The journey of becoming parents is exhilarating. Amidst all the excitement, we often give little importance to the actual birthing process. The term “Natural Birth” means vaginal delivery with little to no medical intervention. Although all births are beautiful, natural or not, the benefits of a natural birth make it preferable. The rate of natural delivery is declining according to various studies as more people are opting for a cesarean section delivery. The human body is beautifully designed to bear and birth a child. Hence, it is no reason to believe that you cannot give birth naturally unless instructed otherwise by healthcare professionals. We have an organized list of the best natural birth books for you. Read on to help achieve your dream natural birth!
The List of 10 Best Natural Birth Books
Below is a curated list of the best natural birth books out there. So start reading to get an overview and choose the book that best suits your needs.
1. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth “Updated With New Material” By Ina May Gaskin
Ina May Gaskin, the author, shares precious knowledge on natural childbirth from thirty years of experience. The book gives utmost importance to the mind-body connection. It goes on to explore the topic of giving birth without any sort of intervention. Also, it covers other crucial factors that lead to natural childbirth like reducing labor pain, common induction methods, creating a safe and comfortable environment for birth both at home or in the hospital, and much, much more. This highly reviewed book has all you need to prepare for a mindful, natural, and memorable childbirth.
2. Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way: Revised Edition By Susan McCutcheon, Erick Ingraham and Robert A. Bradley
The next book on the list is written by Susan McCutcheon who is a birthing doula and has had three natural births herself. She has over 50 years of teaching experience and her book is a guide to natural childbirth in the Bradley way. Over 200,000 print copies of her book have been sold till date. The book recommends diet and exercises for a positive birth and explains the partner’s role during birth. It also teaches you how to diminish fear by being acquainted with everything related to labor, how to avoid induction and cesarean, and how to take informed decisions regarding birth. Upon completion of this book, you will have proper knowledge of the Bradley Method, a more natural take on childbirth, from a certified childbirth educator.
3. Hypnobirthing: A Natural Approach To A Safe, Easier, More Comfortable Birthing By Marie Mongan MEd MHy
HypnoBirthing is a method of childbirth that makes a woman more aware of her body’s birthing capability. This book written by Marie Mongan dives into the beautiful topic of hypnobirthing and uncovers the knowledge needed to achieve it. On top of that, it leads women to believe that birth shouldn’t be feared as a traumatic and painful event but a beautiful journey to motherhood. The book explains the benefits of hypnobirthing like shorter labor time, better bonding of mother and baby, limited use of drugs and cesarean, etc. Also, the book goes through science-based information on how stress and fear make birth more painful than it actually is. The reviews of this book point towards how successful it has been in spreading the word about hypnobirthing. Hence, make sure to check it out if you want a peaceful and calm birth.
4. Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation By Pam England and Rob Horowitz
Pam England, a certified nurse midwife developed this book in order to help mothers delve into the emotional, spiritual, and psychological side of childbirth. Her book consists of tried and tested methods that lead to natural childbirth. The book teaches us that birth is not a mere medical event but a deeply personal experience. It goes on to say that birth can be shaped beautifully with proper knowledge and it also gives profound information on activities that make birth less fearful. Techniques to achieve drug-free pain management are thoroughly explained as well. In addition, what to expect with a baby after childbirth is given clarity so parents can be well prepared before the baby arrives. For example, newborn sleep, nursing, and bathing are addressed accordingly in the book. This helps you to be more aware of the challenges that come after the highly anticipated birth.
5. Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond By Nancy Bardacke
This book by Nancy Bardacke combines ancient birthing knowledge and modern scientific information. It is an amazing resource for medical professionals and pregnant women/women planning a future pregnancy. The book is backed up by research on meditation, medicine, and neuroscience. Undoubtedly, it is an amazing resource on natural childbirth. It teaches practices to lead to an easier birth, healthy living, and proper parenting. You also get ample knowledge on mindful birthing and learn how to build confidence regarding birth. The book tells you how to reduce fear and stress, work with pain management at an inner level, improve communication with your partner, and much more.
6. Childbirth without Fear: The Principles and Practice of Natural By Grantly Dick-Read and foreword Ina May Gaskin
The author Grantly Dick-Read was born in the 19th century. Yet, his published work on natural birth is still as fresh and new today, given the vast medical interventions during birth nowadays. This book is the foreword by Ina May Gaskin, the author of the first book on this list. Grantly Dick-Read compassionately unravels the reasons that surround a woman’s fearful perception of birth and encourages ways to overcome it. The author dedicatedly promoted natural birth throughout his life upon the success of women giving birth by using the “Dick-Read method”. To sum things up, this book breaks the barrier of fear which is a cumbersome obstacle during childbirth.
7. Natural Hospital Birth 2nd Edition: The Best of Both Worlds By Cynthia Gabriel
This book is a tad bit different from the previous ones. It is written by a doula, childbirth educator, and medical anthropologist Cynthia Gabriel. Gabriel has attended many births and has advised hospitals to carry out the birthing process with low medical intervention. The book specifically targets women who want a natural birth in a hospital setting rather than at home. Further, the book contains successful hospital birth stories for readers to build the confidence they need. The book helps expectant mothers to create a proper birth plan and prepare for birth with as little medical intervention as possible. It solves the dilemma of a mother who wants the best of both worlds – a natural birth, within the safe enclosure of a hospital.
8. Active Birth: The New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally By Janet Balaskas
This book is a source of empowerment. It leads women to believe that they are to lead their own births. The book highlights the fact that not having a passive role but an active role during birth greatly improves natural birth outcomes. Author Janet Balaskas tells the readers that laying down while giving birth is not the only option and not the most effective either. She also goes on to emphasize the need for proper movement during labor and delivery to facilitate birth at a decent rate. The book tells you how birth can be instinctive and can be led by a series of a woman’s own physiological processes. Further, the book sheds light on the best position for active birth, exercises during pregnancy, exercises for relaxation, and how to experience a beautiful, natural birth through your own instincts.
9. The Doula’s Guide to Empowering Your Birth: A Complete Labor and Childbirth Companion for Parents to Be By Lindsey Bliss
The author of this book, Lindsey Bliss is an experienced doula and has seven children of her own. So she knows firsthand what it takes to give birth naturally. This book prepares you for pregnancy through birth and also for postpartum, which is often called the fourth trimester. The author puts her main focus on empowering women for childbirth. Hence, it is an applicable book to keep in hand while preparing for a natural birth. The book covers important topics like handling morning sickness, what to avoid during pregnancy, positions for labor, and postpartum information. It is an all-in-one solution for mothers-to-be.
10. Our Births, Our Stories: Inspirational Home Births From Communities Around The World By Heather Baker
The last book on the list connects with readers at an emotional level. It is an amazing collection of home-birth stories that raise your confidence. It prepares you for an all-natural birth from within. Author Heather Baker who is also a traditional midwife has created this beautiful and informative book for mothers-to-be. It covers birth stories of twin births, VBACs, and births after previous trauma, all of which are usually unheard of to take place at home. It is an amazing read to build courage for an all-natural birth.
Conclusion
This article sums up the best natural birth books in one place for your convenience. Birth is instinctive and deeply connected to both our body and mind. The above-mentioned books will take you a step forward toward attaining all the knowledge you need for a natural birth. Consequently, these books will raise your confidence and make you gear up for safe and natural labor and delivery.