Unmedicated natural birth can go one of two ways. It will be a euphoric, empowering experience that you treasure forever. Or it will be the hardest thing you ever do. The difference is how you prepare. These books for natural birth give you the preparation and knowledge you need to have the euphoric, empowering experience you want.
Labor can be the hardest thing you ever do. It will test you both mentally and physically. The number one reason woman who want natural births quit or give up is because they don’t prepare.
Women’s bodies were literally made to birth. Just like your body knows how to breathe without telling it, it can birth that way too. Technically, your body could contract, dilate and literally push the baby out of your body without your help. It’s a natural thing! But that’s where women are mistaken.
You wouldn’t dare run a marathon without training. You might be able to complete the marathon, but it will be extremely hard. It would be physically exhausting, mentally draining, and you’d probably end up quitting. Having a natural labor is the EXACT same way. The more you train and educate yourself, the more successful and easy your labor will be.
Must Read Books for Natural Birth
Best Natural Pregnancy Book
The Natural Mama is a book you’ll want to grab the moment you find out you’re pregnant. It gives a weekly explanation of what’s going on with you and your baby. How big baby is, pregnancy symptoms you’ll experience, tips to combat fatigue, if WIFI can hurt your baby are all examples of what you’ll learn.
** RELATED: FREE Natural Birth Plan Template (and why you need one)
Plus, there are delicious recipes included for each week, too. They are designed to provide added nutrition for your particular gestational week. The Mama Natural Book also gives natural remedies and recipes to lessen less desirable pregnancy symptoms like exhaustion and morning sickness.
If you are on the fence of whether or not an unmedicated natural labor is right for you, this book will help you figure that out. Learn about the cascade of interventions, epidurals and breastfeeding, healing faster with a natural birth and so much more.
The Natural Birth Bundle
While there are several excellent books for natural birth available, not many people have time to sit and read a 300 page book. That shouldn’t stop you from having the knowledge and education needed to have the empowering natural birth you dream of.
This 25 page digital download is instant access to everything you need to have the natural birth of your dreams without reading a 300 page book, hiring an expensive doula or not preparing and just crossing your fingers. Learn about the emotional signposts of birth, what to do during each of them and how to successfully manage each contraction. The daddy doula guide is a quick checklist your support person will use to coach you through every stage of labor. This is key in a time where only one support person is allowed in the hospital with you.
This guide will help you prepare for natural brith starting in the third trimester. It will give you all of the tools necessary to not just survive but enjoy natural birth all the way through the first contraction to transition to meeting your baby naturally.
If you’re looking for excellent information, actionable tools in an easy-to-read beautiful format, this is the way to go for you.
Natural Birth the Bradley Way
When you want a natural birth, two famous trainings come to mind: Lamaze and Bradley.
Lamaze training focuses on rhythmic breath to navigate contractions. Recent studies are looking to determine its effectiveness. It’s combination of visualization, exercise, diet and breathing techniques has been practiced for over 80 years and has helped thousands of women have natural birth.
RELATED: The Truth About Natural Birth Pain
Susan McCutcheon covers all the bases birth in one of the most popular books for natural birth. In this book, you will find vast amounts of information regarding the natural birth process. What is beautiful is the included natural birth stories that will both enlighten and inspire your birth.
Learn how to best include your partner in childbirth. Get insight to the induction and Caesarian epidemic that has been rising significantly in recent years. And learn how to get information about your birth to make informed decision for your birth plan.
RELATD: Write Your Birth Plan Without Typing a Word – Free Template
This book undoubtedly helped me with my first natural birth. It gave me the confidence I needed to survive transition. Highlighting and book marking pages was essential for my husband to help me through contractions. Natural Birth the Bradley Way is an excellent choice to read for your natural birth.
Best Nursing Book
If you’re hoping for a natural birth, it’s likely you’re going to breastfeed too. (If not, that’s totally okay. No judgement here!) Don’t be like me and focus so much on your natural birth that you forget to prepare for breastfeeding. This, too, is very natural but can also be really hard. A lot of mamas don’t prepare and struggle through nursing. Some even end up quitting because of it.
There are a lot of free or minimal-cost breastfeeding classes you can take through your healthcare provider. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding is also a really great resource. It covers ALL things nursing. From the moment baby is born all the way through weaning, you will find information about in this book.
It will also help you troubleshoot if you have any problems or questions with things like introducing food, milk supply issues, latch trouble, etc.
RELATED: Newborn Breastfeeding Must Haves to Make Nursing Easy
This book has it all and will live with you through your nursing career. It will be your go-to resource when you have any nursing questions. Read the first few chapters before your due date, so you know about nursing positions, latching and the first few weeks of nursing your baby.
If you don’t grab a book or take any nursing classes and are having trouble, there are tons of free recourses that can help you. This guide covers super common breastfeeding issues and how to fix them. Otherwise, you can talk with your health care provider, pediatrician or look up lactation consultants in your area. Nursing can be but isn’t supposed to be hard. If it hurts or are having trouble, reach out. I’m also available via email for support or to help point you in the right direction.
RELATED: The Most Common Breastfeeding Mistakes & How to Avoid them and How to Fix Them
Conclusion
If a natural and unmedicated birth is your goal than start by reading through these books for natural birth. They will better prepare you for labor and delivery and will give the support and confidence needed for your pregnancy and birth journey.
Also, just remember that every birth story is different and your story is YOUR story. Whether your delivery went according to your birth plan or not, what is most important is that you and baby are healthy.
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This is really helpful. When I was expecting my daughter and planning for a natural birth, I was overwhelmed and lost when it came to figuring out which books to read.
I did most of my research online, but I did read Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth which was amazing! Next time around, I would also like to read the Mama Natural book you mentioned.
Burr I must agree whole-heartedly with you on a major point: preparation is key to having a successful natural birth! I have some tips on how to prepare for a natural birth in this post: https://mamarissa.com/how-to-prepare-for-a-natural-birth/
It is totally doable, but every woman and labor is different, sho really have to prepare for a variety of possibilities. Read, read, read!
I’m glad to hear you say this post was helpful and I felt the very same way! What did you like about Ina May’s book? I actually haven’t read it, as I liked the Bradley Method so much! I like what you say in your post about people saying negative things unknowingly when you want a natural birth. Like you said, it’s what we were MADE to do!!