tallg and I subscribe to the same philosophy of childbirth ;)
I also hated the "what to expect" series. It is "dumbed down" to the lowest common denominator and is full of ridiculous warnings regarding don't eat/do this/that - absurd. It treats pregnancy as some sort of disease that might kill you or your baby if you're not careful. There is some useful info in the book, but I didn't appreciate the "you are an idiot so learn from us" tone that is prevalent throughout the book.
While I adore Ida May Gaskin, her philosophies may be a bit "out there" for most women. I read her book and enjoyed it, but it was even a bit too out there for me. . .and I gave birth to both kids in the presence of midwives and doulas only (no docs, no drugs, no hospital). :)
One book that I did enjoy was "The Essential Guide to Pregnancy Over 35" http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Over-35-Pregnancy-Guide/dp/0380788195 ; it honestly doesn't have that much to do with being over 35. . .it's just a good resource. I enjoyed the week-by-week chapters of what was happening with the baby - size, development, etc.
I highly, highly recommend "Misconceptions: Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood" by Naomi Wolf http://www.amazon.com/Misconceptions-Truth-Unexpected-Journey-Motherhood... as one of the first books to read. In her book Wolf discusses the way in which childbirth has become "medicalized", the ways in which we're taught to think that a medicalized birth is the norm and the ways in which a medicalized birth can actually be hazardous to your (and your baby's) health - *much* higher mum/baby death rates for "normal" hospital deliveries than at home or with a midewife only. She backs it up with heaps of statistics. . .a very good read.
Ricki Lake's documentary "The Business of Being Born" is something that I highly recommend as well.
tallg and I subscribe to the same philosophy of childbirth ;)
I also hated the "what to expect" series. It is "dumbed down" to the lowest common denominator and is full of ridiculous warnings regarding don't eat/do this/that - absurd. It treats pregnancy as some sort of disease that might kill you or your baby if you're not careful. There is some useful info in the book, but I didn't appreciate the "you are an idiot so learn from us" tone that is prevalent throughout the book.
While I adore Ida May Gaskin, her philosophies may be a bit "out there" for most women. I read her book and enjoyed it, but it was even a bit too out there for me. . .and I gave birth to both kids in the presence of midwives and doulas only (no docs, no drugs, no hospital). :)
One book that I did enjoy was "The Essential Guide to Pregnancy Over 35" http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Over-35-Pregnancy-Guide/dp/0380788195 ; it honestly doesn't have that much to do with being over 35. . .it's just a good resource. I enjoyed the week-by-week chapters of what was happening with the baby - size, development, etc.
Another good resource is "The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby" http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Having-Baby/dp/076454148X/ref=sr_... It's a good overall resource without the ridiculous (and continuous) scare-you-to-death warnings of the "what to expect" series.
I highly, highly recommend "Misconceptions: Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood" by Naomi Wolf http://www.amazon.com/Misconceptions-Truth-Unexpected-Journey-Motherhood... as one of the first books to read. In her book Wolf discusses the way in which childbirth has become "medicalized", the ways in which we're taught to think that a medicalized birth is the norm and the ways in which a medicalized birth can actually be hazardous to your (and your baby's) health - *much* higher mum/baby death rates for "normal" hospital deliveries than at home or with a midewife only. She backs it up with heaps of statistics. . .a very good read.
Ricki Lake's documentary "The Business of Being Born" is something that I highly recommend as well.
Happy reading :)