Are you pregnant?
Do you have a pregnant friend or family member? Maybe you know someone that is trying to have children?
Ina Mae’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina Mae Gaskin is by far the best book on birthing. I buy 10 copies at a time and just give them away to friends, families, acquaintances and even strangers that are going to give birth.
Ina Mae’s clinic has been involved with over 2,500 births and they have better statistics than any hospital in the United States. Her book describes the specifics of why women have so few complications in her clinic. Ina Mae talks about why doulas and midwives are so important. She also helps you to understand some basic physiology about your birthing body that NOBODY talks about.
Did you know that there is a direct correlation between the relaxation of the jaw and the relaxation of the cervix to open to give birth?
Do you know about the Law of the Sphincter? No, you probably didn’t get that talk in 8th grade.
According to Sphincter Law, labors are often stalled or slowed because of lack of privacy, fear and stimulation of the wrong parts of the laboring women’s brain. Cervical and vaginal sphincters do not open and close at will.
They need the proper environment.
Asking a laboring woman a question that requires thought can slow labor.
Sudden entry into the labor room by anyone, but especially strangers can slow labor.
Singing maximizes the ability of the body’s sphincters to open.
Benefits of Having a Doula
The word “doula” comes from the ancient Greek meaning “a woman who serves” and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.
There are numerous clinical studies showing that women receiving continuous doula-type support were more likely than those who did not to:
- give birth spontaneously (that is, with neither cesarean nor vacuum extraction nor forceps)
- have a shorter labor
Help the women you love get the support they need and deserve during pregnancy, birthing and post-partum.
Knowledge is power and in the case of birthing, can be life-saving. Get a copy of Ina Mae’s Guide to Childbirth and give it to the next pregnant woman that you see.
You can search online to find a certified doula near you.
i love that you shared this!