5 Books to Read While You’re Preparing for a Natural Pregnancy and Birth

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Please note that I believe that all pregnancy and birth is ‘natural’. No matter how you helped your baby into this big beautiful world was the best way at that time for you both. I’m proud of you and however way you did it! This stuff is hard, but that’s why we are mamas! Mamas can do hard things!

The Mama Natural Week-By-Week Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth

This easy to digest book is great to reference throughout your entire pregnancy! The author, Genevieve Howland, is the founder of Mama Natural, a brand for natural parenting. This week-by-week guide starts off each week with “What’s Up with Baby?” and “What’s Up with Mama?” sections. I love that it in Part Four it gives a stage-by-stage break down of labor and what you and your partner can expect during them. This is the fast and simple version of the Bradley Method course that I will refer to below. She also goes over post birth interventions and what your ‘natural’ options are. Part Five is a gem of questions that you may want to review early or even before your pregnancy so that you are prepared what to ask your healthcare provider or midwife. I found the information to be a helpful guide of what to expect as a first time mom. It includes tips to support your body during this beautiful journey and natural ways to manage uncomfortable symptoms. I love that there are affirmations sprinkled into the book as well. There is no fear mongering in this book. It empowers you as a woman to thrive in pregnancy and childbirth. You’ll find that much of pregnancy, childbirth and mothering is about mindset shifts to shine the light on this beautiful adventure.

Your Mindful Pregnancy: Meditations and Practices for a Stress-Free, Happy, and Healthy Pregnancy

This book gives you the basics of mindfulness that you can easily work into your day. For me, the first trimester was the most anxious time for me. It was like my mind was fighting against me. As someone who has struggled with anxiety a majority of my adult life, I knew I needed some tools to ease my anxieties. The author, Sarah Rudell Beach, goes over practices and techniques for self care, managing the ups and downs that come with every pregnancy as your body is changing, mindfulness and meditation practices with your baby in the womb and out, and practices to support your labor and birth.

These next three books were our assigned reading for our Bradley Method Natural Childbirth class.

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way: Revised Edition

This book was the main focus of our class and it is chocked full of valuable information. Susan McCutcheon is a brilliant Childbirth Educator who studied directly under Dr. Robert Bradley. The book goes very in depth with preparing for labor and birth with exercises and protein focused nutrition. Our Bradley Method instructor gave us food logs to help us see how much protein we were actually intaking. I felt like I was eating all the time but if I didn’t follow the recommended diet I could tell surely by how I felt. The book thoroughly goes through all the stages of birth. It gives multiple examples of positions and practices to cope with every stage. Though it may seem silly at first, it is imperative to practice these with your coach/partner so that it will come more easily in the throes of labor. With this method, you need someone that you can lean on fully for support. My husband was my coach who was with me through the entire 36 hour labor and I am so thankful for him. Though labor and birth can be scary and tiring, it is also beautiful and wildly intimate.

Husband-Coached Childbirth (Fifth Edition): The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth

This book was written by Dr. Bradley himself. While it is obvious that it was written by a man for men, there are many good points in it that parallel with Susan McCutcheon’s book. Without support, it’s difficult for mothers to thrive in motherhood! I love that the Bradley Method views pregnancy and birth as a team effort.

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: Seventh Revised Edition/ Updated 8th Edition

Ok, to be honest, I found breastfeeding to be the hardest part of everything in this journey! (Including Birth!) But this book is essential for first time moms who want to breastfeed their baby. It has so much information about how to support your body while you are feeding your little bundle. It teaches how to get through the learning curve and painfulness that can come while you (and your baby) are learning how to breastfeed. Because, no matter what you’ve heard, it doesn’t just come naturally. It also gives areas of where you can seek support if needed, especially from La Leche League. I’m so happy that my son and I got through tongue ties and a dairy allergy so that we could breastfeed because now it’s one of my favorite things about being his mama!

I know researching these things can be overwhelming especially in these times of having information and opinion overload so I truly hope you find these resources helpful. Also remember you never have to follow recommendations to a tee, you can piece meal all of this and make a plan of your very own that you and your partner feel best about! Always listen to your intuition FIRST.

Thank you for stopping by! I wish you all the abundance.

Ally