Adventures in Natural Childbirth: Tales from Women on the Joys, Fears, Pleasures and Pains of Giving Birth Naturally. Edited Janet Schwegel, foreword by Pam England, $22.95

Natural childbirth has the potential to empower women by reinforcing their belief in themselves and their abilities. In Adventures in Natural Childbirth, editor Janet Schwegel delivers a wonderful collection of empowering personal stories from women on their journey through pregnancy, labor, and natural childbirth. Whether they birth with the help of a midwife, doula, physician or in some cases — unassisted — these women relate tales that capture the full range of emotions and physical sensations natural childbirth can evoke, and give readers a true sense of the joys and the hard work involved.

The Complete Book of Pregnancy & Childbirth. 4th Edition. Sheila Kitzinger, $29.95

Out in paperback for the first time, this is a completely revised and updated version of the hugely popular, comprehensive and authoritative classic guide to pregnancy and childbirth. Accompanied by beautiful photographs, this week-by-week, month-by-month resource addresses the issues of greatest concern for expectant parents. Also available in hardcover, $53.00

The Complete Guide to Everyday Risks in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding: Answers to Your Questions about Morning Sickness, Medications, Herbs, Diseases, Chemical Exposures & More. Dr. Gideon Koren & the Motherisk Program at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. $24.95

"Recognized throughout the world, the Motherisk program at the Hospital for Sick Children provides counseling based on the most up-to-date information on substances or environmental factors that can cause birth defects. It's the largest program of its kind worldwide and has counseled over half a million women and their families and health professionals. Now this information has been compiled in a single, easy-to-understand volume that offers authoritative descriptions of the risks during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is an invaluable and comprehensive reference for expecting and lactating mothers and their health care providers."

Darn Good Advice: PREGNANCY. Susan Warhus, illustrated by David Hitch, $21.99

“Healthful eating habits, moderate exercise, and a generally healthy lifestyle are important first steps toward motherhood. Darn Good Advice: PREGNANCY covers these details and advises on coping with body changes during pregnancy, getting the dad-to-be involved and locating hospitals and essential support groups. The book features a step-by-step countdown to the day the baby is born.”

The Disabled Woman's Guide to Pregnancy and Birth. Judith Rogers, $33.50

This comprehensive and useful guide is based on the experiences of ninety women with disabilities who chose to have children. In order to bring an intimate focus and understanding to the issues involved in being pregnant and disabled, author Judith Rodgers conducted in-depth interviews with women with 22 different types of disabilities and with a total of 143 pregnancies. Thoroughly researched and informative, this book is a practical guide both for disabled women planning for pregnancy and the health professionals who work with them.

The Doula Book: How a Trained Labor Companion Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier and Healthier Birth. 2nd Edition. Marshall Klaus, John Kennell and Phyllis Klaus, $28.95

Expectant parents are increasingly choosing the help of a trained labour assistant, or doula, to support them during the birth of their children. The Doula Book is a completely updated edition of the authors' earlier classic, Mothering the Mother and is a warm, authoritative guide to helping families plan for the best possible birth and postpartum experience. Full of informative material including the research on doulas and their effect on birth, this is a terrific read for anyone considering hiring a doula.

Finding Your Way: the Road to a Healthy Pregnancy. Ken Murch Productions. DVD or VHS format, 18 minutes $89.00

The choices a woman makes during her pregnancy will have a lifetime effect on her baby's health. Pregnancy is a good time to develop healthy lifestyle habits that will carry forward to parenthood.

Gestational Diabetes: What to Expect, 5th edition. American Diabetes Association, $13.95

This newly revised and comprehensive guide for women with gestational diabetes explains what it is and how it might affect the baby, mother and the birth. This new edition includes numerous sample meal plans as well as information on exercise, insulin therapy and on monitoring blood glucose levels.

Hey! Who's Having This Baby Anyway? What Every Woman Must Know about Childbirth. Breck Hawk, $25.95

Neonatal RN and nurse-midwife Breck Hawk reveals how many pregnant women can avoid serious repercussions from the drugs and unnecessary medical interventions that women often take for granted - simply by being aware of their basic patient rights and their options. Hey! Who's Having This Baby Anyway? gives power back to moms-to-be and shows them how they can make good, healthy and informed decisions.

My Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Calendar. Janet Rourke, $12.50

The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence. Judith Lothian & Charlotte DeVries, $17.95

The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence presents childbearing as an elegant, simple, healthy process instead of an experience fraught with danger.

The Pocket Doula: a Labor Partner's Guide to Surviving Childbirth. Christine Wallace, $14.95

This handy little pocket guide to labor is written specifically for the labor partner. Designed for easy, quick access to concise information it offers a wealth of ideas for helping the laboring woman.

Prenatal Tests: the Facts. Lachlan de Crespigny & Frank Chervenak, $22.95

In order to make informed decisions about the sometimes bewildering array of tests offered during pregnancy, parents need clear and relevant information about the purpose, the timing and the risks, as well as details of how the test will actually be performed. Prenatal Tests: the Facts is arranged by stage of pregnancy, giving parents-to-be the information they need in order to make informed decisions for themselves and their baby.

Pregnancy Blues: What Every Woman Needs to Know about Depression During Pregnancy. Shaila Kulkarni Misri, $33.00

"The numbers are surprising: up to 70 percent of pregnant women experience some degree of depressive symptoms and of those, 12 percent meet the diagnostic criteria for major depression. Although it is at least as common as postpartum depression, which occurs after a child's birth, pregnancy-related depression is often cloaked in silence, shame, and denial. Pregnancy Blues lifts the veil on this heartbreaking and very treatable illness, examining the key social and biological factors that can come together during pregnancy to create a climate in which depression thrives, as well as offering the many effective treatments that are available."

The Pregnant Woman's Comfort Book: a Self-Nurturing Guide to Your Emotional Well-Being During Pregnancy and Early Motherhood, Revised Edition. Jennifer Louden, $25.50

"With the wit, humor, and style that have made her Comfort Book series so popular, mother Jennifer Louden brings her wisdom to the sometimes wonderful, sometimes overwhelming world of pregnancy. From the blissful moments to the panic attacks, Louden guides women through the precarious emotional terrain of pregnancy and early motherhood with exercises, tips, and advice on a wide range of subjects, including:

• Your changing body image and self-esteem
• Fears about your relationship with your partner
• A rational approach to eating (and eating and eating)
• Dream exploration and the creation of a pregnancy comfort journal
• The joyous — and chaotic — first months of motherhood"

Rediscovering Birth. Sheila Kitzinger, $42.95

In her most satisfyingly cross-cultural work since Ourselves as Mothers, Kitzinger caps her forty year career as the world's best-known childbirth educator with a very beautiful book. Families, new and experienced, midwives, doulas, anyone interested in the physical and spiritual experience of giving birth will treasure this profusely illustrated volume. Those seeking to prepare themselves to make informed choices about their own pregnancy and birth experienced will welcome Kitzinger's wisdom and compassion.

"What is so good about Sheila Kitzinger's books is not just her easy style and elegant use of words, but also the freshness of her approach. Open-minded, unshockable, non-judgemental, solid as a rock in her own integrity..." — New Generation (National Childbirth Trust)

"The Simple Guide to Having a Baby is short, simple and easy to follow. It holds your hand and walks you through pregnancy and childbirth, covering what you need to know about being pregnant, giving birth and taking care of your baby. It includes advice on what to do and what not to do during pregnancy, easy exercises to help you stay healthy and feel better, information on what to expect during labor and birth, coping skills for childbirth pain, and helpful hints on breastfeeding and being a parent."

More from Penny Simkin

Sit Up and Take Notice! Positioning Yourself for a Better Birth. Pauline Scott, $27.95

Being aware of where a baby is lying in your pelvis can make all the difference in the experience of labour and birth. The journey through the pelvis is a marvelous feat of engineering that works best if you understand the design and how maternal posture during pregnancy and labour affect fetal positioning. Written by Pauline Scott, co-author with midwife Jean Sutton of the popular book for professionals Understanding and Teaching Optimal Fetal Positioning, this is a must-read book for pregnant women, their caregivers, doulas and childbirth educators.

Your Plus-Size Pregnancy: the Ultimate Guide for the Full-Figured Expectant Mom. Brette McWhorter Sember, $19.95

"This groundbreaking book is the first to offer encouragement, information, and resources to all the plus-size moms who are in the midst of adding to their families. Written in a friendly and supportive tone, this book takes a rational (and non-hysterical) look at what the studies about weight and pregnancy really mean, and offers practical advice."