Tried and tested childbirthing books

[Monkor]

Is anyone able to recommend good constructive useful childbirthing books? The name Grantly Dick-Read keeps popping up. Has anyone read these books...or should i just not bother with books ;)

Thanks

I think it really is so personal, different things suit different people. I love Ina May Gaskin, "Homebirth" by Sophie Wesson, "Stand and Deliver" by someone I can't remember. Oh yes, and a strong
anti-recommendation for "What to Expect". Just don't go there It also depends on your inital knowledge base; I didn't really learn anything I didn't already know, I just enjoyed the books. Be aware,there are a lot of very patronising and in some cases disempowering books out there. Enjoy finding ones you like!

Books such as Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth and Jane Balaskas' Active Birth put the ideas set out in Grantly Dick Read's Childbirth Without Fear (which was written in the 1930s) into the contemporary birthing context. I read the Active Birth chapter on Labour and Birth about 20 times before I birthed my son and I have to say I loved the birth. It wasn't pain free but it was wonderful and intense and quick. I credit the book with a huge part of making my birth such a great experience. I have since recommended it to everyone I know!

I am due to have my second in July and have recently read Ina May's books, which focus more on the emotional and spiritual side of birthing (Active Birth has a more physiological focus) but I think these two as companion texts would be the perfect preparation for labour and birth.

Good luck!

I have read lots of these books - I find books like "what to expect" very patronising!

The best all rounder book IMO is Yehudi Gordon's "Birth and Beyond" - he has a great balance between conventional and alternative medicine.

Dick Readly Grant's book is quite heavy going in part but is useful as an introduction to the active birth movement.

Stand and Deliver is full of great birth stories.

Misconceptions (Naomi Wolf) is interesting a a work of feminist political theory - same with Sheila Kitzinger's book - the new experience of childbirth.

I have really enjoyed Ina May Gaskin's books - Spiritual Midwifery and IM's Guide to Childbirth - v reasuring as lots of stories of normal natural birth.

Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan brings Dick Grantly Read's book into a modern context and would recommend alongside.

I honestly think if you do want an active natural birth, reading all these books is the best preparation you could do.

My favourite was Juju Sundin's Birth Skills.

It's very practical, has lots of different things to do in labour to manage pain. Personally, I was sceptical of approaches that promised 'no pain', I wanted to know how to deal with what pain I would feel.

In the end I had a very managed birth as my waters broke at 41+5, but my contractions never regularised. Little man was back to back and I had to be induced using a syntocin drip. From what I read, back-to-back/induction/drip is supposed to be excruciating but I found it manageable to 5cm with the Birth Skills techniques, I found they were brilliant. There are lots of different things she suggests you do with a stress ball and I found it AMAZING. There are great techniques with movement and I fully believe if I hadn't been induced they would have been brilliant too.. as the pain went up I was dying to try them but couldn't with the drip, of course.

Still very much worth it. Kept me calm and serene and enjoying the birth experience.

I enjoyed "What to expect" - OK so a bit basic in places, but for a worrier like me, it was good and the index was useful.

Stand & Deliver was good and positive as well as humourous at times.

I found Ina May Gaskin a bit lentil weavy for me.

Michael Odent had lots of pictures so it's usefulness will depend on how squeamish you are.

Marie Mongan was positive and not too hippyish. Explained the Physiology nicely.

Sheila Kitzinger was nice and down to earth.

Jane Balaskas' New Active Birth was sensible and straight forward.

mrsbean78 Thank you for that recommendation. If I have another it will be managed (previous CS) so something practical like that will really help me.

(not that the others aren't good, just less relevant to my situation!)