Crunchy Pregnancy Resources

In a restaurant called Ciccio's last Sunday, my husband and I decided that "crunchy" is in fact a recognizable culture. It would seem we are leaning more and more in that direction, not so much in a fashion sense, but in an ideological sense.


When we were expecting Maple Munchkin, we did a lot of research on our birthing options. We thought about the kind of experience we wanted to have.Then we made our decisions based on knowledge, instead of fear or ignorance. Ours was a beautiful birth experience, and we wish the same for all our friends. To that end, we are usually "those people" at the party who always talk about the same thing to the pregnant families.

I thought it would be useful to post some links to resources we found helpful in building our knowledge base.

Ruffles and Remington announce the news of Maple's upcoming arrival.

Books, DVDs, and Ideas for New Parents

The Business of Being Born, the video documentary by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, is a great place to start. It explains modern medical practices when it comes to births and alternative options.

The Business of Baby, a book by Jennifer Margulis, is definitely written from a crunchy-biased perspective. However, I recommend it to everyone, crunchy and non-, because it lets you know what questions to ask. Some topics covered are:

• Breastfeeding or bottle?
• Disposable diapers or cloth?
• Circumcision or not?
• Hospital, birth center, or homebirth?
• And the ever-controversial: vaccinate, delay schedule, or opt out?

Not every family's answers will match those of the author, of course. But the important part is that the topics be considered and the questions answered. There are options. You don't have to just do what the nurse or doctor suggests.

The Happiest Baby on the Block, the book or DVD by Harvey Karp, M.D., explains how to soothe and calm your newborn. This is very useful for first time parents. My husband felt so empowered just having a checklist of things to try when Baby was upset. And, even better, the techniques worked! At our house, we call it "Baby Magic."

HypnoBirthing, a labor technique developed by Marie Mongan based on previous information highlighted by Grantly Dick-Read, teaches moms and dads (or birth companions) what the body is doing during labor and birth and how to help the body and the baby with the birth process. It encourages the parents that birth is natural and normal, that the woman's body is designed to give birth. It teaches relaxation, not fear. We had an amazing HypnoBirthing instructor and felt so confident when Maple's birthing day arrived.

Just to assuage any fears regarding the "hypno" part of things, let me explain how the term is used here. It is the same as when you are watching a movie and you are so involved in the plot that you don't notice things going on around you. It is the same as when you are daydreaming and not paying attention to other people. There is no, "When I snap my fingers..." business. It's more like an intense focus.

BabyWise, the book about newborn scheduling by Gary Ezzo, is probably on the "non-" side of crunchy. But for a new mom, it offers some kind of structure, an answer to, "Baby's here. Now what?" The alternative to BabyWise is Dr. Sears' "Attachment Parenting" philosophy, which is a more laissez-faire approach. For me, having structure was so important for building my confidence as a parent. And remember, you don't have to stick 100% with anyone else's philosophy. Read what interests you, glean what you can, and trash the rest. You're the parent. You can make good decisions for your child.

A Balanced Immunization Lecture (ours was delivered by our chiropractor) is a great way to inform yourself of what vaccines are recommended for children and what their risks and benefits are. This way, you as the parent can feel confident about making informed decisions for your child's health.

Chiropractic Care during pregnancy helps keep the pelvis aligned properly for the easiest delivery. Make sure you have a chiropractor who specializes in pregnant ladies and children.

Make It Better

What resources helped you make informed birthing decisions?