Hearts and Hands: A Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy and Birth
Elizabeth Davis'sHeart and Hands, though subtitledA Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy and Birth, is not just for midwives. It's an excellent and thorough resource for  parents-to-be who are thinking about delivering their child with a midwife, or who are concerned about the medical establishment's over-control of birth. (Two previous editions sold more than 100,000 copies and there are nowhere near 100,000 midwives or midwifery students to buy this book, proving that parents-to-be  have looked to this resource for options.)Completely updated in the third edition,Heart and Handsis a practical guide, textbook, and reference that is both hands- and hearts-on. Davis, a long-time, well-known midwife,  gives how-to details on all aspects of midwifery practice, including prenatal care, problems in pregnancy, assisting at births, labor complications (including a devastating and beautiful description of a stillbirth by midwife Shannon Anton), and caring for the entire family postpartum. Each chapter has a special section "for parents," but expectant parents can use all ofHeart and Handsto get  as much knowledge as possible about their upcoming experience.