In The Spirit Of Homebirth

The collection gives voice to those often overlooked in birthing books, including stories from indigenous families, and families from diverse socio-economic classes, religions, and urban and rural lifestyles. Also unique are the additional stories from witnesses to birth: partners describe their awe, children write sweetly of siblings' arrivals and midwives and doulas recount their experiences aiding women in their journeys. Included as landmarks amongst the stories are testaments to birth traditions such as blessingways and umbilical cord and placenta practices. From days of labor, to babies born so quickly support did not make it in time; from waterbirths at home, to transfers to the hospital; from planned pregnancies to unexpected ones; from tales of tears to tales of euphoria--the eclectic stories brought together here share one theme: they capture an intent to birth at home that comes out of a deep love for and belief in the human body and spirit. These amazing voices rise to a clarion call--women of all descents reclaiming a birthright: to give birth, and to be birthed, as they choose. It is an ancient choice made now by modern women. These stories, delightful and empowering, find the new within the old.

Spiritual Midwifery is considered by many to be the bible of the home birth movement. This classic book on natural childbirth introduced a whole generation of women to the possibility of home birth and breast feeding. At a time when higher levels of technology were the wave of the future, the home birth movement testified to the naturalness and normalcy of the birthing process-even the sacredness of it. Ina May Gaskin, the author, is a powerful advocate for a woman's right to give birth without excessive and unnecessary medical intervention. Now in its fourth edition, her voice is needed as much now as then. In today's climate of unprecedented numbers of cesarean sections and induced labor, knowledge of this birthing process enables women to make informed choices regarding their maternity care and delivery options. The birthing stories and section on care of the newborn are valuable to anyone about to become a parent. One of the highlights of this book is the collection of amazing birth tales that replaces misconceptions about childbirth with an awareness of the rights of mothers and babies to experience a conscious and loving process. Birthing tales from ladies who were babies in earlier editions of Spiritual Midwifery and stories of Amish women from a nearby community who were delivered by The Farm Midwives bring a fresh perspective. Also new to this edition is information on postpartum depression and maternal death along with updated information on the safety of natural childbirth, and the safety of popular practices such as labor induction and cesarean operations. Photos of ecstatic faces of mothers and babies permeate the pages. The section on instructions to midwives provides excellent clinical information for all health professionals who attend births. The stories and information in this volume will remain relevant to women for generations to come.

The classic book on home birth. Stories of the experiences of parents and midwives during the birth process plus a technical manual for midwives, nurses, and doctors. Includes information on prenatal care and nutrition, labor, delivery techniques, care of the new baby, and breast-feeding.

This edited volume explores the intersection of spirituality with childbirth from 1800 to the present day from a comparative perspective. It illustrates how over this time period in much of the world, traditional practices, home births, and midwives have been overshadowed and undermined by male dominated obstetrics, hospitalization, and ultimately the medicalization of the birthing process itself.

Blessed Events explores how women who give birth at home use religion to make sense of their births and in turn draw on their birthing experiences to bring meaning to their lives and families. Pamela Klassen introduces a surprisingly diverse group of women, in their own words, while also setting their birth stories within wider social, political, and economic contexts. In doing so, she emerges with a study that disrupts conventional views of both childbirth and religion by blurring assumed divisions between conservative and feminist women and by taking childbirth seriously as a religious act. Most American women who have a choice give birth in a hospital and request pain medication. Yet enough women choose and advocate unmedicated home birth--and do so for carefully articulated reasons, social resistance among them--to constitute a movement. Klassen investigates why women whose religious affiliations range from Old Order Amish to Reform Judaism to goddess-centered spirituality defy majority opinion, the medical establishment, and sometimes the law to have their babies at home. In considering their interpretations--including their critiques of the dominant medical model of childbirth and their views on labor pain--she examines the kinds of agency afforded to or denied women as they derive religious meanings from childbirth. Throughout, she identifies tensions and affinities between feminist and traditionalist appraisals of the symbolic meaning of birth and the power of women. What does home birth--a woman-centered movement working to return birth to women's control--mean in practice for women's gender and religious identities? Is this supreme valuing of procreation and motherhood constraining, or does it open up new realms of cultural and social power for women? By asking these questions while remaining cognizant of religion's significance, Blessed Events challenges both feminist and traditionalist accounts of childbearing while broadening our understanding of how religion is ''lived'' in contemporary America.

Describes different approaches to childbirth and their advantages and disadvantages, including midwife delivery and birth centers.

In 1976, Gaskin wrote Spiritual Midwifery, the handbook for midwives. Gaskin now shares with all women her knowledge and wisdom about what she calls the true capacities of the female body, based on her more than three decades as a midwife.

Birthing is a miraculous time when you and your baby will work together to bring about life. As you finally cradle your precious newborn in your arms, you should know deep in your soul that every decision that brought the two of you to this special moment was yours. More families than ever are choosing to birth at home. Midwives Jane E. Drichta and Jodilyn Owen answer questions about the kind of care, support, and information you need as you investigate whether this option is right for you. Birth can be an empowering and positive experience, and this book provides gentle guidance, with high regard for your wisdom and ability to successfully navigate your prenatal care, birth, and early mothering. Enriched with real birth stories from new mothers, The Essential Homebirth Guide offers thoughtful, compassionate advice on a wealth of birthing topics, including: • Building a supportive homebirth community • Caring for yourself and your baby from your pregnancy through the postpartum period • Communicating about your birthing plans with your midwife, your partner, and your family and friends • Deciding whether homebirth is safe for you • Educating yourself about common pregnancy-related issues • Preparing your home and your family for the big day