Here are a variety of resources that I have found inspiring and empowering.

I did not start reading/listening/watching this stuff when I got pregnant but many years before! I think it's really helpful to be exposed to a wide variety of experiences so that we don't go into labour with a single idea of how it'll be but open and ready for the experience to unfold with a deep feeling of trust in our wise body.

Having said that, as you get closer to birth, I personally believe it's best to stop looking outward onto everyone else' experiences (as wonderful as they may be) and tune in deeply to yourself and your baby. I have a section at the end about this!

Books:

• Reclaiming Childbirth As A Rite of Passage by Rachel Reed

• Orgasmic Birth by Elizabeth Davis

• Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin

Podcasts:

• Birth Tales by Serena Louth

• Free Birth Society

Ted Talks:

• We Must Put The Sex Back into Birth by Kate Dimpfl

• Birth Should Be Special by Florence Wilcock

• Reducing Fear of Birth in US Culture by Ina May Gaskin

YouTube:

• Ellen Fisher 

Practices for yourself (I would suggest really focusing on these in third trimester):

• YOGA as much as possible: meditation, visualisation, movement, mudra, intention setting, rest

• Journalling

• Time in nature

• Massage (either self-massage or pregnancy/mizan massage from another)

We have a whole section dedicated to Birth Preparation on the Virtual Studio - it's a hugely special time and I hope you can enjoy it!