MORE THAN 500,000 COPIES SOLD! • In this completely revised and updated edition, the nation’s leading midwife shares the benefits and joys of natural childbirth by showing women how to trust in the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a healthy and fulfilling birthing experience. “This book should be read by every woman who is having or may someday have a baby, and by every midwife, nurse, doula, childbirth educator, and doctor who assists or may someday assist these women through their maternity experiences.”—Marsden Wagner, M.D., M.S., former Director of Women’s and Children’s Health, World Health Organization Based on the female-centered Midwifery Model of Care and drawing upon her decades of experience, Ina May Gaskin gives expectant mothers comprehensive information on everything from the all-important mind-body connection to how to give birth without technological intervention. Filled with inspiring birth stories and practical advice, this invaluable resource covers:   • Reducing the pain of labor without drugs—and the miraculous roles touch and massage play • What really happens during labor • Orgasmic birth—making birth pleasurable • Common methods of inducing labor—and which to avoid at all costs • Tips for maximizing your chances of an unmedicated labor and birth • How to avoid postpartum bleeding—and depression • The risks of anesthesia and cesareans—what your doctor doesn’t necessarily tell you • How to create a safe, comfortable environment for birth in any setting, including a hospital • And much more! Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth takes the fear out of childbirth by restoring women’s faith in their own natural power to give birth with more ease, less pain, and less medical intervention. Using history as her guide, nationally recognized midwife Gaskin explores what she hopes will be a renaissance in natural childbirth, something that she's been advocating since the mid-1970s. By focusing on how women of ancient civilizations and other modern peoples give birth, Gaskin puts our own hypersensitivities in perspective, uncovering a beautiful, sometimes orgasmic experience rather than a dreadful, painful one. Sure, pain is part of childbirth, but preparing for the pain in a realistic rather than sentimental way--whether giving birth at home or in a hospital--can be the key to a woman's ability to deal with it naturally. Within the pages of personal anecdotes, some touching, some startling, from Gaskin's patients and colleagues, every woman is sure to find something to relate to, whether or not she chooses to have a medicine-free labor. The helpful back matter features a glossary, a detailed resource list including advocacy groups and Web sites, and a bibliography that includes periodicals, rounding out an extremely comprehensive and up-to-date guide on the topic. Mary Frances Wilkens Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved What you need to know to have the best birth experience for you. Drawing upon her thirty-plus years of experience, Ina May Gaskin, the nation's leading midwife, shares the benefits and joys of natural childbirth by showing women how to trust in the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a healthy and fulfilling birthing experience. Based on the female-centered Midwifery Model of Care, Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth gives expectant mothers comprehensive information on everything from the all-important mind-body connection to how to give birth without technological intervention. Filled with inspiring birth stories and practical advice, this invaluable resource includes: - Reducing the pain of labor without drugs--and the miraculous roles touch and massage play - What really happens during labor - Orgasmic birth--making birth pleasurable - Episiotomy--is it really necessary? - Common methods of inducing labor--and which to avoid at all costs - Tips for maximizing your chances of an unmedicated labor and birth - How to avoid postpartum bleeding--and depression - The risks of anesthesia and cesareans--what your doctor doesn't necessarily tell you - The best ways to work with doctors and/or birth care providers - How to create a safe, comfortable environment for birth in any setting, including a hospital - And much more Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth takes the fear out of childbirth by restoring women's faith in their own natural power to give birth with more ease, less pain, and less medical intervention. Ina May Gaskin , certified professional midwife, has been a midwife for more than forty years at The Farm Midwifery Center at The Farm, in Summertown, Tennessee. Birth Stories Introduction to the Birth Stories There is extraordinary psychological benefit in belonging to a group of women who have positive stories to tell about their birth experiences. This phenomenon is exactly what developed within our village. So many horror stories circulate about birth--especially in the United States--that it can be difficult for women t