Educational Media Reviews Online

InJoy Birth and Parenting Education has done it once again – creating a video program that is educational yet interesting and accessible to a wide audience. Designed as a patient education program for expectant mothers and labor partners, this two DVD set will also be useful for classroom applications in two and four year colleges. The program covers every aspect of pain management for childbirth from a “natural” or non-medicated birthing experience in Volume 1: Comfort Techniques, to using pain medication in Volume 2: Analgesics & Epidurals.

Both videos follow the childbirth experiences of a few couples who have decided on varying pain control options. The expert in Volume 1 is Laurel Wilson, a doula trained in non-medicated birthing techniques; and in Volume 2, anesthesiologist Dr. Gildersleeve who has 20+ years of experience in administering pain medications during labor. They explain the procedures involved using simple yet effective anatomical illustrations and animation. Throughout the programs testimony from mothers and their labor partners is interspersed with advice and explanations from the experts. A “Myth or Fact” approach brings out some of the more common questions and misunderstandings surrounding pain management for childbirth, and is a nice touch to lighten the subject content a bit. A free parent handout is available on the InJoy web site for review and guidance.

The chapter headings help summarize the content of each DVD. In Volume I: Comfort Techniques, the chapters are Pain in Labor, Mental Techniques, and Physical Techniques with a bonus track of Elena’s Birth—following one mother through her natural childbirth experience. After a wonderful explanation of the causes and effects of childbirth pain, the emphasis here is on the variety of techniques available for pain control without medication. The importance of a labor partner is crucial, and the program delves into a “Bag of Tricks” for them to help the moms have a peaceful, rewarding birth experience. Everything from physical positioning to creating a soothing labor environment to massage and meditation are covered in depth.

Volume 2: Analgesics & Epidurals covers Analgesics, Epidural Overview and Procedures, Benefits and Risks of Epidurals, Labor with an Epidural, and the bonus track of Lea’s Birth. The in-depth explanations of each method are never preachy or boring. Both volumes in this program take an unbiased approach to presenting the facts. This style makes the program appealing not only for individual patient use in clinics or in public library collections, but in academic health sciences collections supporting introductory childbirth programs.