I am choosing a different path than many of the moms I know for my pregnancy and birthing intentions, and I was at a loss for where to go for information that would be relevant to me. I wanted to be empowered for well-rounded informed consent by weighing the pros and cons of all the options, and potential interventions. And I wanted this information now– not once I was faced with the decision in an urgent setting. Doing my own research has been incredibly empowering and so I am sharing with you my recommendation for the five best books for a natural pregnancy and birth.
There is a whole lot of advice doled out to those who are pregnant. Allow me add to it! I have appreciated all the tips, and highlights (and endured way too many lowlights — why do people insist on telling a preggo the horrors of their birth experience???). What I have been most grateful for were the books that were recommended to me.
As has been my way for the last ten years, getting armed with as much relevant information as possible and then making the choices that make the most sense for me has been my approach throughout my pregnancy and in setting my birthing intentions.
I recognize that there is no sure thing in how nature progresses. I know that reading about peaceful and calm birth stories in no way ensures that I will have one. And to be honest, I can’t read (or watch) birthing stories. They all make me incredible uncomfortable.
What I can say with absolute confidence is that being armed with knowledge, and knowing what is possible, has eliminated my fears of birth and that itself is worth every little bit of effort I have made.
I am talking about the two years that we (men and woman!) should be taking into account in planning to conceive (okay, two years would be optimal, six months would be minimum). This is all about how we’re supporting the most optimal hormonal balance, nutrient intake, detoxification and generally cultivating a state of health that allows us to support the growth and development of a healthy human, without depleting mama of all her reserves. This is no easy feat!
I also believe that many of the struggling couples could be helped by reducing the chemicals in their food, home and personal care products, taking on some daily lifestyle practices to support optimal health, and getting the appropriate functional medicine testing done to check for nutrient imbalances and/or heavy metal load. Ideally this is the norm as the first step in trying to conceive.
One of the best bits of wisdom when it comes to a natural pregnancy and birth came from my midwife, who said that the first step to prepare for a natural birth is to live a natural life. And so suddenly, it becomes very simple. If we can get the chemicals out, tune in to our body, move daily, breathe deeply, and generally take care of ourselves, we’re already on our way.
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Best Books For Natural Pregnancy and Birth
When I say “Natural Pregnancy” here, I am referring to a lifestyle, not necessarily specifically how you plan to conceive or deliver your baby. Often times those decisions, despite our best intentions, are not ours to make. I was fortunate to be able to get pregnant very easily and quickly, and have been working towards having a natural delivery but how things will unfold for me remains to be seen.
All that to say that I have found the following books invaluable in my education around pregnancy and birth, something I had no interest in and very little knowledge of before becoming pregnant.
TOP PICK: Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering: A Doctor’s Guide to Natural Childbirth and Gentle Early Parenting Choices
by Sarah Buckley
If you would like to work towards a natural birth and bonding post-natal, this is the THE book. I loved this book. Of all the books I read, all the podcasts I listened to, all the prenatal experts I met with, this book provided me with the most in depth understanding of the labour process. It is fully referenced (I’m talking 100 pages of references!). It also goes into all of the interventions to allow women and their birth companions to be able to weigh the risks and benefits and be able to make the most informed choices.
Fear of labour was the biggest challenge for me to overcome, and though I know that what will happen on that fateful day remains out of my control, being informed is incredibly empowering. Knowing what my body is doing and why, I believe, will help lend my a little extra strength when I am in the moment.
The Natural Pregnancy Book: Your Complete Guide to a Safe, Organic Pregnancy and Childbirth with Herbs, Nutrition, and Other Holistic Choices
By Aviva Romm
This was the first book I got (okay, maybe Josh had this one). It serves as a great starting reference in the first trimester offering guidance on herbs and foods, and serves as a great general resource for natural solutions to some of the most common pregnancy symptoms. I didn’t love the nutritional recommendations, but generally I found this book to be a very handy resource.
This was the book that every natural birth advocate will recommend to you. It’s awesome if you want to become empowered reading about other women’s birth stories and also want to learn about the physiological changes that happen in the body during pregnancy and labour. Personally, I can’t read birth stories and don’t enjoy watching them either (and there are lots you can watch on Youtube if you’re into that!). I tried to read the birth stories section but ultimately decided it wasn’t helpful for me, though I know it can be for many, many women and if you are one of these women, then this is the book for you!
I found the second half of the book, however, on the changes the body undergoes during labour immensely helpful, insightful, enlightening and empowering. This is the information all women should know about their body and what it can do before you formulate your birth intentions. This information helped lift a lot of the fear I had.
The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care
by Sally Fallon Morell
This is a great reference for prenatal nutrition (you have to see what they say about vitamin A and why we need more, not less as is commonly recommended). It also gets into specific nutrient needs through different stages of pregnancy. Lastly, it answers the challenging questions most parents have when it comes to food introduction. If you’re interested in taking a more traditional route with food and your baby (for example, if you’re not into cereal grains and bananas as first foods), and are interested in trying out the liver and egg yolk recommendations, you’ll love this guide.
Hypnobirthing: The Breakthrough Natural Approach to Safer, Easier, More Comfortable Birthing
by Marie Mongan
Josh and I took a hypnobirthing course that was very helpful and this book served as the text that went along with the course. This book offers loads of information and explanation on the importance of being calm and having the tools to bring ourselves into this state to help facilitate birthing through each stage of labour. I found many of the exercises extremely beneficial and combining these new skills that feel a bit like secret weapons with a decade of yoga and meditation experience, I hoping that I will be able to call upon all of it when the time comes (and likely long after delivery and into parenthood).
It’s exciting to see that HypnoBirthing, a practice that started in the early 90’s, is now being offered all over the world in yoga studios and now in hospitals too. It’s empowering for women to be able to get off their backs, literally, and labour in ways and positions that feel the best for them.
When you start looking around at where to start in your research and planning for a healthy pregnancy, it can quickly become overwhelming. The message that continues to come up throughout this process of preparing for birth is simply this: Our body was designed to do this. In most cases, if we allow our fears, our stress, and/or our desire to control the outcome to overwhelm us, we are getting in the way of the natural process. Most births are not, or do not need to be, medical emergencies.
As mamas-to-be, the best we can do is support our general wellbeing, and let nature run its course. As I’ve said before, the process is the outcome. There is no need to be attached a specific outcome, and we don’t get final say on the outcome – the best we can do right now is support the process.
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Enjoy more than 40 downloadable guides, recipes, and resources.
I hope your books cover breastfeeding in detail! I am volunteer breastfeeding counsellor and I find that mothers spend too much time preparing for labour and not enough time educating themselves on breastfeeding. Good luck!
Great post Meghan! I also found the same resources you mention above to be helpful. Another resource that I really used a lot when making decisions AND when discussing options with my health care providers was evidencebasedbirth.com. A really awesome website that presents the best research in an unbiased way as well as provides 1 page pdf downloads you can take with you to your appointments. I really recommend it. Best of luck with your upcoming birth.
Great list! As a postpartum Doula, birth and breastfeeding educator, I’d add The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding to the list as a lovely read to help moms-to-be help prepare for the early weeks. Enjoy the journey!
Thank you for this guide, Meghan! I’m still years away from childbirth, let alone trying to conceive, but it’s wonderful to know that this resource is available when the time comes.
Reading Time: 9 minutes 
I hope your books cover breastfeeding in detail! I am volunteer breastfeeding counsellor and I find that mothers spend too much time preparing for labour and not enough time educating themselves on breastfeeding. Good luck!
Great post Meghan! I also found the same resources you mention above to be helpful. Another resource that I really used a lot when making decisions AND when discussing options with my health care providers was evidencebasedbirth.com. A really awesome website that presents the best research in an unbiased way as well as provides 1 page pdf downloads you can take with you to your appointments. I really recommend it. Best of luck with your upcoming birth.
Great list! As a postpartum Doula, birth and breastfeeding educator, I’d add The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding to the list as a lovely read to help moms-to-be help prepare for the early weeks. Enjoy the journey!
Thank you for this guide, Meghan! I’m still years away from childbirth, let alone trying to conceive, but it’s wonderful to know that this resource is available when the time comes.