Choose a Topic or a Course to preview Book Requirements or Recommendations:
Doula School Canada students are asked to choose three (3) books to read prior to submitting a reading review for their certification (1 reading review per book, as per certification requirements updated in November 2020).
Students are encouraged to pick books that speak to their interests and their program but are welcome to choose books from any category.
Example: a labour doula may want to choose something related to postpartum recovery or loss, or a postpartum doula may wish to read something about fertility or sex and birth.
Have fun choosing – there are some amazing books on perinatal topics out there!
The Birth Conspiracy
Rivka Cymbalist
Canada: Curioso Books, 2011
Birth – The Surprising History of How We Are Born
Tina Cassidy
New York, USA: Grove Press, 2006
The Birth House (fiction)
Amy McKay
Vintage Canada, 2007
The Mother of All Baby Books
Ann Douglas
Collins, 2015
Birth Ambassadors, Doulas and the Re-Emergence of Woman-Supported Birth in America
Christine H. Morton with Elayne G. Clift
Praeclarus Press, 2014
The Doula Advantage
Rachel Gurevich
New York, USA: Three Rivers Press, 2003
The Doula Guide to Birth – Secrets Every Pregnant Woman Should Know
Ananda Lowe and Rachel Zimmerman
New York, USA: Bantam, 2009
The Doula’s Guide to Empowering Your Birth
Lindsey Bliss
Harvard Common Press, 2018
Gentle Birth Choices
Barbara Harper
Rochester, USA: Inner Tradition, 2005
Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives: A Holistic Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth
Deepak Chopra and David Simon
Harmony, 2005
The Labour Progress Handbook – Early Interventions to Prevent and Treat Dystocia
Penny Simkin, Ruth Ancheta
West Sussex, UK: The Atrium, Southern Gate, 2011
Birthing from Within
Pam England
Partera Books, 1995
Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn
Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, Ann Keppler, Janelle Durham, April Bolding
Transformed by Birth: Cultivating Openness, Resilience, and Strength for the Life-Changing Journey from Pregnancy to Parenthood
Britta Bushnell
Indigenous Experiences of Pregnancy and Birth
Hannah Tait Neufeld and Jaime Cidro
Demeter Press, 2017.
Red Medicine: Traditional Indigenous Rites of Birthing and Healing
Patrisia Gonzales
University of Arizona, 2012
Mothering the New Mother
Sally Plaskin
Newmarket Press, 2000.
Nurturing Beginnings: Guide to Postpartum Care for Doulas and Community Outreach Workers
Debra Pascali Bonaro
Debra Pascali-Bonaro, 2014
Misconceptions, Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected On the Journey to Motherhood
Naomi Wolf
First Anchor Books, 2003.
The Fourth Trimester Companion
Cynthia Gabriel
Harvard Common Press, 2017
This Isn’t What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression This Isn’t What I expected
by Karen R. Kleiman, Valerie Davis Raskin
The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother
Heng Ou
Harry M. Abrams, 2016
Gabrielle Mauren, Michelle Wiersgalla
After Miscarriage: Medical Facts and Emotional Support for Pregnancy Loss
Krissi Danielsson
Harvard Common Press, 2008
Companioning at a Time of Perinatal Loss
Jane Heustis, RN, & Marcia Jenkings, RN
Companion Press, Colorado, 2005
Holding Space: On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go
Amy Wright Glenn, Parallax Press, 2017
Claire Bidwell Smith, De Capo, 2018
What God Is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss by and for Native Women and Women of Color
Univ Of Minnesota Press (Oct. 15 2019)
Ross-White/ Henke (2017)
Without Apology: Writing on Abortion in Canada
Shannon Stettner Athabasca, University Press, 2016
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Bessel van der Kolk M.D,Penguin Books, 2015.
Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, Connie Burk
Penny Simkin and Phyllis Klaus, Quality Code Publishing, 2004
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture
Gabor Maté MD, Daniel Maté
Healing After Birth: Navigating Your Emotions After A Difficult Childbirth
Jennifer Summerfeldt
Safe Infant Sleep: Expert Answers to Your Cosleeping Questions
James J McKenna
Sweet Sleep
Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, Linda J. Smith and Teresa Pitman
Ballantine Books, 2014
Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers
Nancy Mohrbacher, Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
Dr. Jack Newman’s Guide To Breastfeeding
Dr. Jack Newman and Teresa Pitman, Collins, 2014
The Nursing Mother’s Companion, 7th Edition
Kathleen Huggins
Harvard Common Press, 2015
Sexual intimacy for women: a guide for same-sex couples.
Corwin, G.
Berkeley, CA: Seal Press, 2010
Sex After Baby: Why there is none
Hamilton, K.
Charlottetown, PEI: Acorn Press, 2007
Birth & Sex: The power and the passion
Kitzinger, S.
London, UK: Pinter & Martin Ltd, 2012
Anatomy of Arousal: Secret maps to buried pleasure
Winston, S.
Kingston, NY: Mango Garden Press, 2010
Come As You Are: The surprising new science that will transform your sex life.
Nagoski, E.
New York, NY: Simon & Schustere Paperbacks, 2015
Toni Weschler
William Morrow Paperbacks, 2015.
REQUIRED TEXT FOR PROGRAM
Fat and Fertile: How to Get Pregnant in a Bigger Body
Nicola Salmon, 2019
Awakening Fertility: The Essential Art of Preparing for Pregnancy
Amely Greeven, Heng Ou, and Marisa Belger, 2020
Rebecca Fett, 2019
Awakening Fertility: The Essential Art of Preparing for Pregnancy
Amely Greeven, Heng Ou, and Marisa Belger, 2020
Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause
Ann Louise Gittleman (HarperOne, 2017)
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level
Gay Hendricks
Bellweather Books, 2010
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
Brené Brown
Avery Books, 2012
Body of Work, Finding the Thread That Ties Your Story Together
Pamela Slim
Penguin, 2013
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
Sheryl Sandberg
Knopf, 2013
