Your 5 fave birth books?

What's your top five books about birth? Why? How did they help/inspire/ spark a paradigm shift? Share away!

Here's mine:

1. The Birth Book by Sears & Sears - balanced common sense, a chapter on the history of birth and one called "VBAC - Yes You Can". Great birth stories at the end including one called "Our No-regrets Ceasarian".

2. New Active Birth. (Balaskas) That stuff about the working uterus wanting to tilt forwards made so much sense

3. Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering (Buckley). Great explanation of the science of birth hormones. Opened my eyes.

4. Spiritual Midwifery (Gaskin) - Ok Ok it's pure hippie stuff I know - but these people have the best peri-natal stats in the world, they must be doing something right! My NCT teacher in England passed this book to me at the end of the class .... it totally changed my outlook on how I regarded what contractions could be like. I started thinking of them like waves instead of bouts of torture to be endured. All the birth stories got me enviously eager to have a go.

5. Dr. Sheila Kitzinger. Everything and anything by her. The first book on birth I ever bought (on our honeymoon, snicker :D) was one of hers.

These were the books that opened my eyes and changed my mind about how birth *could* be different from what I knew from my hospy midwife mother and R.N. training. I was reared & trained 'mainstream' but a journey of discovery began with such books, that continues today ....

Can't wait to hear from others.

Well I have so many...
Active Birth - actually anyting by Janet Balaskas
Non Violent Birth
Anything by the lovely Shiela Kitzinger
and I would have to agree with Spiritual Midwifery. I love reading it still. The "rushes man..."!!!!!!!

I'll have to come back to do more, because I have to head out but:

1) New Active Birth by Janet Balaskas - first birth book I read and it was awesome!
2) The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth - Henci Goer
3) Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin - my daughter now knows how to spell episiotomy from that one!!! omg!!! Anything by Ina May actually.
4) Men At Birth - A great one for the boys!
5) The Business of Being Born DVD

I'm a Sheila woman too... so all her books, Marsden Wagner, oh so so many....

I only have one so far...

Birth Skills by Juju Sundin and Sarah Murdoch

Really practical...physiologically based...and just makes sense to me!

"New Active Birth" and the Sheila Kitzinger book were the only two I read - both were great, esp NAB, which gave me so much confidence. And I love the pictures of the hippie lady with her beads :)

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and I would have to agree with Spiritual Midwifery. I love reading it still. The "rushes man..."!!!!!!!

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Oh yeah, man ....

:cryinglaugh:

er... Kelly, what's BBS?

(scratches head ... I'm sure I should know this .....)

BBS = be back soon ;)


1) New Active Birth
2) The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth
3) VBAC Companion

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BBS = be back soon ;)

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Doh!!!:doh:

So .... not "Boobs, Bump and Sexy" ????

Well maybe, I can't be sure ;)

Has anyone read

Gentle Birth Method by Dr Gowri Motha and Karen Swan Mcleod

I'm watching it on ebay cos it looks interesting.....

Doesn't Dr Gowri Motha put you on a crazy diet and yoga programme? Think she did Madonna's last PG...

Mine are:

1) Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
2) Ina May's Spiritual Midwifery
3) Kitzinger's Birth Your Way
4) Kitzinger's Pregnancy and Childbirth
5) Balsakas New Active Birth

Bx

Really? I have no idea. I might have to do a bit more research.

My increased meds haven't kicked in yet so i could have gotten Motha entirely confused with someone else....

B

1) Janet Balaska's New Active Birth (my DH loved this one too)
2) Ina May Gaskin's Spiritual Midwifery (DH hated this ... it wasn't practical enough for him) ... although there still seems to be a focus in this book on the birthing woman relying on someone else to help birth her baby, rather than trusting her own body to birth without assistance or intervention. JMO
3) Waterbirth (I read it ages ago ... I think it's a Janet Balaskas one too)
4) Hynobirthing: The Mongan Method .. I found the concept of the fear-tension-pain cycle really mind-opening
5) not a book, but the Unassisted Childbirth yahoo group mailing list has been an amazing eye-opener and really encouraged me to trust my body and my intuition more. I wish someone would print out all the emails and compile them into a book - what an amazing resource!

*puts hand up* I am reading Gentle birth method now:) It's really interesting, but yes the first chapter is all about this weird diet (too hippy for me!). It basically cuts out all wheat, sugar, most red meats etc etc. I couldn't cope!! I still found it interesting to read though. I'm about half way through the book and there is heaps about pregnancy massages and other holistic body treatments to prepare your body for birth such as bowen therapy and reflexology. Sounds wonderful!! lots about how your partner can massage you. I have a hard time convincing my DH to rub my shoulders when they are sore though!! But it has got me inspired to seek out a pregnancy massage.

I LOVED Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah Buckley.
Our Babies, Ourselves, by Meredith Small is a great read - she's an anthropolgist and there is lots about the evolution of women/childbirth and also then about different culture's views on childbirth and mothering.

I'll be searching where to buy Janet Balaska's and Shiela Kitzinger's books now:)

Has anyone tried, "25 ways to awaken your birth power"?

I listened to the CD yesterday. I've never much gone in for relaxation tapes with someone speaking, it always put me off a bit - but I kept listening to this one, because what she was saying made so much says - using movement, gravity, breathing, voice etc and just getting into a positive head space. I wish I'd had it esp. with #1.

Anyone else like it? Hate it?

Sounds great Julie. I actually quite like spoken relaxation tapes, although I prefer them in an Australian accent ... they're somehow less distracting that way :redface:

I was introduced to Capers Bookstore the other day ... oh my goodness .. so many amazing resources that I will be buying for my next pg.

I know what you mean, Cherie! '25 Ways ..." is in an Aussie accent.

You could spend a bit at Capers, eh?? Did you see their list of top ten recommended preg & birth books?

1. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
2. Spiritual midwifery - I constantly flick back through it.
3. Active Birth - Janet Balaskas
4. The Midwife's Companion - Andrea Robertson. Very practical.
5. Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering - Sarah Buckley.
I like Capers but I also like ACE Graphics and have bought most of my books through there.

I just saw this thread and it's right up my alley, but I don't think there's anything I can add!

1. Birth Your Way - and I agree anything from Sheila is worth it!
2. Thinking Womans Guide to a Better Birth - Henci Goer - you'll never look at hospitals the same way
3. Spiritual Midwifery - Ina May Gaskin - just so 'psychedelic'
4. Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering - Sarah Buckley - the hormone articles really appeal to me and have changed how I think about birth in some ways
and I'll add
5. The Birth Partner - Penny Simkin - my DH thinks this is the best book for Dads as it sets everything out in a way that he could understand and wishes he had read it before our first. (Bless x)

C

Thought I'd :bump: this good thread.

I'm still working my way through books but so far have found the following useful & inspiring.

1. Creating Your Birth Plan - Marsden Wagner DH & my favourite book to explain the physiological side of labour & birth & uses excellent info to provide info on how intervention & choices can affect outcomes, based on excellent empirical evidence. He is very pro woman centred birth.

2. 25 ways to awaken your birth power - Watson & Hyles
using visualization, affirmations, breathing exercises & relaxation along with CD is a lovely daily practice book with simple & uplifting messages & images to focus on preparation for birth & use in birth. Produced by 2 women in country NSW both are mums one's a doula the other an artist. Gorgeous pictures to focus on.

3. Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin, currently reading this & really getting a lot out of it especially after reading Wagner's book as this takes a similar but more spiritual/emotional approach to natural childbirth.
4. New Active Birth (thanks Suze) I like the yoga practices & it was a good introduction to the benefits of an active birth.

Still reading books & am looking forward to Calm Birth course/reading.

Anyone think it's worth getting the Pink Kit ontop of all this reading?

1. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin
2. Spiritual midwifery - Ina May Gaskin
3. Active Birth - Janet Balaskas
4. Thinking Womans Guide to a Better Birth - Henci Goer
5. The Business of Being Born (A DVD but highly highly recommended watching- Great for partners/family/friends and non-readers)

Thought I would add another book in to the mix that I happened to see at the library - so glad I did!! It is called 'A Labour of Love: An Australian Guide to Natural Childbirth' by Gabrielle Targett. Really easy to read too!! Especially the bit about the placenta and eating it - somehow doesn't seem so gross now!!

But it is definitely a good introduction to natural childbirth and also Doulas and their services, so much easier to dive in to then say "Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering" for example. And what I like even better, is that it is written by an Australian, for pregnant women here in Australia. If you can get hold of it, definitely a worthwhile read IMO.