Journey Into Motherhood: Inspirational Stories of Natural Birth
Sherri L. Menelli, editor

Journey Into Motherhood: Inspirational Stories of Natural Birth Sherri L. Menelli, editor White Heart Publishing, 2005 ISBN 0-9747853-2-6 Paperback, $17.95

Movies and TV shows give us the illusion we’ve seen birth in their dramatic, painful depiction of birth. We are fed the idea that birth is a medical emergency rather than a natural process of life. We are shown that the only way sane women gives birth is fully medicated so she can play cards and crack jokes during labor. We are given images of doctors being the hero of birth rather than the woman who does all the work.

That’s why it’s so important to hear about natural birth. We need to listen to the women describing their births, in homes and in hospitals, as radiant, wondrous and magical. Women are made to give birth- with a few exceptions, we are designed to be strong enough, courageous enough and powerful enough to grow and birth another human being.

Menelli, the editor, shines with passion for sharing birth as a beautiful, empowering experience in this genuine, clear, attractive book. She wants to hear women sharing positive stories rather than the all-too-common horror stories. So she collected 48 stories of natural birth.

Several themes run through these stories – the first, and probably most important, is that all these women trusted their bodies and themselves to be able to birth naturally. They supported their belief through practicing breathing techniques, learning HypnoBirthing, hiring doulas for labor support, using birth tubs and hot water, eating what they wanted and creating a support team of professional, family and friends. Most women in these stories have home-births though there are great examples of powerful hospital births (though the women tend to arrive at the hospital during transition so they are not under hospital car for very long.)

Though the book gets repetitive at times, especially with HypnoBirthing stories, the repetition also reinforces the experience of birth as a miracle. Stories written in hindsight tend to gloss over the really hard parts- I would have like to hear from mothers who started at home but had to be transferred to the hospital or who had babies born with problems. It would have added more real-life texture to the book. Some women who plan for a natural birth are not able to have one but they can still have a positive birth experience.

I would also liked to hear more about how the after-birth was handled, especially in the hospital where they tend to insist on hearing and genetic tests, as well as Vitamin K injections and silver nitrate eye drops. And what kind of breast-feeding support did women get in the hospital? It’s important to share these details so women can be better prepared.

Menelli, a childbirth educator, mother and HypnoBirthing instructor, offers a website with more stories, resources and chat rooms to support her readers (www.journeyintomotherhood.com). Her inspiring enthusiasm shines through all her work and any pregnant women will gain a deeper understanding of how birth can be and is for women here and all over the world.