Sheila Kitzinger and others

[ZGT Mummy]

I am starting my course in a couple of weeks, studying to become a childbirth educator. We have a list of required and recommended texts but I am also now on the prowl for any others that may be a great addition to my so far non-existent book collection.

Does anyone have any thoughts on Sheila Kitzinger? She has written so many books and the short description of them sounds good but of course can always be deceiving. Are her books worth getting at some point?

I'm just keeping an eye on TradeMe right now and marking anything that looks interesting and is not too expensive.

Required texts are:
Midwifery - Preparation for Practice
Empowering Women
Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering

Of the recommended texts I've so far decided to get (at the right price):
Joan Donley's Compendium for Healthy Pregnancy and Normal Birth
Bestfeeding - Getting Breastfeeding Right For You
A Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth (available online though so I will just print off)

So does anyone have any suggestions on what would be great books to add to my collection?

Thanks :)

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Strangely enough, some of the oldest texts are the best texts.

But first, since another friend of mine has just been verbally run over by medical people telling her that her breach baby MUST be born by caesarian... here is a compulsory URL for you:

http://www.birthingway.com/footling_breech.htm (http://www.birthingway.com/footling_breech.htm)


Now, as a child birth educator, you just might find that doctors in hospital don't know how to do this, because in today's risk averse society, they are too scared, and frankly, too lacking in confidence to actually work with a natural process. They prefer the drug, slash and sew method, and to flag the more time consuming thought involving, scenario changing unpredictabilities of natural birth. They just don't have the nouse for it, in my opinion. Obstetricians and hospital staff, cannot keep their hands in their pockets and trust the process.

Rant off. Maybe.

The doctor attending another friend of mine who had breech twins, argued with the midwife, who had delivered the first one this way, and manhandled the second one, who now has neck and spinal problems.

And you need to be "educating" you mothers about obstetrician's monuments to stupidity, that thing called immediate clamping of the cord, which is one of the most dangerous practices out, and also, my AIMA paper.

And I can't give you the name of my midwifery texts, because the people who borrowed them five months ago, haven't yet returned them.

have just sent them an email to tell them to get a shove on.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Compulsory DVD: http://www.beyondconformity.co.nz/BlogRetrieve.aspx?BlogID=1598&PostID=28087

[deesalie]

Who are you studying through? I found Leading Antenatal Classes to be great to address the more practical elements of teaching CBE. I have one
Sheila book and it's pretty standard pregnancy & birth stuff. I really enjoyed Unassisted Childbirth by Laura Shanley. It wasn't on our list of required
reading, but it's worth reading anyway. Also Birthing from Within

[gilima]

I also really liked birthing from within and both books by Ina May Gaskin, the older one, spiritual midwifery and the new one, I can't remember right now, something childbirth...:zzz:, I should be sleeping right now....

just, by the way, I delivered my 3rd daughter 13 years ago s a footling breech:righton:
I was lucky that there was still one dr. in the area who did breech births and the hospital still allowed it (my then midwife wouldn't do it at home ) ....I think I was probably the last......they don't do breech births here in Florida anymore....
It was a good birth considering that it was in the hospital etc; and it is so doable, I really don't get what the big deal is, and why dr.'s are not taught how to birth breech babies anymore.....just ridicules!!

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

My two favourite, now they have come back to me:

Elizabeth Davis, "Heart & Hands" Rahima Baldwin, "Special Delivery"

gilima, there are some midwives who still do footling breech births in USA :)

[ZGT Mummy]

Thanks for your suggestions.

Deesalie I'm studying through Aoraki who are the only ones in NZ to provide this course. It is in association with Parents Centre.

Thanks for those links Hilary - that footling breech is amazing!

I will put all those titles on my "to search for at a reasonble price" list :) I already have Spiritual Midwifery on loan from my mentor. I have just bought Bestfeeding and hope to be able to get a couple more titles with my budgeted allowance in the coming week. Not much available on TM at the moment though it seems. Not what I want anyway!

Thanks for your email Hilary. I will read with great interest as I remember in my own antenatal classes not too much mention was made of cord clamping, except to quickly list the options available. I do remember with DS2, even though I had an OB as my LMC, I had written in my birth plan that I did not want the cord to be clamped till after it stopped pulsing. Surprisingly this did actually happen. Perhaps he felt bad about giving me an epidural at 9cm and was trying to make up for it! Of course DD's cord wasn't cut till long after she was born :)

[gilima]

yes, to " special delivery" ...my book finally fell apart it had been read and used by so many people :)
I also loved " the baby catcher " by peggy vincent
mt, I know there are midwives who will deliver footling breech, and the midwife I have had for my last 4 births is one of them :)

there are many others who won't :(