Below is a list of books that I either had to read, chose to read, or keep swearing that as soon as I can get 5 minutes to myself, I will read!  Those that I have not yet read have come highly recommended by my colleagues.   The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth, (1994), William and Martha Sears The Birth Partner: Everything You Need to Know to Help a Woman through Childbirth, (2nd edition, 2001), Penny Simkin Birthing from Within, Pam England and Rob Horowitz The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth, Sheila Kitzinger The Doula Advantage: Your Complete Guide to Having an Empowered and Positive Birth with the Help of a Professional Childbirth Assistant, (2003), Rachel Gurevich Gentle Birth Choices, (2005), Barbara Harper, R.N. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth,  (2003), Ina May Gaskin Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way: Revised Edition, Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg The Nursing Mother's Companion, Huggins and Lawrence Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn: The Complete Guide (expanded and updated edition, 2001), Janet Simkin, Janet Whalley and Ann Keppler Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care, (2007), Jennifer Block The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, (1999), Henci Goer The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers, Jack Newman, M.D., and Teresa Pitman The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: Seventh Revised Edition, La Leche League International   and just for fun... Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth, Jenny McCarthy