Spiritual Midwifery

I found this book and Ina May's "Guide to Childbirth" to be invaluable in my preparations for my first child. The reading is smooth and comforting and the stories are so varied, but all so empowering. I am certain that these two books are what gave me the strength and knowledge to have an entirely natural child birth (in a hospital, we couldn't afford a midwife in our area). Because of these stories, I was prepared for anything and I believed in my baby and body. I accepted the pain, kept breathing, and "rode the waves". Child birth was the hardest and most glorious experience of my life. I am so grateful to Ina May and the other women in these books for sharing their wisdom. I truly have love in my heart for them. No one in my family had much to share about birth, especially natural birth. It's just not something they talk about. If it hadn't been for these books I would have felt alone, scared, and possibly made decisions about birth that I wasn't comfortable with. These books made me feel welcome and safe in this beautiful part of life and gave me the power to have the type of birth I wanted for my son and myself. I can't express it enough. Don't bother with any other books on the topic, even if you want the epidural or other assistance, I'm positive this and the other book will help you. I would read, "A Guide to Childbirth" first and then this one. I think the other book is a bit more "universal" and it has a lot of good information about possible complications, ect. "Spiritual Midwifery" is as it sounds, a little more on the "hippie" spectrum, but absolutely pure gold. (yay! my first review! never been anything so important/worth it before) Good Luck Ladies!!! Your body was designed for this, embrace and love it!

As a first-time mom without any other pregnant friends, it is difficult to develop realistic expectations for birth -- particularly if you intend to have a "natural" birth in a hospital setting. I have received a huge range of unsolicited birth stories from well-intended friends and family, but most of them are either 1) funny or 2) scary anecdotes that don't help me prepare in any way to give birth. Although we can't control what people say to us in a grocery store line or at a family function, we can seek out stories (like this book) that will give us POSITIVE PERSPECTIVES on the birth process. PROS: - This book is really positive and life-affirming. Expecting moms and dads need all the emotional support we can get! - The variety of birth scenarios and perspectives was fantastic. Lots of different parent personalities and labor/delivery approaches were reviewed in a non-judgmental style. - Most of the "natural births" detailed in this book were in home environments, but could have easily been supervised by cooperative physicians and nurses. Ina May and the other midwives acknowledge the role medical professionals played in the few necessary interventions. They obviously have a good working relationship and rapport with nearby hospitals. - It talks honestly about the complex emotions, sensations, apprehensions and relationships of the parents going through the birth process. - While most of the stories are from mothers, some are also written by the fathers. As a person who is married to a strong, capable, loving man who plans to be my "birth partner" in labor and delivery, I was happy to see this perspective. Dads need to be educated and empowered, too! - This is a text meant to enrich and empower your understanding of birth, not explain the medical/biological processes. We all need an escape from the clinical birth guides. CONS: - Starting with stories as far back as the 1970s, the lingo in the book was sometimes distracting ("feeling Holy", "telepathic", "psychadelic" etc.). - Each story is 1-2 pages long, and many were written years (or decades) after the birth happened. This means some of the stories seem glossed over and a bit too easy to be realistic. I appreciate that the storytellers are doing their best to recount what was meaningful to them, but it seems like important factual details are missing from about 25% of the stories. CONCLUSION (4.5 STARS): - Great perspective on the emotions associated with birth. - Empowering stories of mothers and fathers working together to bring their little ones into the world. - I feel more mentally prepared and more confident as my due date approaches.

I rate this book a 10. I would and have encouraged others to read it. I personally thought I was open-minded to the alternative choices of the process of birth yet this book expanded my vision and thought-process of the event of pregnancy and birth even broader. Anyone considering the art of midwifery or doulaship usually is holistic in nature. These people are the ones I would most consider suggestion of the book. It most broadens the mind in the area of holistic treatment as well as catches the reader off guard from our current stylistic approach to birth as well as everyday living both socially and intimately. I learned many things from this book about birthing, about living, about thought process, about God's provision, about intimacy with one's mate and their involvement in birth and much more. The one thing that stands out is loose lips on your mouth means loose lips between your legs. That may be a vulgar way of putting it but when speaking of birth it is not. Technically it is not the vaginal lips that will be loose but rather the cervix but it gives the correct implication; looser = easier delivery. Another lesson is no complaining! This was a hard concept to swallow in that I am a) pessimist and b) knowledgeable first hand on the pain of childbirth. Ina May gives details of birth experiences on the precision of the birth changing in correlation to complaining verses positive attitude/environment. There is much more detail that I learned and intrigued me to learn and some of them are: the detailed anatomy of the pelvis, holistic treatment of many common conditions such as thrush, yeast infection, low iron, cramps, swelling, the encouraged participation of the husband, and most importantly that it is NATURAL and OKAY to want to have a birth the way one wants! I only disagreed with the supernatural spiritual aspect of the book. The spirituality of emotions and perceived surroundings and actions were all very informative and educational. The spirituality of beliefs from beyond that effect us here I looked over or replaced them with my own beliefs using discernment where needed.

Un libro fantástico y muy especial. Creo que Ina May trajo este libro al mundo con el mismo amor y respeto con el que ha traído a cada uno de los bebés a los que ha ayudado a nacer.

A bit hippyish- but great to get you in a positive birth mindset (especially the birth stories). Love Ina Mays books.

This book was originally written in 1972 by a midwife, who is a lifelong advocate for, and practitioner of natural childbirth. It contains dozens of birth stories, most are uplifting but a few are sad. The book also contains sections of helpful information for the parents as well as information and instructions geared towards the midwife including development of the baby, examining the pregnant mom, instructions for normal and difficult births, and lists for supplies. It is written in easy to understand plain English and profusely illustrated with photos, drawings and diagrams. The language and photos in the book are a product of its time - the early 70’s - and as such it uses fun “hippy” words and phrases throughout. As a new doula, I found the book to be inspirational because it is so totally different from the modern allopathic approach to pregnancy and birth in the hospital, and its use of pharmaceutical drugs and interventions. The more natural approach of keeping the parents, especially the mother, calm and in a loving state of mind makes the labour and delivery so much easier. The midwives in the book turn the pregnancy and birth experience into a wonderful and spiritual event by maintaining a loving supportive environment for women while giving birth by the use of simple techniques such as encouraging cuddling, “smooching” and loving during labour or the “rushes” as they call the contractions. The philosophies in this book are what I plan to use in my own practice as a doula. From qualities of love, acceptance and gentleness, to the more mechanical things to do to help the mother, such as encouraging her to keep her lips loose to help to loosen the lips of the vagina. And little phrasings to tell her such as, “things are progressing as they should”, “don’t worry, there is lots of room to stretch down there”. “Don’t think of it as pain, think of it as an interesting sensation that requires your complete attention.” I loved this book. I found it informative and inspiring in its illustrations of how wonderful an experience natural childbirth can be. ***This review is an excerpt from a project that I completed for my doula course***

A fantastique point of view which gives women the power and control over your birth and the choices associated with it

My whole pregnancy have changed thanks to Ina Mays expertise. Even if you are drawn to the modern medical interventions I highly suggest you to give it a go. Obviously you have to situate yourself in the year where the stories where happening. Very clear and easy to read. I recommended to every single parent !