HELP, JEN! What do I NEED for my... PREGNANCY? LABOR? POSTPARTUM? BABY? JOURNEY INTO EPIC PARENTHOOD? Part 1: The Reference Library

It's stupidly easy to get lost in the minefield of all things baby! And goodness, have times changed since I birthed my oldest, for better (so many choices!) and worse (too many choices!). So, if the lens of an experienced professional helps, here you go!!!

BOOKS!

I do love to read them, not just collect them :) Here are some that have been useful as a doula, an IBCLC, a parent, and a professional, and come highly recommended by other doulas, IBCLCs, parents, and professionals:

This book is a classic for a reason. It is one of the few books specifically FOR partners, and the only one we know of written in a way that doesn't treat them like clueless observers in the birth space but as active participants in the creation of their family. The green cover (pictured) is the newest 6th edition (https://amzn.to/3INjXsU), but the 5th edition, with the orange cover (https://amzn.to/46ZJ9q7), will ALWAYS be close to my heart, as OUR Katie Rohs was co-author, and we couldn't be prouder!

We doulas often joke that this book doesn't have much of a plot line or story arc :) It IS, however, and excellent reference for your pregnancy...birth...and the newborn phase, so it's very aptly named! Also a creation of our beloved mentor and friend, Penny Simkin, and any day where we get to think about Penny is a good day. https://amzn.to/4f65tAs

I will shout from the rooftops that T Berry Brazelton, MD was a genius that truly understood children, AND could explain them to parents, with skills I only dream of having. His ability to give parents a way to see development through the eyes of their children helped me reframe so much when my kids were small.

https://amzn.to/44O9Ht6

Silly and irreverent? Yes. Useful and practical? Also yes. Especially popular in families where one parent (or more) is an engineer! https://amzn.to/3ISfOE5

Along similar lines is Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads (https://amzn.to/4lWJBuc) Modeled after a scouting manual, it actually contains a lot of great advice. Ian's favorite idea was a drawer of "decoy" cell phones and car keys, which could have saved him a lot of frantic searching when we had tiny humans!

We are SO lucky to have UW in our backyard, in large part due to talent like John Medina. If you ever have the chance, he is an engaging speaker, and his topics are always fascinating.

https://amzn.to/3U2e919

Along similar lines is the classic What's Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life, by Lise Eliot (https://amzn.to/3GWxSMS) Though it is a little older and sadly has not been updated, it is still a fascinating look inside the minds of the tiny humans we live with.

I am SO glad this book exists, and wish desperately that it had in the days when I was still a preschool director-it puts into words, and evidence, everything you need to know about parenting the child you have. https://amzn.to/472T2U1

I first learned about Dr Gopnik years ago through another UW connection. In 2000, she co-authored the groundbreaking The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind (https://amzn.to/4mk3jzL) with Dr Patricia Kuhl, co-director of I-LABS.

Karen & Molly take a tough subject and make it approachable in the most loving and validating way. I highly recommend ALL parents have this book, in advance of any struggles; I can't imagine there is a parent living in the US today who doesn't see themself somewhere in this book.

https://amzn.to/4lL0F63

Look familiar? The amazing duo of Karen & Molly are at it again, this time helping parents make it through the tough days and hopefully, coming out the other side stronger. Seriously, if you are going to get ONE book...this is it. And then you will find yourself giving it to every friend who says there is a baby on the way. https://amzn.to/3GIdj6Q

Have any of your doulas ever mentioned we love all things Gottman? Maybe once or twice? There are reasons, folks! The Bringing Baby Home program is FABULOUS, but this book alone is just terrific, especially if the class itself is out of reach. https://amzn.to/4kYYPNE

My IBCLC brain has never found a feeding book with which I am in complete agreement...but this one comes pretty close! And the fact that it is ACTUALLY inclusive speaks to my Queer little heart. A good reference, since I can't always be available 24/7/365, not matter how much I would like to be. https://amzn.to/4lItFvj

Again, information in the lactation world is always changing...in part because we are really, in some ways, in the infancy of our knowledge. Are there things that Jessica and I view differently? Yes. Do I think her strategies for planning to return to work are absolutely mind-blowingly well thought out? I do! I also love that she worked with the incomparable Robyn Roche-Paull, IBCLC...her expertise is second-to-none, and she's local! https://amzn.to/4ftA4bD

This book has been a classic since the moment it was published. It has done a beautiful job of helping those of us who live in fast cultures that don't support new families learn that there are, in fact, other more holistic, connected, and nurturing ways to move through the postpartum period. https://amzn.to/44XJeIc

For folks who are into food that helps support the making of milk, there is no better recipe book! (Also, it is for ANY lactating parent: not just those who are directly breastfeeding, and not just moms! Here's hoping we can go beyond the gender and exclusivity in our language, someday.) https://amzn.to/3U0my5i

Could I go on? Yes. Should I? Not if I want to do anything else today :) Next up, goodies for pregnancy and labor, coming soon in Part 2! xo Jen