Benig Mauger founded the Holistic Birth Center in London during the 1980s and is presently a psychotherapist in Dublin. She is critical of the medical management of childbirth — especially of induced labor, fetal monitors, and painkilling drugs. All women expect the experience of the birth of their child to be "a fulfilling, joyous, and creative act." It can be when it is natural, holistic, and treated as a spiritual experience.
Mauger presents three thought-provoking chapters on the experiences of pregnancy, giving birth, and being born. As a birth teacher, mother, and therapist, she knows the importance of each. During pregnancy, women must be very mindful of the quality and nature of the child's tenure in the womb. Research has shown that this rite of passage is soulful for both the mother and the fetus.
The author salutes the invaluable role midwives can play in helping women to experience the richness of the birthing process. She points out that the term for them in French is the equivalent to wise woman. One of the most interesting chapters explores how the trauma of Caesarean section and premature birth affects individuals later in life. Reclaiming the Spirituality of Birth makes a good case for the soulful dimensions of this primal experience for mother and child.