What are you reading? - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[augustashley]

Oh, FYI, if you don't know better already, "What to expect when you are expecting" is horrible and negative.  DON'T read it. :)

[kimble]

Originally Posted by augustashley 

I can't start thinking about birth until at least my 2nd trimester, then I have to process it and prepare.  In my first trimester, I'm not ready for processing all that yet (and this is my 5th, lol!)

This is my first, but you pretty much described me to a T. I'm a very analytical person and do medically oriented work, so I spent a month or so getting geeky about pregnancy. I signed up for WebMD's weekly update and found it pretty high level and light on content, but that may change later on as there are more noticeable changes and I forget all those weeks I read ahead  .

Much as I saw getting married as laying the foundation for a life together rather than simply throwing a big wedding party, I see pregnancy and childbirth as the foundation of a family relationship and want to get off on a good foot! Pregnancy itself is totally fine and I know my body can handle whatever happens with minimal concern, but I'm not so sure about the actual childbirth part.

I have reached the point where I need to prepare myself for that mentally, and want plenty of time to do so (the analytical part of me lives for data to crunch, but my self awareness and DH know I need to turn that part off, or at least redirect it, to have a good shot at an unmedicated birth). To that end, I just ordered Birthing from Within and Hypnobirthing. My midwife is a certified BFW mentor and recommended I try the book. Honestly I expect to have a hard time buying into the new age art projects but DH and I had a good talk about childbirth preparation this weekend and we agreed that shifting from an overanalytical mindset to a more meditative/mindful one and channeling some connection to ancient Womanhood is a good direction for me. Working to free myself from destructive perfectionism over the past year helped me see the value of coaching my brain to change the way I perceive things, and I'd like to carry that mindset into childbirth and parenting.

Originally Posted by Quinalla 

I read both of these last time, I second the recommendation for Pushed if you are doing a hospital birth. And I had similar feelings about Husband Coached Childbirth, I don't regret reading it, but it was definitely a take what works and leave the rest kind of book. Really though, I didn't find a single pregnancy/birth book that was my bible, it was just a compilation in my brain of all the good stuff from all of them and that worked well for me, well maybe A Thinking Women's Guide to a Better Birth was close, but it doesn't cover everything.

These are both good suggestions! I love Amazon's "surprise me" feature and e-thumbed through both of these. The Husband Coached seemed rather outdated and less flexible than I would like, glad to hear I'm not alone. The thinking Woman's Guide is on my B list - I love its pros and cons format and tables, but feel it could just convince me of what I already believe. Once I get through my first choices I'll see if it would fill any holes where I want more information. It looks very comprehensive, and if I wasn't actively seeking something to push me a little farther to new age hippiedom, it would probably be my first pick.

Originally Posted by nstewart 

You could check out for example: "Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering" (very empowering and the book that made me truly committed to a natural birth for DS) or some of the other books that have been suggested here.

You are made to make babies and give birth mama, your body is powerful.  Don't let a book make you feel otherwise.

Originally Posted by heatheresc 

Amandalynn, ditto to the recommendation for Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering. That was probably my favorite book out of all the ones I read last time. It was good explaining the science/health aspects of it but also had such a warm feel and I loved reading the author's birth stories (although I wouldn't want to copy some of her birth experiences!). Anything that leads to freaking out should be tossed immediately!

Gentle Birth is also on my secondary reading list. I'm not sure how much I will appreciate birth stories and the author's level of spiritual connection to the Great Earth Mother, so I'm holding until I know what I want in other books. It looks like an inspirational resource for natural birth though.

Another book on my wait list is Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond. This looks like a great combination of mindfulness techniques and exercises which can be applied beyond childbirth. I'm also interested in Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn as a general guide to what goes on. It has a more scientific tone than the others and would give my analytical side an outlet. Plus it has a good selection of exercises and yoga poses for flexibility and managing discomfort in late pregnancy.

[nstewart]

Originally Posted by kimble 

This is my first, but you pretty much described me to a T. I'm a very analytical person and do medically oriented work, so I spent a month or so getting geeky about pregnancy. I signed up for WebMD's weekly update and found it pretty high level and light on content, but that may change later on as there are more noticeable changes and I forget all those weeks I read ahead  .

Much as I saw getting married as laying the foundation for a life together rather than simply throwing a big wedding party, I see pregnancy and childbirth as the foundation of a family relationship and want to get off on a good foot! Pregnancy itself is totally fine and I know my body can handle whatever happens with minimal concern, but I'm not so sure about the actual childbirth part.

I have reached the point where I need to prepare myself for that mentally, and want plenty of time to do so (the analytical part of me lives for data to crunch, but my self awareness and DH know I need to turn that part off, or at least redirect it, to have a good shot at an unmedicated birth). To that end, I just ordered Birthing from Within and Hypnobirthing. My midwife is a certified BFW mentor and recommended I try the book. Honestly I expect to have a hard time buying into the new age art projects but DH and I had a good talk about childbirth preparation this weekend and we agreed that shifting from an overanalytical mindset to a more meditative/mindful one and channeling some connection to ancient Womanhood is a good direction for me. Working to free myself from destructive perfectionism over the past year helped me see the value of coaching my brain to change the way I perceive things, and I'd like to carry that mindset into childbirth and parenting.

These are both good suggestions! I love Amazon's "surprise me" feature and e-thumbed through both of these. The Husband Coached seemed rather outdated and less flexible than I would like, glad to hear I'm not alone. The thinking Woman's Guide is on my B list - I love its pros and cons format and tables, but feel it could just convince me of what I already believe. Once I get through my first choices I'll see if it would fill any holes where I want more information. It looks very comprehensive, and if I wasn't actively seeking something to push me a little farther to new age hippiedom, it would probably be my first pick.

Gentle Birth is also on my secondary reading list. I'm not sure how much I will appreciate birth stories and the author's level of spiritual connection to the Great Earth Mother, so I'm holding until I know what I want in other books. It looks like an inspirational resource for natural birth though.

Another book on my wait list is Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond. This looks like a great combination of mindfulness techniques and exercises which can be applied beyond childbirth. I'm also interested in Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn as a general guide to what goes on. It has a more scientific tone than the others and would give my analytical side an outlet. Plus it has a good selection of exercises and yoga poses for flexibility and managing discomfort in late pregnancy.

All great choices, but one more plug for Gentle Birth to be on your A list:  There is a great deal of detailed, scientific information on the specific hormones that are released at different stages of labour, how they impact the body during labour, how they impact outcomes in the post-partum period, how different medications can effect the body's production and release of those hormones, etc. etc. etc.  Also the only book that had any real information on cord blood banking that I found.  Otherwise all I could find were essentially ads from cord blood businesess!  It was actually that detailed information that made me truly committed to a natural birth.  It's not all rainbows, unicorns and sunbeams.