I am not a sheep. I do not just do things because everyone else is doing it. I guess that is why when I got pregnant I needed to know everything I could learn about what I was going to experience. After scouring through book after book, I realized that my best chance at having an intervention free birth was going to be at my home or a birth center.
If you have been reading this blog for a while you will know that my first birth did not wind up at home, but in the hospital. I am thankful that the medical assistance was there when I needed it, but when it came time to have my next birth, I went back to the homebirth plan. Why, because I did my research. I didn’t want to have another cesarean just because I had one the first time. And according to the statistics at the hospitals where I lived, that was most likely what was going to happen.
Here are a few book titles that I think are essential reading if you just found out you are pregnant, or if you just want to read up on this topic.
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth,
by Ina May Gaskin.
Discover the proven wisdom that has guided thousands of women through childbirth with more confidence, less pain, and little or no medical intervention.
The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Better Birth
by Henci Goer
Certified Lamaze instructor and activist Henci Goer brings women the carefully researched facts they’ll want to have–the complete rundown on modern pregnancy and childbirth.
Gentle Birth Choices: Book with DVD
”Should I give birth at home, in a birth center, or in a hospital? Should I see a midwife or an obstetrician for prenatal care? What approach to pain relief should I use during labor? How does a waterbirth work?”
Expectant parents are faced with a daunting array of choices to make about prenatal care, labor, and birth. InGentle Birth ChoicesBarbara Harper, renowned childbirth advocate, nurse, midwife, and mother of three, explains all the available choices and shows how to plan a truly meaningful, family-centered birth experience. She dispels the medical myths that so often shift control of birth away from women and reimagines birth without fear or violence and with minimal pain. Harper reveals the abundant range of gentle birth approaches, including:
•giving birth in an independent birth center, at home, or in a hospital birthing room
•finding a primary caregiver who shares your philosophy of birth
•deciding how to best use current technologies
She also provides practical advice for couples wishing to explore options such as hiring a doula or laboring in water to avoid the unwanted effects of drugs and epidurals.
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Every pregnant woman could feel so much better about birth if they read Ina May’s book. Thanks for writing this.