Hard Labor

An obstetrical nurse who spent nearly a decade working on labor and delivery wards, a prepared childbirth instructor, a mother of two, and now a registered doula (a type of birth attendant), Susan L. Diamond has an unmatched perspective on the impact of modern medicine on the process of birth. In Hard Labor, readers learn that women in labor are routinely dehumanized by artificially established "labor curves" and confined by often unnecessary machinery. Diamond's vision is of childbirth as a natural, normal event which should be enhanced by modern medicine.

Hard Labor introduces readers to dozens of mothers, fathers, and families, and reveals the triumphs and tragedies that fill labor and delivery wards. From the sadness of death in utero to the joy of unexpectedly delivering twins, Hard Labor is a moving reading experience.

For this edition, Diamond has added a section on how she left "organized" medicine to take her message directly to women, and on her recent work as a certified doula.