Angela M. Morris, CTTH, CB/PD, AWP, CBE, TBF, DEM, SBD Madriella Doula since 2010

Over in the Madriella Doula group for Certified Madriella Doulas this week we’re discussing books… what our influencing books were, what helped shape us into the maternal support beings we are.

For me – I was under 14 years old, and read “Our bodies, Ourselves” and it just resonated. I wanted to know more, and it led to actively working in postpartum support as a 16 year old (long before the title “Postpartum Doula” even existed, and the beginning of many years of maternal support professionally.) Encouraging reading and continued education within our program is a definite as over time standards change, and it’s a good thing to stay informed and educated.

So what other books if I were to pull some from my personal shelves today would I suggest?

Hands down, I always recommend “Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering: A Doctor’s Guide to Natural Childbirth and Gentle Early Parenting Choices” by Dr. Sarah Buckley MD – and strongly advise paying attention to the hormones of childbirth.

This is followed by “Optimal Care in Childbirth: The Case for a Physiologic Approach” Editors Henci Goer and Amy Romano. Understanding the physiology of birth is truly an essential, no matter whether you are just supporting a friend, or looking to pursue birth-work as a profession.

There are so many other options out there, my personal shelves are filled like crazy, and my own collection is growing always. Madriella’s reading list for our Doulas will be re-released soon, and with it will be many more for those certified with us to chose from.

We’re always taking suggestions though and of course we’d love to hear from our readers – so I’ll post the same question here as I did in the Madriella private group. What was your first birth-work related book you read, and how did it influence you? (Image courtesy of https://pixabay.com/en/users/condesign-509903/)