Best of Both Worlds: Natural Childbirth in a Hospital

Cia Gabriel's New Book - Coming Soon

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: Natural Childbirth in a Hospital

“I believe that there are many women in North America who would benefit

from this book. Many wish to have a natural birth, but are stymied by the

routines of too many hospitals. And yet, they are not confident of having a

home birth. A book such as this could do much to help many women achieve

their goals…I think such a book is long overdue.”

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC

Author

The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers Revised and Updated: The

Most Comprehensive Problem-Solving Guide to Breastfeeding from the

Foremost Expert in North America

Growing Together
Life Learning Center

Passion.

Joy.

Purpose.

Energy.

Growth.

Hospitals – and books about birth – are not meeting the needs of millions of North American
women. Four and a half million women give birth in the United States and Canada each year. Most
of them are not getting the birth experiences that they say they want.

Women have a deep desire to have a satisfying, fulfilling birth experience. And most want
instantaneous access to lifesaving technology. There is no good reason that they should not be
able to have both.

Women want the best of both worlds. They want to respect the body’s natural rhythm of labor and
birth and they want the feeling of safety they associate with hospitals. In North America, achieving
that sense of safety means giving up natural birth more than ninety percent of the time. Hospital
personnel, most of whom literally have no experience with natural birth, justify millions of
unnecessary labor interventions. Currently, no American medical school requires doctors to attend
even one natural birth during their obstetrical rotation.

Overview - continued

Table of Contents

Chapter By Chapter Outline

Please contact us if you would like to receive a sample chapter or have any comments on the
book. Your feedback, thoughts, or any personal experiences that you would like to share are
welcome.

About the Author

Cia Gabriel holds a doctorate in medical anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz
and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan. She gave birth naturally in
2001 and 2004.

As a medical anthropologist, Cia conducts research on the effects of stress during pregnancy with
Dr. Julia Seng and Mickey Sperlich of the University of Michigan. Cynthia focuses on African-
American women’s birth experiences and the stress of discrimination.

Her dissertation research led her to become an expert in what it takes to attain a natural birth. She
took classes in San Francisco from Elizabeth Davis (author of Heart and Hands: A Midwife’s Guide
to Pregnancy and Birth, now in its 4th Edition). In 2000, she spent a year researching childbirth in
Russia. This project was inspired by her conversations with Russian women of all ages and
economic backgrounds who expressed confidence in their ability to give birth naturally in hospitals,
even urban hospitals with the latest Western technology. Cia identified many cultural factors that
can support women’s confidence about birth.

Beginning in 1998, she has attended births as a doula or midwifery assistant to more than 85
women. With a handful of exceptions, these women all achieved natural births in hospital settings.
She has been present at births in California and New York in the United States; in Toronto, Ontario;
and in St. Petersburg and Nizhni Novgorod, Russia.

Cia has given public lectures on birth, parenting and related topics at a variety of universities,
midwifery programs and at national and regional conferences. In Ann Arbor, Cynthia co-founded
the Growing Together Life Learning Center where she teaches childbirth education and parenting
courses. She serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Center for the Childbearing
Year.