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2nd out of 74 books
—
65 voters
Spiritual Midwifery
Providing technical expertise for midwives, nurses and doctors, this book features information on labour, delivery, care of the new baby, and breast-feeding, all from a spiritual perspective.
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
April 1st 2002
by Book Publishing Company (TN)
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Feb 12, 2008
Danger Kallisti
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
all women and anyone who likes them
Recommended to Danger by:
Allesandra
It's books like this that really make it clear to me that mainstream culture is completely ass-backwards, especially when it comes to healthcare (and most specifically, OB/GYN). 20 years of successful natural, positive, non-damaging childbirth on The Farm goes a long way toward proving that routine hospitalization of healthy laboring mothers, with its accompanying sexual assault and dehumanization, is in desperate need of re-evaluation.
This book presents the subject of midwifery in a gentle, fun...more
This book presents the subject of midwifery in a gentle, fun...more
Nov 16, 2007
Elizabeth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
hippies
Shelves:
non-fiction,
herbal-natural
Laura found this first edition (1975) at the flea market next door. How could we turn this down? It's the first hand account - told by the mothers and fathers and midwives - of about 200 of the 372 births (thus far) on a giant culty hippie baby making farm in Tennessee. Followed by instructions for prenatal and neonatal care for parents and midwives. The hippie slang is unreal. A good example:
"'We could use some of your energy in here, Clifford.' I sat up and helped get it covered. It was right...more
"'We could use some of your energy in here, Clifford.' I sat up and helped get it covered. It was right...more
5 likes · like · see review
view all 4 comments
This book changed my life. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was lost, I was tired of trying to find direction. One day at the health food store I wandered to the book section and I was drawn to the cover of this book... When I opened the pages it was like the clouds parted and a beam of light spread over me...
At that point I knew I would someday be a midwife. Now I'm in my first year of nursing school with a 5-10 year plan of going back after my BSN to get a master's degree in...more
At that point I knew I would someday be a midwife. Now I'm in my first year of nursing school with a 5-10 year plan of going back after my BSN to get a master's degree in...more
5 likes · like · see review
Jan 24, 2008
Beth
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone considering homebirth
Recommended to Beth by:
Donna Hensley
This is the greatest book...in it I found a lot of the inspiration I needed to be able to birth at home. Ina May Gaskin is one of the greatest midwives of our time, I do believe. She is a pioneer in the field, and the Farm still provides services for those who wish a natural birth in more diffcult circumstances like breach or multis.
The talk is real hippie as the women tell their birth stories in the beginning of the book, and I love the spirit of the community and women as they gather together...more
The talk is real hippie as the women tell their birth stories in the beginning of the book, and I love the spirit of the community and women as they gather together...more
2 likes · like · see review
I read this book before the home births of each of my three children. Yes, it's hokey. Yes, it's dated. There's a lot of long hair, beards and wire-rimmed glasses. BUT the pictures and birth stories are worth it. When I was looking for information on healthy, involved births, Ina May Gaskin provided a variety of experiences in this book. I did find the lack of racial/ethnic diversity to be a turn off, but oh, well. If you're looking for open, positive, and detailed stories about births, this is...more
1 like · like · see review
My husband and I were of divided minds on this one. I was able to get past the sort of hippie-go-lucky language and tone of the book to the meat of it--namely, that childbirth is a wonderful natural process that can go much better for the mother when she is surrounded by supportive individuals who are acting on her behalf and the baby's in a personal way rather than in a institutional, impersonal, intervention focused hospital. Obviously if a woman feels cared for and relaxed and at ease, anythi...more
2 likes · like · see review
"Why," you surely ask, "is a man reviewing Spiritual Midwifery?"
Frankly put, I delivered two of my children at home. Yes, there was a midwife looking over my shoulder, but I did all the dirty work with my wife. From start to finish, these pregnancies were ours.
Ina May Gaskin's book is . . . well, groovy is the word. It's not a real how-to, nuts and bolts guide to home delivery, though it does explain in great (and graphic, not for young children) detail the mechanics of it all. It also offers s...more
Frankly put, I delivered two of my children at home. Yes, there was a midwife looking over my shoulder, but I did all the dirty work with my wife. From start to finish, these pregnancies were ours.
Ina May Gaskin's book is . . . well, groovy is the word. It's not a real how-to, nuts and bolts guide to home delivery, though it does explain in great (and graphic, not for young children) detail the mechanics of it all. It also offers s...more
The hippie language turned me off. I can't help it if I grew up in San Francisco in the '80s
and am programmed to roll my eyes at terms like "turned on" (even though I just used
"turned off" - they are completely different!), "getting high" without drugs, "being
telepathic", etc. The making out while in labor stuff both interested me and grossed me
out depending on the story, but it also made me feel like I'll never learn how to relax my
mouth properly because my husband and I won't be kissing m...more
and am programmed to roll my eyes at terms like "turned on" (even though I just used
"turned off" - they are completely different!), "getting high" without drugs, "being
telepathic", etc. The making out while in labor stuff both interested me and grossed me
out depending on the story, but it also made me feel like I'll never learn how to relax my
mouth properly because my husband and I won't be kissing m...more
My husband and a pregnant and beaming I, were attending a very moving Greek/Kiwi wedding on Waiheke Island and we met a radiant couple who taught Yoga among other esteemed things. She recommended this book to me.
When borrowing it from the local Library I was heartened to view its 70s cover. Ina May Gaskin and her 'faith' intrigued and perplexed me. Does anyone know - is she Christian with a smidgin of Buddhism? Her faith was never explicitly explained I guess cos it's not the point of the book,...more
When borrowing it from the local Library I was heartened to view its 70s cover. Ina May Gaskin and her 'faith' intrigued and perplexed me. Does anyone know - is she Christian with a smidgin of Buddhism? Her faith was never explicitly explained I guess cos it's not the point of the book,...more
this book and I are old friends, from its beginnings as a chapter in the "Hey Beatnik This Is The Farm! 'zie that portrayed life on the Tennessee Farm in its early years (early 1970s) through every edition of the full guide for midwives and collection of birthing stories that has appeared. I have to chuckle a bit at those who refer to the contriobutors' "hippie language" - hey, if you think recent editions talk Hippie, ou should get our hands on a first edtio, where there is frequent comparison...more
This has been, and still is, a very important book for pregnancy. Ina May's desire to change the way we think about birth is admirable.
That said, this book was not useful to me when I was pregnant, nor did it help prepare me for birth. In fact, for someone who was already of the mind that birth should be woman-centered and fear-free, this book increased my guilt about the fact that I hated being pregnant--I was sick the entire time. In my son's birth, medical intervention was necessary, but Ina...more
That said, this book was not useful to me when I was pregnant, nor did it help prepare me for birth. In fact, for someone who was already of the mind that birth should be woman-centered and fear-free, this book increased my guilt about the fact that I hated being pregnant--I was sick the entire time. In my son's birth, medical intervention was necessary, but Ina...more
This book is a collection of stories about women who gave birth on The Farm in the 70s. A lot of the stories blended together and the flow of the book seemed a little disjointed to me. By about midway through the book I was kind of over it and was pleasantly surprised to see that 50% of the book is advice and instructions for parents and wanna-be midwives. It focuses a lot on "spiritual highs" and "psychedelic experiences" and getting "stoned" and talk about "auras" and "telepathic connections"....more
Jun 08, 2008
Astrid
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone even remotely interested in birth
Don't be turned off by the outdated language and fashion in this book. It has the potential to change your whole outlook on birth and pregnancy. Even just reading the first half, which is all birthing stories, is very inspiring. There is also information for parents and midwives. I would highly recommend this book to current or future parents, midwives, or those who want to be supportive of a friend or family member's birthing.
Everyone who has researched childbirth options is likely to be familiar with this standard of natural childbirth literature. When I picked it up at random in a bookstore and saw the long-haired hippie pictures, I knew I had to read it. The fact that it centers on a spiritual-oriented commune ("the Farm") formed in Tennessee in the 70's made it all the more fascinating. (The whole weight of the realization that people really lived that way - recently!)
The book is a collection of birth stories and...more
The book is a collection of birth stories and...more
Loved the birth stories even though sometimes the hippie-ness of it is a little off putting. E.g., there are people who've had amazing natural childbirth experiences who don't need to live in the middle of nowhere, prefer the word contraction to rushes and would never use the word "psychedelic" to describe anything and I wish there were more of those so that women considering non-medicated birth could have that "Aah, she's just like me" moment of recognition. But overall the stories were inspiri...more
I finally read Ina May Gaskin's books. I have no idea why I didn't read them when I was pregnant. I think they weren't at the library and then I forgot. Anyway, I decided to just buy them. I read this one first since she wrote it first. The first edition was published in 1975. Some of the birth stories are pretty funny because these were a bunch of hippies in the 70's so there are lots of "psychedelic" and "trips" language. But the stories themselves are really interesting and great to read if y...more
It's certainly not the most original thing to say, but I was profoundly changed by Spiritual Midwifery's early edition (created in the 1970s). The latest edition is so significantly different as to count as a separate book, in my mind. Both editions are vital to independent birth knowledge/learning.
O MY GOSH you have to read this book if you are going to or have given birth at home or just want to have a wide awake natural childbirth!!! It left me with the confident knowledge that I wasn't the first, I won't be the last, and birth first and foremost belongs to women, not doctors.
As a mother, this was a great read. I read it after the birth of my first child in a hospital, and it changed the course of how I would birth my daughters, and my journey into becoming a midwife.
The birth stories alone are worth buying and reading this book. My copy is well-loved and will need to be replaced eventually. Due to the people who shared their stories, some of the language (being "high", "psychedelic births") may be off-putting to some, but read past it.
The basic midwifery skills at...more
The birth stories alone are worth buying and reading this book. My copy is well-loved and will need to be replaced eventually. Due to the people who shared their stories, some of the language (being "high", "psychedelic births") may be off-putting to some, but read past it.
The basic midwifery skills at...more
Holy wow, where do I even start? I guess I have to start by saying two things:
1) This book changed my life.
2) I think every single woman should read this book.
Although the central theme of the book is midwifery, in essence, it's just this really, really amazing book that makes you feel incredible and powerful about being a woman. I think there needs to be a lot more of that in the world today. Woman are brought up to feel bad about being a woman. We're taught that our bodies are ugly and unheal...more
1) This book changed my life.
2) I think every single woman should read this book.
Although the central theme of the book is midwifery, in essence, it's just this really, really amazing book that makes you feel incredible and powerful about being a woman. I think there needs to be a lot more of that in the world today. Woman are brought up to feel bad about being a woman. We're taught that our bodies are ugly and unheal...more
A trippy hippy book about Ina May and her adventures at "The Farm" including homebirth midwifery and the works. It is an honest, graphic book (well, it's natural birth, what do you expect?).
Insightful, educational, beautifully written.
Insightful, educational, beautifully written.
This book helped me to push out a healthy child with minimal interference. Just reading other womens' natural birth stories and some handy tips from the midwives (get on hands and knees! bellow like a cow! the sphincter law!) gave me the extra confidence I needed that my baby would come out gracefully, in a candlelit room with cats and dear friends, not a brightly lit hospital room where I would get bossed around.
I recommend it to anybody even remotely considering a natural birth for their fami...more
I recommend it to anybody even remotely considering a natural birth for their fami...more
Forewarning: this book (and many, many others that discuss natural childbirth) include graphic photos. That is, most women are completely naked while giving birth and there are often full-body shots.
Reading the myriad of birth stories in the front of this book is sure to answer many of the questions of anyone considering a home birth - that is once you move pass the dated vernacular ("giving some", psychedelic, "getting telepathic" and "feeling heavy" are all very common).
The section to parents...more
Reading the myriad of birth stories in the front of this book is sure to answer many of the questions of anyone considering a home birth - that is once you move pass the dated vernacular ("giving some", psychedelic, "getting telepathic" and "feeling heavy" are all very common).
The section to parents...more
This book made me so excited about giving birth when I was pregnant! This book details the experiences of the women of "the farm" who became self-taught midwives from their extensive experiences helping each other deliver babies without medical intervention. This book empowers the pregnant woman to rethink pregnancy, birth, and her body as well as gives practical and essential information about pregnancy, birth, parenting/caring for your infant, etc. You can have a natural childbirth! Read this...more
I received this book from my step dad at my baby shower! I've heard many great things about the legendary Ina Mae Gaskin and have seen her latest appearance on documentary "The Business of Being Born" produced by Rikki Lake. This book does not advocate "anti-medical intervention", however it does revive the lost art of midwifery, the beauty of natural birth and empowerment of women to take back the birthing process as nature intended. Great information and provides women with coping mechanisms f...more
Some powerful insights in this book. What I liked the most was Ina's awareness of energy and how it affects the birthing process. I understood that part well, though I felt most at home when Ina went deeper into explaining it. Everything makes so much sense and it is suitable for all women and even men to read. I feel a close connection to Ina and the women on the farm, I feel like one of them now, and because of that I have even a stronger belief in my own body. We women are too quick to hand o...more
This made me more prepared for the road ahead in pregnancy that most other books. The book has an atmosphere of acceptance and love and it really comforts a person facing the unknown. If you have any fear about your ability to labor and birth, I highly suggest you read this followed by her newer guide to childbirth, then Birthing From Within by Pam England. There is a technical aspect too in the section for midwifes, but it is universal reading material worth your while as a new mom embarking on...more
1 like · like · see review
I liked this, but not as much as I expected to. It was great to read so many stories from women who view birth as a normal, natural thing, but their laid back, super relaxed attitudes become a difficult standard to live up to. Some stories, and Ina May's comments, make me feel like if I complain during labor, or don't enjoy it, or don't make out with my husband during it, I will not only make things ten times more difficult for myself, but I will somehow give natural birth a bad name.
I still th...more
I still th...more
My favorite childbirth book ever. Yes, it is a 70's hippy book but truth is truth from generation to generation. I love the hippy pics. But even if you don't, this book is packed with so much information, your mind will be on overload. Practical advice, sane advice, safe advice, loving advice. Information, explanations, personal stories, diagrams, illustrations, this book has it all! A real book about real women, real babies, and real births. This book will change how you think about pregnancy a...more
Holy hippies batman. Look, I went to school in Boulder, Colorado - I know cosmic and am one with the Reiki but this book brings it to a whole new level. I skimmed some of it. Maybe I'm just in the wrong mood, but I was having a hard time getting birth stories from "The Farm" commune to relate to my natural hospital childbirth goal. I found Natural Hospital Birth: The Best of Both Worlds by Cynthia Gabriel to be much, much more helpful for where I am. And some of what they did in the "early day"...more
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Ina May Gaskin, MA, CPM, is founder and director of the Farm Midwifery Center, located near Summertown, Tennessee. Founded in 1971, by 1996, the Farm Midwifery Center had handled more than 2200 births, with remarkably good outcomes. Ms. Gaskin herself has attended more than 1200 births. She is author of Spiritual Midwifery, now in its fourth edition. For twenty-two years she published Birth Gazett...more
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