Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 336
•
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-5381-2157-3 • Paperback • June 2019 • $19.95 • (£14.99)
978-1-5381-2158-0 • eBook • June 2019 • $19.00 • (£14.99)
Megan Davidson, PhD, is a labor and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, and chest/breastfeeding counselor who supports pregnant people and their families without judgment or prescription. She is one of the most experienced doulas in the US, having attended 600 births and supported 1200 families postpartum. Megan has also published essays on the value of doula support, size bias in prenatal care, and body positive pregnancy. She lives and works in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, NY with her husband and two kids.
Preface: My birth story
Introduction: birth like that
Section 1: Where should I give birth?
Chapter 1: Choosing your best birth location
Chapter 2: Giving birth in a hospital
Chapter 3: Giving birth in a birth centerChapter 4: Giving birth at home
Section 2: Building your birth team
Chapter 5: Working with a doctor
Chapter 6: Working with a midwife
Chapter 7: Doula support for your birth
Section 3: Giving birth
Chapter 8: Laboring
Chapter 9: Common interventions during labor & childbirth
Chapter 10: Birth plans & labor coping strategies
Section 4: Inductions, VBACs, twins, and Cesarean births
Chapter 11: Induction of labor: when, why, and what you can do to prepare
Chapter 12: Having a vaginal birth after a Cesarean birth
Chapter 13: Giving birth to twins/multiples
Chapter 14: Cesarean birth
Conclusion: birthing unapologetically
A must-read for birthing people who want to be informed and confident in their choices. Easy and enjoyable to read, Your Birth Plan empowers you to have the best birth for you and your baby. Megan Davidson weaves together birth stories, research, and practical tips so that even the most experienced birth worker will be entertained and educated.
Your Birth Plan is not about any one “right” way to birth, but about discovering your own desires and goals by deeply considering all options and learning how to advocate for your needs.
— Becky Alford, Lead Educator, Doula Trainings International
Megan's book marks a paradigm shift in how we think about, talk about, and plan for childbirth. In this non-judgmental, easily accessible guide to navigating pregnancy and childbirth, Megan interweaves her personal narrative, years of experience as a doula, clients' stories, and concrete resources to give expectant families the tools they need to empower themselves in their birth process. Much like parenting, so much of childbirth is beyond our control. This book moves the conversation away from a focus on getting the birth that you plan and towards having a birth that you feel good about. It makes room for the broad spectrum of experiences and actively de-shames the decisions that we each inevitably make as our babies are being born. Truly, it is a work of social justice that supports women and their families and honors their feelings and experiences. As a psychotherapist and a mother of two, I would wholeheartedly recommend this much-needed resource to clients and friends alike.
— Jessica Slatus, LCSW
Megan was my doula for the birth of my son almost 9 years ago and I'll always be grateful for that! After an idyllic pregnancy, his birth was complicated and took many unexpected turns. The combination of Megan's vast knowledge, warmth, and openness made it possible for me to make myriad decisions and leave what might have been a devastating experience feeling like I had the tools to go forward in a way that was right for me. When I became pregnant with my daughter she was the first person outside my family that I called. I credit her vast knowledge and non-judgmental approach with helping me achieve the circumstances that I wanted for my second birth. I think every woman could benefit from Megan's clear-eyed, generous, evidence-based information as they navigate the emotionally fraught period of pregnancy and the exuberant expectations that accompany childbirth. This is a book I'll give to every friend who tells me she's pregnant!
— Annie Parisse, actor, Law and Order, The Following, Vinyl, Friends From College
Your Birth Plan provides a nonjudgmental voice that guides parents to discovering their own priorities as they navigate the decisions they’ll have to make in the childbearing year. Davidson strives to outline options while including diverse stories of parents actively making those choices.
Control, choice and consent are themes that appear repeatedly in Davidson’s book, Your Birth Plan. Through stories and clear, nonjudgmental language parents are guided through the many decisions they’ll need to make. Rather than being an inventory and checklist, Davidson reminds people to take into account their values, past medical experiences, and feelings about their bodies and empowerment when making choices. Her supportive voice is clear and consistent throughout the text.
Ironically, Your Birth Plan says very little about the piece of paper being submitted to the hospital. Instead it focuses on parent’s journey of self-discovery. Who am I? What is important to me? What should I take into account in making these decisions? YBP encourages puts parents to put themselves in the center of their birth experience, rather than yielding to social or medical pressure to have their birth a particular way.
— Amy L. Gilliland, DONA Approved Doula Trainer; Doula Research Fellow, UW Madison Center for Child and Family Well Being