About this item
Since the original publication of The Birth Partner, partners, friends, relatives, and doulas have relied on Penny Simkins guidance in caring for the new mother, from her last trimester through the early postpartum period.Now fully revised in its fifth edition, The Birth Partner remains the definitive guide to helping a woman through labor and birth, and the essential manual to have at hand during the event. The Birth Partner includes thorough information on:Preparing for labor and knowing when it has begunNormal labor and how to help the woman every step of the wayEpidurals and other medications for laborPitocin and other means, including natural ones, to induce or speed up laborNon-drug techniques for easing labor painCesarean birth and complications that may require itBreastfeeding and newborn careand much more For the partner who wishes to be truly helpful in the birthing room, this book is indispensable.
About the Author
Penny Simkin, PT, is a physical therapist who has specialized in childbirth education and labor support since 1968. She estimates she has prepared over 13,000 women, couples, and siblings for childbirth. She has assisted hundreds of women and couples through childbirth as a doula. She is author or co-author of books for both parents and professionals, including "The Labor Progress Handbook;" "Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide;" "When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Early Sexual Abuse on Childbearing Women;" "The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions," She has developed teaching materials for birth classes and produced several videos for educators, doulas, and families , the latest of which is for siblings-to-be, "There's a Baby." She is co-founder of DONA International (formerly Doulas of North America) and PATTCh (Prevention and Treatment of Traumatic Childbirth) . Currently, she serves on the editorial board of the journal, Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care, and serves on the senior faculty of the Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations at Bastyr University, which was named in her honor. Today, her practice consists of childbirth education, birth counseling, combined with a busy schedule of conferences and workshops. Find out more about Penny at her website: www.pennysimkin.com.
