Birth from Within by Pam England & Rob Horowitz
Here is a holistic approach to childbirth that examines this profound rite-of-passage not as a medical event but as an act of self-discovery. Exercises and activities such as journal writing, meditation, and painting will help mothers analyze their thoughts and face their fears during pregnancy. For use during birth, the book offers proven techniques for coping with labor pain without drugs, a discussion of the doctor or midwife’s role, and a look at the father’s responsibilities. Childbirth education should also include what to expect after the baby is born. Here are baby basics, such as how to bathe a newborn, how to get the little one to sleep, and tips for getting nursing off to a good start. Pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is a process of continuous learning and adjustment; Birthing From Within provides the necessary support and education to make each phase of birthing a rewarding experience.
Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin
Here is the 4th edition of the classic book on home birth that introduced a whole generation of women to the concept of natural childbirth. Back again are even more amazing birthing tales, including those from women who were babies in earlier editions and stories about Old Order Amish women attended by the Farm midwives.
Also new is information about the safety of techniques routinely used in hospitals during and after birth, information on postpartum depression and maternal death, and recent statistics on births managed by The Farm Midwives.
From the amazing birthing tales to care of the newborn, Spiritual Midwifery is still one of the best books an expectant mother could own. Includes resources for doulas, childbirth educators, birth centers, and other organizations and alliances dedicated to improving maternity care at home and in hospitals.
Childbirth without Fear by Grantly Dick-Read
In an age when normal birth can still be overtaken by obstetrics, Grantly Dick-Read's philosophy is still as fresh and relevant as it was when he originally wrote this book. He unpicks the root causes of women's fears and anxiety about pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding with overwhelming heart and empathy. As one of the most influential birthing books of all time, Childbirth Without Fear is essential reading for all parents-to-be, childbirth educators, midwives and obstetricians!
Lending Library
Throughout the training and certification process, I have collected a number of books and other resources for clients to use. Due to these books being from my personal library, it is asked that you return all items in a timely manner.
Special Note* Due to recent cross-country relocation, only a selection of these titles are available at this time. For more information please contact
The Natural Pregnancy Book by Aviva Jill Romm
Reading The Natural Pregnancy Book is like having your own personal herbalist and midwife at your side. Expertly written by Aviva Jill Romm, who has been providing family-centered natural health care for almost twenty years, it guides women through treating the common ills and ailments of pregnancy simply with herbs and nutrition.Aviva thoughtfully follows the woman's journey from baby's conception to birth, describing herbs that can promote and maintain a healthy pregnancy, along with those you should avoid during your term. Her herbal remedies cover such familiar concerns as anxiety, fatigue, morning sickness, and stretch marks. She also discusses the components of a healthy diet, with an emphasis on natural foods. With its detailed information and comforting voice, The Natural Pregnancy Book is a complete primer for the woman who envisions a safe pregnancy as nature intended it.
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
What you need to know to have the best birth experience for you. Drawing upon her thirty-plus years of experience, Ina May Gaskin, the nation’s leading midwife, shares the benefits and joys of natural childbirth by showing women how to trust in the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a healthy and fulfilling birthing experience. Based on the female-centered Midwifery Model of Care, Ina May’s Guide to Natural Childbirth gives expectant mothers comprehensive information on everything from the all-important mind-body connection to how to give birth without technological intervention.
The Doula Advantage by Rachel Gurevich
New moms are spreading the word to pregnant women just like you: Doulas make pregnancy and childbirth the celebratory experience it is meant to be! Doulas are professionally trained women who provide support before, during, and after delivery. Research has shown that doulas help women have positive birth experiences, decrease the need for pain medication, improve breastfeeding success, and reduce the need for cesarean sections and other invasive procedures. Author Rachel Gurevich interviewed more than 235 women and birth professionals to bring you this best-kept pregnancy secret.
Birth by Tina Cassidy
Published to widespread acclaim, Tina Cassidy’s smart, engaging book is the first world history of childbirth in fifty years. From evolution to the epidural and beyond, Tina Cassidy presents an intelligent, enlightening, and impeccably researched cultural history of how and why we’re born the way we are. Women have been giving birth for millennia but that’s about the only constant in the final stage of the great process that is human reproduction. Why is it that every culture and generation seems to have its own ideas about the best way to give birth? Cassidy explores the physical, anthropological, political, and religious factors that have and will continue to influence how women bring new life into the world.
The Doula Guide To Birth by Ananda Lowe & Rachel Zimmerman
Here is your guide to the fastest-growing trend in childbirth—a tradition as old as motherhood itself.Doulas, or professional labor assistants, have led thousands of expectant women through the birthing process in a way that’s safe and meaningful, and that creates the birth and postbirth experience all mothers long for.
What exactly do doulas do?
How to find one that suits you.
What are the “trade secrets” only doulas know but every woman should be aware of (even if you don’thave a doula)?
The Birth Conspiracy by Rivka Cymbalist
The Birth Conspiracy is a guide for women and their partners, for doulas, and for anyone who is interested in the process of birth. The majority of women want to give birth naturally, but they want to do it in a hospital setting, where technology and medical expertise make them feel safe. This technology and expertise make natural birth a rare occurrence in most hospitals. In The Birth Conspiracy, Rivka Cymbalist draws upon her experience at over 500 births to answer to the question "How women can give birth naturally in hospitals"? The key to this answer is the doula. Who or what is a doula? Put simply, someone who accompanies a woman through pregnancy, labor and the birth of her child. But there much more to the doula, and The Birth Conspiracy provides a ground-breaking re-invention of the role of the humble birth companion. In the emotionally and ideologically charged world of childbirth Rivka Cymbalist emerges as down to earth, non-judgmental voice for women who are overwhelmed by choices and opinions
Active Birth by Janet Balaskas
Janet Balaskas led a movement of women who refused to give birth lying down. She has been teaching women about “active birth” ever since. In this updated and Americanized guide, Balaskas explains how to prepare for and experience a truly natural birth. She leads the pregnant woman through yoga-based stretching exercises and massage practice, and describes the stages of labor and comfortable positions for each, at home or in a hospital. Balaskas has also included a chapter on water birth as well as postpartum exercises.
Your Best Birth by Ricki Lake & Abby Epstein
The national C-section rate is at an all-time high of 31 percent. Are all these C-sections necessary, or are some of them done simply for the sake of convenience? Inductions seem to be the norm, but are they always needed? Today, expectant mothers are often left feeling powerless, as their instincts are replaced by drugs and routine medical procedures.
What you are about to discover is that you have a choice, and you have the power to plan the kind of birth that's right for you-whether it is at a birth center, a hospital, or at home. In YOUR BEST BIRTH, internationally known advocates of informed choice Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein inspire women to take back the birth experience, with essential advice on:
· Positive and negative effects of epidurals, Pitocin, and other drugs and interventions
· Inducing vs. allowing your labor to progress naturally
· The truth behind our country's staggering C-section rate
· Assembling your birth team and creating your birth plan.
Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper
New parents are faced with a myriad of choices about pregnancy, labor, and birth. In Gentle Birth Choices Barbara Harper, renowned childbirth advocate, nurse, former midwife, and mother of three, helps to clarify these choices and shows how to plan a meaningful, family-centered birth experience. She dispels medical myths and reimagines birth without fear, pain, or violence. Harper explains the numerous gentle birth choices available, 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; and deciding how to best use current technologies. She also provides practical advice for couples wishing to explore the option of using a doula or water during labor and birth to avoid the unwanted effects of drugs and epidurals.
The Labour Progress Handbook by Penny Simkin & Ruth Acheta
The third edition of The Labor Progress Handbook builds on the success of first two editions and remains an unparalleled resource on simple, non-invasive interventions to prevent or treat difficult labor. Features new to this edition include two new chapters on third and fourth stage labor management and low-technology interventions, a complete analysis of directed versus spontaneous pushing, and additional information on massage techniques.
Life Stages and Native Women by Kim Anderson
Life Stages and Native Women explores how life stages and responsibilities of Métis, Cree, and Anishinaabe women were integral to the health and well-being of their communities during the mid- 20th century. The book is rich with oral history conducted with fourteen Algonquian elders from the Canadian prairies and Ontario. These elders share stories about the girls and women of their childhood communities at mid-century (1930–1960), and customs related to pregnancy, birth and post-natal care, infant and child care, puberty rites, gender, and age-specific work roles, the distinct roles of post-menopausal women, and women's roles in managing death.