Required Reading List

Reading is a requirement in order to complete your training and obtain certification. The number of books you must read is dependent on which program you are enrolled in, so be sure to check the appropriate training page to find out how many you must read. Books marked with an asterisk (*) are required, while unmarked books are suggested. CAPPA suggests you read books on the subjects you are least familiar with. Many of the books listed below can be purchased in our shop.

Labor Doula · Postpartum Doula · Antepartum Doula · Childbirth Educator · Lactation Educator

Labor Doula

CAPPA labor doula manual (included at training) *
The Nurturing Touch at Birth (Paulina Perez)
The Doula Advantage (Rachel Gurevich)
Special Women (Paulina Perez)
Mothering the Mother (Klaus, Klaus, Kennell)
The Doula Book (Klaus, Klaus, Kennell)
The Birth Partner (Penny Simkin)
The Labor Progress Handbook (Penny Simkin)
Obstetric Myths vs. Research Realities (Henci Goer)
The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth (Henci Goer)
Active Birth (Janet Balaskas)
Mind Over Labor (Carl Jones)
Easing Labor Pain (Adrienne Lieberman)
A Good Birth, A Safe Birth (Diana Korte & Roberta Scaer)
Gentle Birth Choices (Barbara Harper)
Pregnancy, Childbirth & the Newborn (Simkin, Whalley, Kepler)
The Birth Book (Sears & Sears)
The VBAC Companion (Diana Korte)
The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth (Sheila Kitzinger)
Birth as an American Rite of Passage (Robbie Davis-Floyd)
When Hello Means Goodbye (Kirk & Schweibert)
The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers (Dr. Jack Newman & Teresa Pitman) (for the USA)
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (La Leche League International)

Postpartum Doula

CAPPA postpartum doula manual (included at training) *
Pregnancy, Childbirth, & the Newborn * (Penny Simkin)
Mothering the New Mother * (Sally Placksin)
The Baby Book * (Sears & Sears)
This Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression (Karen Kleiman & Valerie Rasking)
When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads, Revised Edition: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy (Barbara Luke & Tamara Eberlien)
The Year After Childbirth * (Sheila Kitzinger)
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding * (La Leche League International)
The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers (Dr. Jack Newman)
Nursing Mother, Working Mother (Gale Pryor)
The Earliest Relationship (Brazelton & Cramer)
Bonding (Marshall Klaus)
The Birth Book (Sears & Sears)
The Breastfeeding Book (Sears & Sears)
The Nursing Mother's Companion (Kathleen Huggins)
The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning (Kathleen Huggins)
You and Your Newborn Baby (Linda Todd)
The Happiest Baby on the Block (Dr. Harvey Karp)
The No-Cry Sleep Solution (Elizabeth Pantley)

Antepartum Doula

CAPPA antepartum doula manual *
The Pregnancy Bed Rest Book * (Amy E. Tracy)
When Pregnancy Isn't Perfect * (Laurie A. Rich)
Intensive Caring * (Dianne Hales & Timothy R. B. Johnson)
Preventing Preterm Birth (Michael Katz)
Days in Waiting: A Guide to Surviving Pregnancy Bedrest (Mary Ann McCann)
Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy (Elizabeth Somer)
No More Morning Sickness (Miriam Erick)
The Pregnant Woman's Comfort Book (Jennifer Louden)
The Pregnancy Book (Sears & Sears)
Every Pregnant Woman's Guide to Preventing Premature Birth (Barbara Luke)
Your Premature Baby (Frank P. Manginello & Teresa Foy DiGeronimo)

Childbirth Educator

CAPPA childbirth educator manual (included at training) *
Childbirth Education: Practice, Research and Theory * (Nichols and Humenick Childbirth Educator)
The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers (Dr. Jack Newman)
The Birth Book (Sears & Sears)
Pregnancy, Childbirth, & the Newborn (Penny Simkin)
The Nursing Mother's Companion (Kathleen Huggins)
The Nurturing Touch at Birth (Paulina Perez)
The Complete Book of Pregnancy & Childbirth (Sheila Kitzinger)
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (La Leche League International)
The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth (Henci Goer)
Obstetric Myths vs. Research Realities (Henci Goer)
When Hello Means Goodbye (Kirk & Schwiebert)
A Good Birth, A Safe Birth (Diana Korte & Roberta Scaer)
Babies, Breastfeeding, & Bonding (Ina May Gaskin)
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (Ina May Gaskin)
The VBAC Companion (Diana Korte)
Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy (Elizabeth Somer)
Nutrition in Pregnancy & Lactation (Worthington-Roberts, Vermeesch, & Williams)

Lactation Educator

CAPPA lactation educator manual (included at training) *
Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, Third Editon * (Jan Riordan)
The Breastfeeding Answer Book Third Revised Edition (La Leche League International)
The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers (Dr. Jack Newman & Teresa Pitman) (for the USA)
Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers (Nancy Mohrbacher & Kathleen Kendall-Tackett)
Coach's Notebook: Games & Strategies for Lactation Education (Linda Smith)
The Breastfeeding Atlas, Second Edition (Barbara Wilson-Clay & Kay Hoover)
Medications & Mother's Milk (Thomas Hale, R.Ph. Ph.D.) (most recent version)
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (La Leche League International)
Breastfeeding: A Parent's Guide, Seventh Revised Edition (Amy Spangler)
So That's What They're For! Breastfeeding Basics (Janet Tamaro)
The Breastfeeding Book (Sears & Sears)
Defining Your Own Success: Breastfeeding After Breast Reduction Surgery (Diana West)
Birth & Breastfeeding (Michel Odent)
Breastfeeding the Adopted Baby (Debra Peterson)
Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and Caring for Twins and More by Gromada, 2007 edition
The Premature Baby Book (Dr. Sears)
Mothering Your Nursing Toddler (Norma Bumgarner)
The Milk Memos (Cate Colburn-Smith & Andrea Serrette)
The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning (Kathleen Huggins & Linda Ziedrich)
Supporting Sucking Skills in Breastfeeding Infants (Catherine Genna Watson)