Covers postpartum advice and support only, so you’ll want a different book when preparing for birth The Eating for Pregnancy Month by Month Nutrition Guide (clue is in the title), contains 150 recipes that are tailored to meet the nutritional needs of both you and your baby at every stage of your pregnancy, including postpartum. There is no time is recorded human history that people did not know intercourse led to pregnancy. Women were not in general worshipped as goddesses who spontaneously gave birth to children. Some of the cultures who had fertility goddesses were the cultures most cruel to women. Also, throughout European history, there was not a conspiracy from the medical world to keep women in pain. Many men then and today get into medicine because of deep compassion. The reason why women dominated the field of childbearing as midwives is because then as today, women are more comfortable with women looking at them bare during childbirth. It is well-known that many women prefer female obgyns to male ones even today. Using a range of techniques, including self-hypnosis and visualisation, the book can help you feel more calm and confident during labour, leading to less chance of intervention and reduced pain. How we chose our recommendations Recommendations from parents With so many pregnancy books to choose from it can be hard to know where to start. Here’s some things to take into account when making your choice:

The Hypnobirthing Book by Katharine Graves | Goodreads The Hypnobirthing Book by Katharine Graves | Goodreads

There is very little actual practical help on self-hypnosis as a method of relaxation and pain control in this book. Instead, we get a lot of birth politics, plus an attitude based right on "the Secret" - remember that one? The one that posits that if you have cancer or were born in a war-torn fourth world country, it's because your thoughts attracted it, while conversely the rich and healthy deserve it because they thought positive? I loved [Milli Hill's] positive birth book. It covered loads of stuff I didn’t come across anywhere else, in particular about informed consent and how to advocate for yourself. Really recommend it to anyone who’s pregnant. It’s really accessible and easy to read, you can dip in and out of it."(Vetted by Mumsnet user AnneLovesGilbert) Our verdict

5. Best down-to-earth hypnobirthing audiobook: Your Baby, Your Birth by Hollie de Cruz

Milli Hill is the founder of The Positive Birth Movement, a global network of antenatal discussion groups that championed positive births for all women. The groups aimed to create spaces for women to consider what they really wanted from their childbirth experience and to challenge any fears or negative expectations they might have.

The Hypnobirthing Book: An Inspirational Guide for a Calm The Hypnobirthing Book: An Inspirational Guide for a Calm

However, I did my second birth naturally by the Mongan "Hypnobirthing" Method, and I can tell you that natural birth IS POSSIBLE (even for Piglet-level wusses such as myself). This book is great... but the hypnobirthing class I took along WITH it was what really made the difference, so I'd recommend both the book AND a class. (I took a class in Orem, UT taught by Monica English). It probably won't work for everyone... but if you are one of those individuals with a lot of mind-over-matter ability, it'll do ya just fine. Covers a lot of ground - you may want something more focused on a specific area of pregnancy or childbirth Hypnobirthing teaches relaxation, visualisation and self-hypnosis skills to help mothers-to-be create a calm and relaxing environment during labour. Some of the benefits of this technique include a shorter, more comfortable labour without the need for pain relief. It can also lead to a more positive birth experience. To help make sure you get your information from a trusted, respected source, we’ve combined the knowledge and real-life experience of our Mumsnet users with expert sources to help us research the best hypnobirthing books and tools to buy right now, those which can be read alongside the best pregnancy books and top-rated parenting books to help you prepare for labour and the years afterwards.This book also includes lots of practical tips and guidance for dads and birthing partners, making it a great option for couples to share. This book was gifted to me by a frien Hypnobirthing uses breathing techniques to gently encourage a baby out rather than pushing. Traditionally, pushing encourages you to hold your breath, whereas hypnobirthing teaches you to trust your body to be able to give birth and use breathing techniques to gently encourage your baby out. How do you breathe during hypnobirthing? Having worked with celebrities including Fearne Cotton and Giovanna Fletcher, Hollie de Cruz is a renowned hypnobirthing coach. The history chapter is almost entirely made up. To suggest that pain in childbirth is some kind of Western construct that was invented by early Christians is pure rubbish, and the idea of pain in childbirth as a Western construct has a rather alarming history steeped in racism.