 2006 Excellent Product Winner: Parenting

“What Lamaze offers women isn’t a ‘method’ but rather the confidence to stop worrying and start believing that a woman’s body does birth best, and that every woman deserves patient, gentle, unwavering support through this process. This book gives women something new to ‘expect’ to be amazed at our own power and strength.”

—Jennifer Block, author of "Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care"

“This is a superb book. Though it’s called ‘official,’ it isn’t written in bureaucratic language and isn’t heaped with instructions. It’s humane, funny, tender, down-to-earth and joyful. Essential reading for all pregnant women who seek autonomy in childbirth.”

—Sheila Kitzinger, author of "The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth"

“This book is a wonderful resource that provides information, knowledge, and skills to expectant parents who want to play a central role in their children’s births.”

—Penny Simkin, coauthor of "Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn"

“"The Official Lamaze Guide" is a source of information that women need to have and a message that women need to hear. I think it accomplishes its purpose skillfully and has the potential to be a transformative influence. I hope women read it, absorb it, and begin to celebrate birth!”

—Molly Remer, MSW, CCCE

“Warm and wise, honest yet reassuring, chock full of information, and based on the latest and best research—any pregnant woman who wants a normal birth should put this book on her A list.”

—Henci Goer, author of "The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth"

“At last there is a resource that emphasizes normal birth and increases parents’ confidence. The honest information and reassuring tone of the authors truly get to the heart of women’s fears and allow them to explore those fears in a safe way. The book contains life skills such as communication and negotiation and tells the simple story of birth in a manner that left me in awe. I wish I had been able to share this book with expectant families during my first seventeen years of teaching and being a doula.”

—Ann Grauer, LCCE, CD(DONA), PCD(DONA), past president of DONA International

“"The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence" is one of the rare books today containing an unapologetically woman-centered view of birth.... The authors strongly advocate natural birth.... They emphasize that women’s bodies are beautifully designed to grow, birth, and nurture babies. "The Official Lamaze Guide"...should be in every [pregnant mother’s] hands.”

—Jane Pincus, BA, MAT, MFA, "Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care"

"This is a supurb book. Though it's called 'official, ' it isn't written in bureaucratic language and isn't heaped with instructions. It's humane, funny, tender, down-to-earth and joyful. Essential reading for all pregnant women who seek autonomy in childbirth."--Sheila Kitzinger, author of The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth

"What Lamaze Offers women isn't a 'method' but rather the confidence to stop worrying and start believing that a woman's body does birth best, and that every woman deserves patient, gentle, unwavering support through this process. This book gives women something new to 'expect': to be amazed at our own power and strength."--Jennifer Block, author of Pushed: The Painful Truth Abouth Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care

"What Lamaze offers women isn't a 'method' but rather the confidence to stop worrying and start believing that a woman's body does birth best, and that every woman deserves patient, gentle, unwavering support through this process. This book gives women something new to 'expect' to be amazed at our own power and strength."

--Jennifer Block, author of "Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care"