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 Empowering
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading this book, I realized that all of the things that went wrong in my first labor were not my fault. My baby was two weeks overdue so I was induced using pitocin. I was not dilating quickly enough, so after 12 hours the doctor broke my bag of waters, instantly putting me in back labor. I had decided to give birth naturally, without drugs but after an hour of heavy contractions, I lost control. The pain was so bad I started to hyperventilate. I begged the nurses to bring me drugs. I was treated with narcotics. Luckily, by the time the narcotics wore off I was ready to push and a healthy baby boy was born moments later. The only complication I experienced was bleeding after the placenta was expelled.
After learning about the dangers of pitocin from this book, I realized that the horrible contractions I experienced were actually intensified by the pitocin. Had I not been given pitocin, I probably would have been able to manage the pain without the use of narcotics. If I had had a labor coach, doula or midwife, I would have been in a more relaxed state. If I had just gotten up and moved around during back labor, or gotten into some hot water, perhaps the pain would not have caused me to panic. I was not aware of my options and I just laid there on my back, suffering needlessly.
Because I bled so much after the placenta was expelled, I assumed that giving birth in a hospital is what saved my life. It wasn't until I read this book that I learned that pitocin can actually cause the uterus to bleed after expelling the placenta. I realized that pitocin was the culprit in all of the situations that caused me the most pain and danger. If I had given my body a chance to labor naturally, I know I would not have been in so much pain or bled the way I did.
Reading this book has given me the confidence to give natural birth a second try. I'm much more aware of my body's power and natural abilities after reading this book. Although I'm going to give birth in a hospital again this time around, I found a doctor who respects my wishes to give birth naturally. I wish I could have a midwife but this doctor's practice won't allow it and our insurance wouldn't cover it. At least this time around, I'll be aware of what my body is supposed to do, and I'll make sure to be an active participant in the labor, versus just lying there on my back.
Book Review: All Parents-To-Be: BUY THIS BOOK AND MEMORIZE IT!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am related by marriage to a midwife, so I have heard the gospel of homebirth for years. But the books she lent me had publication dates from my grade school and junior high years, so I often sneakily wondered--is it still really that bad? Then I started prenatal visits for my own first baby, and yes, it pretty much is. I am going to a doctor to keep an eye out for conditions that would call for the resources of a hospital--but if there aren't any, I'm staying home to have this baby. Read this book and you may decide the same thing.
Without scare tactics, and with plenty of solid data to back her up, Ina May provides a timely antidote for the overly mechanical, overly pharmaceutical way of childbirth that is still the conventional wisdom in most U.S. hospitals. She makes the chilling point that a lot of so-called necessary medical procedures--procedures that can increase the stress and dangers of childbirth--are based on modern physicians' ignorance of how birth really works. Ina May quotes from medical texts written before many of the drugs and procedures now used in "routine" hospital births were invented. The doctors who wrote those old books did something most modern obstetricians have never done: they observed normal births, over and over and over. They took for granted things that have been forgotten by modern medical schools. Ina May combines this old medical model of childbirth with her own vast experience in midwifery to guide you through what really happens during labor and what you (you plural--Mom *and* Dad) really can and should do.
Ina May will steer you safely between the artificial terrors of modern obstetrics and the artificial transcendentalism of many pregnancy handbooks. Her common-sense advice will help you sleep at night and click on a lot of light bulbs over your head. You will close the book feeling the truth of Ina May's pungent closing line: "Your body is not a lemon!"
UPDATE--JULY 2006: I've given birth twice since I wrote the above review and I still stand by every word. Whether you plan to give birth at home, in a birthing center, or at a hospital, take a childbirth education class for the basic details of the birth process--but read this book to fill in the inevitable gaps.
Book Review: This book is great for everybody especially for creating your own birth plan
Summary: 5 Stars
While the book is written from a "hippish" stand-point, I really think there is no other book that a pregant woman ought to read. I had horrible experiences with my first two pregnancies, including being put on pitocin prematurely and having to endure a two day labor by myself while my doctor was home enjoying Thanksgiving dinner ( a woman should NEVER be left alone while being given pitocin). The pain from the medication was so great I screamed and the nurse just opened the door and said "Stop screaming you're scaring the baby". During my second labor I was not allowed to use the bathroom. Fortunately, I found this book while pregnant with my third child. I was appalled at the way I had been treated in the two different hospitals I had given birth in previously. I used this book to write a very comprehensive birth plan and gave it to both my doctor and the hospital. I was waited on hand and foot. No decision was made concerning my labor and delivery without my consent and I was never left alone. My birthing plan had specifically stated that I should not be given pitocin, and after I had given birth I hemorrhaged, and the doctor explained that the pitocin would contract the muscles and stop the hemorrhaging and I gladly accepted. The birth and my stay and the treatment after birth was night and day to what it was like with out my birth plan. I would have had no idea what to put in it with out this book. Oh, by the way, if you do decide to write a birth plan without reading this book, make sure you include that in case of a cesarean section they double stitch, and make sure the placenta stops pulsing before cutting the cord. Use your precious life-giving cord blood to benefit your own baby instead of donating it. And make sure you do a comprehensive study of vaccinations before consenting to them. If you decide not to have the hospital give the baby the Hep B shot don't let your baby out of your sight because some nurses will give the shot anyway without your knowledge. A very good book to read on this subject is the Vaccine Safety Manual by Neil Z. Miller.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.