Future:
- Michael Odent books & articles, like The Cesarean
- Ina May Gaskin’s books, Spiritual Midwifery and Guide to Childbirth
Current:
- The Pink Kit – awesome!!!
- England’s Birthing from Within
- Dick-Read’s Childbirth Without Fear
- Re-reading Simpkin’s Birth Partner
- Robbie Davis-Floyd & Carolyn Sargent, eds, Childbirth and Authoritative Knowledge: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
- Miscellaneous parenting and pregnancy magazines
- Homebirth stories (attended and unassisted); HBA2C videos
Ongoing:
- Marsden Wagner’s Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First
- Clarion – feel free to subscribe to ICAN through ICAN of Greater Missoula đŸ˜‰
- Journal of Singing
- Miscellaneous higher education publications
Past:
- Coming to Term by Jon Cohen (much more interesting and relevant than I had expected; one of the most recommended books in the RPL community; more recent than the Regan book mentioned below)
- Jennifer Block’s Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care
- Marsden Wagner with Stephanie Gunning, Creating Your Birth Plan, which is much more than a birth plan book. This is a must read for all mothers regardless of birth venue.
- ICAN’s Cesarean Voices (I can’t begin to tell you how important this book is)
- Linda Layne’s Motherhood Lost: a feminist account of pregnancy loss in America: an incredible read if you like a more academic sociological/anthropological look at pregnancy loss.
- Henci Goer & Rhonda Wheeler’s The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth
- Lesley Regan’s Miscarriage: What Every Woman Needs to Know (it was recommended to me several times, but I didn’t find it particularly helpful)
- LB Cowman’s Streams in the Desert: Hope for Hurting Hearts (Jim Reimann, ed.)
- Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health
updated 5/11
The Trial of Labor 
PUSHED was INCREDIBLE. So incredible that we’re (Birth Matters Virginia) bringing Ms. Block to our area on March 17th. It made me sick at times, but gives me hope that we can turn around our maternity system, too.
Our mutual friend GC enlightened me about your blog existence. You should add “Birthing from within” to your reading list as it has a few really good chapters with exercises on overcoming birthing fears – including both fears from previous births or fears from inexperience. There’s also a chapter for dad to read.
You might like the book “Birth- The surprising history of how we are born” by Tina Cassidy. It was really interesting to learn about how birthing has changed through the years.
This is a great list! Very powerful. A lot of women just read a little Ina May and feel good about that, but I really think there are so many strong voices out there (like Wagner, Odent, etc.) that should be heard.
I’ve actually NOT read any Gaskin. I guess it’s because of her restrictions on birth at the Farm – frustrates me. Hey thanks for swinging by my blog!
What a great site! I wish I’d had this resource when I had my first!
I read this one: Birth in Four Cultures, in my undergrad Anthropology program and the knowledge has stayed with me. http://www.amazon.com/Birth-Four-Cultures-Crosscultural-Investigation/dp/088133717X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330975421&sr=1-1