I love the smell of a new Book!

Guide to Childbirth-
I can not say enough good about this book.  The first half is full of positive, uplifting  birth stories.  That is not to say that some of them do not have challenges or complications.  The second half of the book then goes on to discuss the challenges.  The discussion involves identifying different solutions to the challenges and the how and why of the solution used.  This book satisfies the need for real life birth stories and the need for an explanation of the application of certain birth techniques.  

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn-
The Complete Guide!  This book is full of information.  I would not recommend that an expectant parent read this from beginning to end, rather to use it as a reference book.  This would be a great book to have and refer to while taking a childbirth preparation class.  I take this book with me to all births as a reference material.  The charts, graphics, and tables in this book are very comprehensive and easy to understand.

Labor Progress Handbook-
This is another one of my favorite reference books.  I carry this one to all births as well.  I have gleaned some great tips from this book.  This is a fairly technical read that I would definitely recommend to other birth workers.

My good friend Stacie Bingham has also listed her fav 5 here.

Happy Reading to all!

I also like the familiar feel of an old standby.  The Outlander series is one of my favorites, anything by Heinlein, Stabenow, or Barr.   But it seems that out of all the books that I have had the joy of reading, my books about birth seem to be in my hands more than any others.  In fact my first copy of Pregnancy, Childbirth & the Newborn is starting to fall apart.  My awesome Mom just got me a copy of the newer edition with the cover shown to the left.  So now I get the smell of something new in a familiar format, ah heaven!   

So I will try to, briefly, explain why the following books are my favorites in no particular order.  Some of them were required reading for my doula certification and some of them are to feed my techy, sciency brain and another expands the more flowy, arty, underdeveloped side of my brain.

Birthing from Within-
I am still learning from this book.  I have to admit I have a fairly logical, sciency brain.  This book taps into that underdeveloped side of my brain that deals more with emotions and art and I love it.  I would definitely recommend this book to all expectant parents.  I also plan to utilize some of the concepts from this book in my childbirth education classes.  

Nursing Mother's Companion-
I love the layout of this book.  The first part gets you set up to have the support and information you need to have a good breastfeeding experience.  The subsequent chapters give you a break down on the common breastfeeding challenges in a chronological order from the first week to beyond six months.  The book also addresses mothers and babies that may have special needs, considerations for traveling together or apart, and additional resources for nursing mothers in the appendices.  A great reference book for the nursing mother.