Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah J. Buckley

The reader can easily come out of reading this book feeling like the opportunity to give birth and become a mother is the greatest gift they could receive.

She also acknowledges the path will contain challenges and traumas but a focus on self-care, space, healing and growth with kindness and compassion will serve the whole family. Dr Buckley encourages parents to draw on their instincts, intelligence, heart and mind to make their choices. The latter chapters of the book explore 'gentle mothering' concepts. She also explains common birth interventions and common birthing practices with an in-depth analysis of the research and evaluation of birth choices. It makes the case for ‘undisturbed birth’ where the environment and support provided avoids unnecessary intervention. The book builds on their work by drawing together suggestions for the expectant mother to prepare her body and mind for birth and mothering. She stresses the importance of protecting the space around the birthing woman to optimise their environment and situation to support their body and mind's optimum function during pregnancy, birth and beyond.ĭr Buckley promotes many great books and resources such as those developed by popular childbirth advocates Michel Odent and Ina May Gaskin (who writes the Foreword). She advocates for women to be informed, exercise their right for choice, and be actively involved in decisions around their body. She earns her reader's respect through her confident voice, knowledge of physiology and pharmacology as an MD, (with additional qualifications in obstetrics and family planning), ability to explain what the available research tells us, appreciation of the many aspects of health (including emotional/spiritual/psychological/sexual) and her wisdom as a mother of 4 who practiced what she advocates for and recounts her birth stories.īirth is described as something empowering, energetic, an act of love not unlike making love, and transformational. It doesn’t demand the reader accept all the ideas, but rather to take away what works for them as judged using their “most sensitive criteria'.ĭr Buckley has a beautiful way of explaining the value of and significance of birthing and mothering in a gentle, natural and instinctive way.

It’s for those wanting to know more about their options around childbirth, who want to be informed and make decisions around their body and who are prepared to consider a broader view of the significance of birth.Expectant parents, mothers who are wanting a different birthing experience from their previous birth/s, or professionals interested in supporting expectant or new parents.'Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering: A Doctor's Guide to Natural Childbirth and Gentle Early Parenting Choices' Best for

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah J. Buckley