Is anyone a fan of Ina May Gaskin?

[VanillaIce]

Has anyone got/read her Guide to Childbirth? I've heard good things about her and am interested in a natural childbirth - did anyone find her books beneficial?

Yup, have read it and thought it was fab.
Her stats are amazing and make one wonder why on earth so many interventions are performed routinely if they can be avoided.
I had a very medicalised first birth so it is interesting to read such an alternative view.
I wasn't such a fan of the birth stories in the first half of the book, but my DH seems to be enjoying them!

Am also a fan - I find her approach interesting and inspiring (and her stats are amazing considering how pregnancy/birth is even more medicalised in the US). I'm planning a home birth (it's my first) but am happy to transfer to hospital if necessary but would like to avoid unnecessary interventions. This book is a real support to my decision (it's one of the only ones I've actually bought, as the rest I'm happy to borrow from the library). It makes a nice change from the usual negative view of childbirth that filters through from society.

[waves to mrshappy ]

Her book really motivated me into knowing that I could have a natural home VBAC when everyone else was almost setting me up to fail with'hospital' policies etc. Gave me the confidence to stand up and I achieved everything I wanted Had Home VBAC 15 wks ago! Would def recommend her (if a little hippy dippy at times!!)

ian may's guide to childbirth is the only book i would recommend to a fellow expectant mother [out of the pile i have been sent by kind friends]. the birth stories are incredibly inspirational & moving- i cried at quite a few & felt slightly jealous of the natural births these women experienced & the wonderful team of midwives who supported them. really made me want to go & live on the commune! good luck gwen x

I am a massive fan. That book helped me SO much during my pregnancy and galvanised my decision to have a home birth.

Caitni - I had my first baby at home last year and it was amazing. Good Luck with yours!!

Thanks Bunny - lovely to hear of a HB for a first timer!

I love her books. Very good, inspiring.

Further to what Riven said though in terms of expectation, I was very, very set on a home waterbirth as a first timer. When I had to transfer after 6 hours of pushing and no baby, I felt like an utter failure (and still do). I was unprepared for the massive amount of intervention and eventual em cs that was needed to ensure the safe delivery of dd.

I'm not being negative, I fully support homebirths and would have one myself if I had another- which I won't!- but whatever your birth, whatever your plans I now know how very important it is to be prepared for every eventuality. And to accept that birth is unpredictable and you don't know what hand fate will deal you.

hijack, soz...

mamasunshine - you had a home VBAC! Was that through NHS. How did you manage to convince them? It would really help me to know as didn't know it was possible.

You can give birth where you choose. I suspect if you choose to do it in the frozen aisle at Tesco's they might ask you to reconsider but it's your choice to make with all the information available to you.

They'll get you to sign something or maybe write to the head of midwifery to acknowledge you understand the risks. They may advise very heavily against it. But they can't stop you.

There was an article on her in the Guardian weekend magazine a few weeks ago, i'd not heard of her before that.

I'm a huge fan and just finished reading the guide to childbirth. This is my first and always knew I wanted a homebirth, so fingers crossed. It's a great book. Just read it with an open mind

It's a brilliant book, you can't do better. I recommend it wholeheartedly! The guardian article was nice I thought, there was a thread about this book with a link to the article on the Childbirth forum a few weeks ago..

I'm reading it now and it has given me such a confidence boost that I can avoid the hideousness of my first birth (highly medicalised, much pain relief, very distressed baby for 6 months). That I am more than capable of giving birth without medical intervention and lots of drugs.

I actually find myself looking forward to D day!!

HUGE fan. I am planning a home birth thanks to this book.

i adore her two books - spiritual midwifery & guide to childbirth. the farm midwives stats are amazing, and speak to the care pre, during & post. i have secretly thought about moving to Tennessee to birth our yet-unconcieved baby. nuts, yes, i know.

I was lent it by my lovely friend when I was pregnant, but didn't read it - I glanced at it, but tbh was in such a hyped up stressed out state and didn't evenw ant to consider the actual birth, which is a shame because I am sure it would have helped.

I found Guide to Childbirth very inspiring, now planning a homebirth. This is my first. I've got DH reading it too.

You can call it rose-tinted glasses but there are large studies from countries that actively support homebirths (Canada, UK, Netherlands) documenting how much better the outcomes can be for the mothers with low-risk pregnancies. (HBs aren't the right choice for everyone.)

I LOVE her. I have 'Spiritual Midwifery' - an old-fashioned hippy-version full of great pics of naked hippies giving birth with hair and daddy's beards descending upon the mums' round bellies. She is so empowering and positive, she is a force beyond compare. What an amazing, amazing, amazing woman.

Also planning a HB this time around.

Is 'Guide To Childbirth' a different book, then? Had never heard of it before but I am such a fan I'd gladly eat everything she's written.

Yes its a different (newer) book with her. Can buy from amazon

Yes I love her Guide To Childbirth book (agree that the stories in first half are a bit repetitive though).

It gave me the knowledge and confidence I needed to have natural birth with twins.

But it doesn't always work out like that, don't feel disappointed if you end up with interventions, just be grateful your baby arrives safe.

neenz so you had a home birth with twins?? tell me more, did it all go ok etc

I think I'm the only one that really enjoyed the stories hehe.

Lola, no, I didn't have a home birth, but I had a vaginal birth without an epidural or continuous monitoring (both very normal with twin deliveries).

To say I had a 'natural' birth is not entirely correct, because I had my waters broken to start me off (cos of high bile levels and because I was desperate to get them out of me!) and had forceps for twin 1 but I only had gas and air and not a section so that's about as natural as it gets with twins!

The consultant wanted me to have an epidural ('just in case' ), continuous monitoring, confined to a bed etc but I said I didn't want that. I spent the first few hours of labour in the bath and then on a bed. It was pretty much the birth I wanted and the preparation and reading I did leading up to it definitely helped me get that.

Wow neenz congrats on the natural birth

oh dear at the just in case attitude of the consultant!! ahah. Man. Everyone seems to have such closed minds these days