Top 10 Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum Book Recommendations | One Love Doulas Tampa
So you just found out you’re expecting and on top of that you are a book worm like most of us here at One Love (the book worm part not the expecting part, HAHA).
Here are some book recommendations for you!
1. Nurture: A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood
Perfect for: Written by a doula, great for skimming through leisurely during your trimesters in order to prepare for your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. Written by doula Erica Chidi Cohen, Nurture walks you through the months of your pregnancy and the early postpartum phase in a comforting (but not condescending) way. Cohen includes delicious recipes and helpful exercises (physical and spiritual) for each month to keep you going.
2. The Girlfriends’ Guide to Pregnancy
Perfect for: A lighthearted journey through your nine months of pregnancy, full of laughs!
During your pregnancy, everyone will have their own roles. Your birth doula will guide you through your pregnancy and provide evidenced based information as well as physical and emotional comfort. Your Obstetrician or Midwife will cover all the serious medical stuff such as weight gain or loss, your standard lab work etc. The soon to be grandparents will be busy shopping for cute baby clothes. Navigate the busyness with The Girlfriends’ Guide to Pregnancy! You’re sure to get a laugh with this popular pregnancy novel’s lighthearted perspective and relatable comedy
3. Oh Sis, You’re Pregnant!: The Ultimate Guide to Black Pregnancy & Motherhood
Perfect for: When You’re Black, Pregnant, and Expecting.
Shanicia Boswell is the founder of Black Moms Blog, an online community that discusses parenting, culture, and lifestyle from a Black mom’s point of view. In 2019, she launched The Self Care Retreats, an international retreat destination to help women learn to release, relax and unwind. Shanicia is an advocate for Black parenting, diversity, and helping women learn to put themselves first.
Perfect for: Prepping and educating people around you who will support you during your pregnancy.
Ever wonder what is the best way to educate your husband or family on how to support the birth process as family member, partner or friend? The Birth Partner covers what to expect during labor, as well as potential interventions it also covers why a doula or other birth professional will be beneficial to your birth experience.
Author Penny Simkin, PT, is a physical therapist, childbirth educator, doula, and birth counselor. She is nationally recognized as a premier authority on childbirth, having helped 9,000 expecting women and birth partners in childbirth and attended hundreds of couples though the birth process. We often remind clients that it is not only the birth giver that needs to prepare but also birth team members. This book is perfect to prep people who will support your birth.
5. First-Time Mom’s Pregnancy Activity Book: 100 Fun Games, Projects, and Prompts to Prepare for Baby
Perfect for: First time moms and those who want an interactive pregnancy activity book that will keep them entertained!
We love recommending this book, not only is it written by a friend of One Love Doulas in Tampa, but this will help you to learn about yourself and your preferences during your pregnancy. The pregnancy book is broken down in trimesters and provides reminders, checklists through fun games, prompts and coloring opportunities. If you didn’t know already, coloring is extremely relaxing and keeps you relaxed and stress free during your pregnancy.
6. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
Perfect for: If you are considering breastfeeding for your postpartum journey, we recommend this read.
You may be wondering, “Is breastfeeding right for me?” The closer you are to meeting your new baby, the more you’re probably thinking about what comes after birth. You are probably gathering the things your baby will need and making a place for him in your home. Those outfits are so cute! That changing table is precious!
But while you’re out shopping, your body is quietly preparing the real home your baby will need: our breasts that is. They will be your baby’s place for warmth, security, comfort, love, and, yes, food. As cute as the outfits and decor are, what your baby will care most about is the way you and your body protect and nurture him. This is the perfect read to learn more about breastfeeding after you welcome baby home.You can also read more about breastfeeding in one of our latest blogs highlighting five breastfeeding tips.
7. Safe Infant Sleep: Expert Answers to Your Cosleeping Questions
Perfect for: Those who are considering co-sleeping or have confusions about whether or not to have baby sleep alongside them.
There is much debate in regard to Safe Infant Sleep and many of our clients are unsure if co-sleeping is right for them. Just like we prepare you for your birth by providing options, we like to provide you options for your postpartum journey. Just like every pregnancy is unique, every parenting journey is as well.
Dr. McKenna’s research proves what mothers the world over have known for centuries―that something beautiful happens to mothers and babies when they share sleep. He helps parents feel empowered to choose the right sleeping arrangement for their family. Safe Infant Sleep is must-read for every expectant and new parent.
8. The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother
Perfect for: If you are feeling overwhelmed and want advice on recovery after giving birth.
This book is one of our personal faves. We remind our clients that when a baby is born, so is a Mother. The birthing person needs special time to heal, recover, rest, bond. The birthing person should be comforted and nourished during this precious time, which is why we love providing postpartum doula care in addition to labor doula support.
The first 40 days after the birth of a child offer an essential but fleeting period of rest and recovery for the new mother. This book is based on author Heng Ou’s own postpartum experience with zuo yuezi, a set period of “confinement,” in which a woman remains at home to focus on healing and bonding with her baby. The First Forty Days revives the lost art of caring for the mother after birth.
9. Day Nine: A Postpartum Depression Memoir
Perfect for: Preparing for and learning about Postpartum Depression.
Postpartum Mood Disorder affects 1 in five people, which is why we here at One Love feel it’s important to discuss.
Nine days after the birth of her daughter, Amanda Munday was involuntarily admitted to a Toronto psychiatric ward for postpartum depression. The typical hold-and-release process in Ontario is seventy-two hours. She stayed eighteen days.
New parent sleep deprivation is familiar, but Munday’s tumultuous experience with depression is one rarely discussed within parent communities. Any mental illness comes with a strong public stigma, and with mental illness connected to motherhood, the judgments run deep. Through her experiences, Munday presents the harsh realities of new parenthood and the quiet suffering postpartum depression commands.
Day Nine is an intimate memoir that reads like a freight train, revealing how common life transitions ― childbirth and parenthood ― can unravel into a medical emergency few new parents are prepared for.
Perfect for: The judgement free guide to taking charge of your pregnancy, birth and postpartum.
What we love most about this book recommendation is the fact that it isn’t providing specific birth education but more so helping you in identifying your wishes in your unique journey. Truly empowering.
Have any questions about doulas in Tampa or creating a birth plan? Schedule a call with one of our virtual doulas or sign up for a postpartum doula in Tampa Bay! Check out our different doula service packages or contact us online for quick responses on any of your questions! Visit us on Instagram for updates on our amazing practices and wonderful staff of trained doulas in Tampa!
You may be thinking, “Where can I find a doula near me?” We provide Tampa doula support, birth, placenta encapsulation, and postpartum doula care for:
Tampa, St Petersburg
Land O’ Lakes
Lakeland
Plant City
Downtown Tampa
… and more!
Virtual services also available, let’s plan for your amazing birth and postpartum journey. Hope you enjoyed these recommendations, feel free to message us at hello@onelovedoula.com and let us know which book you picked up, we love hearing from you.
All with,
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