Yesterday I wrote a blog about finding great pregnancy books. You will be thinking a lot about and making plans your upcoming birth. The best way to reduce fear of labor is to get educated about labor. Reading is a great way to begin to think about what you want in your labor. There are many books written on this subject. I’m going to share a little about a few that I really like.
Dr. Sears is well known for coining the phrase “attachment parenting.” He is a pediatrician and his wife Martha is a child birth educator, nurse and breastfeeding advocate. They are the parents of eight children. If you have anxiety about birth, this is the book for you. The authors do a great job dispelling myths and helping reduce fear.
I like that this book shows birth as a natural process. The book has three sections with information on how to prepare for birth, pain relief and the experience of birth. There is information to help you plan your birth, write a birth plan and navigate your birthing options. The book includes information about birthing at home, in the water and VBAC. It’s a really good, informative guide to a natural birth.
Natural Child Birth the Bradley Way
I bought this book during my last pregnancy. I had wanted to take the Bradley course, but couldn’t find one in my area. We live in a very rural area and there were no classes within an hour of our home. Since I had three previous births, I was fairly sure I could do a home study thing.
I found the exercises to be easy to follow in the book. There is a lot of good information on nutrition and planning a natural birth. If you want a drug free birth, this book is a great choice. I would recommend that you take the Bradley class with the book, especially if you are a first time mom. Having an instructor nearby is helpful. If you can’t get to a class or there are none in your area, you will benefit from this book. I found the relaxation exercises to be easy to follow and helpful in labor.
I Watched my Brother Being Born: Including Children At Birth
by Anne Vondruska
I had to include one for the kids. Children are naturally curious about the birth process. Whether you plan to have them in the room for the birth or not, they will be curious about the baby growing inside you as well as the process of being born. My girls were mildly obsessed with the subject when I was pregnant with our youngest baby. They watched every Baby Story or Bringing Home Baby episode they could find. We read several books on the subject, including this one.
The story of her baby brother’s birth is told by a seven year old girl. The baby was born at home in the water. The story is told in words and pictures of the birth of a new baby. The children in the story get to watch their brother being born and help cut the umbilical cord. This is a great choice if you plan to have your children present at the birth of their new sibling.
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The Bradley Child Birth Method