Water Birth: A Midwife's Perspective
Childbirth underwater, or water birth, recently gained widespread acceptance throughout the world, although early proponents in the Soviet Union began experimenting with the process in the 1960s. Napierala, a midwife experienced at attending both home and water births, covers in some detail the origins of labor and delivery underwater, the benefits that submersion provides mother and infant, its advantages in comparison with other birthing options, and prenatal preparations for childbirth in general and water birth in particular. She also advises on such matters as construction and maintenance of a water tank, first- and second-stage labor in water--including complications and contraindications--and postpartum recovery. Her final chapter presents birth stories, and she inserts accounts of her own experiences throughout the text. Her serious, empathic tone suits the contents, helping make the book a readable REVIEWof a viable but not widely understood alternative to traditional in-hospital childbirth.Kathryn Carpenter