Birthing in the Spirit
Birthing in the Spirit is about understanding one's inner wisdom, about learning to trust, and about empowerment.  It is much more than a "how-to" book.  Extremely important issues that all pregnant women face such as fears and worries, concerns about pain, questions about medical and non-medical management, body and birth physiology, sleep, support people, and birth environment are all covered along with helpful suggestions and practical methods to help a woman birth her baby.  Birthing in the Spirit opens the world of pregnancy and birth in a unique way that can benefit a woman's health and her full potential to expand her mind, her body, and her spirit.  With each subject, the book interweaves ancient wisdom with modern knowledge of the physiology and psychology of birth in a manner that leads a pregnant woman to a deeper understanding and trust of her own body's knowledge.  Clear examples, beautiful metaphors, and well-studied concepts inspire and move one to a deeper appreciation of the true potential of birth and of the individual.  From detailed descriptions of such areas as how to enlarge one's pelvis, expand one's lungs, relax into and "breathe" and vocalize "the baby out," to release worry and doubt, and achieve a sense of peace and calm, this book encompasses each significant aspect of childbirth.  The key theme in this wonderful book is to discover your true nature, and to tap into the deepest human values such as "Truth, Love, Peace, Right Action, and Nonviolence." Following the wisdom that flows from these values into the birth of a human being takes one into an experience of "happiness and bliss" and ultimately into "an experience of spirit." --Marshall Klaus M.D. and Phyllis Klaus MFT, LCSWWhere was this book when I was pregnant and so fearful of giving birth-as everything in my culture had taught me to be!  How much more wondrous would have been the process of bringing my daughter into the world, and how much we both would have benefited, if only i had read Birthing in the Spirit then!  Cathy Daub takes us on a journey into our self, and it's the journey home.  That's the magic of this book.  This is the journey I would wish for any pregnant woman. --Suzanne Arms, author and journalistAny in depth exploration of human nature is bound to address the issue of transcendental mysteries.  This is why - compared with other books on childbirth - Birthing in the Spirit is a milestone towards a better understanding of human nature.  Michel Odent MD    Issues of a spiritual nature may help or hinder pregnancy, as well as the birth process in any of its aspects.  The birth process itself, if allowed to unfold, can be seen as a spiritual preparation for motherhood.  Birthing in the Spirit discusses the role of spirit in birth in a way that is practical, wise, and eloquent.  Cathy Daub deserves a very large audience for this book.  Ina May Gaskin, CPM    In a groundbreaking publication, Cathy Daub accomplishes in Birthing in the Spirit something that I have not experienced in any other childbirth related book that I have read.  Rather than the how-to format of so many birthing books which often leave readers with the impression that birth is an ordeal that women must endure in order to get that baby that they want so badly, Daub's labor of love truly makes birth feel like a work of art, and an event ties us all together through our one common and timeless experience, birth.  Birthing in the Spirit is as exquisite and unique as birth itself.  This book touched my spirit and I'm sure that whether you are a birthing mother, or someone who works with them, it will touch yours as well.  Mindy Troge, CCE, PCD --Michel Odent MD; Ina May Gaskin CPM, Mindy Troge CCE,PCD