NOW!
Especially for Dads!
SUGGESTED BOOKS, VIDEOS, ETC.
Many of these books covering the prenatal period come from a therapeutic or spiritual perspective . Some of the books marked with a * are out of print but still to be found in some book shops so worth looking for.
The books are not in any particular order.
ecstaticbirth...conceive the possibility a multi-media CD-Rom of exceptional quality, dimensions and perspective. See this website under products or click on link above.
Yoga For Pregnancy by Freedman/Hall, ISBN 0-7063-7667-6 Yoga is the ideal exercise for pregnant women.
Baby Yoga by Françoise Freedman, ISBN 1-85675-176-7 Gentle exercise for babies, mums and dads.
Postnatal Yoga by Friedman/Hall, ISBN 0-7548-0499-2 A clear compelling and beautifully illustrated guide to yoga postures developed especially for mothers with new babies. Strengthening body and spirit after birth.
Aqua Yoga by Françoise Freedman, ISBN 0-7548-0745-2 A comprehensive guide to the therapeutic and soothing nature of yoga in water for pregnancy, birth and beyond.
"Waterbaby",
Experiences
of
WaterBirth,
by
Karil
Daniels.
This
is
an
outstanding
feature
documentary.
An
international
favorite
and
winner
of
14
film/video
festival
awards.
Details
are
at
http://www.waterbirthinfo.com/materials.html
The Miraculous World of Your Unborn Child by Nikki Bradford
ISBN 1-85833-966-9 (1998)
Impressive coffee table style encyclopedia of colored pictures and scientific research showing what we know to date about foetal life. The awesome process of pregnancy is put into the context of the woman’s life experience, the perspective of the baby and their interaction.
Magical Child, Joseph C. Pearce
The Natural Superiority of Women, Ashley Montague
Continuum Concept, Jean Leidloff
Birth Without Violence, Frederick Leboyer
The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Birth, Sheila Kitzinger
A Child is Born, Lennart Nilsson
Primal Health by Michael Odent
ISBN 0-7126-1268-8 ( 1986 )
“Primal health stems from that critical and “primal “ time of our life - that is, in the womb, around birth and during breastfeeding. It is then that the primitive brain are formed and reach maturity, that our biological computers are programmed for life. Everything that happens at this time has an influence on our basic state of health. Thereafter we can only cultivate it as a gardener tends his garden.”
Planning a Baby ? How to prepare for a healthy pregnancy and give your baby the best possible start.
by Sarah Brewer ISBN 0 09 1812569
In this book the author looks at how taking maximum care of the future parents health in the six important months before conception, can optimize the chances of having a healthy baby. She gives advise on contraception used during the pre-conceptual phase, lifestyle and factors that affect early pregnancy, supplements needed, advise for vegetarians and an overview of the causes of miscarriage.
Natural Solutions to Infertility. How to increase your chances of conceiving and preventing miscarriage. By Dr. Marilyn Glenville PhD. ISBN 07499 20599
The author is a well known nutritional therapist and the present Chairperson for Foresight – the Association for the Promotion of Pre-conceptual care. An estimated one in six couples now have trouble conceiving and yet, while much has been made of the sophisticated, costly, medical technologies, such as IVF available to help, there are also some relatively simple, straightforward measures a couple can take to improve their chances of conceiving . In the book M Glenville outlines a four-month pre-conception program which centers on getting the body as healthy as possible in order for the reproductive system to work efficiently. The approach is natural and involves making adjustments and improvements to a couple’s lifestyle, taking into account such factors as nutrition, alcohol, smoking, stress, infections and hazards in your environment.
( In a recent Foresight study couples who had fertility problems followed Dr Glenville”s program – an unprecedented 80 per cent conceived naturally and all had healthy babies. )
Soul Trek - meeting our children on the way to birth by Elizabeth Hallett
ISBN 0-9646097-0-3 (1995)
This book is full of the most wonderful
personal stories about the
connection between parent and child. What
can we learn about our existence before birth - and before conception. Parents
and sometimes the other children in the family tell about their perception of
the unborn child , the incoming child on its soultrek.
The
Mind of
Your Newborn Baby by David Chamberlain
(Previously entitled Babies remember Birth . 1988 )
ISBN 1-55643-264-X (1998 ) In this book David Chamberlain demonstrates that newborns are fully cognitive human beings with the ability to discriminate and experience the world in sophisticated ways. Not only do they perceive and understand their births, but they can hear, feel, and act while still in utero.
The Secret Life of the Unborn Child by Thomas Verny and John Kelly
ISBN 0-7221-8821 ( 1981 )
A remarkable and controversial book which presented for the first time the result of two decades of international research into the earliest stages of life. It’s a classic which rocked the world when it was first published in the 70’s. Inspiring and challenging.
Nurturing the unborn Child: a nine month program for soothing, stimulating, and communicating with your baby by Thomas Verny and Pamela Weintraub
ISBN 0-385-30673-3 (1991)
In this book the two authors explore the many creative ways in which parents can nurture their relationship with the unborn. There is a nine-month program with sections about what the baby perceives at each stage of development and with practice exercises to explore this stage accordingly. There are suggestions for music to listen to, relaxation exercises, affirmations, dream analysis. guided imagery, singing, storytelling and dancing with baby and lots more. A book that can be followed from the beginning of pregnancy to birth or to just dip into to get inspired by and play with.
Meditations and Positive Thoughts for Pregnancy and Birth by Gilli Moorhawk
ISBN 0-7499-1395-9 (1994)
Meditations and affirmations to bring beauty and joy to all stages of pregnancy.
Love Start - Prebirth Bonding - Learn to communicate with your Baby and take charge of your Child’s Birth by Eve Marnie
ISBN 0-937611-38-7 (1989)
Eve Marnie guides you though a step by step process of bonding with your child. This process takes you from the early stages of pregnancy to the day your baby is born. A practical and easy to read book.
Voices from the Womb by Michael Gabriel with Marie Gabriel
ISBN 0- 944031-09-9 (1992)
Using transcripts of adults undergoing deep hypnotic regression, this astonishing study traces the dawn of consciousness, demonstrating that the unborn child is an aware being, actively participating with its environment and parents. Shows the relationship between experiences in the womb and later problems. An encouraging book for all those interested in personal development and mental health.
The Perception of the Unborn Across the Cultures of the World by W. von Raffler-Engel
ISBN 0-88937-120-2 ( 1993 )
Her survey of the attitudes and beliefs about the unborn child around the world provides both parents-to-be and professionals with an astonishing - and sometimes entertaining - look at the ideas and practices of other cultures. It also enables her to present specific and convincing advice, based on beliefs and experience from all over the world, about the optimal prenatal care that will ensure a baby’s physical and mental health.
Conscious Conception by Jeannine Parvati Baker, Frederick Baker and Tamara Slayton.
ISBN 0-938190083-0 ( 1986 )
The book is using the different elements ( earth, water, fire, air, ether ) to cover every possible aspect of fertility, sexuality, womb and world ecology. A big and rich book.
Ideal Birth by Sondra Ray ISBN 0-89087-364-X (1985)
Sondra Ray has collected ideas and suggestions for the purpose of creating a conscious and enlightened conception, pregnancy and birth.
Education Begins Before Birth by Omraam Michael Aivanhov
ISBN 2-85566-188-9 (1982)
Omraam Michael Aivanhov goes into the
central questions about how we as human beings can obtain better self knowledge
and quality of life. So he not only
talks about the important task of the mother in observing her thoughts, feelings
and actions and the impact of these on the unborn child; but brings it into a
much larger picture of how society as a whole can change and develop. Available
here
Hope for the World by Omraam Michael Aivanhov
ISBN 2-85566-306-7 (1984)
This book brings together from a philosophical, spiritual and scientific point of view ideas on marriage, pregnancy and prenatal education. He explains how parents may co-operate with the Laws of Nature to find ways to help the unborn child to develop its full potential. Available here.
* The Path to Birth by Stanley Drake ISBN 0-903540-32-0 (1979 )
A small booklet written from a Christian Community/Anthroposophical perspective.
* Caring for your Unborn Child - How to give your baby the best possible start in life
by Roy Ridgway ISBN 0-7225-1740-8 (1990)
* The Unborn Child - How to recognize and overcome Prenatal Trauma by Roy Ridgway ISBN 0-7045-0511-8 (1987)
* The Cradle of Heaven - psychological and spiritual dimensions of conception, pregnancy and birth
by Murshida Vera Justin Corda ISBN 0-930872-32-0 (1997)
Through her book Murshida Vera helps parents surround conception, pregnancy and birth with loving radiance.
* The Child of your Dreams by Laura Archera Huxley and Piero Ferruc ISBN 0--89638-110-2 (1987)
When you approach conception and
pregnancy with inner peace and reverence for life, you enhance the development
of your future child.
Mother’s
Nature. Timeless wisdom for the journey into motherhood.
Created by Andrea Alban Gosline, Lisa
Burnett Bossi and Ame Mahler Beanland.
ISBN 1-57324-152-0 ( 1999 )
This is a stunning and very beautiful collection of pregnancy and birth stories, poems and experiences. It is an exuberant celebration of motherhood through the centuries and from around the world, with readings by Isabel Allende, Maya Angelou, Thich Nhat Hanh and many others.
Anyone who has ever been a mother or is going to be , will love this book. It reveals the poetry and spiritual insight available to those who travel the great path of motherhood
From Fetus to Child. An observational and psychoanalytic study.
By Alessandra Piontelli. ISBN 0-415-07437 (pbk) ( 1992 )
Dr Alessandra Piontelli, a medical practitioner , child psychotherapist and psychoanalyst, has written an original and controversial book. She observes eleven fetuses ( three singletons and four sets of twins ) in the womb using ultrasound scans, and she then observes their development at home from birth up to the age of four years. She includes a description of the spychoanalytic psychotherapy of some of the research children whose behavior in analysis suggested that they were deeply preoccupied with their experiences in the womb
Ghosts From the Nursery. Tracing the roots of Violence.
By Robin Karr-Morse and Meredith S. Wiley. ISBN 0-87113-734-8 (pbk)
This book looks at the alarming trend of violence committed by children and gives startling new evidence that violent behavior is fundamentally linked to abuse and neglect in the first two years and even earlier.
From chapter 2 : “ The fetal stage and the first two years of life are the period of most rapid brain growth. During early development the brain produces more cells and connections than it can use. Which cells survive and what a brain can do and cannot do are determined by what a child learns in the first decade of life. Proceeding cumulatively from the beginning, the opportunity to nurture synaptic growth and retention is at its greatest during this early time. It is at this time that we have the greatest possible potential to directly enhance the quality of brain power ultimately applied to language or music or social , emotional, math, or logical skills. The fundamental wiring of the brains of our future workforce occurs – or not – before we are paying attention. “
Wonder Child. Rediscovering the magical World of innocence and joy within ourselves and our children.
By Peter Lorie. ISBN 0-671-677993
Although his book mainly deals with childhood is has inspiring ideas for the time of pregnancy apart from absolutely stunning photographs.
“ Children are born into a natural state of enlightenment, containing all the creativity, magic , beauty, and wisdom of the universe. The process of socializing a child through conventional parenting methods and education closes doors to a developing consciousness capable of so much more than we ever dreamed.
Wonder Child reopens those doors through a series of creative games and exercises designed to nurture the child’s innate potential and reawaken our own.”
Alternative Maternity . A comprehensive guide to natural therapies from conception to postnatal care.
by Nicky Wesson. ISBN 0 09 181246 1
Before conception and during pregnancy is often a time where the couple / the woman looks fore ways of enhancing and supporting her health amongst the natural therapies. Nicky Wessen has written many books and this one is a good practical one to have on the bookshelf. Therapies covered include : acupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy, medical herbalism and cranial osteopathy. Safe remedies for home use are given, together with advise on appropriate therapies for serious or longstanding problems.
Creating a Joyful Birth experience. Developing a partnership with your unborn child for healthy pregnancy, labor and early parenting.
By Lucia Capacchione and Sandra Bardley. ISBN 0-671-87027-0
Using a unique journaling method, this book helps women to get in touch with and understand the emotional aspects of pregnancy and early parenting. It will empower women to make their own informed choices and it raises childbirth education to a new level of heart and mind.
This is a great book for any pregnant woman who wants to creatively work and discover new things during pregnancy.
Now.... where to get these books:
With the ISBN number you can go into any book shop.
And here are additionally a few tel. no of book shops that might have these in store and will be happy to send mail-order.
Growing
needs (in
UK) 01458
833466
Watkins (in UK) 0207 8362182
ACE
Graphics (in UK) 01959 524 622 They
deal mainly with books and materials concerning childbirth education
but some would be relevant for covering the prenatal period.
You can find books
online at www.amazon.co.uk or www.amazon.com
The American Association for Pre-and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH) have published a small booklet : One hundred Books ( and videos too ) from 1977-1997 in prenatal/perinatal psychology and health. It can be ordered from: APPPAH , 340 Colony Road. Bow 994 Geyserville, California 95441. Tel.1- 707-857-4041; fax:1- 707-857-4042
APPPAH’s Website : www.birthpsychology.com
Email: apppah@aol.com
The International Society of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Medicine ( ISPPM ) also produce some publications. For futher information contact the ISPPM Secretary : c/o Julitta Bischoff, Friedhofweg 8 , D- 69118 Heidelberg, Germany. Tel. : + 49 6221892729, Fax: + 49 6221 892730.
ISPPM -homepage :www.isppm.de
e-mail : secretary@isppm.de
Foresight ( the Association for the promotion of Pre-conceptual Care) produces its own newsletter and has a wide range of helpful and informative books and leaflets :
28, The Paddock, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1XD, UK Tel no. 44 (0)1483 811855
Many thanks to Maya Morgan, founder of the Organization for Prenatal Education, for compiling this booklist.