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

This book was recommended to me by a new mom when she heard I was pregnant. I have been very impressed with the book. I am going to be doing a water home birth and hearing the stories from others that used midwives and had homebirths had been great for my mental prep. It provides all types of stories; good, bad, and ugly. It also has stories from moms that have done both hospital and home births and the differences they experienced. The second half of the book shares knowledge and information about pregnancy, birth prep, and so many other things. I would recommend it to anyone considering an out of hospital birth.

I consider myself to be a middle of the road person. I believe in the innate power and wisdom of the human body AND have immense respect and gratitude for modern medicine. I think this book speaks to that and am genuinely surprised by reviews that find the book’s messaging to be pushy, biased, or “earthy crunchy.” As someone who is naturally curious, I found this book to be an invitation to explore a side of childbirth we don’t readily see. Her work is fascinating and reading story after story of women’s journeys was for me very empowering and really hones in on the idea that for so long women labored in a completely different way. I am drawn to the idea of an organic, natural birth IF my body allows. What a wonderful resource to have so that I can understand ways to support my labor and that wish. The second half of the book which deals with specific aspects of labor and delivery was incredibly helpful - research based, full picture presenting all options available. There is always the case of “you don’t know, what you don’t know.” And I feel good going into my experience armed with data and options but also having had time to truly digest and consider how I want to labor and deliver. I have a list of questions for my provider and choices I would not have had without reading this gem! Delayed cord clamping is one of them - I wouldn’t have known what the standard practice is and I wouldn’t have known the benefits or disadvantages of timing one way or the other. So to me, being informed NOW versus having decisions made for me or having to make them potentially in a stressful or urgent, or even life threatening way, is so much more peaceful. I have my birth “wishes” in a much more informed, concrete way. My sincere hope is that women takeaway the message that we can do this hard thing, we are built for it, and that when the stars align it can be a positive experience. And if medical intervention is necessary there is still an opportunity to design that experience (to some extent) so that it feels peaceful. Medicine is astounding and we need solid doctors, for sure, and yet, I believe there is room for midwives to be woven into the birth experience more readily.

I loved this book! As a first time mom nervous about childbirth this book gave me so much confidence in my body to do its job. The book is set up in 2 parts: part 1 is just birth stories, part 2 is medical information about birth. The birth stories were wonderful to read. Yes, a few were very "New-Agey" and kind of "hippie" like but just hearing about different women who successfully gave birth was very helpful to combat all the people telling me to just "Get an epidural as soon as you can." and all the horror stories people somehow think are acceptable to tell to a pregnant woman. Not all of the stories are for everyone, but that's okay. Even if you just want to hear some positive birth stories, you will enjoy them. There's a snarky comment about the experience of one woman who went to assist in another's birth and I think it's inappropriate. The women at The Farm (the community that Ina May established for those who wish to pursue natural birth) see the value in helping other women through birth and we as a Western society forget that this used to be the only way women had any assistance during birth before hospitals and OBGYN's. I think it's a beautiful example of how this community functions. You don't have to agree with it, just move on to the next story if it isn't your cup of tea. The medical information in the second half has helped my confidence immensely in choosing to have a "natural" hospital birth. Keep in mind this is coming from the point of view of a midwife, not a doctor, so it's not going to have the same voice as those in a medical profession. Ina May goes through how the body responds to labor and possible interventions you may see in the hospital. Although she is clearly for having as natural a birth as possible, she definitely gives what I think of as an unbiased view on these things as she can. She defines the interventions for you and tells you possible side effects. She says which ones you can definitely refuse without endangering yourself or your baby if you choose to, but as I read through this I never felt like I would be considered less of a mother if I chose any one of these things. Though she is clearly trying to show you the benefits of using a midwife vs. traditional doctors, she makes intelligent points and is clearly just trying to inform her readers. She also has many many references and resources to back up her claims and the statistics of the midwives she showcases speak for themselves. I think this is a great book for anyone trying to learn more about the childbirthing process, anyone who is nervous or doubting their ability to do it, or anyone who just wants to know their options in care. I have recommended it to several people and am loaning it to my cousin who is due in March.

It helps you to have a positive mindset about birth

A must must must read for all pregnant ladies out there. Also a must read for everyone giving unsolicited advice to the pregnant ladies!

Amazon book to profoundly change your perspective on birth. The book was one of the key factors why I ended up having a homebirth and this was just the right decision for our family. I’ve gifted the book to multiple other pregnant women and it was a highly appreciated gift. It should really be a staple for mums to be.

I bought it for my wife, and ended up reading it all before her. It shines light on what childbirth really is, and it's exactly what I needed as a father to understand the whole process. Definitely recommended.

Es un libro hermoso con mucha información valiosa. Lo recomiendo ampliamente para informarte, pero también tener en cuenta que tus expec de parir no sean en comparación de las experiencias que comparten en el libro. La realidad de nuestro siglo y sobretodo en ciudades, es que el parto aunque sea muy humanizado y respetado y sin violencia, es muy diferente a cómo lo platican en el libro. No necesariamente malo, simplemente diferente.