The Birth Partner is an accessible resource for spouses, partners, and others who accompany an expectant mother through labour and birth, and an essential guide for doulas, midwives, and educators.

Since the original publication of The Birth Partner, new mothers' partners, friends, relatives, and doulas have relied on Penny Simkin's guidance in caring for the new mother from their last trimester through the early postpartum period.

Now fully revised in its fifth edition, The Birth Partner remains the definitive guide to helping a woman through labor and birth, and the essential manual to have at hand during the event. The Birth Partner includes thorough information on:

• Preparing for labor and knowing when it has begun
• Normal labor and how to help the woman every step of the way
• Epidurals and other medications for labor
• Pitocin and other means, including natural ones, to induce or speed up labor
• Non-drug techniques for easing labor pain
• Cesarean birth and complications that may require it
• Breastfeeding and newborn care
• and much more.

For the partner who wishes to be truly helpful in the birthing room, this book is indispensable.