books

Deliver! A concise guide to helping the woman you love through labor.
This book is a short read – I finished it in about an hour – but is packed with lots of great information for labor support people. It’s very much targeted towards men who are in a romantic relationship with the laboring mom, and so might not be a good choice for a doula, friend or family member supporting the laboring mom. But for those in that type of relationship, this book is very useful.
I particularly liked the very simple approach. They don’t try to go into depth about the why, they focus on the how. The book is full of bullet points and diagrams to help get the points across.
There is excellent information on preparing for birth, including choosing a childbirth class, building a birth team, and writing a birth plan. I am not a huge fan of their advocating for birth “preferences” as I prefer a more assertive Birth Plan of Action, but they do make some very good points on how to write a document should you choose to do that.
In some ways, the book doesn’t meet the needs of dads all that well. In discussing the emotions of labor, they pretty much tell dads to simply “Be The Rock” – they don’t talk about how to stay strong for moms, they don’t suggest a quick chat with the nurse for reassurance, and they don’t discuss how doulas can help dads stay strong.
I also would have liked more information on how to build relationships with and negotiate with the staff. Things like questions that they might ask if they feel unsure about something suggested, etc.
The appendix on common complications is an excellent addition to the book, I think it would be very helpful for parents who pack this book in their birth bags.
Overall, this book would be a good addition to the birth bag for dads who don’t have a lot of time or who want a quick reference. I still would recommend the more thorough and broader book “The Birth Partner” for most uses.