Ina May's Guide to Childbirth ~

[Aura_Kitten]

i'm reading it right now, and i LOVE it! i feel like the bit of fear that had been creeping up about giving birth again has been completely lifted off my shoulders.

have any of you read it?

[LLLKerry]

Ina May

Yes, I absolutely love this book as well! I too am due in July with my fourth, and have some fears about birth again, and this book is so empowering. Of course Spiritual Midwifery is amazing also. I had my first at 18 and my second at 21, and the differences in my births, in part due to Spiritual Midwifery and especially Mothering Magazine, was amazing.

[majazama]

I too read spiritual midwifery religiously... but have not seen this book you speak of.

Can I recommend some more birthy books?

-Rediscovering Childbirth, by sheila kitzinger
-Natural childbirth, by our very own peggy
- the natural pregnancy book, by amina romm
-herbal for the childbearing year, by susun weed

on my to read list is...
-optimal fetal positioning, by ?
-unassisted childbirth, by laura shanley?
-other books by jeannine parvati baker

[Aura_Kitten]

-- Natural childbirth, by our very own peggy -- planning to read it.

[luvinmama]

Hey, thank you for posting all of these great books. I just finished Birthing From Within and Baby Catcher. I loved these, and I'm now stuck on what to read next. Thanks for the ideas.

[Aura_Kitten]

i've been considering reading Birthing From Within also, but i'm not sure if it's the sort of book i'm looking for...

[Foobar]

Well, I kinda am skipping reading for this baby. I will just go with the flow this time. I have a birth plan, just like last time, but the goal is the same: to have a healthy baby. I guess this is where my mainstream side kicks in...


Birthing is not really all that scary. I wasn't really afraid of it when Goo was born. I was more concerned about her health than my own situation.
I really wanted to meet her.

I encourage people to read to learn more about the process and ways to calm yourself during the pain, but remember that it is a wonderful pain, not a scary one....

[Threefold]

I like Birthing From Within, though I have yet to read the whole thing, nor do any of the exercises. Maybe the birthing hypnosis session I have scheduled will kick me back in gear!
I just checked Spiritual Midwifery out from the library. Ds loves the pictures and has asked me to read him some of the birth stories. I choose carefully
There is another book out there, Having a Baby by Katherine Taylor that is pretty good, though not quite as inspiring as Babycatcher .

[Aura_Kitten]

my son loves the photos in "Ina May's Guide..." as well, in particular, the ocarina in the shape of a woman giving birth.

[Moonqueen]

Ina May

Isn't she incredible? My mom knows her (lives in the same town) and got me an autographed copy of the book when it came out. What an amazing woman. I loved the book.

[gigismom]

I read Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth a few months ago and loved it. Plan to pick it up again to get the positive birth vibes going again. I also reccommend Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way and The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth. Just started the latter but so far really like it...
jen

[luvinmama]

It's good to hear your reviews on Spritual Midwifery. I just picked it up remembering this thread recommended Ina May in general, but had doubts about this one since the 2nd half of it seems to be for the future midwife (I've only read the table of contents and back cover so far). Thanks for reassuring that purchase, I"ll start on that one today.

[jondee0]

Oh, I really, really liked Ina May's Guide to Childbirth! After wading through all of the medical issues surrounding the safety of vbac so I could discuss it all with my doctor, I found Ina May's insights and experience to be soooooo refreshing. She's got a blend of earthiness and professionalism here that I like; this book is one I feel I could share with just about anyone, and they wouldn't blow it off as being too ethereal or "out there" . I didn't really feel that way about Spiritual Midwifery, although I liked that book, too.

Back when I had my first baby (20 1/2 yrs ago, yikes!), there really weren't all of the various options for medicated pain management in labor that there are today (at least, not where I live!). In some ways, I think it was easier then to plan for an unmedicated birth. You found a book like Spiritual Midwifery, or took Bradley classes, and prepared mentally and physically for the work of childbirth. Nowadays, from reading many of the posts on the birth club board I'm a part of on another site, it seems like drugs are so readily available, and accepted, that unmedicated and medicated childbirth are considered almost the same. You go into childbirth with the attitude of doing what you can, and getting whatever drugs you need when you feel like labor's getting too hard too handle.

Maybe I put too high a premium on unmedicated birthing, because I know how important it is to *me*. And I guess it's not that important to everyone! But I wish every pg woman would read a book like Ina May's Guide, or Babycatcher, just to see what childbirth can really be like. It frustrates me that so many women don't seem to care...but maybe that's not really my business, right? LOL.....

Joni, vbac'ing sometime around mid-July

[ebethmom]

Ina May's Guide is my absolute favorite! This is the book that convinced my husband that we COULD have a homebirth.

I also loved Babycatcher, and Peggy O'Mara's book.

Right now I'm reading the Bradley Method book (not the one that Dr. Bradley wrote - that one made my skin crawl). Susan McCutcheon?? Is that the author's name? Anyway, I like it.

I've also read Henci Goer's Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth recently. My mother desperately needs to read the homebirth chapter.

Can you tell that I like to read? Dh says "ANOTHER book? What about the one you bought last week?"

I gave all of my breastfeeding books away. I may have to start a new collection!

[Aura_Kitten]

Can you tell that I like to read? Dh says "ANOTHER book? What about the one you bought last week?"

:LOL that's me too.

[majazama]

O.K, I got the book out of the library and read it all in just a few days. "all" as in, the stuff that pertains to me. I didn't read about the hospital stuff, cause I know what goes on in there.

I really liked it! I like how she talks about keeping your lips and mouth loose during labour, and how she refers to contractions as rushes... definately made me feel more at ease about doing it again.

[Aura_Kitten]

i love the careful use of language.

i've been re-reading the birth stories frequently now. they're so inspiring! and i love the photos. i can't get over how much it helps, seeing that yes, women's bodies *are* capable of opening up to let their children into the world, they just need to be calm enough and confident enough to let it happen.