I cannot understand how people can take issue with someone championing women, and presenting factual, evidenced based information with the sole purpose of supporting women through what can be a scary and daunting time. Most parents-to-be and their support people have little knowledge of what to expect in the birthing suite. A widely acclaimed bestseller since it was first published, it has empowered hundreds of thousands of women worldwide to make informed, positive choices about their births. suggestions and tips for pain relief from staying active to breathing, from kissing to opioids, from epidurals to hypnobirthing!

The reader is continually encouraged to figure out their own birth philosophy, then find care providers and make other decisions in accordance with that philosophy. This book offered a variety of suggestions for making an unmedicated birth more comfortable, from massage suggestions to diagrams of various positions for labor and birth to a recipe for "labor-ade. Above all, The Happy Birth Book emphasises that you are the expert on you, reminds you that your mind and body are connected (surprisingly this is often overlooked), and encourages you to aim high for a good experience. There are also several stories of positive birth in a variety of circumstances, including hospital, twins, induction, ‘high risk’ and more, plus thoughts and advice from professionals on everything from home birth safety to your rights in the birth room.The author, who doesn’t seem to have any scientific grounding, regurgitates personal experience and choice anecdotes as fact. Since then she has written two books about birth, The Positive Birth Book (Pinter and Martin 2017) and Give Birth like a Feminist (Harper Collins 2019). So why are we treating births like a production line, and not as the most natural thing in the world?

Sears is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and a fellow of the Royal College of Pediatricians (RCP). Packed with information about rights and choices, it has rapidly become the book most recommended by midwives, doulas and antenatal teachers. Again, I understand the rationale ("losing it" usually means lots of fear and tension, which increases pain), but again, I think there are more helpful approaches. If you are struggling to find your own way as a parent, and feel bombarded with different approaches, this might be a bit of an antidote as it shows how varied (and at times contradictory) different childcare approaches are. Guardian 'I really liked Caroline Flint's style of writing – supportive of mothers, non-judgemental, and based on years of experience'.Milli speaks regularly at international events and conferences and has appeared on BBC Radio 2, BBC 5 Live, talkradio, Times Radio and many more.