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Positive, Empowering Birth: A Directory of Resources

A compilation of resources for women seeking a positive, drug free, intervention free, empowering birth!

If you would like to suggest additions to this list, please email me or add them in the comments below.


Books
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin
Spiritual Midwifery - Ina May Gaskin
Birth Matters: A Midwife's Manifesta - Ina May Gaskin
Childbirth Without Fear - Grantly Dick Read
Birth and Breastfeeding - Michel Odent
Birthing from Within - Pam England
The Water Birth Book - Janet Balaskas
Birth Your Way - Sheila Kitzinger
Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful - Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
Home Births: Stories to Inspire and Inform - Abigail Cairns
The Father's Home Birth Handbook - Leah Hazard
Gentle Birth Companions: Doulas Serving Humanity - Adela Stockton
Memoirs of a Singing Birth - Elena Skoko
Sheila Kitzinger - Birth and Sex

Books For Children
Hello Baby - Jenny Overend and Julie Vivas
Our Water Baby - Amy Maclean and J Nesbitt


Websites
www.oneworldbirth.net
Online video resource about the state of birth around the world today with contributions from experts like Sheila Kitzinger, Ina May Gaskin and more. Save Birth, Change The World.

www.homebirth.org.uk
UK based site with a wealth of info, stats and stories on home birth, but plenty of useful info for hospital birthers too. Also has a fantastic associated yahoo group.

www.homebirthersandhopefuls.com
Information links and stories for those hoping for a home or natural birth.

www.positivebirthmovement.org
Grassroots movement to spread positivity about childbirth via a global network of free Positive Birth groups, check their site for more info or to see if there is one near you.

Information and stats on every hospital in the UK, plus details of home birth too.

Positive birth stories, resources, and a buddy system for expectant mothers.

Lots of info and films of birth, especially home birth and water birth.

Not what you think! Just birth as a positive and beautiful physical experience. Watch the trailer.



www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com
Ricki Lake explores the medicalisation of childbirth in the US, but relevant to us all.



http://www.rcmnormalbirth.org.uk/
Campaign for Normal Birth via the Royal College of Midwives

www.doula.org.uk
All about Doulas, and find one in the UK.

www.dona.org
Doulas in the USA

www.independentmidwives.org.uk
Paying for continuity of care and expert help on of the most important days of your life is a choice worth considering.


www.thebirthiwant.org.uk
Campaign for all women to have one to one care from their own midwife, and be able to choose where to birth.


Blogs 
Doula-lly - blog from a London doula, lots of birth info
Memoirs of a Singing Birth - great blog and a lovely book too
Birth Without Fear

Articles
The Pitfalls of 'Going with the Flow' in Birth
Code Name: Mama - Thirty Natural Birth Videos
Natural, Empowering Birth: Ten Ways to Prepare Differently
Becoming a Mother: The Wallpaper of Fear
Birth Plan, by Janine DeBaise


Facebook Groups
Bring Birth Home
Developing Doulas
One World Birth
One Born Every Minute - The Truth
The Birth I Want


Short Films

 Documenting Delight - Born at Home
A beautiful film to move and inspire.


Fate of Earth - Fate of Birth
Explaining brilliantly why the way we birth is so fundamentally important:




One World Birth
Trailer - calling for a fundamental change in the way we view birth in the Western world:




Everyday Miracles
Positive and empowering birth in hospital:





Sadie's Homebirth Diary
With the help of Independent Midwife Virginia Howes, Sadie doesn't think she can do it - but she does.

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Comments

  1. Anonymous17 July 2012 at 02:01

    I was lucky enough to have 2 fabulous births. Having enjoyed a good birth the first time, I hired a doula 2nd time round to help my chances of having another positive experience.
    My birth plan was to have "a 'home birth' in hospital." I delivered my baby without so much as a paracetamol in 2 hours. I beleive that the doula and the books Millie suggests above really helped me to have such a great birth.
    In addition to these books above I also read Deepak Chopra's "Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives."
    Friends have also found hypno-birth techniques useful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous31 July 2012 at 03:04

    Not having given birth and not even being pregnant yet but amazed with how positive you guys make it! Good work! Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Linz Middlemiss31 August 2012 at 15:53

    I'd suggest adding 'The Pink Kit' and the 'Spinning Babies workbook'. Learning about Optimal Foetal Positioning, knowing what position your baby is in and not just what your pelvis is like but how to open it further could help so many Mums IMO.

    ReplyDelete

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