This book will walk you through the progression of your pregnancy from conception to the birth of your baby. Helping you understand not only the growth and development of your baby, but also the way your body naturally prepares you to give birth. Just like driving in a city you have never visited before, having a map, which you have looked at and studied beforehand, gives you a heightened confidence in your own ability to get to where you want to go. The most liberating fact you need to know is that your body knows the way. It is without question that the medical sector has played a tremendous role in the reduction of maternal mortality.

This book is not a suggestion to shun healthcare. Instead, this map is here to provide you with all the knowledge you need, to ease your anxiety, and to be able to trust that your body is its own natural intelligence. What to consider when choosing where to deliver your baby and different types of birth will be explored. Often, the violations and frustrations experienced by new mothers involve friends and family as well. In light of this, the factors to consider when choosing a birth-partner and the sensitivity of the slippery slope of setting boundaries with loved ones will be addressed.

Suggestions for physical and mental exercises in preparation for birth are made, bearing in mind what feels right for you. For some women, the panicking only happens when it hits them that they are bringing home a new person. The chapter on afterbirth will discuss the beginning of this much longer journey. You will then be able to use this knowledge to set up a birth plan which reminds you that your well-being is a priority. This is your body, your birth.