What are you reading?

[ljeffers]

I have the obligatory copy of what to expect ( a gift from my ob)

I have ordered Holistic pregnancy (or soemthing like that I think GinaRae recommended)

I have ordered birthing from within

Prgnanacy week by week

And I have 3 bradley books from last time.

Any other good suggestions?

Laura
Molly 3/9/04
Bean 11/07

[scheelimama]

You NEED to read an Ina May book. There's "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" and "Birthing from Within". I read the second one before I had dd2 and it made such a difference in how I approached the labor and delivery. I felt like it was easy, honestly. I'll be reading the other one before the next babe is born.

[LittleLlama]

I'm expecting a couple things in the mail... can't remember what exactly, but I know Ina May is in there.

IMHO, WTX isn't ALL bad... just some It's good if you are doing a lot of other, less fear-based reading.

What I am ACTUALLY reading though is a tiny little book called "The Ordeal of Change" that a casual aquaintance pulled out of his backpack and gave me when I told him I'd be moving from Oregon to Arizona. I read it, it hit home, I misplaced it. Years later I was about to get married and found it again. Reread it and it hit home again. It got packed away and just this week I was de-cluttering and found it again. Now I'm expecting baby #2 and the first 10 pages have already rung some bells.

[ComfyCozy]

I'm reading Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First by Marsden Wagner. What a read! I have a client with whom I'm reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. Hopefully by the time I've delivered this baby I'll have finished all my reading for DONA

[renaissanceed]

I second/third the Ina May books. I read them, along with Birthing from Within, WTE, Penny Simkin books, Sheila Kitzinger books, Naomi Wolf's Misconceptions (eye opening), and many others when pregnant with DD and they are ones I will definitely be reading again this time.

[yogamama74]

I agree Ina May is imperative. Spiritual Midwifery is my highest recommendation. Also The Thinking Woman's Gd to a Better Birth by Henci Goer and Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond by Freeman.

But I try not to read TOO much about pregnancy while I'm pregnant. I read them all while pregnant with my first two. I like books for distraction at this time otherwise I might worry myself silly. Amy Tan's "A Hundred Secret Senses" is helping with that...

[thirdchild]

I picked up Hynobirthing at a second hand store for $1. It's an interesting read, not sure if I'll follow it or not but it gives me something to read.

[lisalulu]

I wasn't really planning on reading anything this time : I'll probably change my mind later on. With my first I read an Ina May, Birthing From Withing and one of Penny Simkin's for her childbirth class. Oh and Pregnacy Week by Week which wasn't really my cup of tea but the development parts were interesting.

I happened to be reading Birth by Tina Cassidy right before we found out we were expecting again. It was pretty interesting to read about the history of childbirth.

[RubyJi]

I'm reading What to Expect right now. This is my first, so I want lots of information. I'm also consuming lots of online info like babycenter.com

I read the Girlfriend's Guide or whatever by Vicki Iovine and it was completely awful. Some funny bits, but full of bad advice from a shallow Hollywood housewife.

Any advice for good partner books? My husband hates it when I make suggestions to him, but he has offered to read one book. The Birth Partner was highly recommended, but that's a little way off!

[LittleLlama]

Originally Posted by RubyJi

Any advice for good partner books? My husband hates it when I make suggestions to him, but he has offered to read one book. The Birth Partner was highly recommended, but that's a little way off!

Well, if you want a book as a gag, What to Expect when Your Wife's Expanding is pretty funny... slightly imformative, but mostly sarcastic. Dh liked it

[De-lovely]

I love love love The Thinking Womans Guide to a Better Birth-I think it covers everything-one of my favorites. I also agree on BOTH Ina May books as well....a good brush up on the Nursing Mothers Companion is always good too....

Right now I am reading Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn....

[lisalulu]

Originally Posted by RubyJi

I'm reading What to Expect right now. This is my first, so I want lots of information. I'm also consuming lots of online info like babycenter.com

I read the Girlfriend's Guide or whatever by Vicki Iovine and it was completely awful. Some funny bits, but full of bad advice from a shallow Hollywood housewife.

Any advice for good partner books? My husband hates it when I make suggestions to him, but he has offered to read one book. The Birth Partner was highly recommended, but that's a little way off!

We had the Birth Partner as reading for our childbirth class. DH read parts of it but not all of it. We also got Be Prepared-can't remember the author. Its definitely light reading with a good amount of humor in it. Dh seemed to like it though.

[RubyJi]

On the humorous side, we both read My Boys Can Swim, which was also kinda funny and kinda stupid, with a lot of assumptions about everyone wanting a hospital birth and lots of drugs. Not us...

I definitely want to check out Ina May and I guess I need some parenting stuff too as I have no idea what to do with my baby when it come out.

[Momtwice]

Warning: the What to Expect series has some awful breastfeeding advice, if you are going that route. Even worse it has some good advice mixed with some bad advice so it's hard to know what parts to trust.

Hop on over to the breastfeeding boards or http://www.kellymom.com for better info.

This has been a public service announcement. My life would have been so much easier if I never saw those WTE books.

[monocyte]

Originally Posted by Momtwice

Warning: the What to Expect series has some awful breastfeeding advice, if you are going that route. Even worse it has some good advice mixed with some bad advice so it's hard to know what parts to trust.

Hop on over to the breastfeeding boards or http://www.kellymom.com for better info.

:

The WTE books are just bad all round.

[LittleBrownDog]

Originally Posted by RubyJi

...and I guess I need some parenting stuff too as I have no idea what to do with my baby when it come out.

I was 8 months pg with DD and had read Ina May's Guide, Dr. Sears' Pregnancy & Birth Books, Babycatcher, Birthing from Within, Pregnancy, Childbirth & the Newborn (but just the pg & cb bits!), and What to Expect... Suddenly realized I was pretty chock-full of info on how to get her out... but not a clue about what to do once she got here! : Quickly stocked up on good BF books and a few more Dr. Sears.

[cheeseRjedi]

What to Expect and the Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy are on my midwife's list of books NOT to read .

I am rereading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and will reread Birthing From Witihn as well. I also picked up Pregnancy Day By Day but it seems more geared towards first time moms so I've skipped over a bunch. Not sure if I'll fill out the journal parts at all. I want to read Active Birth by Janet Balaskas and some books about getting siblings adjusted.

On a sidenote, I am going to see Ina May speak at a midwivery conference in a few eeks and I am STOKED!!!

[Undercover Hippie]

I'm reading Heart & Hands. It's actually a midwifery text rather than a pregnancy book but it's got so much great info in it. The MW I've been assisting wanted me to read it and I have learned a lot from it. If you're really into pregnancy and birth and feel like you've read everything else listed here, yet still crave more, it's perfect.

It's not as detailed about the stages of pregnancy and what's going on inside at such-and-such weeks as the pregnancy books. But for remedies for common pregnancy ailments, discussions of prenatal tests, information on problems during birth and pregnancy, knowing about the stages of labor and birth, and references about herbs and homeopathy, it is great!

The Wise Woman's Herbal during the Childbearing Year (I think that's the name) is on my list too.

[ljeffers]

Great book Ideas

Thanks for all of the good suggestions ladies.....Laura

[cheeseRjedi]

Ooh..I've thumbed through Wise Woman Herbal and it is such a cool book!