"Pushed" by Jennifer Block Opened my Eyes

When pregnant with my first child, I chose an OB provider because that's what all my friends did and I didn't really know my options. When I started thinking about labor and delivery in my 3rd trimester, I checked out some books from the library, including Pushed by Jennifer Block and Your Best Birth by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein. That's when I realized that with my healthy, low-risk pregnancy and my desire to have a natural, unmedicated childbirth, a surgeon was overkill and a midwife would have been the right choice for me. (I did stick with my OB for the rest of my first pregnancy and was thrilled to get the natural, unmedicated birth I wanted.) When I was pregnant the second time, I found a practice accepted by my insurance that included OB/GYNs and three CNMs. I chose midwifery care and I have been confident from the first prenatal appointment to now (5 weeks postpartum) that this was the best choice for me!