How serious do you want to be?: How much information is too much information? Would you rather know all the facts and go in prepared, or is highlighting risks and complications likely to heighten your anxiety? Choose the right level of detail for you. It’s important to remember that childbirth by its very nature is unpredictable. The author got somewhat political in her writing which made me slightly uncomfortable. After she thoroughly detailed problems within the medical field, she gave suggestions that included more federal regulation and national healthcare. I would have appreciated a broader selection of solutions. The author described all that Dr.'s do to prevent lawsuits but failed to suggest malpractice reform in her list of solutions. She received the American Society for Psycho-Prophylaxis in Obstetrics/Lamaze Irwin Chabon Award (1997), and the Tennessee Perinatal Association Recognition Award. On September 29, 2011, Ina May Gaskin was announced as a co-winner of the 2011 Right Livelihood Award for "her whole-life's work teaching and advocating safe, woman-centred childbirth methods that best promote the physical and mental health of mother and child". [20] [6] [21] Ina May's Guide to Childbirth is skewed toward natural childbirth and can get a little culty, especially all the stories about The Farm, but I found the information in the second part of the book really helpful even when planning for a hospital birth. The historical and worldwide accounts of birth Gaskin provides is comforting to read about as well as the explanation of the process.

Whether it's hormones or hypnobirthing, stretch marks or swollen ankles, it's always reassuring to know YANBU when moaning about your pregnancy ailments. Some popular choices that have been tried, tested and recommended by Mumsnet members include Taking Charge of your Fertility and The Impatient Women’s Guide to Getting Pregnant, both of which focus on the steps you can take to prepare your body for pregnancy, monitoring your ovulation cycle and maximising your chances of getting pregnant. What books should I read in my first trimester? I have come to believe that most concerns about pain relief in labor are completely antiquated and/or overblown by the natural childbirth community. Apparently, modern epidurals are a much lower dose than in the past. You can even request a "low dose" or "walking epidural" that may allow for some mobility and sensation. This type of low dose epidural is apparently much less likely to result in complications for mom and baby than older versions. Also, there are countless women who are able to successfully breastfeed after getting an epidural, which I know is a concern for many women. This very lengthy review might suggest that I didn't like this book or that I majorly disagreed with the author. I didn't. Again, this is the most helpful of the four books I have read so far. I learned a lot and would even recommend this book as long as it is not the only book a future mother reads. The Gaskin Maneuver, also called all fours, is a technique to reduce shoulder dystocia, a specific type of obstructed labour which may lead to fetal death. Gaskin introduced it in the U.S. in 1976 after learning it from a Belizean woman who had, in turn, learned the maneuver in Guatemala, where it originated. In this maneuver, the mother supports herself on her hands and knees to resolve shoulder dystocia. [14] Switching to a hands and knees position causes the shape of the pelvis to change, thereby allowing the trapped shoulder to free itself and the baby to be born. Since this maneuver requires a significant movement from the standard lithotomy position, it can be substantially more difficult to perform while under epidural anesthesia, but still possible, [15] and can be performed by an experienced delivery room team. [16] Recognition [ edit ]

It's an interesting read but I enjoyed Ina May's other book and Penny Simkin's "The Birth Partner" book more. I'd recommend this if you were more interested in learning about the midwifery movement or wanted to be involved in childbirth care. I have had a homebirth as well as a nurse-midwife assisted hospital birth. Both were completely natural and very positive experiences. As I am pregnant with my third child, I am planning another homebirth. I have completely immersed myself in the education and evidence-based information regarding childbirth, and continue to be blown away by what I am just now learning and what so many of us are never told and just accept and falsely trust more than we really should. I loved The Positive Breastfeeding Book by Amy Brown. She is a leading researcher into infant feeding and firmly places women, informed choice and evidence at the centre of her work.” (Recommended by Mumsnet user OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea) Despite all of those flaws, I did find some of the birth stories helpful. I liked reading about what the women did to cope with pain/lessen the pain and the various ways they pushed out their babies. I just wish that could have been a focus in all of the stories.

Gaskin, Ina May (2015). Birth Matters: A Midwife's Manifesta. New York: Seven Stories Press. ISBN 9781583229279. The second half of the book was really helpful with information on what to expect during childbirth, what your options are, and techniques to help you during childbirth. It is heavily biased toward home birth, midwifery, and natural birthing. So take some of the comments with a grain of salt because Ina May is talking from her experience which is outside the hospital and from her experiences on the Farm. I'm not sure what information was updated. When reading you do get a clear idea of how experienced of a midwife Ina May is and you can respect her talent and expertise in her field.Not only was I ill prepared for the way my birth happened, but I was also ill prepared for the aftermath. I completely believed that giving birth vaginally was the absolute best and safest way to go. Well again, not so much in my case. I've spent the last six months in physical therapy trying to undo the damage done to my pelvic floor by all the prolonged pushing and use of forceps. I hope to avoid surgery, but I've since come to learn that depending on the study, eleven to nineteen percent of women will undergo pelvic floor surgery at some point in their life. Two of the major risk factors are prolonged second stage of labor and the use of forceps. Just another possible pitfall I had no awareness of before giving birth. According to Carol Lorente (1995), the work of Gaskin and the midwives might not have had the impact it did, if it hadn't been for the publication of her book Spiritual Midwifery (1977): It suggests a privilege while simultaneously passing judgement on those that may need to (for whatever reason) seek assistance at one point or another in their life. Automatically creating a division of people. It's worth noting, however, that hypnobirthing does not guarantee a natural labour if that's what you want - unfortunately you can’t prepare for every eventuality and medical intervention is sometimes required. That said, using these techniques can help you feel calmer and more prepared about the prospect of giving birth.