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A Good Birth: Finding the Positive and Profound in Your Childbirth Experience Paperback – July 1, 2014

by Anne Lyerly (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 44 ratings
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Drawing on her landmark study involving more than one hundred mothers, a renowned ob-gyn shares the secrets to a good birth.

Most doctors think of a “good” birth only in terms of medical success. But Dr. Anne Lyerly knows firsthand that many important elements are often overlooked. Her three-year study of a diverse group of moms explored what matters most to women during childbirth. The results, presented to the public for the first time in A Good Birth, show what really matters goes beyond the clinical outcome or even the usual questions of hospital versus birthing center, and reveal universal needs of women, like the importance of feeling connected, safe, and respected.
 
The book’s wisdom is drawn from in-depth interviews with women with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences, and whose birth stories range from quick and simple to complicated and frightening. Describing what went well, what didn’t, and what they’d do differently next time, these mothers give voice to the complete experience of childbirth, helping both women and their healthcare providers develop strategies to address the emotional needs of the mother, going beyond the standard birth plans and conversations. Transcending the “medical” versus “natural” childbirth debate, A Good Birth turns our attention to the crucial question of what makes the best birth possible.
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  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 1, 2014
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.72 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1583335498
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1583335499
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Laced with heartfelt anecdotes and compelling stories . . . Lyerly writes with candor and humility."
—The Boston Globe

"Comforting and informational . . . Positive, sympathetic and diverse perspectives for past, present and future mothers-to-be."
—Kirkus Reviews
 
"A Good Birth is like no other book in the pregnancy and birthing literature. Annie Lyerly’s beautiful prose helps all of us understand what we each should do, and expect of one another, to make every birth a good birth."
—Ruth R. Faden, PhD, MPH, Philip Franklin Wagley Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics
 
"A Good Birth radically repositions our understanding of what makes childbirth valuable and meaningful to women."
—Elena Gates, MD, Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
 
"A winning and impressive mix of research, insight and personal experience that will be a vital resource both to delivering women and those who attend their births."
—Jeffrey L. Ecker, M.D., Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School
 
"A Good Birth is a refreshing addition to research on how women who have given birth ultimately perceive and describe their experience."
—Kitty Ernst, CNM, MPH, Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery, Frontier Nursing University

About the Author

Anne Drapkin Lyerly, M.D., M.A., is a Professor in the departments of Social Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology and Associate Director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband and five children.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Publishing Group; Reprint edition (July 1, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1583335498
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1583335499
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.72 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 44 ratings

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  1. Anne Lyerly

    Anne Lyerly

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    Anne Drapkin Lyerly, MD is the author of A Good Birth: Finding the Positive and Profound in Your Childbirth Experience. She is also an obstetrician, an Associate Professor of Social Medicine and the Associate Director of the Center for Bioethics at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Widely considered to be an expert in women's health, she lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with her husband Kim and their four boys.

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  2. Anne Drapkin Lyerly

    Anne Drapkin Lyerly

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
44 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ariel W.
5.0 out of 5 stars I wish everyone would read this!
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
I am an L&D nurse and checked this book out of the local library just to expand my perspective to help enhance my patients’ experiences and I liked it so much I purchased a copy to loan out to friends and coworkers. I’m recommending it to every pregnant person I know. I really think this book would help a person giving birth to organize their thoughts about what they want from their birth experience and communicate their priorities to their partner and care team. As a care team member, I’m using this book’s advice to help me have these conversations with the families I work with so we can all be on the same page and help create positive memories even under adverse medical circumstances. So so helpful!
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GardeningGranny
5.0 out of 5 stars A good birth is our birthright!
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2013
Verified Purchase
Dr. Lyerly does a fine job of distilling the elements that women define as essential to a good birth. Her style is conversational, inviting the reader to sit down with her over a cup of tea to chat about birth experiences. I've had the pleasure and honor of knowing and working with Dr. Lyerly from her days as a resident; she radiates caring and compassion. Our own experiences may not have allowed us to understand the complexities of decision making in the obstetrical arena. Dr. Lyerly does a fine job of helping us learn about decisions that have to be made, which may be very distressing to us. I hope reading this book will help assuage the guilt that so many of us feel because we "failed" to deliver in the manner we had hoped and planned. My prayer is that those involved in birthing become aware of and thoughtful about the wisdom contained in this book. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could think of ours as good births? Thank you, Annie.
2 people found this helpful
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Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
very helpful
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Julia May
5.0 out of 5 stars This gave me so much more confidence.
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
A friend recommended this, and it was just what I needed. Lyerly discusses different aspects of mother's choices in childbirth with expertise, but more importantly with respect. She explains many options and consequences without judgment and uses direct quotes from the women and medical personnel she interviewed. Because I read this book, I was able to make choices in the moment without being afraid that I had to deviate from the original "plan." I fully credit this book for the fact that I walked out of the hospital with no guilt whatsoever. Thank goodness for Lyerly and for respectful, caring medical personnel.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for every expectant parent and provider.
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2013
Verified Purchase
Well thought and balanced view on birth practices in USA. Throughout the book I couldn't stop thinking "I wish you were my doctor/midwife" when I had my children. Loved her insight and love for women/babies. The book brought much validation for my own grieving of the good birth I have missed in both of my labors and answered many research questions I had about the biopsychosocial loss some women experience after a negative childbirth experience.
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Eileen F. Jones
3.0 out of 5 stars There are gems hidden in this book
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2022
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From a Doula in training

Overall the book was NOT easy to read. There were unnecessarily complex words and it didn’t have flow. I found myself reading parts of it over and over to trace the thought. The writing style is very unique, and didn’t work for me.

There are some good gems of information and phrases that help you wrap your head around the grand concepts of birth. You will need patience and curiosity to get thorough this book. You may need to be pregnant and/or have given birth to be able to enjoy this book.
One person found this helpful
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Eclairek
5.0 out of 5 stars Good for expecting moms
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
Very helpful as a second time mom thinking about what I want from a birth experience. Well written and relatable, lots of useful anecdotes.
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Ever
2.0 out of 5 stars Touts medical birth with limited perspective on unmedicated birth.
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
All ways of birthing are beautiful, meaningful, and should be treated equally with respect. However, in validating the experiences of women who experienced instrumental delivery/cesarean, the author seems to invalidate those experiences shared by women who birthed without any interventions/pain medications. I was led to believe that this book transcended the "war" between midwifery and obstetrics, however it seemed to me that the author displayed a bias towards hospital care. The women's stories are the only part of the book I enjoyed, but even still the way they are tied together passively implies that medicated birth is the best choice for all women, which is in complete opposition to what I have experienced intuitively, and through hours and hours of reading evidence-based trials and natural birth stories. I see from the reviews that this book has helped women overcome shame/guilt relating to their birth experiences, and that is wonderful. To me however, I experienced more frustration than anything else.
4 people found this helpful
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