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Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
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More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
Everything you need to know about the best birth experience for you, from America's leading midwife
Product Description
Ina May Gaskin, America's leading midwife, shares her exceptional birthing wisdom in this intuitive guide to childbirth. By sharing a wealth of knowledge generated by three decades of experience she explains why the natural birthing process, when left to its own devices, can proceed so beautifully on its own.
In this invaluable book Ina May teaches you:
- What really happens during labour
- How to create a safe, comfortable environment for birth in any setting
- Tips for maximising your chances of an unmedicated labour and birth
- The risks of anaesthesia and caesareans - what your doctor doesn't necessarily tell you
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth is an inspiring read and gives women the opportunity to take back the fear of childbirth by regaining confidence in their bodies. It tells you everything you need to know to have the best birth experience for you - whether in a hospital, birthing centre or the comfort of home.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
76 of 79 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One of the very few stipulations my wife made after we learned we were going to have a child is that I read this book by the doyenne of natural childbirth in the U.S. While the tone of the book is much too touchy-feely/hippyish for me, I have to admit that it is well worth reading regardless of whether you're planning a natural childbirth or a fully tech'ed out hospital one. That said, it would be very easy to read it as gospel and get swept up in its giddy repudiation of modern medicine, so one should approach it with, if not a skeptical eye, at least with one's critical faculties fully engaged. There is also the potential that readers who are fully committed to a hospital birth may come away from this book feeling scolded, or as if their decision is somehow "wrong".
The author is a superstar in the field of natural childbirth, largely as a result of her 35+ years work at "The Farm", a kind of birthing commune in Tennessee. The first half of the book is a compilation of natural childbirth stories written by mothers who've either done it at The Farm, or somehow in conjunction with the author. While these are certainly useful as illustrative examples of how it all goes down, they tend to get rather repetitive and could certainly stand to be scaled back a bit. And for those who know little about the birthing process, some of the terminology can be unclear. Finally, for those who might want to read this book on the subway (like me), be forewarned that there are some pretty graphic photos of childbirthing in this section.
The second half of the book walks the reader through the entire process, mostly with the aim of explaining why modern medical childbirthing procedures are not based on the mother's health and needs, but are designed for convenience of the medical establishment. Stuff like epidurals, amnios, fetal monitoring, pitocin, forceps, vacuum extractors, etc. all come under sustained assault. Gaskin makes a convincing case for most of her criticism, with plenty of good examples from historical texts and anthropological research. Perhaps the most striking and compelling examples come from studies of childbirthing in modern Scandinavia. Sometimes Gaskin stretches a little to far in her attempt to debunk every single medical procedure and doesn't always have the most current data. For example, Rhogham does not have any mercury whatsoever any more, and the danger from amniocentesis is vastly overstated. However, simply in terms of the debate over natural childbirth vs. hospital birth, it's awfully hard to argue with the data she's gathered from thousands of natural childbirths.
Ultimately the reality is that every mother's experience is different, and there's no technique, approach, or solution that works for everyone. That said, the book did a pretty good job of convincing me that the mother's mental approach to childbirthing and expectations for the experience are the single most important indicator of how it will all go.
The author is a superstar in the field of natural childbirth, largely as a result of her 35+ years work at "The Farm", a kind of birthing commune in Tennessee. The first half of the book is a compilation of natural childbirth stories written by mothers who've either done it at The Farm, or somehow in conjunction with the author. While these are certainly useful as illustrative examples of how it all goes down, they tend to get rather repetitive and could certainly stand to be scaled back a bit. And for those who know little about the birthing process, some of the terminology can be unclear. Finally, for those who might want to read this book on the subway (like me), be forewarned that there are some pretty graphic photos of childbirthing in this section.
The second half of the book walks the reader through the entire process, mostly with the aim of explaining why modern medical childbirthing procedures are not based on the mother's health and needs, but are designed for convenience of the medical establishment. Stuff like epidurals, amnios, fetal monitoring, pitocin, forceps, vacuum extractors, etc. all come under sustained assault. Gaskin makes a convincing case for most of her criticism, with plenty of good examples from historical texts and anthropological research. Perhaps the most striking and compelling examples come from studies of childbirthing in modern Scandinavia. Sometimes Gaskin stretches a little to far in her attempt to debunk every single medical procedure and doesn't always have the most current data. For example, Rhogham does not have any mercury whatsoever any more, and the danger from amniocentesis is vastly overstated. However, simply in terms of the debate over natural childbirth vs. hospital birth, it's awfully hard to argue with the data she's gathered from thousands of natural childbirths.
Ultimately the reality is that every mother's experience is different, and there's no technique, approach, or solution that works for everyone. That said, the book did a pretty good job of convincing me that the mother's mental approach to childbirthing and expectations for the experience are the single most important indicator of how it will all go.
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ina May is a real person, a real mother, a real midwife. She makes physiological information about birth clear while mixing in a bit of medical history, anthropology, humour and extra-ordinary stories of birth from ordinary women. "Let your monkey do it" is Ina May's advice--in other words leave your socialization and high level reasoning behind--for finding the right place, time and way in which to birth your baby. Ina May respects women, babies, partners and other care providers who may or may not share her beliefs about birth. Enjoy this informative read.
43 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It was only when reading this book that I reflected back to my daughter's birth 12 years ago, prior to which Ina May Gaskin's book Spiritual Midwifery had been my constant companion. Ms Gaskin reflects that so often for women in the civilized world, stories of births from friends and relatives are usually filled with intervention and problems. In my friends only one had a trouble free and easy birth - she went into hospital at 4am, gave birth at 6am and left the hospital at 9am. Other women had 28 -40 hour labours, caesarian's, inductions, forceps. I realised how true it was that we are surrounded by more stories of negative birth experiences, than positive ones. Reading Ina May's books you are immersed in stories of women who had positive birth experiences where they were surrounded by people who loved them, people who had been through the birth experiences successfully themselves and who, even in cases of previous ceasarians, twins births, breech births -which would normally require hospital intervention, gave birth normally and naturally without drugs or surgical intervention. A quick flick through hospital statistics shows that large hospitals have a much lower rate of normal births - about 40-60%(ie without drugs or intervention) than do smaller maternity units and community hospitals (with 90-100% natural births). Many commentators suggest that hospitals intervene too quickly when labour doesn't proceed quickly enough, - even to my dismay noting that some hospitals will now insist on drug induction when a woman passes her due date - when it used to be that the woman was allowed to proceed to 2 weeks post due date before induction. I cannot stress how highly Ms Gaskin's books moved me and how much I feel they have helped me in my own labour experiences. If you read only one book during your pregnancy - read either one of these two books.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A absolute must read for a calm and confident birth
I would truly recommend reading this as well as her guide to breast feeding, her words are so reassuring, instinctive and simply draw on our abilities as human beings to cope with... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jo
ESSENTIAL prenatal reading
I bought 18 books while I was pregnant.
This is the only one I would recommend.
Ina May's compilation of birthing stories helped me prepare for D-Day so that... Read more
This is the only one I would recommend.
Ina May's compilation of birthing stories helped me prepare for D-Day so that... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Susan Jane Murray
A great book for expectant mothers!
I'm due to give birth in 2 weeks and bought this book as I felt I need uplifting from all the negative comments and knowing looks people love to share with someone about to give... Read more
Published 3 months ago by missflowers909
Very inspiring
I enjoyed this book and couldnt put it down. I wanted a book that would make me feel positive about the birth instead of dreading it and being scared. This book achieved that. Read more
Published 3 months ago by kepea
Best childbirth book ever!
Ina Mays guide to childbirth is by far the best book on childbirth a have read, i have looked at many but this one is special, it gives insight and confidence and i can feel her... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Francesca Jones
Couldn't have given birth naturally without this book
As all first times mums i was aprehensive about the birth of my first child. This book allowed me to prepare mentally for what lay ahead during the birth. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Lizzie.n
A wonderful read!
Ina May is a great communicator, enormously experienced and a person of immense integrity. This is a wonderful book that blends real, lived experiences with well referenced... Read more
Published 5 months ago by A Reader
Great if you are looking for something more than the NHS norm
I can't rate this book highly enough. I credit it with helping me have the most amazing (not to mention unplanned but feverently wished for) homebirth I could have hoped for. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Lise
Really worth reading
This book should be all pregnant womens must read list. I got this for my second birth a it total changed my opinion on how you view and go into the labour. Read more
Published 6 months ago by L. S. Hubbard
Read about positive birth stories in this book
Indeed what people often hear about are the horrible birth stories, the pain of childbirth. It was good to read the positive birth stories - the stories still talk about the pain... Read more
Published 7 months ago by M. H. N. Vee
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