Book Review:
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
by Ina May
Gaskin
Bantam, 2003
Reviewed by Susan Mocsny Baker
Westborough MA USA
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 39 No. 6, December 2003 - January 2004, pp. 134-35.
As Leaders, we are exposed
to a large amount of information about childbirth and how it affects
breastfeeding. Often, I’ve been asked to suggest a book for someone
who is pregnant for the first time. It is hard not to overwhelm someone
with many excellent books, most of which are available in our Group
Libraries. This offering by Ina May Gaskin is my new personal favorite.
Many women have read Gaskin’s
Spiritual Midwifery during the years since its first publication. Some
women did not relate to the book with its stories of birth on “The
Farm,” a commune where Gaskin practiced midwifery. In this new
book, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, Gaskin takes her birthing
philosophy into the North American mainstream.
There are many choices in
birthing: where to give birth, whom to have as an attendant, and what
to do about pain relief. In the introduction, Gaskin states, “Birthing
is so integral with life—so common—that choices surrounding
it often get relegated to chance. We tend to go along with what everyone
else is doing, assuming that must be for the best. Living in a technological
society, we tend to think that the best of everything is the most expensive
kind available….When it comes to birth, it ain’t necessarily
so.”
Continuing, Gaskin says,
“Consider this your invitation to learn about the true capacities
of the female body during labor and birth.” She goes on to explain
that while there are many books that take current medical knowledge
and practice and translate it into plain language, there are very few
which take woman’s real capacity in labor and birth and combine
it with the most effective use of technology in birthing.
Gaskin asks, “Have you
never heard anyone speak positively about labor and birth before? If
so, you are not alone. One of the best kept secrets in North American
cultures is that birth can be ecstatic and strengthening. Ecstatic birth
gives inner power and wisdom to the woman who experiences it, as you
will learn from many of the birth stories told here. Even when women
in my village experience pain in labor, they understand that there are
ways of making the sensations of labor and birth tolerable that do not
involve numbing the senses with drugs.”
A common question I hear
is, “How does anyone have a baby without an epidural?” In
the 1970s and 1980s, when I was having my children, epidurals were uncommon.
How then, in today’s world, can we share the joys of an unmedicated
childbirth with mothers? The first part of this book is entitled “Birth
Stories,” and it comprises almost half the book. Those who have
given birth, as well as those still pregnant will enjoy reading these
tales. These mothers’ stories powerfully illustrate how birthing
empowers women.
Part two of the book is called
“The Essentials of Birth.” In this section, Gaskin explains
what happens in labor, and gives a lot of suggestions about dealing
with it. She also compares models of maternity care and discusses the
importance of nutrition. This section also contains a chapter about
the mind-body connection and how powerfully this affects labor and birth.
Gaskin also discusses how birth pain is different from other pain, a
distinction that can empower a birthing mother. In her chapter “Giving
Birth,” she shows how gravity can work for you in delivery and
details pain-relieving medication. There is also a large section discussing
epidural anesthesia. She then goes on to give many practical suggestions
for avoiding medication in a hospital setting. The final chapter on
choosing a caregiver is full of important questions to use when interviewing
prospective birth professionals.
After finishing this book,
I was inspired by Gaskin’s positive attitude. I would recommend
the book to any pregnant woman who is interested in educating herself
about choices she will make in childbirth.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:39 UTC 2007.
