Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: Updated With New Material Paperback – Illustrated, 4 Mar. 2003

Ina may gaskin is one of the best midwives to listen to if you are looking for material that will help you have an empowering birth experience. Although based in america you are able to read her book and acknowledge (being uk based) that much of what she says can be transferred to the uk system (in regards to the fear of birth in our culture and the risk averse medicalised model of birth still largely present in the UK, leading to a cascade of intervention). You can't deny shes a bit of a hippie and some things she says you may not be able to get on board with, but for me (having given birth twice) her words reflect largely what ive learnt in hypnobirthing and this book filled my head with positive, empowering and exciting feelings of birth! (follow her on instagram for awesome photos/vids of positive, empowering birth pics)

This book got me through pregnancy and childbirth. I had a wonderful natural birth. All my life I was scared about childbirth. Reading this book gave me the confidence to know that I am capable of a natural and pain- relief free birth if I open my mind to the fact that my body is able to do it. I particularly liked Ina May’s breathing techniques and case studies. It was so informative and actually life changing for me to be honest! I will be revisiting this book when we go to expand our family. Highly recommend!

Great birth positive stories for moms to be. Specially if you have grown up believing that birth is gonna be painful and awful no matter what you do.Currently at 5m with my first pregnancy ever and feel more confident and safe thanks to Ms. May :D

This book gave me the confidence and empowerment needed to trust in my body's ability to birth naturally. It helped me learn how to work with my body and not against it. It helped me tap into the ancient intuitive practises that women have been using for centuries to birth their babies. I gave birth in a birthing centre in the UK, and I was able to apply most of the strategies from this book successfully. My first Labour was 6.5 hours long and the only thing I used to manage pain was gas and air during transition. I felt in control during my entire labour and this book helped me to accomplish that. I tapped into my feminine powers surrendered to the process. I'm grateful for the wisdom I gained from Ina May.

This book really was a God send for me and helped me to get in the right mindset for what I hoped to be a natural birth- and I was fortunate enough that things transpired that way for me. The book gave practical tips as well as helping me to understand the history and context of child birth. Thank you Ina May.

A fantastic book by a fantastic midwife a book that helped me take control of my babies birth and helped me plan a vba4c at home my son was 2lb heavier than my previous 4 c section babies that were induced and failed to progress when the scan woman kept changing my dates, my cycles are long 32 days and I ovulate late 24 I knew there must be a valid reason why I cooked my babies longer, my son was born at 42 weeks and 3 days spontaneous labour and 6 hrs later he was born at home contractions from start to finish one on top of the other, a perfect textbook homebirth with a fantastic nhs midwife , I've since had 2 more vbacs at home making a total of 3 vaginal births no problems after 4 c sections at home

I live in England now, but I grew up about 10 miles from The Farm, where Ina May practices. It was quite strange to read about my rural Tennessee home in the birth stories and to see labour pictures of someone who was a guest at my wedding!That aside - I found this an incredible empowering book and I feel so much more calm and confident about my impending labour.Yes, the folks on the Farm are hippies - and yes, that philosophy does come through, but it's not done in an annoying way - and just because they're a bit touchy feely doesn't mean that her findings aren't based on empirical research. This book is a very easy read , too - clearly written, not patronising and not too complex or jargonistic..I highly recommend this book.

The only source of information about birth that’s true to women, so grateful to have read this book.