Simkin, Penny

Penny Simkin, P.T., is a physical therapist, childbirth educator, doula, and birth counselor. She is nationally recognized as a premier authority on childbirth, having helped 9,000 expecting women and birth partners in childbirth and attended hundreds of couples though the birth process. Simkin is a prolific author and serves on more than ten different consultant and editorial boards, including the journal Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care, The International Childbirth Education Association, and The Seattle Midwifery School, where she also provides training for doulas and lectures for the students. Students of Penny Simkin glean from this proficient, natural teacher a thorough education on the birthing process and the best ways to serve childbearing women. Simkins wisdom, accrued knowledge, and comforting approach are manifested in the pages of The Birth Partner.Simkin graduated from Swarthmore College in 1959, where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature. She continued her studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a Certificate in Physical Therapy, and went on to obtain her certification in Teacher Training from the Childbirth Education Association of Seattle. She has written myriad articles, book chapters, pamphlets, and books including The Birth Partner: Everything You Need to Know to Help a Woman Through Childbirth (Harvard Common Press, 1989, 2000), Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn: The Complete Guide (Meadowbrook Press, 1984, 1991, 2001), When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Early Sexual Abuse on Childbearing Women, and Labor Progress Handbook: Early Interventions to Prevent and Treat Dystocia (Blackwell Scientific Press, 2000, 2005). She is also co-founder of DONA International (formerly Doulas of North America) and The Pacific Association for Labor Support. In addition to providing childbirth education, birth counseling, and labor support, Simkin travels extensively throughout the co;