When I had my first birth in a hospital, I thought it was what I wanted; I was nervous to do a home birth the first time and I didn’t know that a birth center would be covered by my insurance. I also wasn’t sure that I could make it through a birth without using an epidural.
After I had my daughter and my needs weren’t met by the doctor who “caught” my baby, I KNEW my next birth would be a homebirth. Fast forward three years and here I am 33 weeks pregnant and preparing to have my second baby AT HOME! I chose Fruitful Vine Midwifery as my midwife and Christen Murillo of Doulas of Jacksonville. I am grateful to be able to make this choice, as I know it is the BEST thing I can do for my family.
I received this book as a gift from Fruitful Vine and the title caught my attention, and my hunger, and I was curious to discover what type of content it would include. Thankfully, this book solidified my reasons for choosing a home birth and affirming the empowered and evidenced based birth that I dreamed about. The beauty of choosing a midwife for your pregnancy needs is so much more fulfilling, heartfelt, and client centered.
There are quite a few engaging stories about women’s birth experiences, and I couldn’t even believe some of them were even real; the effects of modern medicine in the labor & delivery world seem to be causing more harm than good in regards to a woman giving birth the way SHE wants to (with all safety precautions taken).
It’s incredible to think of how birth has evolved over the years; especially when it comes to women making the right choices for their birth. This book explains how birth wasn’t always based on the choices of the women birthing, but rather on what the medical field deemed to be profit earning. Then, it evolves to discuss the evidence behind different medical practices still in place today, even though they are outdated and potentially harmful. These include lying on your back to birth, no food or drink during labor, and even forced vaginal exams against the women’s wishes.
The author’s focus for the book is on educating others on the importance of making INFORMED choices during birth based on EVIDENCE. As the book progresses, though, it becomes more of an autobiography about her life track to become an entrepreneur and the reasons why her mission is so important to her and the birthing world (which obviously includes anyone wanting to birth children). It was interesting to hear her story, but I was hoping to hear more about delivery of babies and her evidence behind it – hence the title.
It only took me a few days to read it, as it is written in a conversational tone, so you can most definitely finish it in a weekend! I give it a 3.5/5 stars.
If you’d like to give it a try (and support local bookstores), find the book here: Babies Are Not Pizzas
If you like to order off Amazon, find the book here: Babies are Not Pizzas by Rebecca Dekker