Birth Skills: Proven pain-management techniques for your labour and birth

Description

Even after reading countless pregnancy books I still didn't understand what my labour would be like. All I really knew was it would be painful and scary. Then my obstetrician suggested I take Juju Sundin's birth skills classes. Juju gave me the knowledge to understand my body during labour and taught me about the physiology of pain and how to use her techniques to deal with it. - Sarah Murdoch If you're like most women, you'll go into labour with little knowledge of exactly what your body is doing and why, and how you can actively manage the pain and stay in control while helping your body do what it's designed to. That's where Birth Skills comes in, a step-by-step guide packed with information plus easy-to-learn, proven pain management skills. In Birth Skills, obstetric physiotherapist Juju Sundin shares the techniques she has pioneered over her 30-year career, while Sarah Murdoch takes you on a personal journey of her own labour and birth, describing how she learned the skills in the class then applied them on the big day. Whether it's your first baby or lucky last, you will learn: * how your body works in labour and why * how to turn fear into positive action so you stay in control * how to use movement, breathing, vocalisation, visualisation, keywords and other handy techniques * what to wear, what to take, and what questions to ask * how your partner can help, and working as a team * other women's experiences using Juju's techniques. Birth is all about the bigger picture -- educating and empowering yourself, giving it a try, doing it your way, and a healthy mother and baby. - Juju Sundin

A practising physiotherapist for 35 years in Sydney, JUJU (Julia) SUNDIN conducts labour pain management programs for pregnant women. She has been a principal trainer for the Childbirth Education Association and the Australian Physiotherapy Association, training other health professionals in her cutting-edge methods in dealing with labour, fear and pain. A past Chairperson of the Australian Physiotherapy Association's Women's Health Group, she has been a regular contributor to a range of parenting and women's magazines. Inspired by two difficult birth experiences of her own 30 years ago, Juju is passionate about educating and empowering women during childbirth. She is the mother of two children. SARAH MURDOCH has enjoyed a successful modelling and acting career throughout the world. She has been instrumental in the tremendous success of Australian icon clothing brand, Bonds, working in creative development of the brand. Sarah currently serves as the Patron of the National Breast Cancer.

"I would recommend this book to all of our expectant members as it gives detailed, useful techniques for pain-management in all stages of labor and childbirth that could, in some cases, prevent an unnecessary cesarean birth or help a woman succeed in her VBAC plan." --ICAN-Online.org