In the 1960s, Ina May gave birth to her first child in which the physician used obstetrical forceps. The experience was so unpleasant that she searched for a better form of childbirth. Before The Farm was established, her husband Stephen was leading a speaking tour caravan in 1971, based on his philosophical seminars in San Francisco. It was for the first time on this tour that she helped a woman in childbirth. [3] On March 16, as the caravan was traveling through Nebraska, Ina May went into labor. The baby, whom they named Christian, was born prematurely by 8 weeks and died the next day. She was not allowed to keep the baby, and law enforcement made her bury the child in Nebraska. [4] Her own personal experiences fueled her interest into midwifery and safe childbirth. The Farm Midwifery Center [ edit ] Induced and Seduced: The Dangers of Cytotec. in Mothering, July-August, 2001. Retrieved: 2006-08-26.

Gaskin has been credited with the emergence and popularization of direct-entry midwifery (i.e. not training as a nurse first) in the United States since the early 1970s. Between 1977 and 2000, she published the quarterly magazine Birth Gazette. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, her second book about birth and midwifery, was published by Bantam/Dell in 2003. Her books have been published in several languages, including German, Italian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Spanish, and Japanese. Although the central theme of the book is midwifery, in essence, it's just this really, really amazing book that makes you feel incredible and powerful about being a woman. I think there needs to be a lot more of that in the world today. Woman are brought up to feel bad about being a woman. We're taught that our bodies are ugly and unhealthy and that they will turn on us. We're taught that our feminine energy is somehow wrong and inappropriate. We need to learn to rejoice in our bodies and our femininity and to claim our power as women... and I think this book, through an explanation of the ideas that constitute what Ina May Gaskin calls "spiritual midwifery" and a plethora of positive, joyful birthing stories, helps one to do just that. I strongly recommend that EVERY woman read this one! A Summary of Articles Published in English about Misoprostol (Cytotec) for Cervical Ripening or Induction of Labor, 2005-09-05 Retrieved: 2010-01-22. This is the second time that I've read through Spiritual Midwifery, and I enjoyed it just as much this time around. The birth stories are incredibly touching, even to someone who doesn't have children and has no intention of getting pregnant any time soon. There is a certain hippy-dippiness to this book that is to be expected, and the language can be hilariously dated and a little off-putting at times, for example everyone seems to be getting high together off of experiences and having telepathic moments with one another. Sometimes you have to just put the book down and giggle -- but that aside, the information imparted is conveyed beautifully, and you really come away with the understanding of how influential The Farm (are they a cult?) has been in the practice of modern midwifery and even within the hospital system. No one could deny that Ina May Gaskin is a pioneer and a feminist. Her words are well-worth reading, and the stories captured in this book are touching and teaching in turn. The Right Livelihood Award, Tennessee Perinatal Association Recognition Award, ASPO/Lamaze Irwin Chabon AwardMy midwife recommended I read this to prepare for my second birth, citing positive birth stories. But I must read too much between the lines. Gaskin's own extremely premature baby died, apparently never seen by medical professionals, as Gaskin diagnosed him with "probably" something or other.

Gaskin, Ina May (1987). Babies, Breastfeeding, and Bonding. South Hadley, Mass.: Bergin & Garvey Publishers. ISBN 9780897891349. OCLC 15860611. This has been, and still is, a very important book for pregnancy. Ina May's desire to change the way we think about birth is admirable.Ina May Gaskin, MA, CPM, is founder and director of the Farm Midwifery Center, located near Summertown, Tennessee. Founded in 1971, by 1996, the Farm Midwifery Center had handled more than 2200 births, with remarkably good outcomes. Ms. Gaskin herself has attended more than 1200 births. She is author of Spiritual Midwifery, now in its fourth edition. For twenty-two years she published Birth Gazette, a quarterly covering health care, childbirth and midwifery issues. Her new book, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth was released 4 March 2003 by Bantam/Dell, a division of Random House. She has lectured all over the world at midwifery conferences and at medical schools, both to students and to faculty. She was President of Midwives' Alliance of North America from 1996 to 2002. In 1997, she received the ASPO/Lamaze Irwin Chabon Award and the Tennessee Perinatal Association Recognition Award. In 2003 she was chosen as Visiting Fellow of Morse College, Yale University. Solar power pioneer Huang Ming wins 'alternative Nobel' ". BBC News. 29 September 2011 . Retrieved 19 September 2016.