PDF How Big is a Placenta Bowl? And Other Weird Questions You'll Ask When Planning a Home Birth Renee Moilanen 9780985376406 Books

Product details Paperback 128 pages Publisher Renee Moilanen (April 12, 2012) Language English ISBN-10 0985376406

How Big is a Placenta Bowl? And Other Weird Questions You'll Ask When Planning a Home Birth Renee Moilanen 9780985376406 Books Reviews

• As a home birth midwife, I liked the premise of the book. Many clients want to understand what home birth is like. However, the author states too many of her biases i.e.
  I like her distinctions between a doula and a midwife (p. 22) as well as her tips for interviewing a midwife (p. 27) but I did not agree with her specific requirements of a midwife (p.29) Not every client needs the most experienced midwife for their birth. Not every state licenses midwives. Not every client wants to needs a CPM, CM or CNM, a lay midwife can be an perfectly acceptable option for some clients. Not every state allows formal backup arrangements (the state of CA, where the author is from and gave birth, requires it, but not every state even allows formal backup). I found her presumptions of a skilled midwife misleading (p.30 and p.31) ("maybe the midwife doesn't do a great job preparing moms for the rigors of childbirth or maybe she doesn't offer enough comfort in labor" - when on page 22 she clearly states that a midwife is not a labor support person or a doula.) I'm so glad that this author had a pretty straight forward and manageable labor and home birth but not everyone does and it's not the mother's fault nor the midwife's fault if labor isn't managemenable and a mom needs to transfer from home to hospital. The author blames herself for feeling pain during childbirth "I wasn't skilled enough to avoid pain" (p43), and didn't know anyone who had given birth on a birth stool (p46). While in CA, a home birthed baby needs to see a pediatrician within 24 hours, that is not the rule in other states.
  I bought 6 of these books at the recommendation of a client with the intention of passing them out to clients but there is too much misleading information for me to share them with anyone.
• This is not, by any means, a bad book. It's informative and brief. That said, it was rather basic and had a bias toward medicalized care. Not what I was looking for, honestly. If you have no idea where to start in home birth research this may be a good jump off, but if you have an inkling of what you're doing or already began researching this probably isn't worth the purchase.
• My wife and I have been thinking about home birth for our first child. This book not only answered questions we had, but also many that hadn't even occurred to us yet. The author clearly knows what she's talking about and her writing style is fun, yet filled with important information. On top of that, the book helped arm us for dealing with our dubious family members who think we've lost our minds for even considering such an idea. Defending home birthing wasn't something I was expecting to do, but now I feel prepared to answer questions. Importantly, Moilanen even advises when NOT to answer questions.
  
  There's nothing magical about home birthing and this book doesn't pretend that there is. It's a clear-eyed look at a very important choice that many families are thinking about. But, like I said, Moilanen keeps the mood light. To be honest, my wife made me read it and I complained for about the first few pages. But as I settled into it, I realized how much i was learning and how much fun I was having.
  
  Moilanen even provides charts on what's legal in every state and a handy check list of things we'll need to buy.
  
  This is a must-buy for any family thinking about having their child at home.
• As an apprentice midwife, mother of 12, doula , Lamaze childbirth educator,and homebirth mother I almost didn't buy this based on the previous midwife's review. I'm so glad I did! What a great, short, concise book on all the hundreds of questions women ask me at a typical prenatal visit! I loved this book and will definitely buy more! This is not a book on why you should homebirth but more practical ; what you need, how typical homebirth prenatal care works, how to deal with other people's comments, etc.
• If you are considering a home birth, especially as a first time mom, this book will run you through some of the more mundane but incredibly important aspects of a home birth. This book does not over glorify home birth, demonize hospital births, or downplay the potential risks involved. It presents the possibilities in a matter of fact way that level headed women will appreciate.
• This is a FANTASTIC resource for someone wanting to learn more about home birth. The length is short (about 100 pages) and information to-the-point. I'm highly satisfied with my purchase and will be recommending this to others researching home birth.
• If you want a homebirth or are just considering it and no nothing, this book is useful. If you are determined and educated and just trying to prepare for you already-decided homebirth, this book is mildly entertaining at best. I enjoyed the anecdotes but I learned nothing I didn't already know - including how big a placenta bowl is.
• We're having a home birth sometime in the next 5 weeks and this book answered a lot of questions for me. My favorite part was the list of supplies we will need. I have highlights and sticky notes all over it. I would definitely recommend this to anyone considering home birth.