New dad: “after reading this book, I was surprisingly calm and assured about my role in the delivery process.”

Deliver! Books

“Deliver!” has another great, five star review up on Amazon. Nervous about his responsibilities as a birth partner, new dad Gaurav found our book to be a huge help – and a source of reassurance that he could do an excellent job.

He says:

“The information is easy to read, organized well and most importantly practical. The take aways from each section are so subtle that you will feel confident and ready to implement them right away. In short, the book is very effective.”

Like a lot of busy people, Gaurav also appreciated that “Deliver!” gets right to the point, noting:

“You can read it quickly, remember the important points and revisit them anytime. It literally takes you 30 minutes to read it. Most importantly, the book is concise because the content is clear. It has pointers that can actually make a difference in the delivery…

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Short and Sweet – Another 5 Star Review

Deliver! Books

“Loved this book! Short and sweet (enough) to really cover all of the main points you need to know without getting bogged down with info. I may bring it with me to the hospital too! Highly recommend this one.” – Kaitlyn

We are so happy for this new 5 star review as it’s exactly what we designed “Deliver!” to be … something short enough that it would actually get read, full of helpful advice to prepare for labor, and easy to flip through on the big day for tips and advice.  Thanks, Kaitlyn!

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Daily activities for easier births

I was recently doula at two very quick, very straight-forward births in a row. What the births had in common, besides me, was that I’d recommended to both women that they practice the daily exercises outlined by Gail Tully on her fantastic website spinningbabies.com.

In the past, I mostly sent people there if their baby was breech, but I’ve since fallen in love with Gail’s recommendations for daily activities for “easier birth with fetal positioning” as something that nearly everyone should try. The basic idea is that the more lined up a baby is, the easier they will descend and the more pressure will be placed on the cervix, making everything faster and smoother.

Spinning Babies’ logo

As a new doula, I saw lots of people with long, slow, posterior-positioned (i.e. where the baby was facing mom’s back) births. When I started advocating for sitting up straight in the last moth of pregnancy, that number dropped dramatically. With the addition of Gail’s daily exercises, I am hopeful that even more of the moms I work with can have quicker and more straight-forward births.

 

 

 

A physician and his wife have the birth they want with the help of “Deliver!”

Deliver! Books

We have a great new review on our Amazon page:

“I cannot recommend this book enough. It says on the cover: “if you only read one book about childbirth, this is it” and it’s true. I had a vaginal birth after caesarean, in adverse conditions, which went really well. It was in great part due to this book. It was the only book I read, together with my husband. It is wonderful: complete, easy to read, practical and balanced.”
– Julie M

“Julie and Simon’s book gave us a different view about what you can do to support your beloved one when she is in delivery. For me, having a much more technical background, it was a very useful tool, that I truly recommend.”
– Daniel M, M.D.”

Thanks, Daniel and Julie for the wonderful review. When we wrote this book we hoped it would give couples the tools…

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“Deliver!” gets another rave on Amazon: “A must have for partner support in birth!”

“I’d even suggest it for doulas in training.” That means a lot coming from an experienced doula! Thanks!

Deliver! Books

We always appreciate it when our readers take the time to review “Deliver!” on Amazon.com. Here’s one we received just yesterday, titled “A must have for partner support in birth!”

This book is wonderful! Very well written, concise guide with short bullet points of support techniques as well as great illustrations/pictures to follow. Includes easy to read and understand tips and tricks, repeats pertinent information periodically through the book, weaving it together with new information given. It includes information on a typical hospital birth plan outline with suggested points for labor and postpartum, a typical packing list for labor/delivery in a hospital setting. This book is a must have for any pregnant couple wanting partner to be an active participant in the birthing process. I’d even suggest it for doulas in training.

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Virtual Doula

A few months ago a former doula client asked if I could be an “e-mail doula” for a friend of hers. This friend, also named Julie, wanted a VBAC with her second baby but was living in Portugal and didn’t feel like she had much information or support on how to do it. This was a first for me and I was excited to help.

I was introduced virtually to Julie and her husband, Daniel, and we went through several rounds of emailed questions and answers about how they could give Julie the best chance of achieving the birth experience she was hopping for. They were a lovely couple – with lots of motivation and faith in themselves, the process, and God. It was a real pleasure to help them.

Last week I received an email from them with the good news: Julie had successfully delivered a healthy baby boy naturally and without medication. If you have time to read their birth story, it is inspirational and brought tears to my eyes.

Julie and Daniel also read Deliver!, my book about labor support, which seems to have really helped set them up for a positive outcome. Here’s part of what Julie shared with me:

“My husband and I read your book very slowly and carefully and were completely in sync and confident largely due to this. We really can’t thank you enough for your book! And of course your consulting by email. I was able to walk, take a shower and breathe during contractions and didn’t get an epidural… all in a pretty hostile environment, so your chapter on the birth team really helped too.”

I couldn’t be happier since this is the reason we wrote Deliver! in the first place: to help and support couples to find the power to have the kind of birth they want. Congratulations Julie and Daniel on your beautiful, growing family!

A Great GentleBirth Shout Out

Deliver! Books

We recently received an especially nice Facebook shout out from childbirth rock star and founder of the amazing GentleBirth program, Tracy Donegan.

Said Tracy on her personal page: “Brilliant book by Julie Dubrouillet for birth partners!”

GentleBirth is on the cutting edge of brain science, mindfulness, and hypnobirthing for childbirth and beyond. The Gentlebirth philosophy of preparing couples for “a positive birth, as defined by them” fits in beautifully with how we see “Deliver!” helping dads/partners and other labor supporters.

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A Midwife says: “Wonderful book! Recommended by midwives who want Dads to have a postive experience too.”

Deliver! Books

We’re always thrilled to receive new reviews, especially when they come from experts in childbirth. Our latest review is from ‘midwife’ who headlines with: “Wonderful book! Recommended by midwives who want Dads to have a positive experience too.”

Here’s the full review:

Wonderful book for all Dads to be. As a midwife it can be difficult to find books for Dads that are practical, informative and one that really sees Dad as a big part of labor. Supporting your partner in labor is literally the role of a lifetime and this book provides you with the tools to provide meaningful support on that big day. Definitely a must read!

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Want to help your partner experience an unmedicated birth?

Deliver! Books

Julie linked to this Motherly article on our Facebook page a few days back. Author Dr. Michelle Collins suggests three ways in which expecting moms can increase their likelihood of having an unmedicated birth:

• Get educated on what happens during labor and birth.
• Have a plan, but be ready for the unexpected.
• Build a birth team and then trust them.

Those are all great tips and the article’s well worth reading. It’s also aimed at the woman giving birth. But her birth partner can help maximize her chances of giving birth without medication, too.

Laboring mothers are helped most when their birth partners also know what to expect, and what the mom-to-be is hoping will happen. That preparation is what turns him – or her – into a key team member who will be both trusted and treasured for the support they are able to give.

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Remembering that mothers are often birth partners

Deliver! Books

Caroline Bologna over at the Huffington Post reminded us yesterday that mothers are often birth partners and shared some amazing photographs of moms supporting their daughters in labor.

In honor of Mother’s Day, we asked the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers for photos of moms assisting their pregnant daughters through the childbirth experience.

We wrote Deliver! mostly for people who want to support a labor but haven’t been through one themselves. Soon-to-be grandmoms aren’t in that category, of course. But most will also be a fair distance from their own birth experiences – and they were pretty busy at the time. So we hope many labor-supporting mothers-of-new-mothers will find our book helpful, too.

(Photo by Monet Nicole)

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