Recently, I wrote about why birth matters to me. Prior to the birth of my third child, I did some research into pregnancy and birth. Since then, I’ve also done more research. Books are one of my favorite ways to learn. The experiences of others have been helpful for me. It was hard, for me, to go into pregnancy and birth knowing next to nothing (ala my first birth). The more I have read and watched and researched, though, the more prepared I have felt when it’s come to pregnancy and birth (I mean, as prepared as an expecting mom can be). If you’d like to find resources to pour over, whether you are pregnant or not, the following are my favorite resources when it comes to studying pregnancy and birth.
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin was the first book that made me believe I could have the unmedicated childbirth I wanted. This book is packed with birth stories that were very reaffirming to me. The stories from other women were amazing, and I am so glad I had them to read while I was preparing for birth. There is also a plethora of information from Ina May about childbirth after the birth stories. As a mom with a previous shoulder dystocia birth, I found that section helpful as well. Seriously, if you do not own this book, you should. The information provided is invaluable for new moms, moms to be, or anyone interested in pregnancy and birth.
The Business of Being Born has to be one of the most influential reasons for me choosing a different birth the third time. Although I watched it during my second pregnancy, it didn’t really hit home with me until afterwards. This movie really highlights the medical model of birth, and shows why you might not want it, while also showing how midwifery care can be the right answer for some women. I was shocked by some of the information in this movie, including the history of birth in the United States, along with the current care of birthing women in United States hospitals. This movie is very eye opening.
The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Genevieve Howland is by the awesome Mama Natural. I found her YouTube channel first, and only just recently acquired her book. As her YouTube and blog name implies, Genevieve is a natural minded mama. Her book is the answer to every mom that wants a more natural approach to pregnancy and birth, but in the What to Expect format. I have always turned to the What to Expect When You’re Expecting book when pregnant for information, but I wish I had had this book instead. This book has the week by week format with natural minded information. Great for any natural mama.
To go along with the Mama Natural book, I love the Mama Natural website (listed above) and the Mama Natural YouTube channel (in fact, as I went to add that link, I got sucked into one of her videos! That’s how much I enjoy her channel). She has great videos about being a natural mama, including pregnancy videos and unmedicated birth videos.
YouTube is an awesome place for pregnancy and birth related videos and information. Besides Mama Natural, there are other users that provide videos that can be useful to mamas. Some of my favorites include JesssFam, Naturally Thrifty Mom, and The Life of a Homemaker. JesssFam has had unmedicated births (one birth was even an unmedicated twin birth! Talk about powerful), among other things, on her channel. Naturally Thrifty Mom offers tons of natural minded mama videos, along with her own pregnancy and birth update videos. I also like that she has included postpartum update videos as well. The Life of a Homemaker is one of my very favorite YouTube channels. She offers natural minded videos as well, however, I believe she has recently taken a break from social media and noticed that her YouTube videos are down as well. Just a search of YouTube could expose you to all kinds of different videos and users.
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, and Teresa Pitman for La Leche League International was a book I found after I gave birth to my second child but did not purchase until after the birth of my third child. This book offers all kinds of information for pregnant moms and information beyond birth as well. It is a book I still refer to often. La Leche League also has local chapters you can go to in person, a website you can visit, along with Facebook pages.
January Harshe’s website and Instagram accounts are inspiring. Her website has links to her Birth Without Fear blog, along with Take Back Postpartum and more. She has great birth stories, support, and lots of solidarity. You can find her on Instagram through some of these accounts including @januaryharshe, along with @birthwithoutfear, and @takebackpostpartum. I am so thankful for this lady’s (virtual) Instagram and Facebook support (that’s right, you can find Birth Without Fear on Facebook as well). Just seeing her posts gives me the lift I need for the day. I would love to attend one of her conferences some day.
Resources can be different for everyone. Some may prefer YouTube videos while others prefer books. I like both and try to soak up as much knowledge and information as I can from the resources available to me. The books (and movie) above might be available from your library, or purchased from a source like Amazon. If you are interested in researching all you can before, during, or after pregnancy, I highly recommend the resources listed above.
Shelby
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