“What I love about stories the most is the power they have to teach us of possibilities that might not occur to us without them.”
– Ina May Gaskin
It is not only empowering, but awe inspiring to learn about the wonders of our bodies, especially the physiology and psychology of conception and childbirth. I have compiled a list of books that I found to be educational, inspirational, and overall good reads.
PREGNANCY & BIRTH
- Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth — Ina May Gaskin
- Spiritual Midwifery — Ina May Gaskin
- Birth Matters — Ina May Gaskin
- Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn — Penny Simkin, Ann Keppler, and Janelle Durham
- An Easier Childbirth: A Mother’s Guide to Birthing Normally — Gayle Peterson, Ph. D.
- Natural Hospital Birth: The Best of Both Worlds — Cynthia Gabriel
- The Natural Pregnancy Book: Herbs, Nutrition, and Other Holistic Choices — Aviva Jill Romm
- Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering — Sarah Buckley
- Birth As An American Rite of Passage — Robbie Davis Floyd
- The Farmer and the Obstetrician — Michel Odent
- Real Food for Pregnancy: The Science and Wisdom of Optimal Prenatal Nutrition — Lily Nichols
- Real Food for Gestational Diabetes — Lily Nichols
- Baby got VBAC — Colleen Reagan Noon
- The Female Pelvis — Blandine Calais-Germain
- The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Childbirth — Henci Goer
- Shared Decision Making — Brad Bootstaylor
- Life’s Vital Link: The Astonishing Role of the Placenta — Y.W. Loke
BREASTFEEDING & THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD
- The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding — Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, and Teresa Pitman (La Leche League International)
- Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers — Nancy Mohrbacher
- The Nursing Mother’s Herbal — Shiela Humphrey
- The First Forty Days — Heng Ou
- After the Baby’s Birth — Robin Lim
BOOKS FOR PARTNERS
- Men, Love, and Birth — Midwife Mark Harris
- The Birth Partner — Simkin
- The 4th Trimester Dad: A Dad’s Emotional Guide to Living with a New Baby — Chad Patterson
BIRTH PSYCHOLOGY & EARLY HUMAN DEVELOPMENT BOOKS
- Prenatal Development and Parents’ Lived Experiences — Ann Diamond Weinstein
- Parenting from the Inside Out — Daniel J Siegel & Mary Hartzell
- Pre-Parenting: Nurturing Your Child from Conception — Thomas R. Verny
- The Developing Mind — Daniel J Siegel
- Trauma and Memory — Peter Levine
- The Secret Life of the Unborn Child — Thomas Verny & John Kelly
- The Neuroscience of Human Relationship: Attachment and the Developing Social Brain — Louis Cozolino
- Bonding — Klaus, Kennell, & Klaus
- Attachment — John Bowlby
- The Continuum Concept — Jean Leidloff
- Windows to the Womb — David Chamberlain
MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS BOOKS
- Yoga Baby, Yoga Mama — Margo Shapiro Bachman
- Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful (Kundalini Yoga & Meditation focused) — Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
- Becoming Aware — Daniel J Siegel
- The Healing Power of the Breath — Richard P Brown & Patricia L Gerbarg
- The Beginner’s Guide to Stoicism — Matthew Van Natta
- Beyond the Breath: Extraordinary Mindfulness through Whole-Body Vipassana Meditation — Marshall Glickman
- Walking Meditation: Easy Steps to Mindfulness — Nguyen Anh-Huong & Thich Nhat Hanh
- Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body — Daniel Goleman & Richard Davidson
- Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Every Day Life — Jon Kabat-Zinn
To my clients: If you are interested in reading or discussing any of these books, you have full access to my lending library.
TC LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Some links found in the above book recommendations may be affiliate links, meaning I will make commission on sales you make through my link. This is at no extra cost to you to use my links/codes, it’s just one more way to support me and my work! 🙂