Links & Recommended Reading

Recommended Links:

The HypnoBirthing® website provides information about how this method came to be, and how it can help every birthing woman.

The Australian Doulas website provides information about doulas in the WA region, and how a doula can help you have a more positive birth experience.



The Community Midwifery WA website provides information about midwives in WA, what midwives do and the difference midwife-based care can make.

The Simply Birth website provides information about waterbirth as a gentle birth choice and has waterbirth products for you to use in your own birth place.

Orgasmic Birth - read "The Birth was Transformative!"

Sarah Buckley - Gentle birth, gentle mothering website.

Joy In BIrthing - view the inspiring painless birth videos.

Dr Laurence Tham - a chiropractor proficient in the
Webster Technique for turning breech babies.

Recommended Reading:

Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan

Childbirth is not something to be feared; it is a natural expression of life. With HypnoBirthing, your pregnancy and childbirth will become the gentle, life-affirming process it was meant to be. In this easy-to-understand guide, HypnoBirthing founder Marie Mongan explodes the myth of pain as a natural accompaniment to birth. She proves through sound medical information that it is not our bodies but our culture that has made childbirth a moment of anguish, and that when we release the fear of birth, a fear that is keeping our bodies tense and closed, we will also release the pain. HypnoBirthing is nature, not manipulation. It relaxes the mind in order to let the body work as it is designed. The HypnoBirthing exercises--positive thinking, relaxation, visualization, breathing and physical preparation--will lead to a happy and comfortable pregnancy, even if you are currently unsure of an intervention-free birth. Your confidence, trust and happy anticipation will in turn lead to the peaceful, fulfilling and bonding birth that is your right as a mother. More than 10,000 happy couples have had their lives changed for the better by HypnoBirthing. Why is HypnoBirthing changing the way the world gives birth? That's simple. Because it works.

Childbirth Without Fear by Grantly Dick-Read, forward by Michel Odent

In an age where birth has often been overtaken by obstetrics, Dr Dick-Read's philosophy is still as fresh as it was when he originally wrote this book. He unpicks every possible root cause of western woman's fear and anxiety in pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding and does so with overwhelming heart and empathy. Essential reading for all mothers-to-be!

The Power Of Pleasurable Childbirth by Laurie A. Mongan

Childbirth is one of the many normal facets of being female. Birth is a safe, healthy, basic function of our anatomy, not brain surgery. In reality, birthing a baby is quite simple, and not the mystery so many people believe it is.


Painless Childbirth: An Empowering Journey Through Pregnancy and Childbirth by Giuditta Tornetta

 Pain is what we feel when something goes wrong. When we break a leg or sprain a joint, we feel pain. There is no relief unless we resort to painkillers. By contrast, childbirth is a natural event with a known positive outcome. And while a birth contraction is indeed intense, it lasts only a minute and then you get a break. When a woman learns to manage these contractions one minute at a time, she learns that labour is very different from what she has experienced as pain in her life so far. Once the baby is born, the sensations of labour go away, and the mother has a happy, amazing, loving baby snuggling in her arms.

Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper

 Believe it or not, birth resulting from a normal pregnancy needn't take place in a hospital. Harper explains why birthing centres and home births, along with other "gentle birth choices," are beneficial to both mother and baby. Also included is a history of how childbirth came to be so technological and blasts myths such as why foetal monitors save babies (they don't, very often). Harper also discusses giving birth in water and explores the connection of mind and body during labour and birth. She stresses the importance of midwives for a more natural and satisfying experience.

The Thinking Woman's Guide to Birth by Henci Goer

 This challenging book includes information on : caesareans, inducing labour, IVs, epidurals, homebirths, midwives and obstetricians, hospital births, birth centres and alternatives to high-tech birth. The reader is encouraged to compare and contrast the various options and avoid unnecessary procedures, drugs, restrictions and tests.


Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin

 The classic book on home birth! The first section details the experiences of parents and midwives during the birth experience. The second seciton is a technical manual for midwives, nurses, and doctors. Includes information on prenatal care and nutrition, labor, delivery-techniques, care of the new baby, and breast-feeding.


Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah Buckley

There are so many choices to make as a mother and mother-to-be. You want the best experiences for you and your baby, but you do not want to sacrifice safety. You want to be close and loving with your little ones, but you do not want to cause later problems. You want all the information, presented in an intelligent and straightforward way, so that you can make the best and most informed choices for your family.


Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives: A Holistic Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth by Deepak Chopra

Inspiring, expansive, and remarkably informative, this unique book derives its ideas from two sources: the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, with its emphasis on mind, body, and spirit, and the latest Western scientific prenatal research. Designed as a practical guide, its ideas include strategies to help enliven the body intelligence of unborn babies by nourishing each of their five senses, as well as Ayurvedically balanced nutrition, specific yoga poses and meditation techniques to reduce the mother’s stress and improve the infant’s emotional environment. It also covers natural approaches to dealing with the first weeks of parenting, from healing herbs to enhancing your milk supply to coping with postpartum depression. An inspired book rich with information that will profoundly enhance the experience of pregnancy and birth for both parents and their babies.

Birthing From Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation by Pam England and Rob Horowitz

A unique look at labour, written by a midwife and psychologist, that turns conventional thinking about birth inside out. Looks at the pitfalls of labour coaching, the birth plan trap, pain as an ally, "losing it" in labour and much more. Vital and refreshing.


The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International

This definitive guide to breastfeeding reflects current research while maintaining its trademark style of mother-to-mother sharing. Filled with research along with personal stories from mothers, the seventh revised edition of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding includes new explanations of how the breast makes milk, details about effective positioning and latch-on, suggestions for using herbs and medications to increase milk supply, and more. Updated information provides mothers with the tools needed to make informed decisions about birth, breastfeeding, and parenting.

If you require any further information about the above organisations or publications, please contact Emma.