Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage

Weaving Ancient Wisdom with Modern Knowledge

By: Rachel Reed

Narrated by: Rachel Reed

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

It’s time for a childbirth revolution.

Childbirth has always been, and always will be, a significant rite of passage that transforms a woman into a mother. However, the modern approach to maternity care fails women, families, and care providers with outdated practices that center the needs of institutions rather than individuals.

In this audiobook, Rachel Reed demonstrates how childbirth can be reclaimed to center women and support birth physiology. The audiobook weaves history, science, and research with the experiences of women and care providers to create a holistic, evidence-based framework for understanding birth. It takes the listener on a journey through childbirth physiology and practices and focuses on what can be done to create change one mother at a time, one birth at a time.

Reclaiming childbirth as a rite of passage acknowledges that self-transformation occurs regardless of how the experience unfolds. It recognizes that mothers hold the power and expertise when it comes to birthing their babies. This audiobook encourages women to find their individual pathway through their rite of passage and requires care providers to consider how their actions and interactions influence women’s experiences.

Whether you are a parent, care provider or educator, this audiobook will transform how you think and feel about childbirth.

©2021 Rachel Reed (P)2021 Rachel Reed

Prepared me for my birth and then becoming a doula after!

Every expecting mother/woman should read this book in preparation to have their baby!! So so informational! It also helped me prepare to become a doula!

I want to read it again right now

I loved this book! it is definitely more for "natural-minded" birthers and birth workers, as at times it veers close to the line between "interventions complicate things unnecessarily in most births" and "all medicine is harmful and nature always comes through if you trust it." As a doula who is less crunchy than many others, I bristle as the complete disregard for the place of medicine in pregnancy and birth, but also have complete faith in the natural process unless a complication arises.
my favorite aspect was the blending of biology and anthropology with women's loved experiences. this is so beautiful. I'm going to recommend it to my clients and colleagues!

Must read

I loved how this book explains the evolution and history. I’m planning a natural birth and examples in this book helped me to imagine and live it. Was very touchy and emotional

Very Informative & Easy To Listen To

I enjoyed all the information & history on the beginning. I really appreciate all the information contained in this book. I hope to have a child & will definitely be using all the info from this book.

transformative

As a labor and delivery nurse, I don't personally know physiological birth, but I have always been drawn to respecting the true power of our bodies in the birth world. Thank you Rachel Reed for deepening my understanding about the beauty of childbirth, I will continue to encourage women to explore their power in the birthing stories of all the women I take care of.

Life changing

This book for me is life changing, making our journey a healing and beautiful one. Knowing how birth should unfold, knowing how the story goes of a body, a journey that is so effected by the past and current medical system allowed me to go back to basics. Thank you thank you

Best book on childbirth

This is by far the best book on childbirth I have listened to or read. Super, super useful and informative. I love the author's work.

Great

I really loved this book. I found it helpful while pregnant with my second child. I had a very traumatic first birth. This book helped me examine my fears around birth and start to look forward to my second birth.

For women everywhere

This book is an absolute must! For any Midwife, Birth’s worker, Doula, or woman who is getting ready to go through the birth portal, this book is for you! I received so much knowledge and wisdom from this book that as I go on as a Doula in the Birth world, I can’t wait to go back and reference this book! Thank you so much, Rachel Reed,
and all of the contributors of this book for sharing your knowledge.

Read/ listen to this book!

I’ve been a doula for 19 years and have read a ton of books about childbirth- this book is my new favorite. Rachel beautifully interweaves birth history, birth culture, physiologic birth and western medicine birth culture in an easy and entertaining book. Any birthing person who wants to understand birth today should read/listen to this book. I also enjoyed her voice her reading her own book. Thank you Rachel.