Ecstatic Birth, Nature's Hormonal Blueprint for Labor

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim

I was recently contacted by a doctor who had seen my Saudi Life Motherhood column.  She shared her website address and I discoverd she is an author and advocate for natural birth, mahsa'Allah. 

I was really impressed with her philosophies about birth.  I am honored to make her "virtual acquaintance" and want to share her work with my readers. She offers a free e-book which I'll discuss here.

I hope you'll enjoy discovering her work as much as I have.  Now on to the review...Ecstatic Birth, Nature's Hormonal Blueprint for Labor...

The philosophies introduced in Ecstatic Birth, Nature's Hormonal Blueprint for Labor by Dr. Sarah J. Buckley, are well supported by scientific evidence. 

She refers to birth as a "hormonal orchestration" which ensures the safety of mother and baby if left undisturbed.  She discusses the four major hormonal systems that are active during labor and birth.  Also considered are the adverse consequences medical interventions have on this important natural hormonal balance.

She discusses the way that birth experiences affect mothers and babies life-long and advocates for privacy and mother's own intution for birthing.  She acknowledges the many proven detrimental effects of medicinal pain relief and medical interventions in both short and long term outcomes. 

She beleives in many of the same concepts that I do.  To name just a few:

• Natural, Non-medicated birth
• No medical interventions/interference unless absolutely necessary
• Delayed cord clamping
• Immediate skin-to-skin contact and breast feeding
• The importance of the early bonding period

She backs up her philosophies with relevent research and provides a list of references for her conclusions at the end of the book.  It is a quick read, only about a dozen pages, and well worth the time for anyone seeking the truth about the benefits of non-medicated labor and the risks of medical interventions. 

Her website mentions her other articles and books and covers topics like: 

• Ultrasound in pregnancy: is it safe?
• Prenatal tests for Down syndrome: risks and benefits
• Going overdue- how risky is it?
• Tests for group B strep and diabetes
• The benefits and inbuilt safety of natural birth.
• Is homebirth safe?
• Cesarean: risks and benefits for mothers and babies
• Cord blood banking: is it worth the expense?
• Having a good (and safe) night’s sleep with your baby
• Breastfeeding toddlers and beyond
• Attachment parenting: how it builds your baby’s brain

 You can find out more about her and download her free e-book at:  Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering.