A Conversation with
wisewords
Ina May Gaskin
Leader in America’s Natural
experiencing gratitude for those helping
Childbirth Movement
her. All of this works best in an atmo-
sphere of privacy and calm.
by Gail Condrick
Q. Will you explain what you refer to
as our country’s “big secret” regarding
childbirth?
I
na May Gaskin is the author of
Spiritual Midwifery and Ina May’s
There is a generally held belief that
Guide to Childbirth, developer of
childbirth is safe in the United States
while, in reality, we lack accurate re-
the Gaskin maneuver for shoulder birth
porting on this country’s rising maternal
complications, and founder of The Farm
death rate. The reports we do have,
Midwifery Center, in Tennessee. Since
based on long-term data compiled by
1971, she has influenced and inspired
the Centers for Disease Control and
women around the world with her
We must believe that women’s bod- a later National Vital Statistics Report,
views on natural childbirth.
ies are perfectly made for childbirth reveal a doubling of the annual ma-
and the natural rhythms of giving birth. ternal fatalities tracked per 100,000
When our larger culture understands live births, from 7.5 in 1982 through
Q. You have been called the nation’s
how women’s bodies work and we trust 1996 to 15.1 in 2005. Given suspected
leading midwife and the founder of
that ours will work, we will have an under-reporting due to misclassifica-
the natural childbirth movement in
entirely new psychology of childbirth. tion, some estimate that the number of
America. How did you get started?
Natural childbirth can provide a
deaths attributed to pregnancy and its
holistic approach to childbearing, one
complications (which include Cesarean
Like many women, I had tried a hospi-
that includes the physical and emo-
births, or C-sections) may be as high as
tal birth and vowed never to be treated
tional, spiritual, and cultural needs of
three times that.
that way again. It was the late 1960s
each unique birth. To attend the birth
and Americans were in rebellion.
of another person is a great, humbling,
Q. What can families do to ensure a
Women began demanding access to
wonderful opportunity.
more natural birthing process is avail-
birth centers and midwives.
able to us and our daughters?
At the time, my husband Stephen
Q. Why does the mind/body connec-
and I were traveling on a cross-country
We need to do a lot of rethinking.
tion play a key role in childbirth?
lecture tour with a caravan of 50 school
Americans believe that the more
buses; along the way, babies were born
When the biological process is allowed
technology we throw at problems, the
and we midwifed each other. We began
to unfold in the most peaceful way, the
better. But, that is not necessarily true in
giving birth. We need to study why the
to coalesce into a community, finding
mother experiences the natural release
death rate is rising and take major steps
roots and settling in Tennessee, where
of a mixture of ecstatic hormones,
to turn it around. We need a national
we founded The Farm. Some members
oxytocin and beta endorphins. Birth-
system collecting data, more midwives,
of our community were doctors and
ing mothers actually have the ability
a revolution in obstetrical education and
nurses and we made contacts with lo-
to become more fluid and are able to
a national health-insurance system, with
cal hospitals and health authorities. We
relax the muscles that need to open.
better prenatal and postpartum care for
had good outcomes with our pregnan-
If the body senses fear, the muscles of
all women. Families must insist on it. All
cies and breastfeeding rates right from
the involuntary system become rigid
of this is possible.
the start. Our on-the-job training grew
and inflexible, which makes it hard to
as we learned from each other as mid-
change shape. Then, the immobility
For more information visit InaMay.com
wives and friends.
escalates, causing extreme pain where
normally, labor would continue unim-
and consult a health care provider. Ina
peded. Fighting this natural functioning
May Gaskin’s latest book, Ina May’s
Q. What do women and their partners
wastes a lot of energy.
Guide to Breastfeeding, will be released
need to know about natural childbirth?
Yet, a birthing mother can make an
this fall.
Women need to know that their bodies instant change and release the ecstatic Gail Condrick is a freelance writer
work better than they think they do. It
hormones naturally, simply through in Sarasota, FL. Reach her at
is vital to trust the process of nature.
deep breathing, laughter and even NiaVisions.com.
August 2009
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