Thursday, February 23, 2012

My birth book recommendations

I have a bunch of friends who are expecting babies soon, inspiring me to write about some of my favorite books on the topic of childbirth.

I read alot when I was pregnant. Mostly the fear mongering stuff, like What to Expect When You're Expecting. In the end, it didn't serve me as well as I would have liked. Which is why I wrote Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born, to put the whole process into historical and cultural context.



Still, there are many more books that I wish I could have availed myself to. They include: Your Best Birth, By Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, the names behind the excellent film The Business of Born; Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife; The Doula Guide to Birth, by my friend Rachel Zimmerman and her doula, Ananda Lowe; and The Birth House, by Ami McKay (the only novel in the bunch.)