Whole Parenting Family

Reading Material for Pregnancy and Parenthood

The short list. If you aren’t a big reader, but want the basic coverage:

1) Labor & Delivery.

a) The Big Book of Birth, Erica Lyon; (an overview of labor and delivery options)

b) The Birth Partner, Penny Simkin; (preparing your partner) and

c) Husband-Coached Childbirth, Dr. Bradley (partner as coach).

2) From birth onward.

a) The Baby Book, Dr. Sears; (the Bible of babycare) and

b) HappyBaby: the Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months, Dr. Bob Sears (scientific specifics about “green” babycare).

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The long list, which includes all of the above, offers greater depth on various subjects:

3) Pregnancy and Prenatal Care.

a) Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn, Penny Simkin et al;

b) Mayo Clinic’s Complete Book of Pregnancy and Baby’s First Year, The Mayo Docs; and

c) Healthy Eating for Pregnancy, Amanda Grant.

4) Natural Childbirth, Educated Decisions on Medical Interventions.

a) Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, Ina May Gaskin;

b) The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth, Henci Goer; and

c) Your Pregnancy and Childbirth, Month-to-Month, American College of OBGYNs.

5) Breastfeeding.

a) The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, La Leche League;

b) The Breastfeeding Book, Dr. Sears; and

c) The Nursing Mother’s Companion, Kathleen Huggins.

6) Infant Sleep.

a) The Sleep Book, Dr. Sears;

b) The No-Cry Sleep Solution, Elizabeth Pantley and Dr. Sears;

c) Sleeping With Your Baby, a parent’s guide to co-sleeping, James McKenna; and

d) Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler, Ann Douglas.

7) Child Development.

a) You Are Your Child’s First Teacher, Rahima Dancy;

b) Naturally Healthy Babies and Children, Aviva Rahm;

c) Boys and Girls Learn Differently, Michael Guerin; and

d) Theories of Childhood, Carol Mooney.

8) Homemade Baby Food.

a) Super Baby Food, Ruth Yaron; and

b) The Petit Appetite Cookbook, Lisa Barnes.

5 Comments

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