Ina May Gaskin

I went to go see Ina May Gaskin speak today at a conference about, well birth of course! She discussed the history of birth (which was quite amazing and I even picked up her book "Birth Matters") and told wonderful birth stories about how simple birth actually is. She asked us to think about which other mammal uses metal instuments to remove their babies and how in her experience when we allow women to take the time they need to birth, they do just that. She also is really into YouTube (how hip considering they did not have interent on the farm for quite some time) and showed us videos of elephants, chimps and giraffes all birthing their babies! Her center is noted for its low rates of intervention, morbidity and mortality despite the inclusion of many vaginally delivered breeches, twin and grand multiparas. Their statistics were published in “The Safety of Home Birth: The Farm Study,” authored by A. Mark Durand, American Journal of Public Health, March, 1992, Vol. 82, 450-452.

She is an amazing story teller, funny and strong, but the best thing is that her understanding of women and birth and how all that resonates as she shares her experiences, research and knowledge. I left with admiration for how she truly listens to women, allowing them to feel safe and thus minimizing the fear surrounding birth.
Here is a link to her site http://www.inamay.com/