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(More customer reviews)If you're wondering if natural, undrugged, or midwife-supported childbirth is for you, you need look no further than the pages of this book for the definitive answer. If you're already a believer in the non-medicalized approach to childbearing, this book will provide the scientific ammunition you need to answer the challenges of your friends, family and doctor. Henci Goer has assembled a comprehensive array of the latest scientific literature about childbirth, and the amazing thing is that the science is on the side of alternative birthing, both in terms of maternal and neo-natal safety.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities: A Guide to the Medical Literature
Anyone working to improve the childbearing experience and help women avoid unnecessary intervention has encountered numerous obstetric myths or old doctors' tales. And while the evidence in the medical literature may be solidly, often unequivocably, against whatever the doctor said, without access to that evidence, the pregnant woman is quite reasonably going to follow her doctor. This book is an attempt to make the medical literature on a variety of key obstetric issues accessible to people who lack the time, expertise, access, or proximity to a medical library to research concerns on their own. This compact, accurate, yet understandable reference is designed for people without medical training and organized for easy access.
After an introductory chapter giving basic information about the different types of medical studies, how to evaluate them, and some basic statistical concepts, Goer provides chapters on cesarean issues, pregnancy and labor management, and a review of alternative approaches. Each chapter begins with a stated myth, followed by an examination of the reality. Goer then analyzes the mainstream belief, pointing out its fallacies. Then comes a list of significant points gleaned from the studies and keyed to her abstracts. Next is the outline by which the abstracts are grouped. Finally come the numbered abstracts of relevant articles published, in most cases, after 1980. The book concludes with a glossary of medical terms and an index. This compact, accurate, and understandable reference tool is designed for people without medical training as well as care givers.
