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Birth Matters: A Midwife's Manifesta (2011)

by Ina May Gaskin(Favorite Author)

4.35 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1583229272 (ISBN13: 9781583229279)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Seven Stories Press

review 1: All people should be exposed to the concept that Birth Matters, women matter, and unhealthy maternity care practices lead to more maternal death. Ina May Gaskin does a wonderful job presenting these topics in her latest book. It is simply wrong that the US has such high cesarean rates. Frankly, the US is a dangerous place to have a baby. Ina May does a beautiful job of explaining the problem and giving practical solutions. Change is possible but it takes effort. I highly recommend this book. It is not a complex read and one that any person could understand. The subject matter is heavy but Ina May keeps it light and hopeful. I gave this book four stars because, as usual, Ina May has moral, philosophical, and intellectual schizophrenia. On the one hand, she wants women and b... moreabies to be treated with respect and the best care to lower rates of death and then she advocates for the smallest lives to not be given this same care because she believes in safe access to abortion. As usual, eat the meat and leave the bones.
review 2: Definitely my favorite book by Ina May. This book is just so well-done. Tons of research, solid arguments, and important calls to action without ever sounding condescending or patronizing. I especially loved the section on the history of midwifery and obstetrics. Ina May is just a great ambassador for women. She exudes compassion and wisdom and is very unifying in her message. One of her main points is that no matter what type of birth you prefer (medicated or unmedicated, home or hospital), there are things we can all work on together (such as demanding accurate maternal mortality reports and conducting reviews on every single death).I think every woman (and man) should have the opportunity to be fully informed about childbirth. I bet most people in America have no idea that women are twice as likely to die in childbirth today as their mothers were. This, in spite of the "advances" in medical care. Medicalizing pregnancy and birth is obviously NOT making birth safer. So how CAN birth be made safer? Following the midwifery model of care. Just check out Ina May's incredible birth statistics. There is also an excellent critique of the Wax study, which has been used as ammunition against homebirth. It is laughable that this "study" is accepted by anyone, as it is full of errors and blatant misrepresentations.In addition to birth, the author also covers important issues such as the dangers of breast implants (I was shocked to learn that anyone with an MD can perform these procedures and no additional training or certification is required!), and experimental drugs like Gardasil. Very important information in there. less

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