Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

Ina May Gaskin is known throughout the world as a famous midwife. She and her husband founded The Farm Midwifery Centre in America in the 70s, which was one of the few birth centres in action at the time. Gaskin's philosophy is that any woman can have a natural birth in a home-like setting (or at home) with little, if any, medical intervention. She does not shun the medical advances of the real world, but she has witnessed hundreds of births over decades and her perspective is that women's bodies are capable of more than is sometimes believed of them. Indeed, after reading her Guide to Childbirth and speaking to other mothers about it, I am inclined to agree!However, the first half of the book is mostly not written by Gaskin. Instead, it is a series of birth stories written by different women telling their own birth stories. Gaskin gives a brief outline of each labour and occasionally adds her own perspective of the situation. I found this book to be very insightful about something that is rarely talked about (I now 'collect' birth stories from women I know- I find them fascinating!) and something that is really just amazing - childbirth itself.The second half of the book comprises Gaskin's own views of childbirth, largely based on the argument that there is too much medical intervention for mothers, and not enough control given to the mother during labour. This is perhaps even more relevant in America as they have such high mortality figures for mothers during childbirth. Gaskin focuses on what she believes are deeply innate requirements for any mother during labour. I thought a lot of them were just common sense, but obviously this is not the case as many of the things she suggests are actually not possible, not allowed, or otherwise discouraged in many hospitals.Gaskin explains that current medical childbirth methods prioritise the convenience of the medical establishment over the mother's wellbeing. Gaskin gives evidence for her views using historical texts and anthropological research in addition to her own experiences. I read with particular interest her method for dealing with breech babies, which up until recently I had thought were something that required definite medical intervention. Since learning of the alternative methods Gaskin suggests I have spoken to other women about it who have had success in turning breech babies themselves. Again, this is something that people don't tend to speak about in daily conversation - so I am really grateful to Gaskin for opening up the world of childbirth to me with this book!I found Ina May's Guide to Childbirth inspiring and empowering. It has helped me and countless other women to overcome standard western views of children, namely fear and of childbirth, and it also demonstrates that there simply is no 'one size fits all' in labour: all women labour differently, and all women can be aided by different methods to ease their labour experiences. Some of the most striking evidence Gaskin cites to support this idea comes from studies of childbirth in modern Scandinavia, which she outlines in the book.I think this book is well worth reading whether or not you plan to have children and whether you plan to have a hospital birth or a home birth. It is informative, well written, and provides invaluable support in helping women to make their own birth decisions in a society that sometimes forgets how important the mental wellbeing of the mother is.

I have read numerous pregnancy books that are based on natural birth or spiritual aspects to birthing, and this is one I highly recommend.I personally have enjoyed reading extensively on natural birth but if you were to choose just one book, this would be an excellent choice. Ina May is wonderful. She covers all the important primal and spiritual aspects to natural birth that are important, but she also does so in a way that might not be deemed by certain people as overly fluffy or 'hippie'-like as other books - I know some people don't like or aren't used to that. Some authors are all about the science and some all about nature, but she strikes an excellent balance whilst at the same time giving the most powerful argument for women giving birth on their own terms. Ina May is practical and real-talking - using facts and evidence in her pursuit of promoting the ordinary yet extraordinary event of birth, calling upon both science and nature in a useful and meaningful way.There will still be women who read Ina May and feel threatened or as if they should feel guilty for not doing birth naturally, but I think this interpretation is misread. Ina May is very culturally aware of the challenges that face women and the times when they want or need medical help. She's not against medical intervention in the right circumstances, even if those circumstances are emotion-led. She wants to empower women by helping them first understand that birth is a normal and yet magnificent event in the sexual life of a woman. In fact in all the books I've read on natural childbirth it's uncommon for the author to not have reverence and respect for the role of modern medicine. In reading this book, it's not about feeling the pressure to have your own birth go a certain way. No matter what your birth plan or outcome, I think this kind of book can only do good to help you extinguish fear and make your journey easier whether to a subtle or massive degree.This book covers birth stories as well as information about birth. Be aware the book starts with the stories, for some reason. You might want to start at the second informative half and read the stories after. Both halves of the book are equally powerful in their own way.I also love the pictures throughout the book which fill me with a nice feeling of anticipation and excitement long before I even got pregnant. In fact this book contributed greatly to my own embarking on pregnancy with such confidence in my body and mind. Plus it is so interesting to me just to read about birth and pregnancy because it resonates with so much else of life. Books like these have great spiritual value to render it worthwhile reading them more than once! The words are not just words on a page, they are like maps leading the way to a new thinking, maps you could look at over and over well in advance of pregnancy, until the day you're ready to follow the map for real to your own destination.

I absolutely love this book and recommend it to all moms but especially those who are preparing for a home birth. The stories in the beginning of this book are very reasssuring.

Essential book to debunk myths about pregnancy. A must ready for everyone expecting, or preparing to expect soon. Savor it.

It’s good to get an understanding of what your body goes through labour and childbirth but the constant comparison between home birth and hospital birth and how the former is better than the latter is not really necessary.

Every pregnant woman should read this book during her pregnancy to be free from many fears and wrong information feed to us by various people

Muy recomendable. He dejado las clases de preparación al parto porque este libro le da mil vueltas a la matrona de mi pueblo: más actualizado y no mete miedo. Con fotos de mujeres que no sufren durante el parto, consejos para prepararse y todo desde un punto de vista natural. Se lo recomiendo a todas las embarazadas que conozco (también en español)Highly recommended, i have stopped attending labor classes in my village cause this book is far more updated and gives a view positive (and not scary or bloody) about having a baby. I recommend it to all pregnant women: it has beautiful images of women in labor not suffering, and Lots of tips & tricks to prepare for it without fear. Life changer!