Today we talk about resources to help you prepare for birth. There is SO much information out there about birth it’s overwhelming. I found it helpful to pick a couple of people/sources I trusted and focus on learning from them. The sources I chose were very encouraging and positive, focused on the idea that your body was literally MADE FOR BIRTH. Okay here they are!
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Books – I became an avid book reader during pregnancy
Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon – this was my favorite read. It is focused on my favorite idea that our bodies were built to give birth. We were made to do this. It gives practical, actionable advice on how to prepare for birth. I highlighted things I wanted my husband, Nick, to go back through and read (so he didn’t have to read the whole thing) and it was very helpful for him.
Husband Coached Childbirth By Robert A Bradley – This book definitely focuses on what your husband can do to help you during labor/birth, but was also very informative for me! It walks through the Bradley Method and practical things you and your husband can practice together in preparation for labor and birth. I just relayed the info to Nick. It did encourage husbands to practice giving massages every night -which might be the real reason I loved this book haha.
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth By Ina May Gaskin – Ina May was a leader in the homebirth movement and with over 30 years of experience wrote this book. The first half of this book is positive home birth stories, and she finishes the book with education on how to have a positive, low intervention, safe natural birth.
Real Food For Pregnancy by Lily Nichols – Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and values traditional and research based evidence. She was the person I decided to follow for all of my food/supplement recommendations. The book is very science based and educational. It answered all of my “what can I eat during pregnancy” questions!
Podcasts – Listening to podcasts was one of my favorite ways to prepare for birth
Ask the Doulas with The Gold Coast Doulas – I LOVE the Gold Coast Doulas! I actually interviewed them as a potential doula for my birth and would have gone with them but I decided to have my mom be my doula instead 🙂 They are so kind and give a lot of practical advice on all things pregnancy, birth, labor, breast feeding, pelvic floor, postpartum, and nutrition.
Happy Home Birth with Katelyn Fusco – this was probably my favorite birth podcast! She shares mostly positive birth stories, or if she shares difficult ones still sheds a positive light on them. She also hosts guest interviews to educate on all things birth!
Pregnancy and Birth Made Easy with Stephanie from My Essential Birth – positive birth stories and unmedicated/natural birth education featuring solo episodes with Stephanie and guest interviews!
Lily Nichols – author of the book “Real Food For Pregnancy.” She doesn’t have a podcast but I just typed her name into the search bar because she’s been interviewed by quite a few podcasters and has so many good things to say. You can get a good idea of her food recommendations through these if you don’t get her book!
YouTube – I watched SO many YouTube videos while I was pregnant, from birth vlogs to product reviews
Bridget Teylor – Bridget is a Lamaze certified childbirth educator and a DONA certified doula. Her YouTube channel answered SO many questions I had about birth. Bridgett has 3 children and has birthed both at the hospital and in her home, so she relates to so many mamas. She educates on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum AND has birth meditations and yoga videos I practiced throughout pregnancy – she helped me feel so prepared for birth!
Birth Class – 10/10 recommend taking a birth class!
The Bradley Method – a 10 week course which we did not have time for (because we procrastinated and I was 34 weeks by the time we were looking to schedule a class), so we took a crash course! I found a local Bradley Method coach and she gave us a one on one very condensed version of the class (2 hours). This was SO helpful. Especially for Nick. She let us pick the topics we wanted to talk about and gave us a run down of birth, labor, when to leave for the hospital, and how Nick could support me in labor. I would definitely recommend this course!! I loved the Bradley Method book so I was very happy to find a class that followed the same values. You can search for a Bradley Method coach local to you with this website! https://www.bradleybirth.com/Directory.aspx
Okay that’s all I have for you now, I hope these resources help you feel more prepared for birth! If you have any questions about anything I shared, please comment below or reach out via email. Comment below YOUR favorite resources to prepare for birth, I want to hear ALL of them! Click here to see what foods I ate in preparation for birth!
