As it states on the back cover “This book is a small collection of Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC) stories from Australian women compiled together as an inspirational resource for women who are searching for the reassurance that their bodies really can birth naturally.”

As a mother who has had two caesareans and is planning a VBAC next time, this book is certainly targeted at me. Therefore it was with anticipation that I began to read the first of ten stories included. This soon turned to shock as I read the first story with its repeatedly distressed descriptions of pain, followed by a complicated birth story that takes the reader through pethadine injections, constant monitoring, two epidurals and a confusing conclusion that seems to state that the writer preferred her previous caesar experience. This was not empowering literature at all.

If only the book had begun with ‘The Birth Of Jimi’, a beautifully descriptive story full of power. Or ‘Seans Birth Story’ which through well crafted writing searches the mother’s emotional depths as she discovers a strength within her that is truly inspirational.

Reading this book did give me more confidence in my body’s ability to birth naturally and took me on birthing journeys that were touchingly personal and often truly amazing. Monica describes in ‘Sonnys arrival’: ‘I feel triumphant, jubilant, like I could take on anything. This is just incomparable to how I felt after a caesar birth’.

Whilst more care should have been taken in the arranging and editing of stories, this is a worthwhile and lively collection that deserves wide distribution.