Book recommendations for childbirth

[Allegrogirl]

I'm planning a homebirth for DC2 after an induced hospital birth with DD.

I usually do lots of research but haven't for this. Partly because I feel so much more confident this time and also because I don't want a natural childbirth book making me feel like a failure for not managing it myself last time.

Can anyone recommend some reading material to provide me with some practical coping strategies and positive thinking?

allegrogirl

I always tend to do lots of reading up (it's the scientist in me!0 but didn't do huge amounts before my home birth. There was a fantastic home birth web site which I will try and remember the name of.

Best thing to do would be to put another thread out with book recommendations for home birth and I bet you will get more responses.

(I loved my homebirth by the way!)

I think a book that talks about the practicalities of home birth, if such a thing exists, would be very useful. Otherwise, and I really don't want to have to be negative, but I really wouldn't bother with any of those stupid natural childbirth type books. They are talking about one particular type of labour (ie easy) experienced by one kind of woman (ie lucky) and are destined to make the majority of us feel like complete failures. I personally think that kind of expectation of labour is positively harmful.

I'm a big fan of this book It has a range of different ways of actively managing and coping with the pain of labour, so you can try different things if some don't work in the event. It also has a chapter which includes positive stories from women who wanted 'natural' births but had epidurals and/or c-sections. The author's attitude is entirely sensible: it's not a competition, we have to make informed decisions as labour progresses and it's great that medical help is there if we need it.

I would throughly recommend Birth and Beyond by Yehudi Gordon. It is not primarily aimed at homebirth but has some plenty of information on how to get the birth you want and a big emphasis on trusting your body and some affirmations to use during birth. The book covers pregnancy through to the baby being 9 months old with lots of info on practical things to prepare for labour such as yoga and for later use baby massage.

There is also a big section at the back of all types of ailments and conditions in pregnancy and how they can be treated conventionally and using alternative therapies. It really is a fantastic read.

Alternatively New Active Birth by Janet Balaskas has an emphasis on keeping active in labour and different positions to use in order to have as natural a delivery as possible.

Ina May Gaskin - spiritual midwifery is perfect, will give strategies, very pro home birth and will give inspiration.

It has hundreds of birth stories including some that are not totally optimal (eg very long labours, breech etc) and reading it made me realise that whatever the circumstances I could do it.

I would recommend all of these-
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1905177038/ref=oss_product

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1905177062/ref=oss_product

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0091922143/ref=oss_product

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0091924154/ref=oss_product

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0956071104/ref=oss_product

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1587613220/ref=oss_product

Selina

I've been recommended Birth Your Way by Sheila Kitzinger. Got it used off Amazon for a three quid (with postage) just this week. I am considering booking a home birth for my first.

I've also read and enjoyed Stand and Deliver and Active Birth.

I'm afraid, as I said earlier, I'm a real sceptic about these so-called gurus and their books. Who's to say that those who swear by them wouldn't have had an easy time of it in any case? Sometimes things happen that mean you can't just breathe and visualise your way through childbirth - no book can change that.

Anyhow I don't want to hijack, but it really gets my goat. I was lent two of the books mentioned before my first experience. I read them avidly, believed it all and got the biggest shock of my life when the cold hard reality struck home. All-consuming, total, brutal agony for hours and hours. Oh yes I got through it all, as per the books and the birth plan, with only gas & air, but for what? 3 years of PTSD, that's what.

gaelicsheep I'm sorry to hear your birth experience was traumatic.
I agree, that sometimes all the preperation in the world is not enough.
Some laboutrs are much longer and more painful than others.
PTSD can be linked to-

Feelings of loss of control
Impersonal treatment or problems with the staff attitudes
Not being listened to
Lack of information or explanation
Lack of privacy and dignity
Fear for baby's safety

All of these can occur as easily in a 'natural' birth as an intervention filled one.
I do say to pregnant women that come to my homebirth group, that you can't have too much support, and as a doula, I try to make sure the women I support feel safe and listened too etc
A natural birth without pharmacological drugs which cross the placenta and effect the baby, does not mean you just have to grin and bear it and there are things you can do to help cope with the experience.
Selina x

Im with you GS.
Im trying to swot up for a VBAC and Im attempting to get through Ina May and its driving me up the wall! Far too idealistic imo and the chapter about not attempting a VBAC and repeat caesareans is just scare mongering and hasn't made me feel any better about my second birth in fact has only scared me more.

However, stand and deliver was my fav book first time round.

This website was really useful for me in the lead up to my homebirth:

www.homebirth.org.uk/

I also really enjoyed the book 'Stand and Deliver'by Emma Mahoney, which has lots of positive birth stories. It's not a technical manual but I found it a really positive, confidence-building read in those last few weeks. Personally, I found all the detailed natural-birth books a bit overwhelming and made me feel like a failure before I'd even started! I gave up reading them and stuck to more anecdotal things.

Good luck!

I've had two fabulous home births, hoping for another with DC3 (due in November). A friend of mine, who was then a student midwife, compiled a book called Home Births (edited by Abigail Cairns) which is available on Amazon and is a lovely collection of positive home birth stories (and some pictures!). I loved reading it - think I have reviewed it on Amazon too.