WE’RE SO GLAD YOU’RE HERE!
This reading list is meant to facilitate your experience as a new parent. You might be solo, partnered, a surrogate or a unicorn and because of that, we know that each book on the reading list won’t fit your exact needs. So we suggest taking everything you read with a grain of salt!
If there truly was one parenting or birth method that was perfected, then there wouldn’t be a million more out there also claiming the same thing. Soak up the info and treat it like the spaghetti you throw at the wall. Some it will stick… and A LOT of it won’t. That’s okay. Find the combination of tools that works best for YOU.
We aim to help you find resources that match your values, lifestyle, budget and insurance options.
We don’t believe there’s “one way” to have or parent a baby.
We want to help you find “your way”. This could be helping you discovering a like-minded community-- or combining five methods to fit your individualized needs.
These books cover the most common variations of the process for you to think through ahead of time.
You’ve got this. And we’ve got you.
READING LIST:
The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin :: A complete guide to childbirth for dads, partners, doulas, and other labor companions.
Doula reco: medium-strong
Philosophy: On point for the variables of the process, gives families lots of options to cope, fairly neutral in language of family configuration.
Book Summary:
I have seen this book recommended for my entire career as a Doula. It does a pretty good job of outlining the experience and its typical variations. The language is fairly neutral using the term, “birth partner” instead of father. The book speaks directly to the pregnant person and the birth partner, so you don’t really read any direct mother/father language. But the cover of the book is a man, woman and female support, so there is an undertone of assumption on family configuration. If it feels important to you to know every possible outcome of the process, this book will go more in depth on urgent/emergent or less likely scenarios. If you feel pressed for time, or reading isn’t your main mode of learning, I’d suggest hitting the Doula spotlights below!
Doula spotlight on the most common variations:
PG 22-23 Good questions to reflect on for the supporting parent/person
PG 42 Tracking fetal movements as a good practice for safety and bonding
PG 44-49 Guidance around making a “birth plan”/”birth preferences”
PG 56-57 Guidance around preparing to meet basic needs in postpartum
PG 63-67 The signs of labor starting/lengths/components of labor
PG 74-76 How labor progresses
PG 87. Understanding the birthing parent/person’s mental/emotional needs
PG 96 Understanding the supporting parent/person’s mental emotional needs
PG 99-110 Understanding active labor/transition and common things to be mindful of
PG 127-128 Crowning and Pushing
PG 161-178 Breathwork and movement for coping
PG 196-197 Maintaining the vibe
PG 212-224 Tools for induction, helping labor progress and tactics for back labor
PG 376-386 What to expect from the birthing person’s recovery and newborn needs in the first few days to weeks
