Ina May Gaskin's Guide To Childbirth and Birthing from Within

[nstewart]

I'm looking at purchasing these books and am hoping to hear from other mamas:

Are these books suited to an e-reader format, or should I buy the paper version?  Some books just are not as well suited to an e-reader as others.  (Our public library has neither!!!)

What other books do you mammas recommend in preparation for a homebirth?

[pokeyAC]

I read Ina May's book on my Kindle and it was fine.  She has photos from births, but they were easy to see on the page.  I don't remember any charts or anything that would have been hard to see on an eReader.  I also would like to buy the actual book some day just to have it because I am a doula and it's such a great book.  I haven't read Birthing from Within yet.  I have a paper copy.  It's a larger book so I'm not sure how it will fit on the page electronically.  I think it might be more visual than the other book so it might not work as well.  I will have to check when I get home.  I bet you could find a good used copy somewhere.

[nstewart]

Originally Posted by pokeyAC 

I read Ina May's book on my Kindle and it was fine.  She has photos from births, but they were easy to see on the page.  I don't remember any charts or anything that would have been hard to see on an eReader.  I also would like to buy the actual book some day just to have it because I am a doula and it's such a great book.  I haven't read Birthing from Within yet.  I have a paper copy.  It's a larger book so I'm not sure how it will fit on the page electronically.  I think it might be more visual than the other book so it might not work as well.  I will have to check when I get home.  I bet you could find a good used copy somewhere.

Thanks!  Looking for a used copy is a great suggestion!  I'll check for both used and download Ina May's book to my Kindle if I can't find it used (I do love the convenience of my Kindle but there's still something to holding a paper book in your hands).

[IdentityCrisisMama]

"Birthing from Within" is my least favorite homebirth book - I really dislike the style. I would say that it's probably a book to have in paper form if it's your type of thing.  

I liked both Ina May's books but they're also a bit "hippie" for me. 

My favorite birth book (by far) is a book called "Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care".  I would think it a fine read by ebook. Though I do wish I owned it. 

[nstewart]

Originally Posted by IdentityCrisisMama 

"Birthing from Within" is my least favorite homebirth book - I really dislike the style. I would say that it's probably a book to have in paper form if it's your type of thing.  

I liked both Ina May's books but they're also a bit "hippie" for me. 

My favorite birth book (by far) is a book called "Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care".  I would think it a fine read by ebook. Though I do wish I owned it. 

Thanks!  I'm an avid reader so I'll check for this one too.  Maybe the public library here actually owns it!

May I ask what about Birthing From Within you disliked (not sure what you mean by style)?  I was planning on reading it because someone else had suggested it but I really appreciate feedback on my choices (I know nothing and like to learn as much as possible).

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Originally Posted by nstewart 

May I ask what about Birthing From Within you disliked (not sure what you mean by style)?  I was planning on reading it because someone else had suggested it but I really appreciate feedback on my choices (I know nothing and like to learn as much as possible).

Some people LOVE that book. It's definitely worth a read. I can't remember much of it (I read it before my first birth 10 years ago) but I remember really, really not liking it. A brief look at the Amazon scanned pages reminds me that there is quite a bit of negativity contained within the message of "dispelling negativity". But, I really don't know - just didn't like it. And you may and that's what's great about the world of hombirth mamas!  

I did really like Hypnobirth - not a book but a great meditation recording (I think it does come with a book but I just used the tapes). 

[berrymama]

Originally Posted by nstewart 

Thanks!  I'm an avid reader so I'll check for this one too.  Maybe the public library here actually owns it!

May I ask what about Birthing From Within you disliked (not sure what you mean by style)?  I was planning on reading it because someone else had suggested it but I really appreciate feedback on my choices (I know nothing and like to learn as much as possible).

I suggested this in our May 2013 group. Now that I am re-reading, I am realizing that there is a lot that I don't like (basically the first half). It is very centered on getting over emotional hurdles re: birth, connecting mindfully to your baby, birth art, etc. There is one chapter on homebirth specifically. The second half is better: discusses birthing positions, letting go, pain relief techniques (I really liked practicing breathing through 'contractions' by holding ice, but you can probably google that exercise and do it without the book).

My favorite book is an old one (I found a used copy on Amazon, and it looks like there are a lot listed for <$4 plus shipping) called Special Delivery by Rahima Baldwin: A guide to creating the birth you want for you and your baby. If you can find a copy, it is really great. It covers prenatal info, planning for the birth (lists), very detailed description of labor progression/birth, lots of breathing exercises, positions for various stages, roles for the support person at various stages of labor, spiritual and psychological aspects of pregnancy and birth, the newborn, and post-partum. Great photos throughout.

[NewMamaMidwife]

Definitely buy Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and of course Spiritual Midwifery if you haven't read it yet.  Just reading all the wonderful birth stories in them is inspiring and important to help you trust in the natural process of labor and birth.  You just have to get used to the hippie 70s lingo in SM.  

Birthing From Within is a great book, it has lots of exercises to do while pregnant to help connect with your baby, specifically focused on birth art. Maybe not as good on an e-reader because there are lots of graphics and margin notes.

I also really enjoyed Deepak Chopra's "Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives." He looks at childbirth in a very spiritual way and also with an Ayurvedic approach which is new to me but I found it really helpful and interesting.  Lots of tips on diet and daily yoga stretches and things like that.  Several things really stuck with me after reading this book.

Oh and "Heart & Hands" is a wonderful book, more of a textbook but in a very readable layman's terms sort of way.  It is a must-read for student midwives so it has tons of practical information on the process of labor and birth if that is more what you were looking for.

Wish you a happy healthy pregnancy! 

[amlikam]

I know this is a relatively old thread but wanted to just share that Birthing Within is a great book if you feel you have some emotional work to do, or if you want to connect in a different way to your pregnancy. I would say if you are not interested in doing some of the art exercises and looking for a good general childbirth/position book it there are other books to meet that need. That being said I feel the emotional preparedness aspect of childbirth is something most books talk about but don't give you tips on how to access that inner place. Personally I enjoy using art to tap into the inner place and find the exercises to be good prompts.

I think every pregnant woman should have access to Ina May's book!

[cottonwood]

One of my favorites is Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah Buckley.
 

[eabbmom]

It's not necessarily childbirth related bit I like Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. It has inspiring archetypal tales. My mentor is Pam England and she teaches the Inanna story to pregnant and post partum mothers. Childbirth is truly a journey that begins with choosing to be a mother, has It's apex somewhere around birth and is done when you have have come out the other side emotionally, physically and spiritually.

[nstewart]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cottonwood 

One of my favorites is Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah Buckley.
 

This was my favorite last time and I have re-reading it on my "to-do" list.

Thanks again.

[mjdecbaby]

To piggyback off op's question - has anyone read both Spiritual Midwifery and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth? I have the latter and am wondering I should get SM. So many people recommend it but is it going to be very similar?
Edited by mjdecbaby - 1/30/13 at 9:44pm

[salr]

I didn't find it similar.  I remember it as a book filled with stories using groovy psychedelic words from the 70s. The Guide to Childbirth I remember as some stories plus a lot of other great info., more like a how to manual.

SM was the first birth book I read and it shifted my thinking.  It got me questioning assumptions I didn't even know I had. That's what is valuable about it to me now.  When I reread it now (as well as stories from Guide to Childbirth) I find the actions of the midwives to be more invasive than I am comfortable with so I don't enjoy it in the same way.  But it's a classic, and that's why I would recommend reading it. 

[eabbmom]

Spiritual Midwifery and the Guide are both worth the reading. It is very interesting to see the evolution in Ina May and farm practices.