Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Culpeper - Virginia

Recommended Reading:

We live in an age of information overload. There are so many books and publications out there telling us how to have our babies, feed and care for them, and get them into good colleges, that it can be a challenge to separate the good from the bad. No one has time to read everything, yet we all want to be well-informed. Below, I'm offering a list of some of my tried-and-true favorites. Most of them are newer and easy to get; a few might involve a search, but they're well worth the effort. While you are reading, don't forget: no matter what the books and research say, the bottom line is that you are the real expert on your body, your birth, and your baby. Take what is useful to you from the reading you do, and trust your inner wisdom as a mother!

Pregnancy and Birth:

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin
Birthing From Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz
The Natural Pregnancy Book by Aviva Jill Romm
Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper (book and excellent DVD)
Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn by Penny Simkin
Back Labor No More by Janie McCoy King

Labor Support (Dads, Doulas, and others):

Fathers at Birth by Rose St. John
The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin
The Doula Advantage by Rachel Gurevich

VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean):

Artemis Speaks by Nan Koehler
VBAC Companion by Diana Korte
Understanding the Dangers of Cesarean Birth by Nicette Jukelevics

Birth Plans and Informed Consent/Refusal:

Creating Your Birth Plan by Marsden Wagner

Postpartum Care:

After the Baby's Birth: A Woman's Way to Wellness by Robin Lim
Natural Health After Birth by Aviva Jill Romm
The Year After Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger

Postpartum Depression/Mood Disorders:

A Deeper Shade of Blue by Ruta Nonacs
Hillbilly Gothic by Adrienne Martini (a memoir, not self-help, but still excellent)

Breastfeeding:

Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding from La Leche League International

Baby and Child Care:

The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears (and all the other books in the Sears' library)
Naturally Healthy Babies and Children by Aviva Jill Romm
You are Your Child's First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin Dancy
Natural Family Living by Peggy O'Mara

Multiples:

Having Twins and More by Elizabeth Noble
The Joy of Twins by Pamela Patrick Novotny

History, Politics, Fiction and Memoirs:

Born in the USA by Marsden Wagner
Pushed by Jennifer Block
Misconceptions by Naomi Wolf
Milk, Money and Madness by Naomi Baumslag and Dia Michels
A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Listen to Me Good: The Life Story of an Alabama Midwife by Margaret Charles Smith
The Birth House by Ami McKay
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Ourselves as Mothers by Sheila Kitzinger

Miscellaneous:

Herbs for the Childbearing Year by Susun Weed
Essential Exercises for the Childbearing Year by Elizabeth Noble
Creating Your Birth Plan by Marsden Wagner
Mother Massage by Elaine Stillerman
Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing by Sheila Kippley
A Cooperative Method of Natural Birth Control by Margaret Nofziger
Women's Sexual Passages by Elizabeth Davis

Some Useful Websites:

Just as with books, we are inundated with online information, and it's important to be discerning when trying to inform ourselves.  Below is a list of some websites I like, mostly for their evidence-based information, sometimes for their holistic, midwifery-model approach to all things birth and baby, and sometimes just because I *like* them. Take what is useful to you, and leave the rest!

Birth-related:

Mother's Advocate

Child Birth Connection (a must!)

The Birth Survey

Birth Matters Va (go here to look up cesarean, intervention, and mortality rates for Virginia hospitals)

VHI (statistics for many Virginia OBs; it's good to know your doctor's cesarean rate!)

Ican Online (International Cesarean Awareness Network--VBAC and cesarean prevention)

The UnNeccessarean (a great blog)

Spinning Babies (optimal fetal positioning for an easier birth--great info on turning breeches and rotating posterior babies)

Mother Friendly.org

Lamaze.org (check out their 6 practices to support normal birth)

Reducing Infant Mortality

Breastfeeding and Attachment Parenting:

La Leche League (La Leche League International--the best resource for all things relating to breastfeeding)

Breastfeeding Online (great site for breastfeeding info, run by the amazing Cindy Curtis, IBCLC at Culpeper Regional Hospital, currently the only Baby Friendly hospital in VA)

Kelly Mom

Ask Dr. Sears

Icpa 4 Kids.org (chiropractic care)

Hpa Kids.org (holistic pediatricians)

Attachment Parenting.org

Postpartum Depression and Mood Disorders:

Postpartum.net

Postpartum Va.org (peer counseling and referrals)

Postpartum Stress

Postpartum Dads.org

Solace for Mothers.org

Grief/Bereavement:

Grief Watch

Grief Share.org

Sidsma.org

Publications:

Compleat Mother

Midwifery Today

Mothering.com

Pathways to Family Wellness.org

A Few Products I Like:

Sleepywrap (there are all kinds of slings and carriers out there, but this is one of the best, and their site is full of good info on babywearing)

Tummy Tub USA (the best baby bathtubs ever; check out the site, and contact me if you'd like to purchase one)

My Brest Friend (great breastfeeding pillows)

Miscellaneous stuff:

Remember the Mothers.org (Ina May Gaskin's amazing memorial quilt for mothers who have died in or around childbirth; this is a must-see!)

Inamay

Rosebud Doula (Amy Bookwalter teaches the best childbirth classes around!)

Howling Woods.org (a wolf and wolf-dog refuge in NJ, nothing to do with birth, but pretty awesome all the same)

www.Primerica.com/joeseremba My younger daughter's godfather's site.  Every new family needs to think about financial matters and life insurance.