Recommended reading

beachbum44 · January 2014

I have been having "information overload" as I bought some books and was given a ton by friends and family. I am now trying to decide which ones to read because baby is due in May and don't know if I'll be able to get through them all by then! I was focusing on pregnancy books first ("The Pregnancy Bible" and "What to Expect"), but didn't find them too useful and started getting anxious about wanting to know more about childbirth and when the baby actually arrives (this is my first)! I am currently reading "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" and "The Secret Life of the Unborn Child" (skimming this one). I have on my reading list:

"The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth"

"An Easier Childbirth"

"Natural Hospital Birth"

"Mothering the Mother"

"The Vaccine Book"

"The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding"

"The Happiest Baby on the Block"

"The Attachment Parenting Book"

I am also planning to start the Hypnobabies self study program in a month or so (I'm 21 weeks now) so will need time to work on that everyday.

I would GREATLY appreciate any books that you think are not necessary to read. There is likely a lot of overlap with the childbirth books listed, but I want to be as informed as possible because we are having our baby at Kaiser, but of course want to do so as naturally as possible so know that I'll need to be assertive with my care.
Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

aylafsu88 · January 2014

I read "The thinking womans guide to a better birth". I found it really helpful as I delivered in a hospital with an OB. I wanted to be prepared just in case. If you have a MW and are using a birth center it is probably not a must read. I read a couple of BF books as well. IMO the information they gave was good but it was useless. In reality getting my LO to latch correctly was something that I needed an LC for. I will say that I was a special case for BF as I had some obstacles to overcome (flat nipples/inverted nipples) which made it harder in the beginning. In my opinion it is great to be aware of what is normal for BF by skimming the books but in reality a LC is the best option. If you can find a good LC ahead of time by word or mouth or asking around. I did that since I knew I would have some issues and it was a lifesaver being prepared.

NYGirl02 · January 2014

I love the happiest baby on the block techniques. I don't think the book is nearly as helpful as the video though, so I would watch the video instead. Sometimes there are HBOTB one time classes which are great too. I ended up going to one for work reasons when I was 14 weeks pregnant. It was great! You can skip the book though unless you are super interested in the reasons behind it.

I also read womanly art of breastfeeding and went to LLL meetings while pregnant.

I'm reading the Ina May book now. No experience with any others!

AmandagStark · January 2014

Happiest Baby on the Block is a great read!

klafle3 · January 2014

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding is fantastic. I loved Ina May's book for all the positive birth stories. Also, Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn by Penny Simkin is one I really liked (not on your list, but worth reading if you come across it).

janica6 · January 2014

"Birthing from Within" is great. Also "The Nursing Mother's Companion." Those are my two favorites!

MamaWombat · January 2014

I read The Thinking Woman's Guide... back when we were ttc - I found it really useful for background information and for helping me decide to go natural, but if you've already made the decision and feel able to explain your reasoning to family and medical personnel, it's probably redundant.

Ina May's books are great for their positive stories, and I much prefer her breastfeeding book to La Leche's The Womanly Art - I found the latter to frequently be annoyingly condescending. However, in my particular situation (planning med-free in hospital), I did get a bit discouraged temporarily after reading Ina May's birth book because all the pretty stories are about not being in a hospital and how great that is! (not an option for me) That said, the practical tips and the chapter on sphincter law is great. I found Natural Hospital Birth to be a great counterweight to Ina May.

Another book not on your list that I've really liked is Penny Simkin's Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn, which offers a good all-around look at exactly what the title says. I also bought her book The Birth Partner for DH to read, since he's probably only going to read one book. That one is mainly focused on the process of childbirth itself and how to support a woman in labor.

rmm17 · January 2014

I love the womanly art of breastfeeding and wish I would have read the chapters that cover the first 6 weeks before baby arrived. Would have saved me a lot of worry. I like the AP book too and it is a good reference but not necessary read cover to cover before birth.

Katrinamu · January 2014

Loved Ina Mays book! The second half of the book was super helpful. Also if you're planning a natural birth, Birthing from Within. For Dad if he's going to be with you, Birth Partner. My midwife recommends that one.

PennyDreadful7 · January 2014

Thanks for posting this. I have also heard great things about Ina May's books.

lajohnso1982 · January 2014

I love Hypnobirthing - the Mongan Method. It is an easy read, I read the first 120 pages on my first day. It is confidence building for any woman (even if she is not using the hypnobirthing method) and also very interesting.

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