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
by: Rivka Cymbalist
Canada: Curioso Books, 2011
Birth – The Surprising History of How We Are Born
by: Tina Cassidy
New York, USA: Grove Press, 2006
The Birth House (fiction)
by: Amy McKay
Vintage Canada, 2007
The Mother of All Baby Books
by: Ann Douglas
Collins, 2015
Birth Ambassadors, Doulas and the Re-Emergence of Woman-Supported Birth in America
by: Christine H. Morton with Elayne G. Clift
Praeclarus Press, 2014
The Doula Advantage
by: Rachel Gurevich
New York, USA: Three Rivers Press, 2003
The Doula Guide to Birth – Secrets Every Pregnant Woman Should Know
by: Ananda Lowe and Rachel Zimmerman
New York, USA: Bantam, 2009
The Doula’s Guide to Empowering Your Birth
by: Lindsey Bliss
Harvard Common Press, 2018
Gentle Birth Choices
by: Barbara Harper
Rochester, USA: Inner Tradition, 2005
Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives: A Holistic Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth
by: Deepak Chopra and David Simon
Harmony, 2005
The Labour Progress Handbook – Early Interventions to Prevent and Treat Dystocia
by: Penny Simkin, Ruth Ancheta
West Sussex, UK: The Atrium, Southern Gate, 2011
Birthing from Within
by: Pam England
Partera Books, 1995
Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn
by: 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
by: Britta Bushnell
A Doula’s Guide to Labor Positions
by:Cheyenne Williamson
Use code DOULASCHOOL10 to get 10% off.
Indigenous Experiences of Pregnancy and Birth
by: Hannah Tait Neufeld and Jaime Cidro
Demeter Press, 2017.
Red Medicine: Traditional Indigenous Rites of Birthing and Healing
by: Patrisia Gonzales
University of Arizona, 2012
My Son’s Siblings: A Queer Parent’s Memoir on the Joys, Grief, and Ethics of Donor Conception
by: Eli Ramos
How to Make a Baby: Everything LGBTQ+ Families Need to Know About IVF and Fertility Treatments
by: Allie Conway, Sam Conway (Author)
Mothering the New Mother
by: Sally Plaskin
Newmarket Press, 2000.
Nurturing Beginnings: Guide to Postpartum Care for Doulas and Community Outreach Workers
by: Debra Pascali Bonaro
Debra Pascali-Bonaro, 2014
Misconceptions, Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected On the Journey to Motherhood
by: Naomi Wolf
First Anchor Books, 2003.
The Fourth Trimester Companion
by: 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
by: Heng Ou
Harry M. Abrams, 2016
Myself Again
by: Gabrielle Mauren, Michelle Wiersgalla
THE POSTPARTUM PARTNER: Practical Solutions for living with Postpartum Depression
by: Karen Kleiman MSW
After Miscarriage: Medical Facts and Emotional Support for Pregnancy Loss
by: Krissi Danielsson
Harvard Common Press, 2008
Companioning at a Time of Perinatal Loss
by: Jane Heustis, RN, & Marcia Jenkings, RN
Companion Press, Colorado, 2005
Holding Space: On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go
by: Amy Wright Glenn, Parallax Press, 2017
Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief: A Revolutionary Approach to Understanding and Healing the Impact of Loss
by: 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)
Joy at the End of the Rainbow
by: Ross-White/ Henke (2017)
It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand
by: Sounds True, 2017
Without Apology: Writing on Abortion in Canada
by: Shannon Stettner Athabasca, University Press, 2016
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
by: Bessel van der Kolk M.D,Penguin Books, 2015.
Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
by: Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, Connie Burk
When Survivors Give Birth
by: Penny Simkin and Phyllis Klaus, Quality Code Publishing, 2004
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture
by: Gabor Maté MD, Daniel Maté
Healing After Birth: Navigating Your Emotions After A Difficult Childbirth
by: Jennifer Summerfeldt
Safe Infant Sleep: Expert Answers to Your Cosleeping Questions
by: James J McKenna
Sweet Sleep
by: Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, Linda J. Smith and Teresa Pitman
Ballantine Books, 2014
Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers
by: Nancy Mohrbacher, Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
Dr. Jack Newman’s Guide To Breastfeeding
by: Dr. Jack Newman and Teresa Pitman, Collins, 2014
The Nursing Mother’s Companion, 7th Edition
by: Kathleen Huggins
Harvard Common Press, 2015
Sexual intimacy for women: a guide for same-sex couples.
by: Corwin, G.
Berkeley, CA: Seal Press, 2010
Sex After Baby: Why there is none
by: Hamilton, K.
Charlottetown, PEI: Acorn Press, 2007
Birth & Sex: The power and the passion
by: Kitzinger, S.
London, UK: Pinter & Martin Ltd, 2012
Anatomy of Arousal: Secret maps to buried pleasure
by: Winston, S.
Kingston, NY: Mango Garden Press, 2010
Come As You Are: The surprising new science that will transform your sex life.
by: Nagoski, E.
New York, NY: Simon & Schustere Paperbacks, 2015
by: Toni Weschler
William Morrow Paperbacks, 2015.
REQUIRED TEXT FOR PROGRAM
Period Repair Manual: Natural Treatment for Better Hormones and Better Periods
by: Lara Briden, 2017
Fat and Fertile: How to Get Pregnant in a Bigger Body
by: Nicola Salmon, 2019
How to Make a Baby: Everything LGBTQ+ Families Need to Know About IVF and Fertility Treatments
by: Allie Conway, Sam Conway (Author)
It Starts with the Egg
by: Rebecca Fett, 2019
Awakening Fertility: The Essential Art of Preparing for Pregnancy
by: Amely Greeven, Heng Ou, and Marisa Belger, 2020
The Menopause Book: The Complete Guide: Hormones, Hot Flashes, Health, Moods, Sleep, Sex
by: Barbara Kantrowitz (Workman, 2018)
Flash Count Diary: Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life
by: Darcey Steinke (Sarah Crichton Books, 2019)
Hot Flushes Cold Science
by: Louise Foxcroft (Granta, 2010)
Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause
by: Ann Louise Gittleman (HarperOne, 2017)
The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health During the Change Paperback
by: Christiane Northrup M.D. (Bantom, 2012)
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level
by: Gay Hendricks
Bellweather Books, 2010
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
by: Brené Brown
Avery Books, 2012
Body of Work, Finding the Thread That Ties Your Story Together
by: Pamela Slim
Penguin, 2013
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
by: Sheryl Sandberg
Knopf, 2013
Holistic Sleep Coaching: Gentle Alternatives to Sleep Training for Health and Childcare Professionals
By: Lyndsey Hookway
The no-cry sleep solution, second edition
By: Elizabeth Pantley
Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One)
By: Deborah MacNamara
How Babies Sleep: A Science-Based Guide to the First 365 Days and Nights
By: Helen Ball
The Nurture Revolution: Grow Your Baby’s Brain and Transform Their Mental Health through the Art of Nurtured Parenting
By: Greer Kirshenbaum
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind
By: Daniel Siegel
The No-cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Gentle Ways to Stop Bedtime Battles and Improve Your Child’s Sleep
By: Elizabeth Pantley
Safe Infant Sleep: Expert Answers to Your Cosleeping Questions
By: James McKenna
Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family
By: La Leche League International, Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, Linda J. Smith, Teresa Pitman
