This book is really, really awesome. True, I am a total history nerd. Once, for my birthday, all I wanted was to go to the museum by myself. It was this really cool Titanic exhibit. I wanted to read every single plaque and soak in every bit of fascinating history without being rushed along or worrying about my children. And I did. And it was one of my favorite birthdays ever. But you don't have to be history nerd to love this book. Really, I promise.
One of the reasons why I really liked this book is that it's NOT written by some crazy homebirth fanatic. In fact, it doesn't even promote home birth. Tina Cassidy is a journalist who had a baby, and she ended up unexpectedly having a C-section. After the dust had settled, she was a bit peeved at her doctor and wondered if the C-section had been really necessary. Well, she asked her doctor, what would have happened if this had been 100 years ago? The doctor gave her a horrific answer of the baby being taken out piece by piece. She was shocked. Was that true?
Well, being a journalist, she decided to find out.
This is an amazingly well researched book. She has truly left no stone unturned. I was fascinated as I read about the history of midwives, the coming of age of the medical community, C-sections, and the like.
This book helped push me in the homebirthing direction. But that was my own conclusion. At the end of her book, while acknowledging that stats play into homebirth and midwives' favor, Ms. Cassidy confesses that she still couldn't see herself having a homebirth. And that's what is so great about this book. It simply presents the facts, and every person who reads it walks away with their own conclusions. Herself not converted to homebirth, she is not trying to sway anyone in any direction. The fascinating history that she has unearthed is in itself wonderful, made more authentic by the absence of a hidden agenda on the part of the author.
So what are you waiting for? Get reading!
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