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mentored by Sarah Carter in the Salt Lake area, Utah
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mentored by Sarah Carter in the Salt Lake area, Utah |
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Online ArticlesAbout Labor and Birth
About Babies and Parenting
Salt Lake Area Resources
Recommended ReadingAbout Labor and Birth
Where should you start? Start with Birthing From Within. I recommend it to all parents, no matter where or how they are planning on giving birth. The pain-coping practices in Birthing From Within are priceless, and the exercises for couples are a much needed addition to any birth preparation. The birth art is an incredibly enlightening and fun way to prepare your "whole self" for birth. My favorite thing overall is the attitude of the book—that giving birth is hard, and we can do it. It’s a message that women and families need to hear as they prepare for what is likely the most challenging and inspiring event in their lives.
This book covers many of the common issues that come up for birthing women (like pain medication, cesareans, hospital v. homebirth) and explains the pros and cons without prejudice for one side or the other. I like that there aren’t many opinions—it’s pure information, backed up by solid research. Goer gives information to better enable women and their caregivers to make decisions. This is a book that tells it like it is and can help mothers confirm their instincts with research, and solidify their faith in themselves.
Gentle Birth Choices is an eye-opening book (or video) about the many benefits of "alternative birthing" through homebirth, waterbirth, birth centers and midwifery care and the fallacies that sometimes surround them. For example, is it safe to have a baby at home with a midwife? Not only is it safe, but for many healthy women, it maybe safer than birthing in a hospital!
The mother of modern midwifery in America, Ina May Gaskin wrote the classic Spiritual Midwifery more than thirty years ago and introduced our mothers to birth outside the norms of the time. Today, she follows up her bold vision of childbirth with a condensed guide to the wisdom she's earned over her decades as a midwife. The first part of the book is birth stories from women from all walks of life. The second portion is the distilled insights of a wise midwife including discussion episiotomy, birth orgasms and more. About Babies and Parenting
I love this book. It’s like a sequel to Birthing From Within. Absolutely excellent for building a mindset of parenting-in-awareness. I recommend this book to parents almost constantly, and read it frequently myself. It is very inspirational and teaches parents a) how much they already know and can trust about parenting, and b) that their instinctive, joyful parenting is exactly right. It’s great in combination with The Baby Book by the Sears for that right/left brain balance.
I like the Sears because they present attachment parenting as the normal way to parent. They relieve parents of the reproach they may be getting from everyone else who hears “You’re STILL breastfeeding” or “the baby sleeps with YOU?” They’re also very thorough in answering questions about babies and parents and gently encouraging parents to find their own way. They constantly emphasize that most of what is in their books they didn’t learn from medical or nursing school, but from being parents!
Once I got past the cutesiness, there’s some good information here. Karp talks about “the fourth trimester” that human babies (unlike their mammal counterparts) have to spend outside the womb. He explains that their needs during this period of transition cause parents much frustration with their “colicky” baby the first 3-4 months. He also explains the “Five S’s” for soothing a baby to sleep: swaddling, side/stomach position, ssshhing (white noise), swinging, and sucking. He goes through in great detail how these things work and teaches new parents how to do them. He also talks about infant massage and digestive problems. He makes some assumptions that I disagree with, including the idea that “it isn’t practical for most mothers to breastfeed exclusively” and “most parents don’t find co-sleeping comfortable.” Dr. Sears he is not. But, he makes some relevant points about caring for infants and his cutesy terms are at least easy for new parents to remember in the dead of night.
Newborns 101: great pictures, fabulous
ideas for understanding and interacting with the “slug stage” babies
(affectionate term courtesy of my husband). The discussion of the
newborn’s senses and the attention states is very helpful for new parents
and the pictures make it easy to relate words to experience. I love
this book for parents, especially dads who are excited to “bond” with
their babies. |
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©2007 Desert Rose Birth Services All rights reserved. |
Last updated April, 2007 |
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