The Birth Partner 5th Edition: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Partners, Doulas, and Other Labor Companions Paperback – Illustrated, October 9, 2018

At first when I read this book at 20 some weeks I was kind of overwhelmed by it… however, now that I’m 40 weeks pregnant and I have to make a ton of decisions (whether or not to induce, membrane sweeps, etc) this book is very straightforward and way less overwhelming than multitude of info online. Also, I like the verbiage of “birthing person” and it doesn’t bother me that it’s a little gender neutral. I know a lot of people’s eyes are bleeding over it, and to them I say chill bro lol.

As a new Doula I found this book to be very informative and super helpful. This is a great resource for the whole family as it shares the various stages of pregnancy and good tips and tricks along the way. Overall the books is pretty digestible and easy to follow.As a doula I understand the change of using birthing person vs mother however I know that some mom's are honored by that title and want to feel seen and represented while reading. If you want to read a book that labels you as mother or mom get the 4th edition or any of the previous editions. If you're okay with a shift in language the overall content of the book will be super supportive to any family expecting a new baby.

My husband really enjoyed this book. he found it useful since he is a first time dad.

If you are in the birthing world grab this book! It’s a great read with a wealth of knowledge.

Great for anyone involved in childcare or the birthing profession i.e. birthers, their partners, midwives and doulas alike! I would highly recommend to anyone who is planning for a baby and their support persons

My sister is giving birth at the end of summer. She's the first person I've known really well to be going through pregnancy and giving birth, so aside from what you might 'figure to be so' most of this is new to me. I had no idea it's such a process—and learning that alone I think makes me more sympathetic and helpful to her.Anyway, my goal with the book is to learn what to expect as the pregnancy goes on, how to handle things during the birth, and in general to know enough to be helpful and supportive for her. Kind of like a doula but without the actual training.This book is a great resource. It goes through in quite a lot of detail the different stages of birth, for example, covering what the mother might be feeling, what the birth-partner (father) might be feeling, what the doula might be doing, and what the caregivers might be doing. (At EACH stage.) It has suggested exercises to start now to make the birth easier. Some general advice for the mother.All in all I think it's very helpful. The colored pages to help you find important sections is nice, although there are a LOT so I'll be dog-earing and using bookmarks, and keeping this for reference going forward!The loss of 1 star is my disgust at the 5th edition. I'd borrowed the 4th edition from the library, but after about a chapter I figured I wanted my own copy so I bought one. Perhaps the 5th edition had more useful information, or more concise narratives?Quite the opposite.Instead, someone went through find-and-replace and changed the word 'mother' to "pregnant person" or "laboring person" or "person in labor". Congratulations, all you who were excited to be "mothers", you'll find that word mind-bogglingly sparse in this edition.Aaaand they missed a few places (you'll see a few 'mother' and 'woman' that were spared the purge). So it wasn't like they actually cared about it, more like a cursory gesture toward... whomever might be offended at the word 'mother'? And who is that exactly? Even if you don't consider yourself a 'mother' you understand what the book is talking about, it's not like 'pregnant person' is any better. It just makes it LONGER and less personal.I may have raged quite a bit when I realized this had happened (which was instantly). If I were a first-time mother I would send the book back. Seriously.(I considered it anyway. But I can't figure out how to get the 4th edition so I'll just keep being frustrated.)

This book is one of my required reading resources on my path to become a certified doula. I opted to purchase the most recent edition and was pleased to discover that this edition had been updated to use inclusive language. This book does not assume that the pregnant person identifies as either a woman or a mother, nor that their partner identifies as a male or a father.If you are a pregnant woman married to your baby’s father and have a more traditional family, you will most likely prefer an earlier edition of this book.If you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, or if you will be focusing your care on members of the LGBTQ+ Community, you will likely find appreciation and value in the updated language, or at least in the publisher’s efforts to update the content.I personally felt the reading of this book flowed well, and it was not cumbersome. Great content!

The birth partner dives into many key moments of childbirth, prenatal, and postpartum matters.When reading that this is a complete guide for dads, doula's, labor partners, and professionals it's easy to feel overwhelmed by all the possible knowledge to navigate through yet that's a problem with this guide.The book is written with sectional navigation in mind. The beginning provides the option to navigate sections based on your need and type of partner you are.