Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
by Ina May Gaskin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Ina May GaskinBrand: Random House
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-03-04
ISBN: 0553381156
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Bantam
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Book Reviews of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
Book Review: Not what I expected
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this book based on all the glowing reviews. Since I plan to give birth naturally, I was looking for a book that would help me manage the labor and childbirth process in whatever environment I plan to give birth in. Needless to say, I was very disappointed in this book. I'll just do the review section by section to make this easier to follow.
Part 1: Birth Stories- Most of the birth stories are from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. There were about 4 or 5 from this decade. I think childbirth has changed a lot since the 70s and would have preferred to read more up to date stories. All the stories are from people who have given birth on "The Farm". This gives the book a myopic view and makes many of the stories hard to relate to. I am sure they're intended to be empowering but firstly, giving birth on "The Farm" is not an option for me and many other women. In Georgia, midwives can only deliver babies in hospitals and I am not comfortable with the idea of an unassisted home birth. So, a hospital birth with a midwife is essentially my best option.
Secondly, I am not the type of person that needs external validation or empowerment. I really felt that dedicating so much of the book (pages 3 through 125) to birth stories- especially birth stories that only reflected one type of birth experience- was a waste of space. A few varied birth stories would have been a lot more helpful and relevant.
Part 2: The Essentials of Birth- This was probably the most disappointing part of the book. Ina May starts the chapter by trying to make the birth stories relevant to any birth situation without ever really saying HOW you can do that. She falls back on the experiences of women who give birth at the "Farm" as her proof that the same birth experience is possible in every environment. She also compares the "Farm's" birth statistics to those of the medical community at large. Again, if you're not giving birth at the "Farm", how is this relevant?
There is a too short chapter on labor where the only advice she really gives on managing the pain of labor is the "mind/body" connection and how certain mental blocks can keep labor from progressing. While this may be true, this is not practical advice on how to cope with labor especially for a first time mother who has never been through labor before. She dedicates a full 7 pages to "What Happens in Labor". This is the whole reason why I bought the book and all I get is 7 pages of things that I already know. Not to mention the inordinate amount of space spent explaining the functions of the related body parts and what they do. If you didn't know what the uterus or the cervix was before reading this chapter, you'll get an overly-detailed description.
The chapter called "The Pain/Pleasure Riddle" is essentially a lecture on how society has trained us to view the pain of childbirth. No practical advice...just quoting studies and comparing the birth experience of American women to those from other countries. We also learn in this chapter that women perceive pain differently (gasp!). Then she went on to discuss painless birth and orgasmic birth..all of which is apparently controlled by our minds. So, essentially, it hurts because we think it hurts. She then goes on to contradict herself by saying in the very next chapter that "the women from the Farm know that birth usually hurts--at least the first time you do it..." She follows with the most useful advice in the book by saying that despite the pain, the best thing to do is to relax into the pain rather than resist it. Finally, something I can use while I'm giving birth. The chapter on relaxing the sphincter muscles was also somewhat helpful.
There is a chapter that attempts to explain the different screenings a pregnant woman may encounter during her prenatal care. I really think this kind of information is too little too late in a book that is supposed to be about the actual childbirth. The chapter entitled "Going into Labor" (19 pages) is essentially a comparison of how the midwives at the "Farm" handle labor and how hospitals handle labor. It tells you what procedures to refuse at the hospital (pubic shave, enema, routine IVs, etc...) Other than how necessary it is to eat and drink during labor to keep your energy up, there is no practical advice in this chapter either. The next few chapters briefly discuss pain medications traditionally given in hospitals during labor and some alternatives to those medications as well as episiotomies. The next chapters are basically more lectures, quoted studies, a 10 page section on VBACs, and very little practical advice.
I honestly wanted to like this book but realized by the time I got to the end that it just was not written for the typical woman who is about to give birth. Ina May touts the virtues of giving birth on the "Farm" so much that by the end, I honestly felt that was the only way to have the birth experience she describes. I think one chapter dedicated to discussing the "Farm" would have been much more appropriate than mentioning it in just about every chapter. I also think the book would be better as a reference for midwives than as a book offering advice to mothers-to-be. There just is not a lot of practical advice for the person that actual has to go through the laboring process. I don't necessarily disagree with much of what Ina May wrote and I appreciate her efforts to back up her positions with factual information but it is pure overkill. She digresses way too much and comes off as though she has an ax to grind.
Summary of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
What you need to know to have the best birth experience for you. Drawing upon her thirty-plus years of experience, Ina May Gaskin, the nation?s leading midwife, shares the benefits and joys of natural childbirth by showing women how to trust in the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a healthy and fulfilling birthing experience. Based on the female-centered Midwifery Model of Care, Ina May?s Guide to Natural Childbirth gives expectant mothers comprehensive information on everything from the all-important mind-body connection to how to give birth without technological intervention.Filled with inspiring birth stories and practical advice, this invaluable resource includes:
? Reducing the pain of labor without drugs--and the miraculous roles touch and massage play
? What really happens during labor
? Orgasmic birth--making birth pleasurable
? Episiotomy--is it really necessary?
? Common methods of inducing labor--and which to avoid at all costs
? Tips for maximizing your chances of an unmedicated labor and birth
? How to avoid postpartum bleeding--and depression
? The risks of anesthesia and cesareans--what your doctor
doesn?t necessarily tell you
? The best ways to work with doctors and/or birth care providers
? How to create a safe, comfortable environment for
birth in any setting, including a hospital
? And much more
Ina May?s Guide to Natural Childbirth takes the fear out of childbirth by restoring women?s faith in their own natural power to give birth with more ease, less pain, and less medical intervention.
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