Books about Cesarean / C-Section Births

See Also:

• Lamaze
• Water Birth
• Natural Birth

Cesarean Section: Understanding and Celebrating Your Baby's Birth
by Michele Moore, M.d., Caroline De Costa

Recommended reading for Csection Moms
Reviewer: "Queenie" (Las Vegas NM)

   I found this book really good and helpful. I read it overseas when I was about to try for a vaginal birth after my first Csection (VBAC) The authors explained everything that was involved and how the main thing is to have a healthy baby, that was very reassuring. In the end I had another C but felt I had done my best. It is full of information about going home after a C, how to cope, getting over the surgery that I wished I had known the first time, and it does talk about painful scars. I recommend it to anyone who has had or might have a Csection. - Queenie


   "Because up to a quarter of all births are Cesarean births, prenatal preparation should include information about Cesarean sections for every woman. And that is why we have written this guide. . . . We believe strongly that it is time to speak out and say that Cesarean section is a normal birth method and that women who have a Cesarean section should not be made to feel that they have failed. . . . We hope you find the information in this book useful and helpful in thinking about C-section, whether you have already had a Cesarean and want to understand the experience better, you wish to plan for another C-section birth, or you are expecting a baby and want to be informed about all the possibilities ahead, including this other normal way of bringing a baby into the world."--from the Introduction
 

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The Essential C-Section Guide : Pain Control, Healing at Home, Getting Your Body Back, and Everything Else You Need to Know About a Cesarean Birth
by Maureen Connolly, Dana Sullivan

Great book for physical and mental recovery from c-section
Reviewer: New Mom in CA (Sacramento, CA)

I had a planned c-section and found this book to be very helpful, especially the exercise plan for recovery. The book provides a nice description of the procedure, but it is the chapters on emotional impacts of c-section and information for your partner really set it apart. It is nice that the book covers both planned and unplanned c-sections. It is nice that the authors provide warnings before content that may be upsetting so that you can decide whether or not to read that section. I have recommended the book to several friends and they all said that the book helped them with their recoveries as well.

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The Expectant Parent's Guide to Preventing a Cesarean Section
by Carl Jones

   "If I had to name three books expectant parents should read, this would be one of them." Donald Creevy, M.D. Professor of Obstetrics Stanford University In this country, one in four women--750,000 each year--undergo cesarean sections. Most suffer pain and disappointment and search out ways to avoid the experience again. Filled with authoritative and practical information, this book points the way toward safe and positive vaginal delivery for both first-time and post-cesarean parents.
 

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Cesarean Recovery
by Chrissie Gallagher-Mundy

Editorial Review

Desonta Holder, Miami Herald 08/04/2004

With color pictures the book covers psychological adjustments, tips for regaining strength, effective exercise and breast-feeding techniques.

Book Description
The complete guide to a healthy recovery from the effects of C-section birthing.
Almost 1 out of 4 deliveries is by cesarean section. Whether or not the procedure is planned, cesarean section must be considered major abdominal surgery and surgical recovery is a necessary process towards complete healing.

Cesarean Recovery guides new mothers through the healing process in conjunction with her medical care. The new mother will discover when and how to start her recovery -- from her first attempts at sitting up in the hospital bed, through to standing and on to mastering her first exercises.

This special guide includes straightforward and detailed information on: - Safe and effective exercises for regaining pre-pregnancy shape - Regaining vitality and strength with daily and weekly exercise routines - Fun-to-do and effective routines that include mother and baby - Diet, breastfeeding and postpartum problems - Incision care and advice for repeat cesarean sections

Written in an accessible style and illustrated with color photography throughout, Cesarean Recovery shows mothers, step-by-step, how to recover from the surgery as they care for their newborn.

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What If I Have a C-Section?
by Mark Landon (Foreword), Rita Rubin

For all women who are thinking about having children
Reviewer: Andrea

  As a pregnant woman a couple weeks from her due date, I found "What If I Have a C-Section?" a real wake-up call about the possibility I might end up with a surgical delivery-which happens at my hospital more than 1 in 5 times (and according to the book, even more often nationwide). Rubin helps sort out the myths from the facts, sneaking in a LOT of scientific information while she keeps the book light and readable. I still hope to avoid a C-section, and now I feel like I have a better idea how to plan for contingencies in labor and what questions to ask my doctor and the hospital staff if vaginal delivery gets stalled or becomes problematic. I'm going to get another copy of the book for a friend who is going to have a scheduled C-section due to medical reasons, because I think the book will be just as useful for her in laying out how the procedure happens, details on recovery, and information on vaginal births in the future once you've had a Cesarean delivery. Really worth reading!

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What to Expect When You're Expecting,
Third Edition
by Heidi E. Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg, Sandee Hathaway

   "Eighteen years after it first hit the shelves and having sold more than 10 million copies, What to Expect When You're Expecting is still on nearly every mother-to-be's reading list. This completely revised and updated edition is packed with answers to hundreds of questions and worries expectant parents may have. The information is presented in a month-by-month format starting with planning a pregnancy and choosing a practitioner, and follows through to six weeks after delivery. Each chapter begins with an explanation of what to expect at a particular month's prenatal visit and a brief description of how mom and baby are growing and changing before getting to the heart of the matter: What You May Be Concerned About. Topics are presented as questions ranging from "Should I be taking vitamins?" to "What if I forget everything I learn in childbirth education class?" to "Will I be able to breastfeed?" The answers are generally reassuring and provide enough information to soothe a worried mom between prenatal visits. Despite the reassuring answers, however, the sheer volume of worries discussed may alarm an otherwise calm mom-to-be.
   The book also features a complete nutrition plan (though many women may find it difficult to follow), a special chapter just for expectant dads, and extensive information about dealing with minor illnesses, chronic conditions, and pregnancy complications. What to Expect has guided countless women through their pregnancies and makes an informative addition to the mainstream pregnancy and childbirth bookshelf." --Jennifer Lindsay

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