Oooh I found out about this book about 2 weeks ago and didnt get it becasue i thought it was too late One of my belly buddies had it but not sure if she used all the techniques although I know she had a "cheat sheet" with all the distraction techniques typed up that Im borrowing- sorry not much help but just wanted to say good luck and and happy reading!!!!
I read an article about her, it seems really good. I love the idea of all the 'shortcuts' - easy to remember little things to help you get through labour.
Birth Skills (Juju Sundin and co-author Sarah Murdoch).
I definatley recommend this book to everyone!
I'd read a few things here and there about JuJu Sundin's birth skill classes and I came across the book yesterday and snapped it up. I have to say I'm already feeling 100% more confident about my labour! It's actually made me look forward to it!
She has some great ideas. I love how she does not deny there will be pain but that "you have to be bigger than the pain" and that the skills are progressive. If one thing is no longer working there are always alternatives to try or add, and the book has opened my eyes to all the options I have before asking for pain medications, which are still available but now way further down the line.
I love how she says to remember the things you do have control over, like what you do with your legs, arms, eyes and breathing. A very handy thing to remember if it feel like its getting beyond my control! I do have the resources, I do have the power! WooHoo!
Monnie, how are you going with the book? Are you practicing anything and do you have any favourites? I have to practice the vocalisation 'Ahhs' as I feel I'd probably hold back a bit but it sounds like this will be one of the big guns to use in labour. The book is also great for DP as it clearly defines everything that he is able to do for me/with me during the birth.
ooooo me tooooo, if you can be bothered... Understand if ur too busy.... I cant get enough reading about Birth/labour etc... Its like im on a constant buzz about it all the time.my email is in my profile too. Sorry if im being rude interupting.
Bigger than the pain is such a great visualisation...
I've also read this book and found it really empowering - sort of like equipping myself with a bunch of tools that I could pull out as needed. Once I finished it, I even went through it again and highlighted all the bits I wanted my DH to know about (theory and strategies) so he wouldn't have to read the whole thing. The best bit is Juju explains the theory/physiology behind each strategy so what might initially sound like a pretty strange/lame strategy actually makes lots of sense.
Now I feel much more confident that I have a bunch of things to try when the pain starts to build, and confident that my DH will also be able to suggest various strategies if/when I start to struggle.
Anyway, my due date is tomorrow and I'm already at 5cm dilation (no painful contractions yet though ), so hopefully I'll be able to give you all an idea of how helpful the Birth Skills are within a few days!
I read this book and found it really useful during the birth of my first child eight weeks ago. The idea of matching the pain and using a new method of pain relief before the pain gets on top of you was really useful. I managed a forceps birth without an epidural and I think I was able to cope a lot better because of some of the techniques I learnt in this book.
Hi,
Just wanted to add that I bought and read this book about 4 weeks before the birth of my 2nd bub 8 weeks ago and I have to say it was invaluable! I used the techniques with great success and felt so in control right through the birth (ok well I started to lose it a bit at 9cm lol). I felt so out of control during my first sons birth so I was amazed at how effective it was to 'get bigger than the pain'. I managed so well that I (and my DH) was shocked when I was told I was 8cm when we got to the hospital. I was sure we had hours to go still because I was managing so well at home. I also thought the section on pushing was great as I felt like i really had no idea how to push effectively as first bub was posterior and I had no urge to push and he was pulled out with the ventouse after 2 hours of ineffective pushing. Anyway, no. 2 took 10 minutes to push out this time with a tiny tear that didn't require stitches (the part in the book about crowning was also great as this was also something I'd not experienced with no. 1). I have to say that I didn't really know what techniques i would want to use until the time came, so just kept them all in mind and wrote up a sheet of things for DH to suggest to me if I appeared to be struggling. I also made DH read the book cover to cover and then sit down and discuss what I thought I might need him to do lol! But he was fantastic during the labour and it really really helped a lot that he understood the techniques. Anyway, I can't reccomend this book enough. I don't know that I would have coped through the labour without it. I think it's definately worth the $$ even if you only have a few weeks to go.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone! I did Jujus birth classes before two labours and it gave me the information I needed to take control of the situation. The first time I ended up having an epidural reluctantly after a day of labour and no progress, but that day was really well managed in terms of pain as my husband and i used all the techniques. The great thing is that because of that I was really confident to have another shot at natural birth the second time around and after a seven hour labour I had my second daugher with no pain relief and feeling really confident and in control of what was happening to my body. I am giving the book to my sister in law. It's just so useful.
I sort of read this book (I admit I skimmed some of it) and liked at least that it added more tricks to my kit. I printed out some photos to prompt visualisations, packed juggling balls, chose music... in the end I didn't use any of it I did manage a drug free labour but mostly following my knowledge of the pelvis opening and breathing from what I learned in The Pink Kit. I would still recommend it though- having more options in my kit that I hadn't turned to yet really helped me feel I could keep going.
I used the "ahhhhh" sound and banging stress balls together and it does work.
In the end after a three day posterior labour, I did have an epidural and forceps but as Juju says if you know you've tried your best, then you can't be disappointed with your labour. I was ecstatic after mine and there is no way I would have lasted as long as I did without those techniques.
Wow, this sounds like an awesome book - I've only just found this thread! Might need to get my hands on it when it's my turn. I did HypnoBirthing, and you can never really have too many tools to get into 'the zone'!!
I have not personally used this book, however I have read it
I found the references to birth and the 'pain' of birth very obstetric
there is discussion in the book as to why the uterus hurts...but the uterus does not hurt, it is not designed to feel pain, the cervix is where the sensations of labor come from
all the talk about the immense pain you will suffer is not empowering it is causing the creation of birth doubt in your mind and increasing your dependence on your care provider in labor
also the talk about stomping your feet to move the adrenaline out of your body...you ought to focus on not getting to the point where you have that much adrenaline, and stamping your feet increases blood flow to your extremities and away from your uterus and your baby
most of the stories in the book are obstetric births
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One of my belly buddies had it but not sure if she used all the techniques although I know she had a "cheat sheet" with all the distraction techniques typed up that Im borrowing- sorry not much help but just wanted to say good luck and and happy reading!!!!
Birth Skills (Juju Sundin and co-author Sarah Murdoch).
I did manage a drug free labour but mostly following my knowledge of the pelvis opening and breathing from what I learned in The Pink Kit. I would still recommend it though- having more options in my kit that I hadn't turned to yet really helped me feel I could keep going.
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