Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
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Book Reviews of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
Book Review: Enlightening and useful--a must-read
Summary: 5 Stars
I rarely review anything, but this book inspired me. Although I had heard about it many times, I initially resisted reading it because I was worried it would be preachy and/or only applicable to people planning a birth with midwives. While I will still have a hospital birth with an OB, I learned numerous highly useful things from this book. Ina May is a very experienced and intuitive midwife, and the book is based on her experiences as well as a lot of research.
First, the book emphasizes that we women are highly capable of having a natural birth, and the whole first half is stories from women who have done so (I read these selectively). The second half of the book goes into well-researched and -documented detail about how our bodies work during a natural birth, which greatly appeased my logical mind. It also covers the various inappropriate and scary procedures that may be recommended to you in the hospital. This last part was not always an enjoyable read, but helped me make a list to ask my doctor of things I didn't even know I needed to ask. In my opinion it is crucial that we and our partners have this information so we can advocate for proper care in the hospital. Just because a procedure is commonplace, doesn't mean it is beneficial or even safe for the woman. When I finished the book, I was dwelling a little on "I really hope I don't need a [fill in procedure]" so now I'm flipping through the stories again to leave a better taste in my mouth.
This book is definitely geared toward people who are considering a natural childbirth or already know they want one. If right now you think you want an epidural the second you walk in the hospital, I don't know if you will want to read this book. But if you do read it, I suspect it will cause you to rethink some things. I also recommend reading "The Birth That's Right For You" (Ness, et al), which helps you decide what you may or may not want during your birthing, depending on your personality and how you operate when you're not in labor.
Book Review: Hands down best book on childbirth available
Summary: 5 Stars
Somehow Ina May Gaskin manages to inspire rather than scare off pregnant women (midwives, doulas, and especially OB/GYNs would do well to heed the findings in this book, too) in this comprehensive guide to childbirth.
Whether you plan to birth in a hospital, birth center, or at home, invest in this book. You will find all the information that you may hope to get out of a childbirth education class. Better still, the actual birth stories at the beginning of the book focus on positive birhtings, as opposed to all the horror stories you get from your friends, and the "when things go wrong, here's what we'll do to you" lectures handed down in hopspitals and doctors' offices.
My only qualm with this book is that Gaskin seems to have no experience with waterbirth. She advises women not to get into a tub or pool after their water has broken. Please be aware that women are regularly advised to do the opposite, with no ill effects that I have heard of, in many other parts of the world.
Based on solid medical evidence and more than 40 years' experience in providing care for women having babies, Ina May Gaskin has handed down to us invaluable wisdom that seems to have become lost in a time when respect for birhting women has been obliterated in favor of unsubstantiated hospital "policy" and HMO penny pinching in the US (NHS underfunding in the UK and Medicare insanity in Australia).
Get informed with this book. You CAN have a positive birthing experience. I know because I had a fantastic birth with my first child at home (a waterbirth), and am looking forward to doing the same with my second baby in a few weeks' time. I was looking for a book that could help me make coices to cope and even enjoy my next birth, and boy does this one fit the bill! Use this guide to help you make preparations that will put you into an ideal position for a positive birthing experience.
Book Review: A paradigm shift in American birth expectations
Summary: 5 Stars
Anyone, anywhere who is expecting a child can benefit from this excellent book. But Americans, who generally have a warped view of childbirth as a horrifying, drug-induced bloody trauma that requires women to submit as patients, are in for a real surprise as they are introduced to a gentler, more empowering way of birthing.
I sought out this book midway in my pregnancy, dissatisfied with the care I had been receiving from my OB, whose rushed, impersonal methods limited my involvement in what was happening to me. Likewise, family, friends and the media had done much over the years to shape my preconceptions of birth as "something to get through."
The first half of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth consists of positive, first-person stories from women who gave birth at The Farm in Tennessee. These stories alone helped to reshape my belief that birth can not only be an enriching experience, but one in which the woman and her partner are active participants in a natural process. Hospital gowns, internal fetal monitors, epidurals and forceps are replaced by an experienced team of midwives who skillfully, intuitively and naturally help a woman's body do what it was born to do.
In the second half of this book, Ina May draws upon more than 30 years' experience as a midwife to gently educate the reader about a woman's awesome ability to give birth without exessive medical intervention. It is an invitation to trust one's body, to rethink destructive stereotypes and ultimately, to shed the fear and anxiety so often associated with childbirth. It helped to change both my husband's mind and my own regarding our course of prenatal care. Though the book is revolutionary from a societal standpoint, it seemed oddly familiar as I realized its content helped strenghthen what I and many other women intuitively know about our innate capabilities to bear children. Highly recommended.
Book Review: Ina May's Guide to Childbirth By: Ina May Gaskin
Summary: 5 Stars
I have worked as a Labor & Delivery Nurse for the past 10 plus years. I have taught childbirth education for the past 5 years to couples who want research based factual information on the birth process. I have witnessed the truly miraculous journey many women have embarked upon in giving birth. To my dismay though or should I say disillusionment, many women were introduced to the routine medicalization of birth to help facilitate and expediate the birth process. These routine medical interventions many times were performed for the convenience of the Obstetrician not with the best interests of the laboring woman and baby at heart and left many emotional scars as well as insults to both the mother and to the baby. Ina May's book explores the options available to women and their families in the childbirth arena. Birth can occur without routine medical interventions! True and factual accounts of births by women are narrated in the first half of this book along with researched, fact based information regarding birth and how it can and should occur. There are options for birth for everyone it can be individualized and completely different for each and everyone.
This is an informative and inspiring book that gets to the heart and soul of what transpires during the birth of a family. I agree as many others have stated that this book is a must read for every childbearing woman out there. I recommend this book to women in my own childbirth education classes. I have been transpired and mainly inspired by the birth stories presented along with Ina May's account of childbirth in the past, present and what lies ahead for the future. I now teach my childbirth classes with more heart, inspiration and fevere since reading this great book.
Book Review: No More Fear Of Labor & Delivery
Summary: 5 Stars
Being pregnant with my first child was exciting but terrifying. I read everything I could about pregnancy and childbirth and found that so much of what is written is very negative, focusing on the discomforts of pregnancy and the pain of childbirth. Everything I read made me more and more unsure that I had made a wise choice.
Then I read Ina May's book and my whole outlook changed. The way she presents the information in this book is very empowering. Much of the book is about trusting that your body is capable of giving birth. Before, I had so much fear and anxiety and really felt like I wasn't sure if I could do it. After reading her book I didn't spend any more of my pregnancy fretting about the big day so I had more time to think about the joy that was entering my life. One major thing I realized is that our culture seems to send the message that childbirth is something so painful that women are not equipped to cope with it. After reading this book I became very aware of this... these messages pop up everywhere - on tv, advice from other women, and even all those pregnancy books I'd been reading!
This should be one of the first books you read about childbirth. You must take some of it, particularly the first hand stories, in context because sometimes it seems kind of like strange hippy stuff. Please don't let that deter you. We are all women, no matter how, when, or where we live, and our bodies were made for giving birth. This book will help you realize that and make the rest of your 9 months much easier. You really must read this book to fully understand how much it will impact the way you think about childbirth. I strongly urge you to give this book a chance!