Birth Matters [Paperback]

I had my baby at the Farm Midwifery Center in August 2010 and my story is included in this amazing book.
My husband, our daughter and I went to Ina May's book signing in Brooklyn on Sunday. It was wonderful. Since we came home, I have not been able to put the book down and it opened my eyes to the beautiful reality that I was privileged enough to live and conversely to the horror that I managed to escape....
When I decided to give birth at The Farm I did not have any knowledge about birth. The pregnancy had not been planned and I always thought that I would have children much later. I knew nothing of the typical birth experience of todays moms in America. What I did know was that I was not very comfortable with my OBGYN nor with the hospital where most of my prenatal care took place.
My OBGYN seemed to me at the time like she was bored by "normality" and was only excited when abnormalities came up. When a blood test came back positive for toxoplasmosis I saw a flash of excitement in her eyes where I would have wanted to see compassion. This did not sit well with me. Topped with a lot of pressure to have sonograms and tests of all sorts (I reluctantly had the nuchal translucency but stubbornly refused the Quad test which infuriated the doctor). At the end of the day I was also confronted with huge medical bills which I was paying out of pocket because no insurance would cover me for cause of "preexisting condition". I was utterly shocked. Was pregnancy an illness?
I quit the OBGYN and had the rest of my prenatal care at the hospital for $15 a visit (this fee was based on my income). I really disliked everything at the hospital but at least I could afford it. However, I knew that I would never be able to give birth there and that if forced to, I would probably be bitter about it for the rest of my life.
I have always been wary of hospitals for a number of reasons but the most important one is that hospital staff never look healthy. Also, I always associated hospitals with illness.

I thought that these circumstances were unique to me. I thought that my OBGYN was sadistic but that this surely must be an exception to the rule and that the majority of doctors were compassionate and grateful to have the wonderful job of bringing babies into the world. I thought that the hospital was scary but that no doubt all other hospitals would be much more appealing. I thought that not being insured was the cause of my not having the choice of care I wanted.

Now that I am reading "Birth Matters" I finally understand that being insured or not has nothing to do with the type of care you get. I understood that most OBGYN are just like the one I went to, and that most hospitals are indeed scary. I understood that not even money or insurance protects you from being a guinea pig.

I was unaware of all of this when I came to visit Carol Nelson at the Farm. All I knew was that I liked her immediately, I liked the Farm and the idea of being surrounded by nature (as opposed to being in NYC) and even better: I could afford it. It seemed like the perfect, logical thing to do. I had no idea how incredibly lucky I was.

The birth of my daughter was everything I had hoped for, but I took it for granted. A female giving birth goes without saying. What could be more normal? It hit me as I was reading other women's birth stories in "Birth Matters" that some women chose a natural birth because of a previous bad experience or after conducting extensive research on the matter. They were thorough and critical and made a deliberate choice. I in comparison feel like I got lucky and followed my gut. I expected a wonderful birth. I did not realize that it was an exception in this country.

Today, after reading "Birth Matters", I am absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude. Today I know I had more than a wonderful birth, I had a perfect birth. I thought Carol was a great midwife doing a great job, but today I know she is an angel operating against extraordinary odds.

I would like to say thank you to Carol, Ina May and all of the Midwives of the Farm doing what you are doing. May you be blessed with a long and healthy lives. I know that the babies whose first vision are your face and whose first touch are your touch are blessed.

I have enjoyed reading all of Ina May's books over the last few years, but this one is by far her best. It is an excellent and up to date (2010) discussion of the current issues related to women's health and birthing. I appreciate her succinct and scientific discourse on the topic and it is quite evident through her writing that she is an expert in her field. Having read the majority of her works in the past, there was some repeat information. This, however, is necessary for those that have never read her material in the past and is presented with some new insights. My first reaction was that this book should be used as a text in Women's Studies courses. I highly recommend this book for every man, woman, and experts in the field of obstetrics/midwifery. A very empowering book.

Ok, so I haven't finished it yet, bit I love it so far, just like her other books. I'm so happy that she wrote something new, so there's a little less "70s-ness". still the same natural birth warrior woman though.

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