Preparing for a Gentle Birth

An illustrated hands-on guide to the dynamics of the female pelvis for expectant mothers, midwives, and birth professionals - Provides fully illustrated exercises to help the expectant mother prepare her pelvis for birth and gain confidence in her body's innate ability to birth her child - Details the anatomical intricacies of the female pelvis and its capabilities for expansion and return to its original form - Presents movements and positions to ease discomfort, enhance the productivity of contractions, aid the internal expansion of the pelvis, and prevent and treat issues that may arise such as 'failure to progress' The dynamic power of the female pelvis is the key to a gentle birth. Throughout pregnancy, hormones soften the ligaments and joints of the pelvis in preparation for labor, a time when the four bones of the pelvis--the two ilia (hip bones), the coccyx (tailbone), and the sacrum--do their intimate dance of release, rotation, and counter-rotation around the soon-to-be