This book helps you throw out the outdated, harmful ideas about childbirth with information, advice and humor. It includes ways to influence your thinking before the birth as well as pages to copy to take with you to the hospital as reminders. It fits well with hypno-birthing and other natural childbirth preparations. There are chapters for labor companions in order for them to be most helpful.

I highly recommend this book!

This book not only made me feel as though childbirth wasn't a 'medical condition' which was a phrase I grew up with, being the daughter of a small town medical practitioner; it convinced me that no matter where I gave birth... in a hospital, at home, or in a rice field.. this was MY experience. Yes it was hard, but it was mine! A lot of the 'birth art' didn't really do it for me and actually howling like a wolf (though I don't remember mention of this in the book) worked a charm. After generations of epidurals, sintocin and emergency c-sections, we've forgotten what 'birthing' really is. May we all gain faith in ourselves as strong women of the world and ease off the 'processing' of our little precious babies.

This is so much more than just a childbirth preparation book & I feel that it will stand the test of time in its universal approach to honoring ones own sacred truths regardless of ones surroundings. The goal after all is not to give birth *in spite of* the machines & "The Man" behind them, but in a graceful, powerful dance *with* them standing by. There really can be a space in which technology meets the sacred, where the tools of the trade are lying in wait & only used when truly necessary.

In case no one has told you: You are the one who gives birth! And, women have been giving birth forever & ever & ever....

Having had a highly interventive first pregnancy, complete with a dozen needless ultrasounds, a failed thirty-two hour induction on my EDD, SROM on September 11, & a coerced Cesarean after twelve hours of labor for no good reason except that I had a slight fever (probably from the epidural) & it was approaching time for my OB to open her office, I wanted desperately to have a vaginal birth after Cesarean, or VBAC, with my second child. After much deliberation, my husband & I agreed that the best way to ensure a VBAC was actually to plan a Homebirth with a skilled Midwife. I didn't like the idea of husband-coached childbirth for myself, so we sought out a method that empowered the woman to take charge of her birth with the husband as a support person. We took a Birthing From Within class with an amazing mentor by the name of Nancy Elfanbaum. It was called "Birthing Again" for couples who had birthed before. We felt that we knew enough about hard labor (Pitocin contractions are simply not natural & I had survived a total of 46 hours of them before!!), but not enough about how to manage the pain without an epidural. Because I had withdrawn so completely in my first labor (I didn't speak with my doula or husband except to say, 'This isn't fair, I'm not getting a break between contractions!' & would not open my eyes), I knew that BIRTHING FROM WITHIN was the book I wanted to read from the title alone! Then to find out that the author, Pam England, had been a Midwife when she had a Cesarean, I just knew in my bones that this book would serve me. Being a spiritually-inclined person (Pagan/Taoist/Unitarian Universalist), the Zen approach & exercises were natural for me. I can see how some could find it challenging to explore some of these ways of thinking (or not-thinking!), but pregnancy & labor are certainly times when our bodies & minds are in a prime state for meditation & exploring our spiritual truths. It is the ideal time to get in touch with ones emotional truths so that they do not overpower us. I feel it is so crucial to explore/debunk the mythology of childbirth in our culture & to challenge the stigma of childbirth as unavoidably painful experience that is best undergone with medications that numb us from the waist down.

Take a weekend to devour this book, then read it again over a few months & do all of the exercises. I implore you to really do them, with your labor support person if possible, as you will find them healing in & of themselves. The lessons are especially important for those who plan to give birth in the hospital. Practice is key here- & if you make the exercises part of your daily work, you really will be able to do them in labor.

Birth art is awesome! It is where it's at for me. I feel that I "know" all the answers to my questions & all I need do is ask them. Getting into my right-brain through art accessed the primordial mother in me who already knows how to give birth in a cave. I feel that BFW helped me do just that. I gave birth without interventions, standing up, to a 10 pound, 8 ounce, 23 inch long boy who was sunny-side-up & wide-eyed at birth. I would surely have been cut in one way or another in the hospital. As it was, I tore a bit, but was able to have my baby on my belly right away, nurse him as soon as he was interested, & eat a pizza pie & chocolate cake!!! I give BFW a great deal of credit not so much for what I learned, but for what I *un-learned* about birth & my body/mind/spirit experience of pain.

I say give this book as a gift to every pregnant woman! It doesn't matter what religious path she walks or if she is an atheist; if she is planning to give birth in a birth center, hospital, hotel room or swimming pool; if she has a husband or a boyfriend or a girlfriend or no one at all to attend her birth. It is about the universal journey of birth, & the importance of creating a sacred space in which one can feel safe & strong.

Honor the sacred, She will not betray you.

I had heard many excellent reviews of this book from my midwive, doula and childbirth educator friends before I finally decided to buy this book.

I really had no idea that this book had such a strong following until I started collecting inspiration and positive birth stories for a book. Most of the stories that I received that weren't from my clients (I had taught another method of chidlbirth) were from women who had either read this book or taken the Birthing from Within classes. They attributed their good/great birth experiences to read this book.

I've spoken to Pam England and the astonishing thing about this book is that she does not nor has not done much marketing - if any. The popularity of this book is only based on word of mouth.

Regardless of the type of childbirth class you attend, I can recommend reading this book.

I love any book that will help women to have a more easier, comfortable birth and a wonderful experience.

Sheri Menelli, childbirth educator, speaker and author of "[...]"

I cannot say enough about this book. I read it and practiced some of the exercises in the book during my last trimester. I went into labor feeling less anxious and even relaxed. I had dealt with my fears beforehand. I had an uneventful labor and then the birth didn't feel very painful even though I was in hard labor for 3 hours. I credit Pa England's book for preparing me emotionally for the birth.

Most birthing books talk about the physical process but don't deal with the emotional process. This is what is unique about "Birthing from Within." I recommend this book to all pregnant women I meet and share stories with.