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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Love me some Ina May. Guide to Childbirth remains the more down-to-earth, accessible read.
For some reason, I'm just not into reading birth stories at the moment. I guess I read so many birth stories during my first pregnancy that I'm kind of birth storied-out. So I skipped the first half of the book. I'm sure they're wonderful. The second half was informative, but some of the information was definitely out of date. Also, sometimes it's just too hands-on for me. It's nice to read about how the processes work- particularly about the emotional side of things, but episiotomies and such? Blech. Could stand a new edition, but I guess that's why Ina May came out with her "Guide to Childbirth."
I may pick this up again when I'm at a different place. Right now, I'm just not into it.
I may pick this up again when I'm at a different place. Right now, I'm just not into it.
If you can get past the 70s hippy hair, you will find that this is actually an incredibly informative read. Definitely following the no-intervention unless necessary route, this should be compulsory reading to any mums-to-be who fear childbirth. It explains everything 1) through personal experiences, and 2) from the perspective that childbirth is natural and shouldn't be feared. Fear leads to tension, tension leads to adrenaline building up and blocking endorphins, and that leads to pain.
Gaskin definitely embraces the positive, unlike some of the other famous pregnancy 'bibles' which highlight every possible thing that could go wrong. This is the type of book that should be essential reading for mums-to-be, and complications should be dealt with by your healthcare practitioner as and when they arise.
Having said all this, I'm due to give birth in a month for the first time, so chances are I might be screaming out for an epidural. However, having read this I'm at least not living in dread of giving in birth.
Gaskin definitely embraces the positive, unlike some of the other famous pregnancy 'bibles' which highlight every possible thing that could go wrong. This is the type of book that should be essential reading for mums-to-be, and complications should be dealt with by your healthcare practitioner as and when they arise.
Having said all this, I'm due to give birth in a month for the first time, so chances are I might be screaming out for an epidural. However, having read this I'm at least not living in dread of giving in birth.
I'm happy I picked up Gaskin's first book and I appreciate a lot about it. Much about it is timeless & classic with regards to natural childbirth and I gained a lot of confidence and knowledge from the slew of positive birth stories the first part contains. The pictures of happylong-haired hippie mommas birthing and being with their babies with bearded papas nearby were entertaining, as was the 70's psychedelic artwork that decorates every page.
However, after a while I had trouble "integrating" each person's incessant use of hippie phraseology--it stopped being entertaining and started being annoying! It would've helped if I'd slowed down and read just a few stories a day, I think, but I was in a hurry to move on. Here's a juicy quote that shows what I mean: "I felt higher than I ever had in my life. It was such a heavy spirtual experience, and so much fun. In between rushes I'd laugh at how telepathic it was" (70, Carol's story). If the birth was going well, everyone was "telepathic" and "psychedelic" and the woman was able to "integrate the rushes" even though it was "so heavy." If there were stressed out people in the room, including the mother, the opposite of those things went on and everyone tried to right the environment. I have no doubt that timeless, true concepts are behind each of these phrases; I totally respect those concepts and I hope to come to know them (in a positive way!) for myself. My only problem with this book is that the dated wording got in the way of my enjoyment.
I respect this book for the classic that it is, but I thought *Ina May's Guide to Childbirth* was much, much better.
However, after a while I had trouble "integrating" each person's incessant use of hippie phraseology--it stopped being entertaining and started being annoying! It would've helped if I'd slowed down and read just a few stories a day, I think, but I was in a hurry to move on. Here's a juicy quote that shows what I mean: "I felt higher than I ever had in my life. It was such a heavy spirtual experience, and so much fun. In between rushes I'd laugh at how telepathic it was" (70, Carol's story). If the birth was going well, everyone was "telepathic" and "psychedelic" and the woman was able to "integrate the rushes" even though it was "so heavy." If there were stressed out people in the room, including the mother, the opposite of those things went on and everyone tried to right the environment. I have no doubt that timeless, true concepts are behind each of these phrases; I totally respect those concepts and I hope to come to know them (in a positive way!) for myself. My only problem with this book is that the dated wording got in the way of my enjoyment.
I respect this book for the classic that it is, but I thought *Ina May's Guide to Childbirth* was much, much better.
This is a must read for any birth worker or future parent. I absolutely love this book and the natural approche to birth that it discusses. I also love the hippie lingo!
An excellent perspective on pregnancy and childbirth from a clear expert, covering a lot of material. Much of the content is targeted directly towards practicing or aspiring midwives, so as an expecting parent there were several sections I skimmed through or skipped entirely, but there was a lot I really found helpful, especially in Ina May’s philosophy and her ideas on the role of energy exchange and attitude during labor. If you’re a pregnant person trying to decide what kind of birthing experience you’re looking for, I’d recommend taking a look at this.