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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 618.2
EAN num: 9781587612213
ISBN number: 1587612216
Label: Celestial Arts
Manufacturer: Celestial Arts
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 312
Printing Date: 2004-11
Publishing house: Celestial Arts
Sale Popularity Level: 30613
Studio: Celestial Arts
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Product Description:
A midwife's guide to pregnancy and birth which shows compassionate sensitivity to women's needs in pregnancy and childbirth.
Amazon.com Review:
Elizabeth Davis's Heart and Hands, though subtitled A Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy and Birth, is not just for midwives. It's an excellent and thorough resource for parents-to-be who are thinking about delivering their child with a midwife, or who are concerned about the medical establishment's over-control of birth. (Two previous editions sold more than 100,000 copies and there are nowhere near 100,000 midwives or midwifery students to buy this book, proving that parents-to-be have looked to this resource for options.)
Completely updated in the third edition, Heart and Hands is a practical guide, textbook, and reference that is both hands- and hearts-on. Davis, a long-time, well-known midwife, gives how-to details on all aspects of midwifery practice, including prenatal care, problems in pregnancy, assisting at births, labor complications (including a devastating and beautiful description of a stillbirth by midwife Shannon Anton), and caring for the entire family postpartum. Each chapter has a special section 'for parents,' but expectant parents can use all of Heart and Hands to get as much knowledge as possible about their upcoming experience.
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Rated by buyers 
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I am currently taking the Heart & Hands course offered by the author, Elizabeth Davis, who is a HUGE wealth of knowledge and has been a huge advocate for modern midwifery care in California and the USA. In contrast to most pregnancy/birth books whose target audience is the pregnant mother, Heart & Hands is a resource specifically designed for the birth-worker. The information is presented clearly and is up to date and Davis includes real-life stories of her former clients - which make the book seem less like a textbook, easier to read, and give examples of how situations come up in real life. In the past with textbooks for birth professionals I have found that sometimes the language gets very medicalized. I appreciate that Davis uses proper terminology, but at the same time, the reader does not need a medical dictionary in order to get through a paragraph.
I supposed I wish there could have been more information on screening clients and more on the business aspects of running a midwifery practice and protecting yourself from litigation. There are sections for both those topics, but I wish there was more. Maybe in the subsequent revision? One other section that I think was missing was working with clients who have been victims of sexual abuse. It was mentioned in the book but I wish there could have been more. In the USA, one in three women has been sexually victimized at some point in her life - so addressing how to help her cope with any unresolved feeling, and even learning ways to make her feel more in control and safe during labor should be addressed. Obviously this topic is huge and would need to take up significant space in the book, which is perhaps why it was limited.
Hands down, the section on pelvimitry was the most significant thing I learned. There is a huge misconception that smaller framed women don't have enough room in their pelvis so they "must" have a c-section. This section dispelled that misunderstanding about the female pelvis and how it relates to the birth process. As a doula/midwife, being able to comfort your client by telling them that they DO have enough room - and backing up that statement with anatomical knowledge - can help her to find the courage and confidence within herself to not give up her hopes for a vaginal birth.
Overall, I love this book. I think it is essential for any midwife, from the beginner to the seasoned pro. The information is clear, accurate and not intimidating at all. Elizabeth Davis is an amazing teacher and also an amazing writer! I hope she comes out with many more books!
Rated by buyers 
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This book was a little too in-depth for the average reader, but was excellent for practical information and training purposes. I found it worked best as a resource rather than a study item. The author was knowledgeable and communicated well.
Rated by buyers -
This reader has an issue with a woman's whole body. In many birth books all you see is from the wasit down like the woman is not a whole person. When we focus on the whole picture (a womans torso, breasts and FACE!) we remember this isn't a birthing machine that needs fixing; this is a person, a woman, a mother.
Rated by buyers -
I would recommend this book to anyone pursuing a natural birth. It helped me to understand many of the things that my midwife did, as well as to have faith in the strength of my body. Reading this before labor helped me to make it through 20 hours of back labor without even so much as an aspirin. I would highly recommend this book to parents-to-be!
Rated by buyers 
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While certain anatomical photos are certainly necessary to help explain birth, this book goes way beyond medical visuals and seems to have gone out of its way to include pictures that border on pornography. There's even diagrams that were amended to include "details" clearly not necessary to serve as an effective visual aid. Moreover, why it is necessary to have so many waistup shots of women's breasts and pretty blatnat ones to boot when a baby comes out of the body waist below is beyond on us. We tried at very first to ignore the pictures and read the book, but it just got so obscenre for us, we shelved it with plans to throw it away. Men buying Penthouse will definitely like this book!
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