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Since the original publication of The Birth Partner in 1989, new mothers’ mates, friends, and relatives and doulas (professional birth assistants) have relied on Penny Simkin’s guidance in caring for the new mother from the last few weeks of pregnancy through the early postpartum period. Fully revised in its third edition, The Birth Partner remains the definitive guide for preparing to help a woman through childbirth and the essential manual to have at hand during the event.
This completely updated edition includes thorough information on:
Preparing for labor and knowing when it has begun;
Normal labor and how to help the woman every step of the way;
Epidurals and other medications for labor;
Non-drug techniques for easing labor pain;
Cesarean birth and complications that may require it;
Breastfeeding and newborn care;
And much more.
For the partner who wishes to be truly helpful in the birthing room, this book is indispensable.
Penny Simkin, P.T., is a physical therapist, childbirth educator, doula, and birth counselor. She is nationally recognized as a premier authority on childbirth, having helped 9,000 expecting women and birth partners in childbirth and attended hundreds of couples though the birth process. Simkin is a prolific author and serves on more than ten different consultant and editorial boards, including the journal Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care, The International Childbirth Education Association, and The Seattle Midwifery School, where she also provides training for doulas and lectures for the students. She has written myriad books, journal and magazine articles. She is also co-founder of DONA International (formerly Doulas of North America) and The Pacific Association for Labor Support. In addition to providing childbirth education, birth counseling, and labor support, Simkin travels extensively throughout the country, lecturing and presenting at conferences and workshops.
For more information, please visit Simkin’s website at pennysimkin.com
I am a birth doula and recommend various books for them to use for preparation for labor and birth. This is by far the most popular and helpful one according to my clients and their partners. It is clear and concise, intelligent and complete in presenting what partners in labor need to help their laboring partners. Thank you, Penny Simkin for writing this book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 29, 2012
Thorough, readable and a much needed antidote to increasingly medicalized childbirth in the United States.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.fairydustpink89LB
Posted June 24, 2012
I purchased this book and 4 others. This one is definitely my favorite. It explains the birth process in detail and also how to help mom cope and stay focused. It also has chapter outlines that summarize the chapter. It also includes a how-to for an emergency unassisted delivery! My partner won't even read so much as an instruction manual, but he read the outlines and a few other pages I listed for him. With this pregnancy being the first for either of us, I wanted us to be prepared, especially since we're a rather unique case. This is now my birth bible (and I plan on giving it out to all of my friends! I feel more than confident now about my (natural) birth, especially since I can't take any medications due to a kidney disease. Even my partner feels more prepared to do our homebirth! This is the only book I'll ever need for labor!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 1, 2009
This is a great book for the first time dad or significant other. Excellent descriptions and informative information written in layman's terms. A bit dry but not disinteresting.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.KellyQuattlebaum
Posted March 25, 2009
I first read this book when my best friend of 18 years and her husband asked me to be their labor coach. It was a great honor and a life-changing experience. To be involved in a miraculous moment where a couple becomes a family was unforgettable, and I will never forget the joy they experienced as they welcomed their daughter into the world. Of course, given I have not yet experience pregnancy (or birth), I had a lot to learn! And this is where I started.
Penny Simkin's instructive guide, The Birth Partner, is an excellent way for ANYONE to gain insight into the birth process. The book is broken down into 4 parts: Before the Birth, Labor and Birth, The Medical Side of Childbirth, and After the Birth. As a first-timer to the childbirth scene, I found the information in this book easy to understand, yet thorough enough for a detail-oriented person like me.
The Birth Partner will prepare anyone (spouse, partner, friend or parent) to be the calm, supportive, comforting constant the mother-to-be will need throughout the pregnancy, labor and birth process. You will learn what to expect during this process, including:
- Explanation of a Birth Plan
- Supplies you will need for the hospital
- Signs of labor
- Timing contractions
- When you should go to the hospital
- The stages of labor
- Different types of labor (slow, fast, emergency)
- Comfort measures
- How to relieve backaches
- Positions and movements for labor
- Medical procedures, tests, etc.
- Potential problems
- Pain medications (labor both with and without)
- How to handle an emergency delivery if you can't make it to the hospital (a must read!), and much more
Personally, I was happy to know how to handle things in the emergency "It's too late to make it" situation! I think everyone wants to be prepared for this, and this book clearly outlines what to do, including a bulleted list and high-level first aid advice (my favorite bullet: "Catch the baby.")
This book provides clear tables and graphics that make it easy to review and prepare. The graphics in this book are primarily illustrations and are not graphic in nature. Simkin also highlights how you, the mother and the caregiver might feel throughout the process, which encourages you to think ahead and begin to imagine the experience.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who will be involved in the birth of a child. Rest assured, when my husband and I take that next step and start a family of our own, this book will absolutely be required reading!
(NOTE: My review is based on the second edition of this book.)
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Posted June 1, 2012
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Overview
Since the original publication of The Birth Partner in 1989, new mothers’ mates, friends, and relatives and doulas (professional birth assistants) have relied on Penny Simkin’s guidance in caring for the new mother from the last few weeks of pregnancy through the early postpartum period. Fully revised in its third edition, The Birth Partner remains the definitive guide for preparing to help a woman through childbirth and the essential manual to have at hand during the event.
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