Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: Updated With New Material

This book got me through pregnancy and childbirth. I had a wonderful natural birth. All my life I was scared about childbirth. Reading this book gave me the confidence to know that I am capable of a natural and pain- relief free birth if I open my mind to the fact that my body is able to do it. I particularly liked Ina May’s breathing techniques and case studies. It was so informative and actually life changing for me to be honest! I will be revisiting this book when we go to expand our family. Highly recommend!

This book gave me the confidence and empowerment needed to trust in my body's ability to birth naturally. It helped me learn how to work with my body and not against it. It helped me tap into the ancient intuitive practises that women have been using for centuries to birth their babies. I gave birth in a birthing centre in the UK, and I was able to apply most of the strategies from this book successfully. My first Labour was 6.5 hours long and the only thing I used to manage pain was gas and air during transition. I felt in control during my entire labour and this book helped me to accomplish that. I tapped into my feminine powers surrendered to the process. I'm grateful for the wisdom I gained from Ina May.

Ina may gaskin is one of the best midwives to listen to if you are looking for material that will help you have an empowering birth experience. Although based in america you are able to read her book and acknowledge (being uk based) that much of what she says can be transferred to the uk system (in regards to the fear of birth in our culture and the risk averse medicalised model of birth still largely present in the UK, leading to a cascade of intervention). You can't deny shes a bit of a hippie and some things she says you may not be able to get on board with, but for me (having given birth twice) her words reflect largely what ive learnt in hypnobirthing and this book filled my head with positive, empowering and exciting feelings of birth! (follow her on instagram for awesome photos/vids of positive, empowering birth pics)

A fantastic book by a fantastic midwife a book that helped me take control of my babies birth and helped me plan a vba4c at home my son was 2lb heavier than my previous 4 c section babies that were induced and failed to progress when the scan woman kept changing my dates, my cycles are long 32 days and I ovulate late 24 I knew there must be a valid reason why I cooked my babies longer, my son was born at 42 weeks and 3 days spontaneous labour and 6 hrs later he was born at home contractions from start to finish one on top of the other, a perfect textbook homebirth with a fantastic nhs midwife , I've since had 2 more vbacs at home making a total of 3 vaginal births no problems after 4 c sections at home

One of the very few stipulations my wife made after we learned we were going to have a child is that I read this book by the doyenne of natural childbirth in the U.S. While the tone of the book is much too touchy-feely/hippyish for me, I have to admit that it is well worth reading regardless of whether you're planning a natural childbirth or a fully tech'ed out hospital one. That said, it would be very easy to read it as gospel and get swept up in its giddy repudiation of modern medicine, so one should approach it with, if not a skeptical eye, at least with one's critical faculties fully engaged. There is also the potential that readers who are fully committed to a hospital birth may come away from this book feeling scolded, or as if their decision is somehow "wrong". The author is a superstar in the field of natural childbirth, largely as a result of her 35+ years work at "The Farm", a kind of birthing commune in Tennessee. The first half of the book is a compilation of natural childbirth stories written by mothers who've either done it at The Farm, or somehow in conjunction with the author. While these are certainly useful as illustrative examples of how it all goes down, they tend to get rather repetitive and could certainly stand to be scaled back a bit. And for those who know little about the birthing process, some of the terminology can be unclear. Finally, for those who might want to read this book on the subway (like me), be forewarned that there are some pretty graphic photos of childbirthing in this section. The second half of the book walks the reader through the entire process, mostly with the aim of explaining why modern medical childbirthing procedures are not based on the mother's health and needs, but are designed for convenience of the medical establishment. Stuff like epidurals, amnios, fetal monitoring, pitocin, forceps, vacuum extractors, etc. all come under sustained assault. Gaskin makes a convincing case for most of her criticism, with plenty of good examples from historical texts and anthropological research. Perhaps the most striking and compelling examples come from studies of childbirthing in modern Scandinavia. Sometimes Gaskin stretches a little to far in her attempt to debunk every single medical procedure and doesn't always have the most current data. For example, Rhogham does not have any mercury whatsoever any more, and the danger from amniocentesis is vastly overstated. However, simply in terms of the debate over natural childbirth vs. hospital birth, it's awfully hard to argue with the data she's gathered from thousands of natural childbirths. Ultimately the reality is that every mother's experience is different, and there's no technique, approach, or solution that works for everyone. That said, the book did a pretty good job of convincing me that the mother's mental approach to childbirthing and expectations for the experience are the single most important indicator of how it will all go.

I live in England now, but I grew up about 10 miles from The Farm, where Ina May practices. It was quite strange to read about my rural Tennessee home in the birth stories and to see labour pictures of someone who was a guest at my wedding! That aside - I found this an incredible empowering book and I feel so much more calm and confident about my impending labour. Yes, the folks on the Farm are hippies - and yes, that philosophy does come through, but it's not done in an annoying way - and just because they're a bit touchy feely doesn't mean that her findings aren't based on empirical research. This book is a very easy read , too - clearly written, not patronising and not too complex or jargonistic.. I highly recommend this book.

Great birth positive stories for moms to be. Specially if you have grown up believing that birth is gonna be painful and awful no matter what you do. Currently at 5m with my first pregnancy ever and feel more confident and safe thanks to Ms. May :D

It helps you to have a positive mindset about birth

A must must must read for all pregnant ladies out there. Also a must read for everyone giving unsolicited advice to the pregnant ladies!

Highly recommend this book to any pregnant parents, midwives, or doulas! It’s fascinating, easy to understand and informative from cover to cover.

Embracing the sexuality of birth is the most helpful information I got and was a wonderful tool in labor. I might even say that it cut the perceived intensity/pain of the contractions by 50 percent. This and letting out the energy of the contractions by saying "ahhh" to open your body and keep from getting tight and focused on "pain". Contractions are intense, but you feel them coming, get prepared, ride them out, and then they go, rest and they come back with more intensity. Perinneal massage is very helpful and this book was helpful in one story it talks about how the girl knew she had to "get big" and she did. Labor and Birth are a lot about what's going on in your head. Just knowing your body is built for it and being serious about perinneal massage and learning how to relax with a bunch of pressure down there is very helpful. I was able to get through the birth process without interventions--EVEN THOUGH I HAD AN INDUCED BIRTH!!! I had the doctor cut off the oxytocin at 100ml because the contractions were getting very intense and the labor proceeded naturally; got easier and became increasingly more intense naturally. You can do it if you know you got in this mess the same way your going to get out of it--use your sexuality. You can do it. I had an induced birth because of heart reasons in the baby a day and a week after the due date. Baby was 8.2 pounds. I did take Demerol which was helpful and gave me a bit of a rest before transition; but still used the methods I learned in this book; I believe if someone told me that when I was 8cm dialated that that was the worst of it may be I could've skipped it; but a little extra relief is helpful when it comes down to it. I was planning to do a Hypnobirth; but found the breathing impossible to get a hold of during labor may be because of induction or may be just because. It felt like I was drowning trying to breathe through them. I DO however also recommend Hypnobirth to have more tools in labor and the book helps eliminate the feeling of fear going into this. I also recommend watching videos via YouTube about natural birth so you can see how other woman get through this and have more ideas in your head when you go into labor. This is how you prepare for this. Even if you plan on getting a epidural you need these tools of how to cope until you are able to take the meds. No matter how you go you need to be prepared. I wanted a natural birth; but when I look back on the experience even if you completely don't want a natural birth you still need to figure out how your going to deal with it before you get the pain relief. This book is great. I even read all of the birth stories in the beginning when I was finished with it. This book is great because of the methods, stories, and thoughts it stirs about a positive birth experience.

Amazon book to profoundly change your perspective on birth. The book was one of the key factors why I ended up having a homebirth and this was just the right decision for our family. I’ve gifted the book to multiple other pregnant women and it was a highly appreciated gift. It should really be a staple for mums to be.