Spiritual Midwifery By Ina May Gaskin

This is a beloved book. Honestly, I would probably love everything by Ina May Gaskin. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. I enjoyed Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth a bit more so than this book, so be sure to read that one also. However, this book is indispensible and presents some different information than the other book.

The book begins with birth stories. I love to read a good birth story. I feel birth stories are incredibly important for women to read during their pregnancy. It gives women positive energy and encouragement. Birth stories helped me envision my birth. If one thing is for sure, Ina May understands birth. So, these stories are particularly wonderful ones to read. Something can be learned from each one. Mostly, they serve to help women feel less afraid and more empowered. Many of those stories come from a different time era than we are in now, so some of the stories may seem a little far out with words such as psychedelic. You’ll get used to it.

The middle section of this book give information common to other pregnancy books. There are sections on breastfeeding, nutrition, and how to prepare for labor. The information presented is concrete and excellent.

The last section of the book is mainly written to midwives. It contains just about anything you’d ever want to know about birth. While not the average women will be interested in knowing how to sew a woman up after she tears, the information is there if you want it. Midwives and obstetricians as well could learn from this book, though it cannot serve as the sole training of a birth attendant of course. Personally, I think it should be required for all pregnant women to read this information presented in this book. The more knowledge you have of the process, the less fear can take up space in your heart.

If you’re a pregnant woman who hasn’t read this book yet, then add it to your book list or even move it to the top. It is a great book and important to read. The information presented is easy to understand, though very thorough. Highly recommend.