Every second Wednesday, our blog features a book review as part of our Book Club series! Check here to discover the latest books on topics such as pregnancy, labor, postpartum, and recovery from birth. If you have read the featured book or if you just finished a new and exciting book, please feel free to leave your comments and title suggestions below or email blog@ican-online.org.
Birth Skills: Proven Pain-Management Techniques for Your Labor and Birth
Juju Sundin approaches childbirth by empowering and supporting all women, no matter the type of childbirth they plan or experience. She teaches practical skills for each stage of labor as well as covering reasons and expectations for medical help such as pain medications and cesareans. There is a section for both the first and second stages of labor but also a section on how to apply these skills in proactive ways. Perhaps the most useful chapter for ICAN members is “The Big Picture” – how to gain perspective on an unexpected birth circumstance or unplanned birth choices that overall is respectful and understanding of the myriad emotions a woman experiences after birth.
This book has great visuals, thorough information, and intersperses birth stories of different circumstances with the technical aspects to ensure women are educated and supported through their labor and childbirth process.
I would recommend this book to all of our expectant members as it gives detailed, useful techniques for pain-management in all stages of labor and childbirth that could, in some cases, prevent an unnecessary cesarean birth or help a woman succeed in her VBAC plan.
Reviewer: Amanda Beck, ICAN of Vancouver
Author: Juju Sundin is a physiotherapist who practices labor-pain management programs. She has been a principal trainer for the Childbirth Education Association and the Australian Physiotherapy Association. A past chairperson of the Australian Physiotherapy Association’s Women’s Health Group, she has been a regular contributor to a range of parenting and women’s magazines. Sarah Murdoch is the patron of the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the McDonald College Foundation for Performing Arts, ambassador of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia, and a board director of the Australian Ballet.
Photography Credits: Aga Putra – www.UnSplash.com
