Rediscovering Birth

For thousands of years women have given birth among people they know in a place they know well. Knowledge is shared between the participants and birth is a social event. In this new, revised edition of her classic book, Sheila Kitzinger explores the universal experience of pregnancy and birth. She looks closely at the place of birth, what is done to help women in childbirth and examines the bond traditionally formed between mothers and midwives.

My Body, My Birth: Rediscovering the Forgotten Knowledge of Delivering a Healthy Baby to the World," celebrates birth as a ceremony and shares insightful methods of traditional care for child birth. My Body, My Birth takes a whole society approach and includes topics on: plants that guide Dra. Ticitl's midwifery journey, traumas, home birth as safe, common discomforts of pregnancy and comfort measures, the lost arts of pregnancy and childbirth such as the importance of a ceremonial fire during childbirth, Indigenous traditional ways of postpartum care, women warrior birth stories, midwives's words of wisdom, and introduces Cihuapahtli Midwifery, the home birth practice of Dra. T'Karima Ticitl, LM, CM, Partera.

Pregnancy and childbirth are not to be feared; they are divinely appointed processes that can be joyful, spiritual, and bring families closer to God. The Gift of Giving Life: Rediscovering the Divine Nature of Pregnancy and Birth offers something that no other pregnancy book has before-a spiritual look at pregnancy and birth by and for LDS women and other women of faith. Through moving stories women in the scriptures, women from early Latter-day Saint history, and dozens of modern mothers, The Gift of Giving Life assures readers that God cares deeply about the entire procreative process. The Gift of Giving Life does not advocate for any one type of birth or approach to prenatal care, rather it intends to unify our families and communities in regard to the sacredness of birth. We also aim to provide you with resources, information, and inspiration that you may not have had access to all in one place before. Topics covered include: constant nourishment, meditation, fear, pain, healing from loss, the physical and spiritual ties between the Atonement and childbirth, the role of the Relief Society in postpartum recovery and more. Birthing women, birth attendants, childbirth educators, and interested readers of all faiths are invited to rediscover within these pages the divinity and gift of giving life.

Fabled in American history, the Scotch-Irish played a principal role in settling the Southern Appalachian Mountains. From the original settlers sprang a culture based on their Old World ways; along with their daily habits, they brought with them a reverence for the King James Bible and the land providing their sustenance. Isolated in mountain pockets, the culture existed on the periphery of mainstream America until the late 20th century. In Rediscovering the South's Celtic Heritage, author Barry Vann explores the roots and branches of America's pioneering Celts, following their influence through the ages to the present day, setting forth the bold theory that the Celts in America form a distinct ethnic group separate from the dominant Anglo-Saxon culture. -- from back cover.

Humanity, argues Michel Odent, stands at a crossroads in the history of childbirth - and the direction we choose to take will have critical consequences. Until recently a woman could not have had a baby without releasing a complex cocktail of ‘love hormones’. In many societies today, most women give birth without relying on the release of such a flow of hormones. Some give birth via caesarean section, while others use drugs that not only block the release of these natural substances, but do not have their beneficial behavioural effects. ‘This unprecedented situation must be considered in terms of civilization’, says Odent, and gives us urgent new reasons to rediscover the basic needs of women in labour. At a time when pleas for the ‘humanization’ of childbirth are fashionable, the author suggests, rather, that we should first accept our ‘mammalian’ condition and give priority to the woman’s need for privacy and to feel secure. The activity of the intellect, the use of language, and many cultural beliefs and rituals - which are all special to humans - are handicaps in the period surrounding birth. Says Odent: ‘To give birth to her baby, the mother needs privacy. She needs to feel unobserved. The newborn baby needs the skin of the mother, the smell of the mother, her breast. These are all needs that we hold in common with the other mammals, but which humans have learned to neglect, to ignore or even deny.” Expectant parents, midwives, doulas, childbirth educators, those involved in public health, and all those interested in the future of humanity, will find this a provocative and visionary book.

This work was published in 1988 under "Discovering Eve: ancient Israelite women in context."

More than 90 years after his death Jacob Riis is still considered a pioneering photographer. He was the first to document the New York slums, publicising in haunting photographs the plight of the urban poor at the height of European immigration to the city. But Riis always maintained that he 'was no good at all as a photographer' and in recent years has been disparaged for racist views and political opportunitism. Here, the complex legacy of Jacob Riis is explored and explained. Illustrated with black and white photographs throughout.

Since the original publication of The Birth Partner, partners, friends, relatives, and doulas have relied on Penny Simkin's guidance in caring for the new mother, from her last trimester through the early postpartum period. Now fully revised in its fifth edition, The Birth Partner remains the definitive guide to helping a woman through labor and birth, and the essential manual to have at hand during the event. The Birth Partner 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 Pitocin and other means, including natural ones, to induce or speed up 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.

Does God call women to serve as equal partners in marriage and as leaders in the church? With careful exegetical work, Lucy Peppiatt considers relevant passages in Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Peter, 1 Timothy, and 1 Corinthians. There she finds a story of God releasing women alongside men into all forms of ministry, leadership, work, and service on the basis of character and gifting, rather than biological sex.