Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.
Informed consent does not begin in the hospital room when the laboring mother is at a 6. It starts 6 months prior, when she expands her view of birth through the reading of quality words. The words that she pours over and ponders, inhales and imagines, reiterates and remembers, believes and becomes are formidable agents throughout the birthing time. With every pregnancy, I have read about two new books regarding the physiology and psychology of birth. Some books are twaddle: their discussion of pregnancy is succinctly pat and intrinsically irrelevant steeped in telling a woman how to feel rather than asking her the right question and revealing what she believes.
Quality books stretch the woman mentally before she must be stretched physically.
They call her to an elevated view of birth, grasping what her body can do and reiterating what she must do in her and her partner's endeavor towards a noble birth.
Now, in all fairness, when I am pregnant, I always trot out the pet pregnancy book we're all so familiar with: What To Expect, When You're Expecting. There is something so soothing about counting my weeks alongside that book. However, that book doesn't make this list because I believe it does a good job at cursorily covering the basics of each month and stage and some complications, but its adherence to the western medical model does not challenge women to think about their choices; and there is power in choice as well.
Therefore, in no particular order, my top recommendations for pregnant couples:
*The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin- A fabulous guide, especially for partners, which talks through each stage of labor and how to assist the mother. Introduces the very important idea of "Three R's" Rhythm, Relaxation and Ritual. Also has a portion of the "Take Charge Routine" should a mother start to teeter on the edge and need someone to help restore calm from crisis. Incredibly readable--is more like a manual for operation. Highlighted page edges for the important, "oh crap, I didn't read fast enough and now we're in labor" parts of the book. Just all-around fabulous. (If Dad only reads one book, it should be this one!)
*Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskins- Let's just start by saying, I love Ina May. Ok? I dream about a pilgrimage to The Farm; so, yes..I'm going to be gushy. And yes, she is a hippie. In the true sense of the word (we can have the so-called "modern-day hippie" conversation another time…) It does delve into the existential at times; however, it is not as "New-Agey" as Birthing From Within. And although I did try and eat my own placenta, I still shave my armpits, so I feel pretty balanced. WIth that disclaimer, this is the book to read if you need to find your growl. Once you finish this estrogen -packed puncher you will be both crying your eyes out in response to the beautiful births and readily able to flip the switch to Mama-bear mode (it's like Beast-mode, but specialized). This book is all about identifying and banishing fear. Fear is the #1 enemy of birth (and #2 is the hospital bed). Ina May discusses the "Sphincter Law" and her own development of the "Gaskins Maneuver" (yes, the woman has an obstetric maneuver named after her) for optimal birth positioning in OP (occiput posterior) babies and breech, and how kissing and generally making out during labor can help release tons of oxytocin decreasing labor time and increasing birth satisfaction. Communal living, the lowest Cesarian birth in the nation, how breast augmentation impacts birth and "letting your monkey do it" are highlighted!
*Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn by Penny Simkin, April Bolding, Ann Keppler & Janelle Durham- A tome of pure information. Fully-faceted, pretty much like a information-junkie's What to Expect. I like the dimensions of midwife and doula throughout and legitimate alternatives to interventions and procedures that might not be readily known to the general population. Start here if you can't handle the hippie factor but you want to move beyond general birth data.
*Naturally Healthy Pregnancy by Shondra Parker- A beautiful born-again believer who is extensively versed in the use of herbs and whole foods to cure most pregnancy woes. Shondra focuses on nutrition and troubleshoots common prenatal predicaments including nausea, hemorrhoids, headaches, uti and more. She also discusses infertility issues and offers holistic suggestions for improving and maintaining fertility. Mama to seven children, she offers "sage" guidance in herbal health for possibly reversing miscarriages, improved pregnancy, and postnatal support. (Come on, I had to…)
*Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon- This book probably needs a revision soon, but it is still a great help in preparing to labor naturally. I like the indications of stages of labor based on emotional response. Early=elated, active=self-doubt, transition=solemn and of course, nothing is so ecstatic as feeling that hot, squishy newborn crown with incredibly intensity and then slide out into waiting arms. This works is based off Dr. Bradley's Husband-Coached Birth and is a little more aggressive in its intention versus other natural preparations such as Lamaze, but not as novel as Hypnobabies (Klein's "Painless Childbirth) or Hypnobirthing (the Mongan Method)
*Birth Matters by Ina May Gaskins- Ina May discusses the impact of BIrth, Feminism, the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative, the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, and adds lots of empowering birth stories and historical context for midwifery and obstetric practice in the US. This is for the mother who might want to be a doula or midwife one day.
I still have many, many books to read, but I can only afford so much at one time!
If you have a book that you'd like me to read, send it my way.
In the meantime, browse your local library, download to your reader, join paperbackswap.com or hit up your currently-not-preggo-friend for some loaners and expand your mind to the possibility of a joyful, noble birth.
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