September 2013 Reading List

13. Childbirth Without Fear by Grantly Dick-Read
I liked this book. It was a little more in-depth than I wanted, but I pushed through the medical/details portions to enjoy the natural childbirth sections. I feel like I gained a few new tricks up my sleeve for relaxing during childbirth. I also appreciated the constant reminder that most of the pain in childbirth is caused by fear/tension and if I can relax and let my body do it's work then I can help ease some of the discomfort. I wouldn't say this is an "essential" read for every expecting mom hoping to have a natural childbirth, but it's definitely a great resource if you're looking for a little education on natural childbirth.

14. Birthing From Within by Pam England
(This was my second attempt at reading this book, as I had to return it to InterLibrary Loan before I finished last time. It was so good I requested it again, and I'm so glad I did.)

I liked the second half of this book ALOT more than the first half. The first half was good, but the second half was very practical and helpful (in my opinion). There were questions to ask your birth assistants, questions to ask yourself about the use of drubs in labor, and my favorite: there were techniques for dealing with the pain of labor.

I've read alot about childbirth and coping with the pain of labor and delivery. There's not usually new information for me to add to my arsenal of labor survival techniques, but this book had a whole new list for me to study. I think the most useful tips I took away was to try focusing on the "center" of the pain. Often times things hurt based on our "memory" of previous pain. So, sometimes when we actually focus on the painful sensation we realize it's not as painful as our memory is telling us. The opposite of that is to focus on the edges of the pain. Try thinking about where my body doesn't hurt. I would say this would be a GREAT read for any new (or repeat) mom looking for encouragement in labor and delivery.