The Birth Book: An Ob-Gyn's Guide to Demystifying Labor and Delivery

Essential, empowering medical information and advice to help you prepare for your labor and delivery journey--from a leading OB-GYN and social media educator.

"Your most pressing, and often unspoken, questions about birth, finally answered by a doctor who listens."--Jen Hamilton, BSN, RN, CEN, RNC-OB, author of Birth Vibes

"The Birth Book covers everything you really need to know about labor and delivery--including all the details you might need on your big day. Read it to ensure you feel more satisfied with your experience."--Ari Brown, MD, author of Baby 411

Birth is a transformative, remarkable process, but it can also be incredibly daunting and traumatic--especially if you don't have the medically-sound information you need to advocate for yourself. With misinformation rampant on social media and a dearth of trusted medical resources on the birth process, pregnant people feel left behind in a system that is failing them. Thirty-six percent of counties in America are labeled "maternity care deserts" where there is no or limited access to obstetric care--and it's only getting worse. We need a concise and comprehensive primer on the birth experience, whether that means a low-intervention birth or a complicated emergency c-section.

In The Birth Book, OB-GYN hospitalist and educator Dr. Jennifer Lincoln delivers exactly that. Dr. Lincoln answers all your questions, big and small, about labor and delivery, providing crucial insight and understanding. Questions like:

- What is "normal" labor?
- What can I say no to?
- What are my options if baby is breech?
- How long does an induction take?
- And many, many more.

Backed by research and personal experience and including enlightening illustrations, The Birth Book gives you agency over your pregnancy and birth, along with context for the many choices you'll need to make. With Dr. Lincoln's help, readers will have an evidence-based resource at their fingertips for a better, safer, more informed birth.

Author: Jennifer Lincoln
Publisher: Rodale Books
Published: 03/24/2026
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.11h x 6.33w x 1.11d
ISBN: 9780593980507


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/16/2026

About the Author
Jennifer Lincoln, MD, IBCLC, is a board-certified OB-GYN who practices clinically as an OB hospitalist, which is an obstetrician with expertise in handling obstetrical emergencies and making labor and delivery a safer place for all birthing patients. She is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She is dedicated to developing evidence-based health content that is easy to understand and uses social media to educate millions of followers by meeting them where they are. Her voice is sought after in the reproductive health space, and she has been an invited guest in the White House and at the United Nations. She is married to a pediatrician, and together they have two boys and reside in Portland, Oregon.