It's clear that the book is writen for professionals because of the jargon, and in my opinion every professional should read it! I am on my way to become a doula and unfortunately this book is not on the required reading list, I think it should be. It is an important tool for when labor doesn't progress 'as it should', and offers options and ideas to try before the drugs and machines are introduced to speed up labor are introduced.

Having labored with three babies who presented posterior and caused long hard labors, I have looked for information after each one. After the second baby delivered posterior, and I became pregnant with my third, I came across this book. Reading it two or three times before my delivery, I had it almost memorized and used a lot of the suggestions from it. The third delivery (thanks to help from this book and my doctor) we were able to turn the baby. I can't credit the book entirely since my doctor had to manually turn the baby's head, but I do think the positioning and activities the book suggested were half the victory. I wish all birth professionals would read and reread the book.

This book should be on the recommended reading list for all doula training programs! In a clear, concise, and thoughtful way, Penny explains what makes labor progress, how to recognize labor progress, and how to help with labor progress. My copy is always in my birth bag. I have used it at several births for various reasons, and have always found it to be helpful, with reminders or even just to reaffirm that I've done everything possible. I recommend this book for anyone in the childbirth field and for expectant couples as well!

Every once in awhile, a book on childbirth comes along that is a standout. The Labor Progress Handbook is one of those books, but what else would one expect from Penny Simkin and Ruth Ancheta? The authors have produced a lucid, logical, beautifully organized, clearly written, bounteously illustrated, meticulously documented book that gives birth professionals a systematic, practical basis to prevent, diagnose, and treat poor progress in labor. Approaching dystocia holistically, the authors consider the effects of the woman's emotional state, her environment, and the impact of hospital or caregiver policies and attitudes in addition to the standard "powers, passage, passenger" explanation for labor progress. And they are woman centered: the laboring woman is the active agent in resolving difficulties, and the unacceptability of a recommendation always contraindicates its use. If you teach about labor, care for laboring women, or work as a doula or birth assistant, you should--no, must--read this book.

This deceptively slim book is jam-packed with useful information that can be used by just about anyone involved in childbirth today. I have recommended it be added as a textbook to the midwifery program where I teach, and I am planning to purchase a copy for the nursing station of the hospital where I work. The illustrations are very informative, the text is well organized, and the suggestions are well-documented both from research and from anecdotal evidence.