We just had a new baby

And I sing hazzahs to midwifery. What a pleasure it was to be well cared-for during my gestation and delivery. My husband and I also hired a hypnobirth instructor about two months before my due date.

Intense, hypnotic, therapeutic concentration changed my life. I was so relaxed, free of fear and able to gently bring my girl into the world. I hope someday I can share this magical process with another pregnant mom so she can enjoy her birth as much as I enjoyed mine.

And the perfect book for post-delivery bliss: The Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent. This smartly-written account of a California nurse-turned-midwife was a love story to babies and birthing mamas. Vincent's prose is sharp and readable, and her stories of attending births brought me to tears and swelled my heart with pride and awe. It's a page-turner, and a great book to have beside the glider while the new baby latches on.

Best Parenting or New Mom Book?

As a book lover convinced that all questions and problems can be discovered through careful research and reading, when I had my first child I spent a lot of time finding books to help guide my parenting strategies.

The Baby Book by William Sears is one of my top recommendation to new parents. The first time I heard the term "nighttime parenting" was from this book. Not only did Dr. Sear's advice affirm my instincts that babies needed attention and love not just in the day, but also through the night. But he gave real strategies for making this time more loving and relaxing for both mom (dad) and baby.

There is a lot of practical advice in the book, dealing with bathing baby, immunizations, personality types, etc. It's a go-to sort of manual that works like the Dr. Spock books of an earlier generation. It's hard to imagine how many little questions you'll have throughout the early years, but it's nice to have a place to find answeres. By the time I was ready to pass my original copy on to friends, it was well-worn and only a bit stained with pureed carrots.

I'm always looking for more smart books about raising kids. Especially now that we've entered the school-age years, I'd love to find some good books for that age group.

Please share your recommendations!

Book for parenting elementary age to teen age kids

I was surprised to like this book. Sometimes when parenting books seem ultra-modern (lots of chapters about texting and Facebook) I think they're out of touch with some core values and ideas about human behavior.

Childhood Unbound has been a refreshing read. Although our kids aren't even in first grade yet, Ron Taffel is preparing us for the teen years. He calls the children of today the "freest generation" and notes that while the classic generation gap has disappeared, young people today are increasingly savvy to the apathy and in-authenticity from their parents. He calls on parents to stop over-protecting kids from sincere reactions and emotions, and says to be direct and 'real' will speak louder than all the psychological tricks taught in the other books.

I really enjoyed Taffel's advice to notice and protect your children's natural conversation style and space. My son likes to open up about school and his questions about life at bedtime. Now making sure we have plenty of relaxed time for these conversations before sleep is my goal. Instead of pestering kids for information when they're not wanting to talk, watch for the time when they're willing and eager to share.

Fussy babies

Great link for ideas on helping your fussy baby...

11 Ways to Soothe a Fussy Baby
A Checklist of 36 Time-Tested Baby Calmers
3 Reasons Why Babies Fuss
7 Things Parents Should Know About Baby's Cries
Letting Baby "Cry-it-out" Yes, No!
4 Ways to Teach Baby to "Cry Better"
The Shutdown Syndrome
Comforting the Gassy Baby 
8 Dance Steps to comfort baby
6 Ways to Make Baby Dancing Fun

Go to the Dr. Sears page!