Nancy Bardacke

I read this book a couple of months before giving birth to my fourth child. My first three were unmedicated vaginal births and I used relaxation and breathing techniques to help during childbirth. But I thought maybe reading this would give me some ways to practice, though I didn't think I would learn much new information.

It was really a great book with lots of practical exercises. The author backed up her claims with research and there are annotations for every chapter.

I just gave birth three days ago and definitely used some of the things I learned from this book. Out of four births, it was my second longest labor (about 18 hours), but fastest during transition and pushing stage. I attribute that to the relaxation and meditation I was able to do during the crazy tough part at the end. One thing I took away from the book was focusing on just the moment. When I found myself starting to dread what was coming next, I'd let it go and refocus on just that moment, whether a contraction or the resting of in between.

If I ever am pregnant again, I would love to take the actual class. I could see that the practice in person with an instructor would be even more helpful (especially with the added in accountability).… (altro)