Amid climbing cesarean rates and other national and worldwide debates in maternal health care, the doula movement -- giving birth with a professional labor assistant -- has been taking hold as a way for pregnant women to regain more control over their birthing experience. THE DOULA GUIDE TO BIRTH: SECRETS EVERY PREGNANT WOMAN SHOULD KNOW by senior-level doula, Ananda Lowe, and award-winning health writer Rachel Zimmerman, is a definitive and comprehensive resource for women contemplating using a doula to give birth. THE DOULA GUIDE TO BIRTH will be published as a Bantam Trade Paperback Original on May 19, 2009.

A doula provides continuous physical, emotional and psychological support to a woman before, during and just after childbirth. In THE DOULA GUIDE TO BIRTH, Lowe and Zimmerman demystify the role of a doula and explain in detail the remarkable results seen in the labor room, and why women often choose this option, such as: fewer cesareans, a less-painful natural birth, shorter labor and more.

This book has something for every expectant mother -- not just those who are interested in using doulas. Women who choose a more traditional birth plan can benefit from the doula wisdom by adhering to the suggestions and techniques offered by these experts. The result: a more empowered and harmonious birth experience.

Drawing on Lowe's years of experience and the experiences of women who have used doulas, the THE DOULA GUIDE TO BIRTH provides crucial information on:

 
THE DOULA GUIDE TO BIRTH is an essential read for any woman who is looking for wisdom and invaluable advice from one of the most experienced leaders in the doula movement. 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Ananda Lowe has been a leader in the doula movement since 1995. For seven years, she served as assistant director of the Associate of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators, which conducts the oldest national birth doula training program. She has worked with prominent doulas and medical professionals as well as hundreds of mothers across North America. She lives in the Boston area.

 

Rachel Zimmerman has been a journalist for two decades, writing for publications including the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and Slate. She spent ten years as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, most of the time covering health and medicine. She has been the recipient of numerous awards from the Society for Professional Journalists. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband and two daughters, each of whom was born with the help of a doula. 

Advance Praise for THE DOULA GUIDE TO BIRTH:

"Ananda Lowe and Rachel Zimmerman are the perfect duo to bring The Doula Guide to Birth into life...an encouraging, informative and dynamic book for every pregnant woman to devour...Real advice from real women who have real experience, a passion for birth and a doula's heart for helping all families have great beginnings. Thank you for giving the world this gift."
--Barbara Harper, RN, Founder/Director, Waterbirth International, and author of Gentle Birth Choices

"Every expectant mother deserves access to the information, wisdom, and support so lovingly and masterfully offered in this book. If I could give every mother-to-be a gift it would be The Doula Guide to Birth because reading it will give them some of the experience of how it feels to be lovingly supported by a doula"
--Pam Leo, author of Connecting Parenting

"Throughout history doulas have been an important link to help women through labor and the bleary-eyed days of postpartum. Finally, a resource that clearly and convincingly explains the science and the common sense of why we need doulas today more than ever. An excellent book!"
--Tina Cassidy, author of Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born

 

 

THE DOULA GUIDE TO BIRTH
Secrets Every Pregnant Woman Should Know
By Ananda Lowe & Rachel Zimmerman/ A Bantam Trade Paperback Original
May 19, 2009
Price: $17.00/Pages: 304 /ISBN: 978-0-553-38526-7