Book Recommendations
Vulnerability
- "The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are" by Brene Brown
- "Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead" by Brene Brown
- "Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution." by Brene Brown
- "Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed" by Glennon Doyle Melton
- "Love Warrior (Oprah's Book Club): A Memoir" by Glennon Doyle Melton
- "When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times" by Pema Chodron
Perinatal Mental Health
Fertility
- "Infreakinfertility: How to Survive When Getting Pregnant Gets Hard" by Melanie Dale
- "Laughing IS Conceivable: One Woman's Extremely Funny Peek into the Extremely Unfunny World of Infertility (Volume 1)" by Lori Shandle-Fox, illustrations by Sandy Vazan & Hilary Pearce
- "It Starts with the Egg (Second Edition): How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF" by Rebecca Fett
- "Unsung Lullabies" by Janet Jaffe, David Diamond & Martha Diamond
- "Three Makes Baby: How to Parent Your Donor-Conceived Child" by Jana M. Rupnow
- "Infertility and PTSD: The Uncharted Storm" by Joanna Flemons, LCSW
- "Ever Upward: Overcoming the Lifelong Losses of Infertility to Define Your Own Happy Ending" by Justine Brooks Froelker
Third-party Reproduction: For Kids
- "Happy Together: An Egg Donation Story" by Julie Marie
- "The Pea that was Me: An Egg-Donation Story (Volume 1)" by Kimberly Kluger-Bell (ages 3 - 5)
- "A itsy bitsy gift of life, an egg donor story" by Carmen Martinez Jover
Pregnancy/Birth
- "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" by Ina May Gaskin "Birth Without Fear: The Judgement-Free Guide to Taking Charge of Your Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum" by January Harshe
- "Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy" by Angela Garbes
Postpartum
- "This Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression" by Karen Kleiman and Valerie Raskin
- "Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts: Breaking the Cycle of Unwanted Thoughts" by Karen Kleiman
- "Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mothers" by Karen Kleiman, illustrations by Molly McIntyre
- "The Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety Workbook: Practical Skills to Help You Overcome Anxiety, Worry, Panic Attacks, Obsessions, and Compulsions" by Wiegartz & Gyoerkoe, foreword by Laura J. Miller
- "The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality" by Kimberly Ann Johnson
- "Reinventing Supermom: Support, Encouragement and Strategies for New Mothers Who Feel Lost" by Kate Kripke
Birth Trauma
- "When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Early Sexual Abuse on Childbearing Women" by Penny Simkin & Phyllis Klaus
- "The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma" by Bessel van der Kolk
- "Heal Your Birth Story: releasing the unexpected" by Maureen Campion
- "Traumatic Childbirth" by Cheryl Beck
Pregnancy Loss
- "Empty Arms: Hope and Support for Those Who Have Suffered a Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Tubal Pregnancy" by Pam Vredevelt
- "Almost a Mother: Love, Loss, and Finding Your People When Your Baby Dies" by Christy Wopat
- "Empty Cradle, Broken Heart" Surviving the Death of Your Baby" by Deborah L. Davis
- "Rebirth: The Journey of Pregnancy After a Loss" by Joey Miller, LCSW