Fellowship Fun!

As graduation draws near, my motivation to finish up my fellowship grows. It also has a serious impact on my reading list, which just grew by several thick books in the last week.

I posted previously that my next reading-venture would be Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World by Kathy Freston, in preparation for my "Vegan for Lent" experiment. This is on hold, however, until I get a few more fellowship books under my belt. I do hope to read it before March 9th, though. Or perhaps I'll read it as I jump into Vegan for Lent. (If you have any recommendations about good, well-researched non-fiction about Vegan diets, send the recs my way!)

I finished Escape this past weekend, which was quite an interesting read. Definitely an amazing story of a woman's courage, internal struggle to reconcile how she was raised and what makes sense, and her ability to break out of the mind control of a cult. Definitely a good read for those days when you don't think you can get out of bed.

Then I devoured Jennifer Block's Pushed. After reading this book I was so pumped up and angry about how completely ridiculous the system of maternity care in the US can be. This book is based solidly in research, and the upsides and even downsides of doulas and midwives are discussed alongside the upsides and downsides of hospitals, though the author is certainly of the opinion that midwives and doulas are generally a positive influence on birth, and doctors and hospitals not so much.

I only wish there had been a companion few pages of "what to do now." This book has all the makings of a huge call to action, minus any clear idea of what that action should be. Ideas of mine? Encouraging more friends and family members to educate themselves well before they are pregnant, writing letters to insurance companies, newspapers, etc to make sure people know just how ridiculous some things are (an example? why would an insurance company cover a procedure that costs 3-4x's another, statistically safer procedure that they don't cover?).

Now I'm reading (quickly) through the companion book to the video "The Business of Being Born," written by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein. The book is called "Your Best Birth."

This book contains several birth stories, which are always fun to read if you like birth stuff. There are lists of questions to take to your doctor, your OB, your midwife, your doula. There are explanations of procedures and medications, midwife certifications and all sorts of other information to guide you through the complexity of choosing your birth experience.

I would recommend this book for any woman who is currently pregnant or is planning to get pregnant soon and wants to know about labor before it happens. This book is much more calming and soothing than some of the other books, which might lead a pregnant woman to have some anxiety over the dismal outlook of maternity and newborn care in the US. One thing I think we can all agree on is that increasing maternal stress levels is good for no one's health! (However, I think being informed and knowing what you want is a great way to combat anxiety and dismal health statistics, so read up, ladies! and men too!)

I also like the documentary (I had better, as it's the basis of my fellowship project! It's hard to write curriculum around something you don't like). The books I'm reading are going to be part of my recommended list for further reading. The video, however, is great. It's a nice, short, visual representation of many of the issues raised in these books, and it's a great conversation starter. Definitely gave Mr. K and I some things to talk about, and I certainly feel better knowing we're on the same page.

And also on my list is "Orgasmic Birth," about which I have heard many interesting comments. As part of the bonus material is my fellowship advisor, Eugene DeClercq (also interviewed in "The Business of Being Born") talking about his project: Birth By the Numbers. The other girl partnering with me on this fellowship is working on the Birth By the Numbers website.

I've got a solid list of books to read, but as the whole purpose of reading these books is to create a meaningful list of recommended reading, I'd love to hear what you've read (or which videos you've seen) that either were or weren't helpful to you (and why).

Just shipped today (thanks to a gift card I found in my wallet from who knows when), are the following:

Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife
Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom (Revised Edition): Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World (ok, this is just for me...I needed something to push me over into free shipping!)

On my Kindle, I've got samples (and soon to be full versions) of the following:
Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First

Spiritual Midwifery
The Doula Guide to Birth: Secrets Every Pregnant Woman Should Know

Books I found on Goodreads that looked promising:
Immaculate Deception II: Myth, Magic and Birth
Orgasmic Birth: Your Guide to a Safe, Satisfying, and Pleasurable Birth Experience
Mainstreaming Midwives: The Politics of Change
Adventures in Natural Childbirth: Tales from Women on the Joys, Fears, Pleasures, and Pains of Giving Birth Naturally
Lady's Hands, Lion's Heart: A Midwife's Saga
The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times
Labor of Love: A Midwife's Memoir
Arms Wide Open: A Midwife's Journey
The Blue Cotton Gown: A Midwife's Memoir
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
The Social Context of Birth
Heart and Hands: A Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy and Birth

And other books on my list, recommended by my adviser:
The Farmer and the Obstetrician
Lying-In: A History of Childbirth in America, Expanded Edition
Childbirth and Authoritative Knowledge: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
Birth By Design: Pregnancy, Maternity Care and Midwifery in North America and Europe

And I'll leave you with a final thought:

Given that every single person on earth, ever, has experienced birth at least once, in some form or another, and given the current research into the impact of birth on our emotional and physical selves, doesn't it make sense to pay some attention?

Further: given the cost of health care in the US (which no one can ignore, no matter what side of the aisle you're on), and the current economic climate, how can we sit back and perpetuate the most expensive, more risky birth processes as "normal" and "best," despite every piece of evidence at our finger tips?