Birth Day

A Pediatrician Explores the Science, the History, and the Wonder of Childbirth

By: Mark Sloan MD

Narrated by: Mark Sloan MD

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

"I delivered twenty babies in the summer of 1977. I was hardly more than a baby myself, just turned 24 and starting my third year of medical school." So began Mark Sloan's three-decades-long exploration of the wonders and oddities of human childbirth. Pediatrician, husband, and father, the author has attended nearly 3000 births since that long-ago summer, encountering everything from routine deliveries to tense labor-room dramas.

In Birth Day, Sloan draws on his personal and professional experience to weave the strands of memoir, history, science, and culture into a fascinating and often funny tapestry of this fundamental human passage.

©2009 Mark Sloan (P)2009 Oasis

Artistic Writing

This was super informative and entertaining! I was surprised by the artistic, poetic language Dr. Sloan used to tell various stories, anecdotes, and scientific explanations.

Must listen for new parents!

Loves the book. Dr. Sloan is an expert at giving lots of great details about birth and newborns hidden in interesting stories.

8 hour chat with a great pediatrician, about birth

I love Dr. Sloan (even though he is a breathy audiobook reader). Though personal stories, historical practices, trends around the world and clearly explained current science he explores what childbirth is all about. I think it would be of interest to healthcare providers... as well as expecting parents and grandparents.
It is an honest, yet entertaining overview, full of gentle humor and practical, positive information. He makes no choices for you, but explores ideas from many points of view and leaves you knowing that every parent, situation, child and birth is different, just like the "proverbial snowflake."
So glad I found it.

Humble perspective from an experienced doctor.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I liked the way that Dr. Mark Sloan gives you a glimpse into his own experiences and thought on pregnancy and birth. As a doctor his story of being humbled by the experience of birth was wonderful to hear about.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Birth Day?

I loved all the history of birth in this book. I especially loved the story of who preformed the first the first C-section. There is some really great tidbits of historical information in here.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were a few moments when I felt overwhelmed with the emotions of the birthing stories.

Any additional comments?

Dr. Sloan does a beautiful job of illustrating the evolution of birth.

Great Book - Heavy on the History

This was probably the ninth or 10th book I read while preparing for our first child, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, if you're only going to read one book to prep this probably isn't the one. With all of the specifics I have already encountered in my studies, a historical perspective on childbirth was welcome. It's not that the author doesn't do a superb job of presenting researched-backed, practical information, but it's sprinkled throughout the book, with most coming toward the end.

The parts of the book I enjoyed most as an expectant father were the evolving perspective of the fathers role in childbirth, and the proven benefits of having a female birth coach or doula present for the birth.

Ultimately, I highly recommend this book. However, if you are under the gun for immediately applicable information, this might not be the one for you. The Expectant Father is great starter book for first time dads. Cheers, parents!

everything I wanted to know!

I am a nursing student, not a new mom, and I think Dr Sloan wrote this book just for me. Full of practical, scientific and patient care topics (normal and abnormal) with bonus historical information and medical terminology. He details with personal accounts to illustrate his points and many stories entertain as well. I love the minds of doctors and he sounds like a great one! Loved it! I gave 4 pts for performance because he is somewhat monotone, which works for me but others may find dry. I like authors narrating their own books though!

Great Book- Balanced Approach

Mark Sloan does a great job of exploring issues related to childbirth, including pain relief, interventions, Cesarean, circumcision and more. When it comes to childbirth and related issues, everyone seems to have a point of view. I appreciated Dr. Sloan's balanced approach and scientific exploration of the issues.

Meet the REAL Dr. Mark Sloan

I loved this book! I even plan to listen again! It was informative and funny.