Know your rights as a client! You have the right to participate in decision-making involving you and your baby’s birth, and you have the right to know the benefits, risks, and hazards of drugs and procedures. Remember, as the authors of A Good Birth, A Safe Birth observe, “If you don’t know your options, you don’t have any.”
I firmly believe that educating yourself can help you make better decisions in the long run no matter where you give birth. So educate yourself, and stand by your beliefs!
WRITE A BIRTH PLAN!! You’re not planning your birth, you’re letting your preferences be know.
Here’s a great, informative website about Home Births. If you ever had a question about Home Births, it can be answered here.
Pushed Birth. Another wonderfully informative website, easy reading!
- Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation by Pam England & Rob Horowitz
- The Birth Partner, Third Edition: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions by Penny Simkin
- Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
- So That’s What They’re for: Breastfeeding Basics by Janet Tamaro
- Breastfeeding With Comfort and Joy by Laura Keegan, RN, FNP
- The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
- Birth Reborn by Michel Odent (anything by Michel Odent, a French OB who helped to get that country into the midwifery model of care.)
- Heart and Hands by Elizabeth Davis
- Energetic Pregnancy by Elizabeth Davis
- Mind Over Labor by Carl Jones
- Spriritual Midwifery Ina May Gaskin
- This Sacred Life by Zuki Abbott
- The Birth Book by the Sears
- Childbirth Without Fear by Grantly Dick-Read
- Special Delivery by Rahima Baldwin
- The Power of Pleasurable Childbirth By Laurie Morgan
- The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Birth by Sheila Kitzinger
- The Labor Progress Handbook by Penny Simkin and Ruth Ancheta
- Emergency Childbirth: A Manual by Gregory J. White, M.D.
- Birthing Normally by Gayle Peterson
- Transformation through Birth by Claudia Panuthos
- Sacred Birthing, Birthing a New Humanity by Sunni Karrl
- < a href="http://www.amazon.com/Immaculate-Deception-II-Magic-Birth/dp/0890876339/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255134894&sr=1-1">Immaculate Deception II: Myth, Magic and Birth by Suzanne Arms
- She raises awareness as to how the birth process has become a medical condition, the effect this may have/has had on mothers and infants, and helps you realize that the mother should be the decision maker in how she brings her child into this world.
- Active Birth : The New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally
by Janet Balaskas
- Back Labor No More!!: What Every Woman Should Know Before Labor by Janie McCoy King Prevent Back labor!
- Birth Without Violence by Frederick Leboyer
- Journey into Motherhood: Inspirational Stories of Natural Birth
by Sheri Menelli
- Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International
- Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent - Her writing style and stories are Priceless! An easy and just plain FUN book to read about her journey as a Midwife.
It is highly beneficial for women and their partners to bond with their baby while he/she is still in utero. This has a direct positive effect on the baby and the pregnancy itself, as well as the ease of their Birthing Time. Here are some resources to help you understand the immense importance of these interactions before birth. So much of what happens in utero, at birther and just afterwards affects us all later in life.
The Secret Life of the Unborn Child by Dr. Thomas Verny & John Kelly
Nurturing the Unborn Child by Dr. Thomas Verny, Pamela Weintraub
Tomorrow’s Baby: The Art and Science of Parenting from Conception through Infancy by Dr. Thomas Verny, Pamela Weintraub
Babies Remember Birth: And other extraordinary scientific discoveries about the mind and personality of your newborn by David B. Chamberlain
The Mind of Your Newborn Baby by David B. Chamberlain
APPPAH - Association for Pre- & Perinatal Psychology and Health http://www.birthpsychology.com
Prenatal Parenting - http://www.prenatalparenting.com/product/list.html
MUST WATCH MOVIES:
* Best Hard Look at the Current State of Maternity Care in America
- The Business of Being Born (2007) Directed by Abby Epstein, Produced by Ricki Lake
*Most Personal Documentary About Being Pregnant In America
- Pregnant in America: A Nation’s Miscarriage (2008) Directed by Steve Buonagurio
What Babies Want http://www.whatbabieswant.com - Wonderful!
MUST SEE WEBSITES:
* ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network)
- ICAN’s mission is to prevent unnecessary cesareans through education, to provide support for cesarean recovery, and to promote VBAC.
* Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS)
- CIMS is a coalition of individuals and national organizations with concern for the care and well-being of mothers, babies, and families. Their mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs.
- CIMS is the founder of the The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative and The Birth Survey
- Citizens for Midwifery (CfM) is a non-profit, volunteer, grassroots organization. Founded by several mothers in 1996, it is the only national consumer-based group promoting the Midwives Model of Care.
- CfM can help you learn about the Midwives Model of Care, find a midwife in your area, and connect with resources about birth and midwifery
* La Leche League International (LLLI)
- La Leche League International strives to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
* BirthNetwork National (BNN)
- BNN is is leading a grassroots movement based on the belief that birth can profoundly affect our physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
- BNN has local chapters and holds monthly meetings all around the country!
- BNN believes that:
· Birth is a normal, healthy process, not an illness or disease.
· Empowering births can take place in birth centers, hospitals and homes.
· Women are entitled to complete and accurate information on their full range of options for pregnancy, birth, post-partum and breastfeeding.
· Women have a right to make health care decisions for themselves and their babies. That right includes Informed Consent as well as Informed Refusal.
- has the list of rights of pregnant mothers
- Weekly e-mails from Lamaze International feature trustworthy information, practical tips, and inspirational stories to help guide you through the next months and beyond.
What to Expect When You Are Expecting - Only read this if you like perpetuating the idea that childbirth is a disease in need of a cure.
Babywise - This book is Baby unfriendly. Parent beware. This is the only book *that I know of* that the American Association of Pediatrics put out a warning stating that by following the guidelines in Babywise of putting your baby on sleeping and eating schedules can cause a failure to thrive in your child.
860-859-2084 mrsrobertson@comfortbirth.com