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

by Ina May Gaskin

Most women need encouragement and companionship more than they need drugs. That said, be aware that if your labor is accelerated by intravenous oxytocin, you are likely to experience a significantly greater level of pain than you otherwise would have had. Being upright and moving around may help alleviate this. Remember this, for it is as true as true gets: Your body is not a badly designed machine. You are not a machine. The Creator is not a careless mechanic. Human female bodies have the same potential to give birth well as aardvarks, lions, rhinoceroses, elephants, moose, and water buffalo. Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.

Trust and love make relaxation possible.