Must Read Birth Books!
Hiya mamas, let’s chat books. There are SOOOO many options out there for amazing birth/labor books with incredible information but it can be a wee bit overwhelming I know from my own experience! Trying to decide which ones are worth investing money and time to read and actually support or follow the birth style you want to go with. So I decided I would put together a little recommendation list of my top must read books for birth to help educate and empower you before stepping into labor and delivery without feeling overwhelming!
#1 - Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
No matter how you want to labor and birth this book is filled with encouraging and empowering birth stories from a variety of different mamas! It dives into some of the benefits and positive’s of a more relaxed and gentle birthing space, how your body responds to fear and the importance of feeling at peace and rest when trying to get your body to bring your baby earthside and so much more! It has encouragement and a lot of great information which makes it fun and easy to read! 10/10 recommend taking the time to read and highlight all your favorite parts of this book.
#2 - Husband-Coached Childbirth
This book is eye opening when it comes to the importance of your spouses love and engagement in your birth experience. Dr. Bradley realized how much happier, healthier and easier his expecting moms birth experiences were when dad was right there with her being a part of the birth process. This was a very new concept in his time so he dove deep into research and understanding how he could best support moms AND dads in having the best possible birth experience. He dives into the positives of natural childbirth, childbirth education, preparing your body for labor and delivery and in a lot of ways most importantly dads involvement in the whole process. It is a great book to read together to both have more knowledge and confidence going into your birth!
#3 - Orgasmic Birth
Now I know the title is a bit intriguing haha but this book is a must read! I promise it is not as wild as it sounds but basically this book dives into the idea that the same hormones we release during love and pleasure are released during childbirth but yet they have totally different outcomes. Oxytocin is an important aspect of both of these very different experiences so how can we get our brain to translate it back to being one of love and pleasure and not fear and pain. This book does a wonderful job diving into the why and how of having a less painful and more enjoyable birthing experience! How to turn away from fear and let our bodies do what they are meant to do so that we can experience more of the love and pleasure and less of the pain. It’s a super helpful and eye opening book no matter how you want to birth!
#4 - Your girlfriends guide to pregnancy
Now this one is just a fun one! If you have already read a few of the more educational and informational pregnancy and labor books and want a bit of a laugh then this one is for you. Want to not feel alone in a lot of the rollercoaster up and down of pregnancy and childbirth then give this book a go! It doesn’t provide a whole lot of educational help but it does make you not feel as alone in the wild and beautiful ride that pregnancy can be. I highly recommend reading this book alongside one of the others as this one can have a bit more of a negative view on pregnancy to get some laughs and make it more relatable but you are looking for a book that isn’t as serious and you just want to feel a bit more connected to other mamas in similar boats then this one is good book to enjoy.
#5 - We’re Pregnant! the First Time Dad’s Pregnancy Handbook
If you are looking for an easy read for your husband to be able to understand some of the details happening as your hormones shift and your body changes to grow your lil babe then this is the book for you! Its a super simple handbook with details on each week of pregnancy to give dad a bit of insight and some helpful tips on how to help mom throughout some of the beautiful and chaotic transitions of pregnancy into motherhood. Its another not quite as serious book but honestly does provide some helpful advice for dads and tips and tricks to love their wife while as she transitions into being mom. A great gift for a dad to be a fun book to read together to learn more about what your body and babies body is doing each week of pregnancy!
These are just a few of the amazing pregnancy and labor books out there but I hope this was a helpful little insight into some of my favorite that will hopefully help educate, empower or make you laugh a bit as you prepare for your journey into parenthood!
Sincerely,
Revel Mama
