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Recommended Reading |
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Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin My absolute number one recommended book if you want to know more about the choices available to you in childbirth and just why your best resource is your own body.
The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer Very informative, but be prepared that it takes a heavily anti-medical model approach. Much of the same information is available in Ina May without some of the scary statistics.
Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must be Fixed to Put Women and Children First by Marsden Wagner Written by the former director of Women and Children’s Health at the World Health Organization. This is where you’ll find the REALLY scary statistics.
The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin To help your labour coach prepare for everything that he or she can do to support you, and to give you an idea of all that a doula can provide.
The Doula Book by Marshall Klaus, John Kennel and Phyllis Kennel All of the information, statistics, research and methods behind labour doulas.
Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn by Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, and Ann Keppler A complete outline of the ‘four trimesters’ of childbearing with an emphasis on healthy, natural approaches. Penny Simkin is one of the framers of the labour doula’s methodology, and a founder of DONA International.
Dr. Jack Newman’s Guide to Breastfeeding by Dr. Jack Newman & Teresa Pitman. Canada’s leading lactation professional describes his vast experience with solving breastfeeding issues.
Medication and Mother’s Milk: A Manual of Lactational Pharmacology by Thomas Hale. When your doctor prescribes a medication that he says is contraindicated for breastfeeding mothers, check Doctor Hale’s book for possible alternatives that you can discuss with your doctor.
The Business of Being Born by Ricki Lake. If you prefer to take your reading material in DVD format, this is an excellent exposé on how birth is Big Business in the U.S.A.
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