Essential reading for birthing people!
Unfortunately we are living in an era of obstetric violence. The majority of births now happen in hospitals where the majority of staff, from OB/GYN's to L&D nurses have NEVER been trained in, much less witnessed natural undisturbed birth. Thus, if you are uneducated about the obstetric model of birth, your odds of having a traumatic painful birth are incredibly high. Cynthia Gabriel, with eloquence, and backed by tons of research and her own life's work as a birth doula, professor of medical anthropology, and mother of 3, explains how to educate yourself and advocate and achieve a natural hospital birth.
I highly recommend this book for all soon to be parents, anyone wishing for a VBAC, for birth professionals. Birth is meant to be rite of passage, don't let it be robbed from you by uncaring providers who are bound by made up and illegal "standards of care," all of which are predicated on a model of risk management. Birth works best when it is undisturbed.
