Clients will ask for your advice and guidance on so many topics, including what books you recommend. Here are some excellent resources for clients as they go through pregnancy and prepare for the birth of their baby.
- Childbirth Without Fear: The Principles and Practice of Natural Childbirth by Grantly Dick-Read. This classic is exactly that for a reason – it has been an excellent resource for women over the years as it helps them to recognize the reasons for their fears and anxieties regarding childbirth and helps to identify ways to overcome them.
- Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond by Nancy Bardacke. Creating an anxiety-free pregnancy leading up to one’s birth.
- Birth Without Fear: The Judgment-Free Guide to Taking Charge of Your Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum by January Harshe. January talks about personal experiences and how to overcome any obstacles (mental or physical) to have the birth experience you desire.
- The Baby Book, Revised Edition: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two by Willam Sears, MD, Marth Sears, RN, Robert Sears, MD, and James Sears, MD. This is like the encyclopedia for birth and postpartum.
- The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Genevieve Howland. Genevieve includes modern alternatives and choices such as optimal fetal positioning and placenta encapsulation.
- Changing Birth on Earth: A Midwife and nurse’s guide to using physiology to avoid another unnecessary cesarean by Gail N. Tully. The creator of Spinning Babies, Gail Tully wrote this book to help expecting people avoid cesarean births.
- The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson. A realistic view of what to expect once the baby arrives.
- Latch: A Handbook for Breastfeeding with Confidence at Every Stage by Robin Kaplan, IBCLC. Robin has easy, useful information to help have a successful breastfeeding relationship.
- The Happiest Baby on the Block; Fully Revised and Updated Second Edition: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer by Harvey Karp. This book offers soothing tips to help calm the baby to sleep.
- The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Newborns: Amazing Sleep from Day One – For Baby and You by Elizabeth Pantley. Gentle sleep suggestions to create healthy sleep habits.
Consider your clients when recommending a book to them. Some clients like to be fully prepared and reading a book or two will help answer any questions or ease any worries. The opposite can be true as well. Too much information can overwhelm some or even worsen fears and anxiety.
Think about your client and tailor your recommendation to THEIR needs. Do you feel they would enjoy an informational book or more of a conversational piece? Evidence-based books publish new editions frequently, so be sure to let your client know what the latest edition is.
The books from our previous post, Recommended Books For Doulas is an excellent resource to pull from for your clients as well.
Christine Herrera helps people become amazing birth professionals.
