Exhale...
You've just found a unique resource for your childbirth education.
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ART by
ANNA SCHUPACK
10% of the profits from this book sale are donated to organizations that support birth education and birth justice.
Hi I'm Emily,
I know pregnancy is hard work and brings so much added responsibility. I bet what you really need is help getting the laundry done. (Who doesn't?)
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I'm sorry I can't help you with your chores. But I wrote a book to help you learn about your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum adjustment, all within the very real context of our biased and often dysfunctional healthcare system.
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Emily's Birth Book will give you tools to connect to your pregnancy. Learn to cope with birth sensations, support the birth process, handle complications, get ready for postpartum life, and make informed medical decisions.
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Weekly lessons include interactive exericses, meditations and art. Partner inclusive and non-gendered language.
Learn practical skills. Gain confidence. Grow with your baby.
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Hi I'm SHEELA NA GIG,
I help Emily teach this course. I'm very real and very old. And this is SADIE THE SUPER BITCH, she helps Emily too.
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Emily is a birth educator and mother with nearly 30 years of experience helping families navigate the challenges of being pregnant in the U.S.
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Whether you want a hospital or a home birth, Emily’s Birth Book will support you to take responsibility and emotionally prepare for your baby’s arrival.
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Read one chapter per week and take some deep breaths as you adjust and prepare for your new reality: parenthood.
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What is a Conscientious Birth?
A conscientious birth is attained after you use your pregnancy to take responsibility to optimize your outcomes, learn to trust your instincts, and make plans for coping with what you cannot control. In preparation for a conscientious birth you learn about how your body works, what the common routines and interventions are that are used by the care providers to which you have access, and how each of these routines and interventions relate to your personal health history, your culture, and your preferences. There is a lot to learn and a lot of feelings to sort through. Emily's Birth Book will help you. I will be your guide.
Congratulations
on your pregnancy!
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I'm Emily
A childbrith educator, doula ,and a mom for nearly 3 decades. I have written Emily's Birth Book to celebrate your pregnancy, and guide you through the mayhem of the US healthcare system.
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​I have spent my career studying, teaching, and supporting birth. But it's wasn't always like that, I went to college and studied dance, and education. After graduate school in the Netherlands, I returned to the US and worked for years freelancing in the film industry and also teaching nursery school. And then I got pregnant. Wow! I was shocked to learn that I really didn't know much about how my body worked, or what I needed to thrive through pregnancy and birth. And I certainly didn't know how to take responsibility for my healthcare decisions, or that I even should. I thought one went to the doctor and then did what they were told. I assumed the healthcare system had my best interests front and center. I had a lot to learn and I became determined to do what I could to better advocate for myself. Passionately motivated, I began my new life as a birth educator, a doula and a mother. It's been one hell of a ride. And you now have the ability to learn from my experiences. Emily's Birth Book can be your portable mentor; a support throughout your pregnancy. I share stories, ask you questions, present evidence, and encourage you to make your own best decisions.
Take a breath, exhale. Being pregnant brings so much change and often a lot of fears. You're having a baby and that is huge. I have written my book to help you learn from my years of experience.
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I will guide you to reduce unecessary risks.
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I will help you figure out what questions you need to ask so you can take responsibility and participate in your maternity care.
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I will help you and your partner (if you have one) learn together in fun and intimate ways.
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I will guide your support partner(s) to tune into the pregnacy, and take agency of their role during birth.
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I will teach you, in practical terms, what you can do to opitmize your and your baby's health.
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I will teach you time-tested ways to cope with the experience of birth, no matter what you want from your experience.
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Reading Emily's Birth Book will help you take time to emotionally connect to your pregnancy and grow with your baby.
My years as a birth educator have broadened my perspective on how to build birth empowerment and make practical postpartum plans. I have had one cesarean section and one home birth. These very different personal experiences, and those of my clients, have enriched my teaching ability.
Birth Classes
The childbirth course I teach is called the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth Education®, a 12-week course taught by instructors trained and certified by The American Academy of Husband Coached Childbirth®. The organization’s title comes from the title of Dr. Bradley’s book: Husband Coached Childbirth. The inherent bias in this title is not upheld in my book. It is this bias, in part, that helped motivate the writing of my book because all kinds of people can make great parents and support partners!
The Bradley® curriculum acts as a safety net for childbearing that stresses taking responsibility for self-education and focuses on the application of evidence-based labor practices and the integration of the birth partner into the pregnancy, birth, and family life. A Bradley® class covers consumer (healthcare) rights and legal issues, prenatal nutrition, prenatal exercise, anatomy, birth physiology, labor positions and coping techniques, labor complications, interventions, pain management, unexpected birth (when you have to catch the baby yourself), postpartum preparation, postpartum adjustment, and breastfeeding education.
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About my book
I share guidance on optimizing your prenatal health, coping with birth and preparing for postpartum life. I also expose the politics informing birth and the dangers of the capitalistic, biased, and overmedicalized system of maternity care in the United States.
There are other books out there that already cover this information, but they almost never combine the biology and healthcare of birth with its sociopolitical challenges. Likewise, there are books available that are directed specifically at the mother’s experience, while other books are directed at the father’s experience—and with no acknowledgement of same-sex partnerships or gender-neutral identities, etc. By contrast, I wanted to present a book that honored both the gestational parent and the support person(s), regardless of where they are on the gender spectrum, their race, class, age, religion, or political leaning. Moreover, I wanted to create a shared experience for all involved. In short, I envision Emily's Birth Book as a bridge builder, constructed with anecdotes (personal and professional), strung with empirical evidence and data, and bolstered with ample room for you, dear reader(s), to add your own voice(s). Emily’s Birth Book aims to wrap your pregnancy journey in strength, knowledge, creativity, mindfulness, and experience—giving you agency over your own process.
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Reviews
"Emily is a masterful teacher, a wonderful storyteller, and a fierce advocate for birthing people. Sitting with Emily's Birth Book is like sitting with Emily herself, conversing over a cup of tea."
Tisha Graham, CPM
"I love the mix of personal stories with evidence...The format of this book is one that can be integrated into many expectant parents busy life styles. This book can be a tool for an entire pregnancy."
Lisa Preller, CNM
"Emily gave me the tools I needed to ask good questions, and the strength I needed to change providers when the answers I got totally sucked."
Anni Rudegeair, client
More reasons to read Emily's Birth Book
Well-informed choices in maternity care will help ease you into parenthood through a more empowered birth experience. ​
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Realizing your legal rights and how to select and work with your care providers will help you to stay safe and get the care you want.
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Learning to navigate the healthcare system effectively will be a useful skill throughout your life as you take responsibility for your family.
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Learning about your birth will help you to build confidence.
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Cultivating your confidence will help you to trust your instincts, which will in turn help you to make better decisions as you work with your care providers and, later, with your children.
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Disclaimer
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The information included on ConscientiousBirth.com is not intended to take the place of medical/midwifery care. It is a presentation of opinions and ideas bolstered by experience and research. All medical and exercise decisions should be made by individuals in consultation with their healthcare providers. I am an affiliated instructor of the Bradley Method®, developed by The American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®, but have no further connections or associations with the organization. As the author, I specifically disclaim all responsibility for any risk or loss incurred directly or indirectly related to the material on this website or in my book: Emily's Birth Book, Your Guide to a Conscientious Birth