A Few Favorite Reads

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There's plenty to think about in having and raising a baby beyond cloth diapering. These are some of my favorite resources outside of the potty-world. Depending on your lifestyle or parenting style, some or none of these might interest you. They're worth checking out, then follow the Amazon rabbit trail toward the bottom of the page ("Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought") to find others that might interest you.

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Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting Resources

These are some of my favorite books and documentaries to read as I prepare for baby...

1. What to Expect

This is sort of a no-brainer. There are lots of other week-by-week pregnancy books. You can likely find this one easily second-hand, from a friend, or at your library. Lots of online resources have the same info, but it's nice to just flip to what week/month you are and get the lowdown on what to expect.

2. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

I just read this with this pregnancy and I wish I had read it with my first. I love all of her firsthand experience and her focus on the natural birth process. It is so empowering to read the positive aspect of how women's bodies are made for birth, and chances are we really can have a natural, normal birth. It's such a relief compared to all the horror stories our culture seems to love spreading. Interesting how where our focus is (whether it's on the good or the horror) will effect our own fears and capability to give birth.

She's also wrote Spiritual Midwifery and Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding that I've heard good things about but haven't read yet.

3. The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy

This is a good comic relief with lots of truth on pregnancy told in a way you'd never find in a more "proper" pregnancy book. It may not be a particularly green or natural guide, but definitely a fun read.

4. The Business of Being Born and More Business of Being Born

The original documentary is really good in showing how inductions and interventions can lead to even more unnecessary interventions and complications. They point out that there is a time when c-sections are necessary, but the high rates seen in the U.S. could be avoided with a more natural approach. The follow-up is 4 parts including a visit to "The Farm" and interview with Ina May (#2 above), as well as natural celebrity birth stories (Allison Flannigan, Cindy Crawford, Gisele, Alanis Morrisette and others). Last I checked, both were available on Netflix.

5. Babies

This documentary follows 4 babies from around the world in their first year--it's so fun to see all the culture differences revolving around raising babies.

6. Sparkly Green Earrings

This memoir is so funny. It's about motherhood in general, and is a good comic relief welcoming mothers into this season. Or for experienced moms, a little validation in the journey :)

7. Bringing Up Bebe

This is written by an American who had a baby and started raising it in France. It talks about eating and sleeping and schedules and differing attitudes that can lead to different results from our kids starting early.

8. Simplicity Parenting

This book might seem more relevant when your baby is older, but why wait until the toys and crazy become a problem? Many of the ideas and suggestions in this book are a great way to go into parenting, possibly avoiding as much of the crazy as possible. Keeping a kids' environment and routine simple right from the get-go is so important.


What are your favorites?


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