The latest (2018) edition of this guide uses language inclusive of birthing people and partners of all genders as it offers advice on supporting a pregnant person from the last weeks of pregnancy through labor and the early postpartum period. Birth partners (and even pregnant people) will find lots of helpful information here on what to expect, questions to think about, handy checklists, and how best to assist the birthing person.
The text is occasionally a little too prescriptive (e.g., “Encourage a pregnant person to join a [prenatal yoga] class”), and does not offer any advice specific to LGBTQ birth partners (e.g., on dealing with possible homophobia and/or transphobia from birthing staff or the birthing person’s family members, or how to handle birth certificates and other legal paperwork). Try an LGBTQ-specific book on pregnancy for that. The introduction also oddly refers to LGBTQ families as “our nonbinary families,” which I’m assuming was a reference to families without the binary of one man and one woman, but risks confusion with families consisting of people who identify as nonbinary, gender-wise. Nevertheless, as author Penny Simkin writes, “The language of this edition reflects where we are in 2018. A future edition may reflect more shifting as we are in the midst of rapid change.” There is still much useful information here, and the inclusive language is a welcome step forward.
