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, but her extreme warmth for humanity, her generosity, her faith and her gentle strength streamed through her words on these pages.
I will admit it's not a book I read or would recommend reading from cover to cover, and also not one I'd recommend at the end of your pregnancy, because I believe there comes a point where one should disengage from others' experience of birth and focus on the birth, you, your baby and your birthing team are creating.
This book is essentially a collection of stories from the 70s? about births. There's greater romance than I'm telling here, because the book tells the story also of how this collective of midwives grew from Ina May to a raft of 'disciples' who lived in housebuses in a large community together and served the greater community.
The strongest thing I took from this reading, is that I don't have to be an angry birthing mother-to-be. I can be loving and gentle with my partner. As Ina May says "What put the baby in there, can bring the baby out." So, being loving and even 'smoochy' with your partner (I personally didn't quite make it to the smoochy stage in my 8 hours of birthing) can aid the process. She illuminated the fact that not all birthing stories are challenging or unpleasant and that some people genuinely (they're not lying) ENJOY birthing.
She also suggested the conscious use of language, so converting 'contractions' into 'rushes'.
Ina May Gaskin is a taonga.