Recommended Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum Information – Books, Websites and Podcasts

The world of pregnancy, birth & postpartum information is quite large. Below is my curated list of recommended books, websites and podcasts.

Prenatal Books:

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
Drawing upon her thirty-plus years of experience, Ina May Gaskin, the nation’s leading midwife, shares the benefits and joys of natural childbirth by showing women how to trust in the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a healthy and fulfilling birthing experience.

Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn: The Complete Guide (5th Edition) by Penny Simkin
This book covers all aspects of childbearing, from conception through early infancy, and tells you what to expect. It offers detailed information, suggestions on decisions to make, and advice on steps to take to have a safe and satisfying experience.

Expecting Better: Why the conventional pregnancy wisdom is wrong- and what you really need to know by Emily Oster
Written by a professor of Economics, What to Expect When You’re Expecting meets Freakonomics: an award-winning economist disproves standard recommendations about pregnancy to empower women while they’re expecting.

Natural Hospital Birth: The Best of Both Worlds by Cynthia Gabriel
In this book Gabriel shows expectant mothers how to avoid unnecessary medical interventions, how to take the initiative and consciously prepare for the kind of birth they want, and how to prepare a birth plan to share with doctors and nurses at the hospital.

The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Partners, Doulas, and Other Labor Companions by Penny Simkin
This book contains Penny Simkin’s guidance in caring for the new mother, from her last trimester through the early postpartum period.

Postpartum & Parenting Books:

The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother by Heng Ou
The First Forty Days revives the lost art of caring for the mother after birth. The book includes 60 simple recipes for healing soups, replenishing meals and snacks, and calming and lactation-boosting teas, all formulated to support the unique needs of the new mother. In addition to the recipes, this warm and encouraging guide offers advice on arranging a system of help during the postpartum period, navigating relationship challenges, and honoring the significance of pregnancy and birth.

The Fourth Trimester: A postpartum guide to healing your body, balancing your emotions & restoring your vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson
This book is a guide to help support women through postpartum healing on the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual levels. This holistic guide offers practical advice to support women through postpartum healing on the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual levels—and provides women with a roadmap to this very important transition that can last from a few months to a few years.

Breastfeeding Books:

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding 8th Edition by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, Teresa Pitman
This book is the classic best selling guide from La Leche League International.

Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin
Everything you need to know to make breastfeeding a joyful, natural, and richly fulfilling experience for both you and your baby

Father/Partner Books:

The Expectant Father The Ultimate Guide for Dad's-to-Be, 5th Edition by Armin A. Brott & Jennifer Ash Rudick
The Expectant Father is the best-selling pregnancy guide for men, trusted by millions of dads-to-be and their partners. Illustrated throughout with stress-relieving cartoons, The Expectant Father is a friendly, readable, and inclusive companion for all dads-to-be. (Moms will love it, too!)

The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First Year by Armin A. Brott
An indispensable handbook on all aspects of fatherhood during the first 12 months, by the author of The Expectant Father.

Parenting Books:

Happiest Baby on the Block: The new way to calm crying and help your newborn sleep longer by Harvey Karp, M.D.

This book is based on Dr. Karp's successful method based on four concepts:

1. The Fourth Trimester: Why babies still yearn for a womblike atmosphere . . . even after birth
2. The Calming Reflex: An “off switch” all babies are born with
3. The 5 S’s: Five easy steps to turn on your baby’s amazing calming reflex
4. The Cuddle Cure: How to combine the 5 S’s to calm even colicky babies

Cribsheet: a data driven guide to better, more relaxed parenting, from birth to preschool by Emily Oster.
Armed with the data, Oster finds that the conventional wisdom doesn't always hold up. She debunks myths around breastfeeding (not a panacea), sleep training (not so bad!), potty training (wait until they're ready or possibly bribe with M&Ms), language acquisition (early talkers aren't necessarily geniuses), and many other topics. She also shows parents how to think through freighted questions like if and how to go back to work, how to think about toddler discipline, and how to have a relationship and parent at the same time.

Websites:

Evidence Based Birth:
Evidence that empowers!  Putting current evidence based information into the hands of communities, so they can make empowered choices. This is a wonderful and really helpful website that is a great resource to find answers quickly.

Podcasts:

The Birth Hour
Pregnancy Podcast
Taking Back Birth
Newborn Mothers
Fourth Trimester Podcast
Evidence Based Birth
Respectful Parenting: Janet Lansbury Unruffled Podcast
Optimal Parenting Daily Podcast

There are many more birth, postpartum & parenting  books, websites & podcasts out there. Stay tuned for a future blog post with more recommendations.

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