New 'Charm School' Host Ricki Lake Talks About Her Book 'Your Best Birth'

TV host Ricki Lake stopped by the studio to talk about hosting VH1's Charm School and her new book Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices, and Take Back the Birth Experience.

Charm School with Ricki Lake takes some of the outrageous women from VH1’s other reailty shows Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels and Real Chance of Love. This season, Lake's challenge as headmistress is to transform these selfish, poorly behaved ladies into selfless angels through various acts of charity by the end of eight weeks.

Lake's book Your Best Birth comes after her documentary The Business Of Being Born and is a collaboration with Abby Epstein, the film's director. According to Amazon, "Asserting that the high tech, low touch trend in medicalized births has usurped parents' sense of power and choice, they present options that women should consider, including home birth and the use of a midwife or doula.

"The authors discuss the pros and cons of such interventions as episiotomies, epidurals and electronic monitors, and encourage women to carefully question their practitioners and hospital personnel. Above all, the authors advocate a safe and empowered birth, whether one chooses a hospital, home or birth center."

For more information on the Hastings-on-Hudson native visit http://www.mybestbirth.com/. Charm School with Ricki Lake airs on VH1 on Monday, May 11 at 9pm and her book Your Best Birth is available in stores now.