The Gentle Birth Method: The Month-by-month Jeyarani Way Programme
Gowri Motha, Karen Swan Macleod

Childbirth guru Dr Gowri Motha, who practises with Dr Yehudi Gordon – author of Birth and Beyond – shows women how her revolutionary method helps women carry the baby to full term, have less intervention in the birth; feel less pain in labour, and feel happy and in control.
 

Baby Wisdom - Deborah Jackson

In every culture baby care issues are the same - from crying babies to sleepless nights, breastfeeding problems to weaning worries. But when it comes to solutions, there is much that we can learn from other country's traditions. There are cultures, for example, where babies rarely cry, where breastfeeding is routine for grandmothers as well as mothers, and where babies always sleep with older family members. Looking byond our own narrow approach is not only fascinating but enlightening too. Tackling all the topics of modern baby care, theme by theme, this book offers positive ideas, combining the unusual and the universal, the unexpected and the commonplace. Reassuring for parents everywhere, it shows there is no one way of bringing up baby

Yoga for Pregnancy : Safe and Gentle Stretches - Sandra Jordan

Yoga, with its emphasis on body awareness, breathing, and relaxation, is helping growing numbers of pregnant women adjust to the physical and mental demands of labor, birth, and motherhood. Provided here are 92 Iyengar poses carefully chosen as being safe and effective during and after pregnancy.

 Pregnancy: the Inside Story - Joan Raphael-Leff

This work explains how a couple becomes a family. The author, a social psychologist and psychoanalyst, explores the dreams, fears and fantasies that surround pregnancy and birth. She also shows how exposure to the naked needs of infants affects parents and how parents' concerns affect infants.

NCT Complete Book of Pregnancy - Daphne Metland

Drawing on the National Childbirth Trust's expertise and experience in the field of childcare to guide new mothers calmly through what can be one of the most daunting periods of their life, this book focuses on a young mother (20-25), an older mother (35-40) and a second-time mother through their pregnancy. The women's personal accounts are accompanied by comments, tips and advice from the NCT experts, together with essential, clearly presented factual information. Each key stage of pregnancy is photographed.
 

The NCT Complete Book of Baby Care - National Childbirth Trust, Daphne Metland (Editor)

Aiming to be a daily handbook for all parents, this book draws on the NCT's 40 years of experience to offer balanced guidance on all the latest topics, such as breastfeeding, cot mattresses and being a working parent.

Rediscovering Birth - Sheila Kitzinger

The author explores the universal appeal of pregnancy and childbirth, looking closely at many aspects including preparations; the physical and spiritual experience of giving birth; the mystique surrounding the bond between mother and child; and the differences between cultures.

The Politics of Breastfeeding - Gabrielle Palmer, Sheila Kitzinger (Introduction)

This book asks why more babies are given artificial milk when breastmilk is a nutritionally balanced food and a wonder drug that both prevents and treats disease. The author examines the political reasons for this situation and social attitudes to women. She reveals the myths and superstitions of modern medicine, and considers the vulnerability of doctors to commercial pressures and misinformation, and the link between the decline in breastfeeding, the population explosion and child malnutrition. Gabrielle Palmer has worked as a breastfeeding counsellor of the National Childbirth Trust, as an organizer for Save the Children Fund and as a nutritionist in Mozambique.
 

Having Twins -Elizabeth Noble

This revised edition contains coverage of recent advances in research and in understanding of the psychology of parents and twins, with emphasis on prenatal nutrition and physical preparation. The author's other books include "Childbirth With Insight" and "Having Your Baby by Donor Insemination".

How Not to Be a Perfect Mother - Libby Purves

This is a book which sets out to show that even the most unpromising madonna can survive the years of looking after babies and toddlers. Full of down-to-earth tips and anecdotes, this is a battle-manual for the mother on the front line - going from pregnancy to pre-schoolers, and taking in sibling fights, fraught outings, nannies and careers along the way.

Yoga for Pregnancy - Francoise Barbira Freedman, Doriel Hall

Demonstrating how yoga can help with pregnancy, this book guides the prospective mother through the experience, showing how to prepare the body for pregnancy, how to get back to fitness after the birth, and how to keep both mother and baby relaxed and happy throughout the process. The book provides easy-to-follow exercises arranged in step-by-step photographic sequences for all three stages of pregnancy, taking into account the various needs of each trimester. It focuses on preparing both body and mind in unison for the birth.
 

 Your Baby and Child - Penelope Leach

This guide encompasses recent research and thinking on childcare and current approaches to parenting. Written from the baby and child's perspective, information is organized in easy-to-use age bands, from pre-birth to pre-school, and there is supportive advice on childcare.

This book is more than a guide to child-care. It is an insight into your child's first years of life--their needs, thoughts and their behaviours--which will help you really communicate together. It is supportive without intruding in on your own parenting instincts and it will give you the confidence to live by your baby, not by the book. If you only buy one parenting guide, buy this. --Abi Frisby
 

 Being Pregnant, Giving Birth - Mary Nolan

The text offers fact boxes and interviews with new parents who offer their real advice to make life easier and the nine months preceeding the birth of a child a pleasure without worry. It takes parents through every issue which may concern them, including: antenatal tests; how labour begins; where to have the baby and all hospital procedures; how long to stay in hospital; choosing pain relief; caesarian section; the father's role; and the first 24 hours.
 

The National Childbirth Trust Book of Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenthood - Glynnis Tucker (Editor)

Since first publication in 1992 this book has established itself as one of the most popular guides of its kind. Practical, sympathetic, and comprehensive, it provides mothers and fathers with all the information they need on pregnancy, birth, and the first year of the baby's life. The new edition incorporates all the latest developments in medical treatment, midwifery, and baby care. Specifically there is detailed new information on: diet, risks of salmonella infection, fetal heart monitoring, ultrasound, methods of detecting abnormality, risks of transmitting HIV, pain relief during labour, bottlefeeding formulas, guidelines for preventing cot-death, how to recognize meningitis, parents with disabilities, and a completely new section on immunization. Everything you need to know, from conception to the end of the baby's first year. This book is intended for pregnant women.
 

Yoga : A Gem for Women - Geeta S. Iyengar

Yoga: A Gem for Women is a classic Hatha Yoga textbook written by Geeta Iyengar, daughter of the well-known yoga master B. K. S. Iyengar. Besides the hundreds of standard Iyengar-style asanas, it includes special recommendations for menstrual disorders, menopause, pregnancy and lactation. It is wonderful to see Indian women, including a very pregnant one, demonstrating the postures.
—Yoga Journal