Spiritual Midwifery

Pregnant friends, couples and mothers all light up at the mention of what has become the classic book on home birth. It is refreshingly real and thorough in every respect, from touching and graphic birth stories to medical wisdom with drawings, illustrations, and photos to make the information readily useful and usable for all parents. This book is a journey down a comforting, well-worn path that illuminates the sacredness of birth and how each new baby’s birth offers a blessing and a Spiritual experience for everyone involved. Ina May Gaskin reflects, “It is difficult for any human to express compassion who has not been on the receiving end of it. Being compassionate to the pregnant or birthing mother is not just an insignificant nicety of our practice – it lies at the very heart of our success. Kindness begets kindness that is passed on to nursing babies and to proud fathers, to brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles.” The first section details the personal stories of parents and midwives during their birth experiences. The strong community bond between the author and her associates, friends, and her husband, is also woven into the stories. In sharing their birth stories, each mother and father further establishes the subtle and powerful benefits of sharing heartfelt connection and faith in life’s patterns and each other. Advice from Ina May’s experience proves welcome and useful to many mothers, as they share in their birthing stories. In Carolyn’s birth story, Ina May encourages her by saying ”Don’t think of it as pain. Think of it as an interesting sensation that requires all of your attention.” Bonding is said to have lifelong positive effects, as Spiritual Midwifery points out, “Klaus and Kennell’s studies* showed that ladies who had their babies with them immediately after birth, who were allowed skin-to-skin contact, undisturbed for a while, held their babies more competently, established more intimate contact with their babies, and had fewer problems with breast-feeding than mothers who were separated from their babies immediately following birth and rejoined later.” Fathers also benefit from bonding with their babies, as Spiritual Midwifery states. “We observe that there is a process of bonding between father and child as well. Fathers who have witnessed the birth of their children seem to form an especially close attachment to these children and, like their mates, have profound spiritual experiences at the birthings.” The second section of Spiritual Midwifery is a technical manual for midwives, nurses, and doctors, including information on prenatal care and nutrition, labor, delivery-techniques, care of the new baby, and breastfeeding. One of my favorite ideas in the book is that our first language is touch, starting in the womb. Ina May shares her understanding and intentions, “As I transmit the knowledge of spiritual midwifery to other women, I feel that compassion and true touch are of foremost importance.” “What a mother communicates to her baby when she holds him with a good firm touch is that he can relax – she’s not going to drop him – it’s all covered.” Modern women can learn much about good birthing strategies from understanding something about indigenous birth techniques. No one strategy is going to work for every woman, but there are general principles that are conducive to successful labor. Upright positions and movement are generally good strategies for the first part of labor, and Spiritual Midwifery is a complete guide to caring for a full spectrum of potential birth scenarios at every stage, for after care, and regular baby check-ups. This is a valuable resource for all families. In the Preface, Ina May states, “The way babies are treated at birth is likely to affect them forever. The way women are treated during childbirth affects them in all their relationships for the rest of their lives.” Spiritual Midwifery shares nearly four decades of wisdom. It is a satisfying and successful book, as it intends to bring peace, comfort and confidence in our natural ability to share a positive birthing experience with our loved ones, midwives and doulas. *Marshall H. Klaus and John H. Kennell, Maternal-Infant Bonding: The Impact of Early Separation or Loss on Family Development (St. Louis: C.V. Mosby Co,1976)

To order Spiritual Midwifery, link: http://www.inamay.com/?page_id=38 Ina May Gaskin’s Biography link, from her website, www.inamay.com: http://www.inamay.com/?page_id=14

Cara Muhlhahn, A modern midwife’s book, link: http://www.cmmidwifery.com/ Labor of Love includes engaging accounts of the home birth of Cara Muhlhahn’s son, and of her 30-year-long practice of midwifery. Cara Muhlhahn is featured in a powerful film about, and called, “The Business of Being Born.” “The Business of Being Born” Film Trailer link: http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/trailer.php