Reading List

Interweaving personal narrative and reportage and pouncing with particular vehemence on what she considers to be the dumb, patronizing misinformation in the bestselling guidebook What To Expect When You're Expecting, Wolf reveals that birth in this country is often needlessly painful. The author talks of the misconceptions around becoming a mother and of her...

A look at how our beliefs influence our birth experiences.

A doula is an experienced labor companion who provides continuous emotional support and assistance before, during, and after birth. Through research with over 2,000 women, the authors show that the presence of a doula shortens labor by an average of two hours, decreases cesarean sections by over 50%, decreases the need for pain medication,...

Although the author's opinion is that home birth is only chosen by 'extremists*,' this book still has great natural birth after cesarean information with emphasis on knowing your reasons behind wanting a VBAC being crucial in your success and staying motivated. *This view is not that of ICAN. ICAN believes that it is an...

Since the Bradley method was first introduced, a growing number of expectant parents have opted for natural childbirth, knowing that it's safer than medicated or surgical delivery. This book provides information on what to expect during each stage of birth, and gives sound advice on how to prepare physically for labor using the Bradley...

Anyone working to improve the childbearing experience and help women avoid unnecessary intervention has encountered numerous "obstetric myths" or "old doctors' tales." And while the evidence in the medical literature may be solidly, often unequivocally, against whatever "the doctor said," without access to that evidence, the pregnant woman is quite reasonably going to follow...

From the co-author of Silent Knife, this book revisits cesarean prevention, planning for VBAC, and setting yourself up for the birth you want.

A complete pregnancy and childbirth guide on the market, The Complete Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn has established itself as a leading prenatal training manual with nearly 350,000 copies sold since 1984. A preferred alternative to What to Expect When You're Expecting, the revised and expanded edition includes the information on risky...

This up-to-date book takes a critical look at the active management (as opposed to expectant management) of birth in the United States and other parts of the world with many well-researched statistics and facts mixed with a sensible approach. The author asks important questions about why birth has become so medicalized and presents the...

Madsen's book focuses on an aspect of childbirth that is all too often ignored: the emotional aftermath. Few women planning a pregnancy or anticipating childbirth would dispute that the birth of a healthy child is their primary concern. Even when this happy outcome is achieved, however, the process of childbirth itself can wreak havoc...

Bestselling author Sheila Kitzinger, the world's foremost birth educator and activist, explores the universal experience of pregnancy and childbirth in this splendid book, beautifully illustrated with hundreds of photographs. With an intimate, informative style that both enlightens and engages her readers, Kitzinger looks closely at feelings and emotions in pregnancy, the physical and spiritual...

Often referred to as 'the bible of cesarean prevention,' Silent Knife discusses both the technical and emotional aspects of a cesarean and of Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). Written in a style that leaves you feeling as if you're having a conversation with the author, readers often find within the pages a safe place...