Page 14 RAIN May 1979 well grounded, the hook most highly recommended by my midwife. (Also A Season to be Born , 1973, $3.50 from Harper-Colophon Books, 10.East 53rd, New York, NY 10022.) Suzanne's lovely account and her husband's photographs of her first pregnancy is one that cen ters in well on that feeling you have of being one with all the other women who have ever given birth. NAPSAC P.O. Box 1307 Chapel Hill, NC 27504 The National Association of Parents and Professionals for Safe Al ternatives in Childbirth put on a conference every year where many of the people most active in homebirth present papersand each year they publish the proceedings. These books are excellent resources if you want to back up your instinctive feeling in the righ tness of homebirth with well-researched facts and opinions based on experience. Check with them for their most current ti ties and prices. A Child Is Born, Lennart Nilsson, et al., rev. 1977, $5.95 from: Dell Publishing Co. 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza New York, NY 10017 Looking at this book made it all seem real. The photographs from the first few weeks after conception are incredible and the text amazing. Did you know that the fetus floats upside down in (and swallows) a bag of urine? Or that the bones begin in the middle of the limbs and then grow outward? Preparation for Childbirth, Donna & Rodger Ewy, 1974, $1.75 from: New American Library 1301 Ave. of the Americas New York, NY 10017 Husband-Coached Childbirth, Robert A. Bradley, rev. 1974, $6.95 from: Harper & Row 10 East 53rd New York, NY 10022 Childbirth Without Fear (1944, $2.25) and The Practice ofNatural Childbirth, Grandy Dick-Read, rev. 1970, $1.25 from: Harper & Row These books run the gamut of natural childbirth methods-I read them all and used something from each in my own labor (but then I hate to rely on one method or expert!) All have good suggestions for pregnancy (diet, exercise, etc.) as well. The Bradley is pretty obnoxiously written-full of dated putdowns for women, but it's still worth looking at. The Ewy book is the c1earest, step-by-step description of the Lamaze method-the one most often taught in preparation classes. Caesarean Birth Experience, Bonnie Donovan, 1978, $4.95 from: Beacon Press 25 Beacon St. Boston, MA 02108 It could happen to you, and it's a good idea to know how it works and what your options are. Excellent reading for the second time around C-sections too. Birth Without Violence, Frederick Leboyer, 1975, $3.95 from: Alfred A. Knopf 201 E. 50th New York, NY 10022 No list of birthing resources would be complete without a mention of Leboyer -the man who publicized the idea that birth is painful for the baby too. The ideas of darkness, silence and a warm water bath for the newborn are depicted with lovely photographs. See the film if you can as well. Again, to my mind it's not a rigid method to be followed bu t an awareness to be maintained. His new book, Inner Beauty, Inner Light: Yoga for Pregnant Women (1978, $8.95 from Knopf), looks to be good, though I'm afraid I've only had a chance to glance quickly at a friend's copy. Healthy Pregnancy the Yoga Way, Judi Thompson, 1977, $3.95 from: Doubleday 245 Park Ave. New York, NY 10017 Prenatal Yoga & Natural Birth, Jeannine O'Brien Medvin, 1974, $3.50 from: Freestone Publishing Co. P.O. Box 1081 Mendocino, CA 95460 I can't speak highly enough of the positive effects of doing yoga during my pregnancy. I only wish I had been more diligent. These twO books were especially helpful in giving me a sense of what I could do. It was encouraging seeing the obviously pregnant authors doing complicated stretches. The first book also has a section on postnatal exercises-quite welcome when you make the sad realization that your swollen belly won't go back down all of its own accord! Nursing Your Baby, Karen Pryor, 1973, $1.95 from: Pocket Books Simon & Schuster 1230 Ave. of the Americas New York, NY 10020 The Womanly Art ofBreastfeeding, 1963, $3.95 from: La Leche League 9616 Minneapolis Ave_ Franklin Park, IL 60131 If you are planning to breastfeed or even just contemplating it, these are two important books to read in the last mon ths of pregnancy. The La Leche League book is slanted very much towards average middleclass households, while the Pryor is more "modern" in attitude. Both are invaluable resources to be kept by your bed- I often found myself referring to them in the middle of the night, particularly in those first few overwhelming days. LLL has classes and hotlines in most communities as well. Spiritual Midwifery, Ina May Gaskin, rev. 1978, $8.50 from: The Farm 156 Drakes Lane Summertown, TN 38483 My favorite book during my pregnancy. The first half is personal accounts with some wonderful photos of the births at The Farm. The second half is how-to information for parents and midwives. The accounts, each with different insights, add up to an exciting vision of what birth could be at its best and most enlightened. My only caution is that the reality of your birth may not be quite so cosmic. We found ourselves kind of let down when it didn't turn out like an Ina May special. Still, we're
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