Book recommendations?
bananers
member
I hope it's okay if I post here. I am not necessarily planning a natural childbirth, but I would like to hold off on the epidural until I really need it, since I have heard it can slow labor down. In my mind, dealing with a little pain for a shorter while is better than no pain but a drawn out process. Plus, I don't like the idea of being confined to a bed if this ends up taking a long time. I'd like to be able to move around if I feel the need to.
I'm hoping to find some books that describe pain coping techniques that I can apply when the time comes - any recommendations? I have heard good things about the Bradley Method, but am not familiar with any others (or even know if this is good or not). I'm not looking for any philosophical resources about why natural is better - I'm just interested in the how-tos of coping with labor naturally.
Thanks! And sorry if this has been asked a gazillion times... as you know, TB's search function sucks.
BFP #2 8/22/12 | EDD 5/5/13 | DS1 born 5/9/13
BFP #3 4/25/15 | EDD 1/7/16 | MMC 7/2/15 @ 13w1d | D&E 7/8/15
BFP #4 12/9/15 | EDD 8/22/16 | DS2 born 5/18/16 at 26w2d
Just keep swimming.
Re: Book recommendations?
Not a book, but a good resource is this video series on coping with labor pain, from eHow:
This. I also liked the thinking womens guide to a better birth by Henci Goer.
the thinking womans guide to a better birth by henci goer
and natural child birth the bradley way
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth was SO inspirational. The first half of the book is real birth stories... all from women who went natural. The second half is advice, facts and knowledge from Ina May, one of the nations most reknown midwives.
If you're looking for pain management, look into Hypnobabies. You can sign up for the class or do the home study. I would say that 99% of the moms going into Hypnobabies plan on birthing naturally, so the study is focused around that. However, the coping mechanisms alone are FANTASTIC. I know someone personally who used the method during birth and said she'd do it again in a heartbeat.