Current Reading

I didn't find the particular books Esther recommended, but I did get a book about the history of midwifery and birth practices in different cultures by one of the authors she recommended. It's by Sheila Kitzinger and it's called Rediscovering Birth. Some of the writing is a little dry at times, but most of it is extremely interesting and the book is just packed with a lot of fascinating information about how birth practices have evolved over the years in cultures all over the world, and how the medicalized birth system has influenced the practice of traditional midwives and vice versa. I'd recommend it highly to anyone interested in becoming a midwife/nurse-midwife or anyone who is just fascinated by the whole birth process. It doesn't, however, have much practical information for a pregnant woman looking for advice about birth options, as that is just not its purpose.

I need to request Kitzinger's book Pregnancy and Childbirth from the library, because it didn't even appear in their catalogue. Birthing From Within was in their catalogue, but none of the libraries actually had a copy to borrow.

I also borrowed a book called Having Your Baby with a Nurse-Midwife by the American College of Nurse-Midwives and Sandra Jacobs, which is solely a collection of practical advice about the practice of nurse-midwives. I've already decided to stick with Esther, of course, but it can't hurt to be more educated.

Iron Woman

The only not great news I got yesterday is that my iron level is on the low end of the normal range, so I'm going to make sure to get at least three servings of iron-rich foods every day. I thought I was doing pretty well, but my iron level may be a little low because of all the fresh fruit I've been wolfing down.

( List of Iron Rich Foods )

I guess the next meals I make should be sweet potato stew and then black-eyed peas, greens, and hoe cakes. In addition to red beans and rice, both the stew and peas and greens are fantastic to make when one is totally broke, which we are right now; hoe cakes are not health food, but I love them with my peas and greens. I'm glad my favorite foods, aside from sushi, are all peasant foods. :)