Spiritual Midwifery
by Ina May Gaskin
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 621)
Read in July, 2008
recommended to Jamie by:
a doularecommends it for: people interested 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 "...more
However, after a while I had trouble "...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
hippies
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 cov...more
"'We could use some of your energy in here, Clifford.' I sat up and helped get it cov...more
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i'm starting a new virtual bookshelf for pregnancy/childbirth/parenting books i like because there are many i don't like and i'd love to save people from wading through the loads of [what i consider] crap that i have.
my lamaze instructor lent me this book and it stayed on the coffee table for a few weeks because the title and the cover gave me the new age willies (if you're shopping for a band name, feel free to use that phrase). well, it's awesome. ina may gaskin is a midwife and lived (l...more
my lamaze instructor lent me this book and it stayed on the coffee table for a few weeks because the title and the cover gave me the new age willies (if you're shopping for a band name, feel free to use that phrase). well, it's awesome. ina may gaskin is a midwife and lived (l...more
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Read in January, 2007
recommended to Robin by:
Kaellaghrecommends it for: every pregnant woman
This book made all the difference in the world in how I delivered my first baby, Satori. I actually came upon this book by chance on one of my friend's bookshelves. She wanted to lend me Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, which is her more mainstream (less hippie) book on childbirth.
But there was something the drew me to this book and I borrowed it as well. From the moment I opened this book, I knew I would like it. There is something about the hippie movement that pulls me (the back to ...more
But there was something the drew me to this book and I borrowed it as well. From the moment I opened this book, I knew I would like it. There is something about the hippie movement that pulls me (the back to ...more
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This book is amazing. It is a beautiful book that shows women that childbirth need not be an terrible, frightening and awful experience. I will begin by saying that the book is filled with pictures of hippies giving birth and that the Farm is a commune (a successful one- rare), but should not be discounted because of this. Ina May and the women and men who tell their birth stories do so in a heartfelt way that is honest and touching. They tell it like it is and show that anyone can have a tra...more
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Read in January, 2003
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...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...more
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Read in August, 2008
Um. There were quite a few more "birth stories" than I had originally realized (over 200 pp.), and most of them were literally from another culture. So the words like "heavy" for "serious" and whatnot were rather distracting, but in a way it made me realize that these were simply people telling their own stories.
I didn't like the weird parts put in my Ina May's husband, Stephen, who evidently is his own religious leader of/at The Farm. Some of the artwork was...more
I didn't like the weird parts put in my Ina May's husband, Stephen, who evidently is his own religious leader of/at The Farm. Some of the artwork was...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommended to Danger by:
Allesandrarecommends it for: all women and anyone who likes them
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...more
This book presents the subject of midwifery in a gentle...more
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Read in July, 2008
How much do I love finally reading a pregnancy book that uses the term "pussy"? And although this book is definitely seeped in a time and place and mindset (labor is often compared to "tripping"), this book actually seems more compassionate (and less preachy) about writing towards folks with diverse expectations. Sure, my baby's going to show up in a hospital, probably with plenty of pain meds. But still, I pick this up to feel empowered, and leave it feeling like I really...more
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Read in March, 2007
recommended to Beth by:
Donna Hensleyrecommends it for: Anyone considering homebirth
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 toge...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 toge...more
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This is the true tale of Ina May Gaskin and her husband's followers. She's credited by many for bringing midwifery back to the United States in the 60s. The book tells the psychedelic story of hippies, traveling in converted school busses from college to college having babies all along the way. Eventually they settle on a commune called "The Farm". These women smoked pot through their labor pains, and had orgasms during birth. As crazy as it seems, reading this book was very reas...more
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Read in June, 2008
This book is divided up into thirds: birth stories, information for the parent, information for the midwife. This makes this book is fucking cool no matter who you are--someone interested in a very interesting cultural moment, an expectant parent, or someone (like me) who wants to take babies out of ladies for a living.
The other incredible thing about this book is that it really lays out to you, technical manual style, everything you would need to know to pinch-hit for a midwife, if not get ...more
The other incredible thing about this book is that it really lays out to you, technical manual style, everything you would need to know to pinch-hit for a midwife, if not get ...more
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Read in June, 2004
i love this book as a woman and as a women's healthcare provider. it is a great book for pregnant women who want to really know what's going on in their pregnancy and to have a natural pregnancy and childbirth. it has some great sections for mothers and fathers-to-be and some good self care sections. but my favorite aspect of this book are the birth stories - its rare to find such a wealth of natural childbirth stories in our culture. they are moving and inspirational, and i think reading or ...more
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When hippies give birth. Well...this book is awesome just from the earthy crunchie aspect of birth. You have to give props to women who birth on vans and on farms. I read this book and was convinced I was going to get all earthy groovy with my son's birth.
Then I end up being induced in a hospital. Oh well.
However, it's really cool to read the birth stories of these women and Ida Mae Gaskin (from The Farm...when you can still deliver your baby even today, by the way) is one amazing woman...more
Then I end up being induced in a hospital. Oh well.
However, it's really cool to read the birth stories of these women and Ida Mae Gaskin (from The Farm...when you can still deliver your baby even today, by the way) is one amazing woman...more
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I'll admit it took me a while to get over the way that Ina May and others in this book speak. At first I found it distracting, but once I got into the mentality of The Farm, I found this book very inspiring. It contains a lot of very detailed information on anatomy and the practice of midwifery, but the best part is the stories. This book is packed full of real-life accounts of natural births- some good, some bad, but all amazing. When I finished, I felt empowered to give birth naturally and abl...more
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Read in January, 2008
Fabulously informative book. This book would be a perfect gift for an expecting mother looking to get in touch with the changes in her body and the wonder of childbirth. Ina Mae was a midwife for a caravanning hippie commune in the sixties, learned much of the trade on the fly, and recorded her expertise and dozens of amazing birth stories in this volume. The book has a ton of practical information and just about everything (and more) you'd ever want to know about being pregnant and/or deliverin...more
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Read in January, 1993
recommended to June by:
my midwife
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
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Read in July, 2007
This was really good in some ways, less good in others.
The first part is empowering birth stories. I loved that. The second part was very detailed information for people who are midwives. I read it and learned a lot, but most of it wasn't something I'd ever need to know.
What I hated was her use of less than flattering terms. I'm fine with vagina, urethra, etc. When I read a book by a midwife I don't expect to see slang - even if it's as mild as "pee hole." Seriously. The...more
The first part is empowering birth stories. I loved that. The second part was very detailed information for people who are midwives. I read it and learned a lot, but most of it wasn't something I'd ever need to know.
What I hated was her use of less than flattering terms. I'm fine with vagina, urethra, etc. When I read a book by a midwife I don't expect to see slang - even if it's as mild as "pee hole." Seriously. The...more
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I was expecting much more from this book. Some of the birth stories are good but the "routine" practices of the midwives made me cringe. ARM, routine eye drops for the poor babies, waaaay too many VEs, enemas for the mamas, episiotomies, taking the baby away from the mother for unnecessary baths, etc. I know it was in the 70s but the book I read was the new edition and the stuff in the back on midwife practices was just antiquated nonsense still. I'm currently reading Ina May's Pra...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
anybody who wants to learn more about natural childbirth
Ina may gaskin is the foremost expert on natural childbirth in the US and probably the world. She lives on "the farm" in tennessee where she and her husband have a clinic for expectant mothers. She kept records of when she started delivering babies till now and her low rate of c-sections and impressively low need for emergency intervention are an awesome example for people who think childbirth is high tech. i would recommend this book to anybody looking for alternatives to a hospital ...more
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