It was over a year ago that I made this reading list, and a few of the books were on the, “I want to read eventually, but not relevant right now,” list. Well, times have changed 😉
Your Best Birth, by Rikki Lake and Abby Epstein, was the first book I read post finding out that I was pregnant, and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Even if you are not pregnant, have no plans to become pregnant, and can’t see any way this subject applies to you, I encourage you to read it, because current maternity practice in our country does affect us all in some way, and you may know someone who will be making choices about childbirth and could directly benefit from the information in this book.
I just finished reading The Diaper-Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh, and I’m totally intrigued by the idea of Elimination Communication (EC). Loh’s book makes the concept very accessible and straightforward. Whether you’re using cloth or disposable diapers, using fewer diapers will be greener!
I also enjoyed Labor of Love: A Midwife’s Memoir, by Cara Muhlhahn, and I’m currently reading HypnoBirthing — The Mongan Method.
So, what’s still on my list?
- The Happiest Baby on the Block, by Harvey Karp
- Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin
- Diaper Free!: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene, by Ingrid Bauer
- The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, La Leche League
I think this represents a decent balance between total information overload and being completely unprepared, although I’m sure there will be many moments for which I feel completely unprepared. Now, if someone could just tell us what you do with that little flap on the corner of receiving blankets — we’re split among it being a spot for baby’s head, baby’s feet, or neither (just decorative) 😉
Her Green Life 
I’ve seen Ricki Lake’s documentary, “The Business of Being Born” and it was very interesting.
We watched that while I was in the middle of reading Your Best Birth. As is the case with most movies going for dramatic effect, the documentary showed some graphic scenes and portrayed hospital births very negatively. While I don’t necessarily disagree with the basic premise of the documentary, the book presented a much more even-handed view, while still making a clear case for the benefits of birthing outside the traditional “medical model,” including home birth.
I look forward to following your journey into parenthood and hope to be joining you before too long as well 🙂 I have heard good things about EC. Seems to make sense to me, I’ll have to check out that book. Hope you are feeling great!