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What is the best natural childbirthing books you've read?


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Any of the books by Ina May Gaskin. Can't get more natural than her ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Ina-Mays-Guide-Childbirth-Gaskin/dp/0553381156/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304222946&sr=1-1

 

For my last home birth I also liked:

Mind over Labor -there were a few parts that were "out there" but it was a great book.

http://www.amazon.com/Mind-over-Labor-Breakthrough-Handbooks/dp/0140467629/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304222802&sr=8-1'>http://www.amazon.com/Mind-over-Labor-Breakthrough-Handbooks/dp/0140467629/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304222802&sr=8-1'>http://www.amazon.com/Mind-over-Labor-Breakthrough-Handbooks/dp/0140467629/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304222802&sr=8-1'>http://www.amazon.com/Mind-over-Labor-Breakthrough-Handbooks/dp/0140467629/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304222802&sr=8-1

and

Active Birth

http://www.amazon.com/Mind-over-Labor-Breakthrough-Handbooks/dp/0140467629/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304222802&sr=8-1

Edited by Ann in IA
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If you are wanting reasons to have natural childbirth, then "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" is great. If you are already sold on it, I'd recommend Gaskin's "Spiritual Midwifery". It's sorta hippie-ish, but I really felt like it had a lot of good take home points. A lot about how labor can be made easier if you are in the right frame of mind. How having issues with your spouse can make you want to bite them during labor while having a strong relationship can make you hold their hand during labor. It helped get me in a really positive frame of mind before baby #3. It made labor sound not like something to be endured, but more of a wonderful, magical process. That helped me to endure it better. :D

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Ina May's Spiritual Midwifery is terrific! I wish I had known of her sooner. I read it before the birth of my 12th (and last) child and felt so much more reassured that I could really trust my body during childbirth. Yes, it is very hippie-ish but if you can just look past all that then you'll enjoy it and get something good out of it.

 

I haven't read her Guide to Childbirth; I'm sure it's fantastic, too.

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The Birth Book by Sears--lots of detailed descriptions of different kinds of births helped me to picture it better.

 

The Bradley Method (or whatever the Bradley book is called)--this is VERY doctrinaire, and could make you feel like a failure if you used or even wanted drugs, but the techniques are the best I know of.

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Not like you need one more person to say Ina Gaskin's book, but I'll say it anyway. :)

 

Let's just say I used some of the things I read there and had a very successful, positive, happy, smiling birth (aside from some screaming at the end which should be understandable considering he was 11 lb. 1 oz.). HIGHLY recommend.

 

Also I read a book about birth by Shiela Kitzinger that was very formative in my thinking before I had my first one. But really, the Gaskin book is stunning in its confidence-building in you.

 

Things I don't recommend in retrospect? Books about birth by MEN. ;) Let's just say it was AFTER the birth of my first one that I realized a man who hadn't done it wouldn't say quite the same things as a woman who had. LOL

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The Bradley books are good. I took Bradley childbirth classes when I was pregnant with my second.

 

All of Ina May Gaskin's books are fantastic.

 

You could also check out some of the videos on Midwifery Today's youtube channel.

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"Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife" by Peggy Vincent

Same here.

 

It's not a "how to have a natural birth" book, but personally, I find the birth stories more helpful, because there isn't One True Way of handling labor. Baby Catcher includes a wide range of birth experiences, from wonderful to horrific, and addressing the possibility of less-than-positive outcomes really made me less fearful.

 

I liked Spiritual Midwifery for the same reason. I haven't liked Ina May Gaskin's other more how-to books nearly as much.

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This is the list I give to clients (ignore the * those just mean I have them available in my lending library):

 

Books

The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth – Sheila Kitzinger

*Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn – Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, and Ann Keppler

*Ina May's Guide to Childbirth – Ina May Gaskin

*Birth Matters – Ina May Gaskin

*Spiritual Midwifery – Ina May Gaskin

The Pregnancy Book – Dr. William Sears

The Birth Book – Dr. William Sears

*Fathers at Birth – Rose St. John

*Pushed: The Painful Truth of Modern Maternity Care – Jennifer Block

*Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth – Henci Goer

*Mothering Magazine’s Having Your Baby Naturally - Peggy O’Mara

*The Birth Partner – Penny Simkin

*Gentle Birth Choices – Barbara Harper

*Birthing From Within – Pam England

Hearts and Hands – Elizabeth Davis

Obstetric Myths Vs Research Realities – Henci Goer

Childbirth Without Fear: The Principles & Practice of Natural Childbirth – Grantley Dick-Reed

Immaculate Deception II: Myth, Magic and Birth – Suzanne Arms

Journey Into Motherhood – Sherri Menelli

*Nutrition For a Healthy Pregnancy – Elizabeth Somer

Adventures in Natural Childbirth – Janet Schwegel

*Homebirth – Sheila Kitzinger

Rediscovering Birth - Sheila Kitzinger

When Survivors Give Birth – Penny Simkin & Phyllis Klaus

*The Doula Advantage – Rachel Gurevich

The VBAC Companion – Diana Korte

Cesarean Birth and VBAC – Elizabeth KaufmanBIRTH: The Surprising History of How We Are Born – Tina Cassidy

Active Birth – Janet Balaskas

 

Breastfeeding

*The Breastfeeding Book – Dr William Sears

Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding – Ina May Gaskin

The Ultimate Book of Breastfeeding Answers – Dr. Jack Newman, Teresa Pitman

*The Nursing Mother's Companion – Kathleen Huggins

*The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding – Le Leche League

Infant Care & Parenting

Your Amazing Newborn – Marshall Klaus

The Portable Pediatrician – Dr. William Sears, et al

The Baby Book – Dr. William Sears

The Attachment Parenting Book – Dr. William Sears

The Discipline Book - Dr. William Sears

*The Vaccine Book – Dr. Bob Sears

*The N.D.D. Book – Dr. William Sears

*Your Amazing Newborn – Marshall and Phyliss Klaus

Protecting the Gift – Gavin DeBecker

 

Websites

Pregnancy and Birth

http://www.askdrsears.com'>http://www.askdrsears.com'>http://www.askdrsears.com/html/1/T010000.asp'>http://www.askdrsears.com/html/1/T010000.asp'>http://www.askdrsears.com'>http://www.askdrsears.com/html/1/T010000.asp'>http://www.askdrsears.com/html/1/T010000.asp

http://www.gentlebirth.org

http://www.scienceandsensibility.org

http://www.birthfaith.org

http://midwifethinking.com

http://www.birthingnaturally.net

http://www.childbirth.com

http://www.pushedbirth.com

http://www.mothering.com'>http://www.mothering.com'>http://www.mothering.com'>http://www.mothering.com

http://www.blueribbonbaby.org

http://www.motherfriendly.org

http://www.allaboutmoms.com

http://www.hypnobirthing.com

http://www.midwifemama.com/directory.html

http://www.spinningbabies.com

http://www.homebirth.org.uk/ofp.htm

http://www.mother-care.ca

http://www.breechbabies.com

http://www.mybestbirth.com

 

VBAC

http://www.ican-online.org

http://www.vbac.com

http://www.storknet.com/cubbies/vbac/vbacplan.htm

 

Breastfeeding

http://www.kellymom.com

http://www.lalecheleague.org

http://bflrc.com/newman/articles.htm

http://www.lansinoh.com

http://www.promom.org

http://www.askdrsears.com

Postpartum

http://www.postpartum.net

http://www.depressionafterdelivery.com

Parenting

http://www.askdrsears.com

http://www.mothering.com

 

MOVIES

Business of Being Born

Birth With Gloria Lemay

Born in the USA

What Babies Want

Other Side of the Glass (not yet released)

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This is the list I give to clients (ignore the * those just mean I have them available in my lending library):

 

Books

The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth – Sheila Kitzinger

*Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn – Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, and Ann Keppler

*Ina May's Guide to Childbirth – Ina May Gaskin

*Birth Matters – Ina May Gaskin

*Spiritual Midwifery – Ina May Gaskin

The Pregnancy Book – Dr. William Sears

The Birth Book – Dr. William Sears

*Fathers at Birth – Rose St. John

*Pushed: The Painful Truth of Modern Maternity Care – Jennifer Block

*Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth – Henci Goer

*Mothering Magazine’s Having Your Baby Naturally - Peggy O’Mara

*The Birth Partner – Penny Simkin

*Gentle Birth Choices – Barbara Harper

*Birthing From Within – Pam England

Hearts and Hands – Elizabeth Davis

Obstetric Myths Vs Research Realities – Henci Goer

Childbirth Without Fear: The Principles & Practice of Natural Childbirth – Grantley Dick-Reed

Immaculate Deception II: Myth, Magic and Birth – Suzanne Arms

Journey Into Motherhood – Sherri Menelli

*Nutrition For a Healthy Pregnancy – Elizabeth Somer

Adventures in Natural Childbirth – Janet Schwegel

*Homebirth – Sheila Kitzinger

Rediscovering Birth - Sheila Kitzinger

When Survivors Give Birth – Penny Simkin & Phyllis Klaus

*The Doula Advantage – Rachel Gurevich

The VBAC Companion – Diana Korte

Cesarean Birth and VBAC – Elizabeth KaufmanBIRTH: The Surprising History of How We Are Born – Tina Cassidy

Active Birth – Janet Balaskas

 

Breastfeeding

*The Breastfeeding Book – Dr William Sears

Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding – Ina May Gaskin

The Ultimate Book of Breastfeeding Answers – Dr. Jack Newman, Teresa Pitman

*The Nursing Mother's Companion – Kathleen Huggins

*The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding – Le Leche League

Infant Care & Parenting

Your Amazing Newborn – Marshall Klaus

The Portable Pediatrician – Dr. William Sears, et al

The Baby Book – Dr. William Sears

The Attachment Parenting Book – Dr. William Sears

The Discipline Book - Dr. William Sears

*The Vaccine Book – Dr. Bob Sears

*The N.D.D. Book – Dr. William Sears

*Your Amazing Newborn – Marshall and Phyliss Klaus

Protecting the Gift – Gavin DeBecker

 

Websites

Pregnancy and Birth

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/1/T010000.asp

www.gentlebirth.org

www.scienceandsensibility.org

www.birthfaith.org

http://midwifethinking.com

www.birthingnaturally.net

www.childbirth.com

www.pushedbirth.com

www.mothering.com

www.blueribbonbaby.org

www.motherfriendly.org

www.allaboutmoms.com

www.hypnobirthing.com

www.midwifemama.com/directory.html

www.spinningbabies.com

www.homebirth.org.uk/ofp.htm

www.mother-care.ca

www.breechbabies.com

www.mybestbirth.com

 

VBAC

www.ican-online.org

www.vbac.com

www.storknet.com/cubbies/vbac/vbacplan.htm

 

Breastfeeding

www.kellymom.com

www.lalecheleague.org

http://bflrc.com/newman/articles.htm

www.lansinoh.com

www.promom.org

www.askdrsears.com

Postpartum

www.postpartum.net

www.depressionafterdelivery.com

Parenting

www.askdrsears.com

www.mothering.com

 

MOVIES

Business of Being Born

Birth With Gloria Lemay

Born in the USA

What Babies Want

Other Side of the Glass (not yet released)

Wow! That's a great list. Thanks!

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I only liked Bradley because most of the others I saw were very New Age-y. Bradley was straightforward without any of the "woo-woo".

Dr Sears' books do not have that slant.

 

Fathers at Birth and The Birth Partner do not have that slant.

 

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth doesn't have as much as Spiritual Midwifery does.

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Not like you need one more person to say Ina Gaskin's book, but I'll say it anyway. :)

 

Also I read a book about birth by Shiela Kitzinger that was very formative in my thinking before I had my first one. But really, the Gaskin book is stunning in its confidence-building in you.

 

 

 

:iagree: My first recommendation would be Ina May and then Kitzinger. Some of the Kitzinger titles I liked were: Birth your Way & Birth at Home. Those two are older and it looks like maybe OOP. I got my dd: The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth .

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