Great pregnancy, birth and beyond books

If you are pregnant then you will no doubt be aware that there are a HUGE range of books out there which give you every perspective, theory, story, therapy or approach to pregnancy and birth. In my 15 years experience, I have definitely found that some are far better than others!

With my first pregnancy I read a whole heap and found that quite a few left me feeling more nervous and confused than anything else. So with subsequent pregnancies I ditched those and focused just on ones that helped me understand my body, understand what I could do to work with my body and of course helped me feel more confident about the whole process. My all time favourites are by Ina May Gaskin as she instills such a sense of confidence and belief in your ability to give birth. I also loved books by Michel Odent as he backs up so much with research and evidence and the wonderful Sheila Kitzinger . I have also been drawn to books that focus on the more natural approach to pregnancy, birth and parenting which felt right for me and my family.

Some of my other favorites!

– The Essential Exercise and Birthball Handbook by Mark Hibbets and Martin Beckley – a really clear and easy-to-use guide to getting physically fit and birth ready. Lots of clear pictures and instructions on ways to use a birth ball during pregnancy birth and beyond
– Homebirth by Nicky Wesson – this was an invaluable book when I was preparing for our home births. it has a great mix of practical information, lovely birth stories and evidence-based research

– Instinctive Birthing by Val Clarke – Val is a wonderful midwife with a lifetime of experience. This book talks about something I am passionate about – getting in touch with and trusting your instincts

– Imperfectly Natural Woman by Janey Lee Grace – Janey Lee is a family friend and is just fabulous at helping women feel amazing about themselves. Sometimes women forget themselves a little in the whole process of pregnancy and birth, so whilst not directly connected to giving birth, it will give you heaps of fantastic ideas to getting the most out of life!

– The Gentle Sleep Solution – The naturally nurturing way to get your baby to sleep by Chireal Shallow – Chireal is an amazing woman! She is a psychologist, CBT psychotherapist and mother of four children (she also used Natal Hypnotherapy for the birth of her beautiful twin girls).

– Baby signing book and DVD by Joseph Garcia – we discovered baby signing when my eldest (now 15) was about 4 months old when we met Joseph Garcia at a conference. We went on to use baby signing with all our babies and found that they were able to communicate so clearly long before they used words.
– Effective Birth Preparation by Maggie Howell – well I could not exactly leave out my book