After graduating from Marshalltown High School, she attended the University of Iowa and obtained her Bachelor's in English literature. [2] She then joined the Peace Corps for several years and had the opportunity to be an English teacher in Malaysia. She returned to the United States and received her Master's of Arts from Northern Illinois University. [3] Before The Farm [ edit ] Gaskin, Ina May (2009). Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding. UK: Pinter & Martin. ISBN 9781905177332. OCLC 768809453.

The way a culture treats women in birth is a good indicator of how well women and their contributions to society are valued and honored.” All-Fours Maneuver for Reducing Shoulder Dystocia During Labor, The Journal of Reproductive Medicine, May, 1998. Gaskin, Ina May (2012). Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 9780553381153. OCLC 826306709. Frankly put, I delivered two of my children at home. Yes, there was a midwife looking over my shoulder, but I did all the dirty work with my wife. From start to finish, these pregnancies were ours. Also new is information about the safety of techniques routinely used in hospitals during and after birth, information on postpartum depression and maternal death, and recent statistics on births managed by The Farm Midwives.Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.” We could use some of your energy in here, Clifford.' I sat up and helped get it covered. It was right up in my thing, because I always tended to be a little lazy about spending my energy. But this was my kid being born, too, and my lady in labor and my Universe, so I had to cop to the responsibility of keeping it stoned." The Farm as the epitome of a great environment but the percentage of women who are actually going to birth there is negligible so why not talk a little more about some other great birthing environments or ways to make a birthing environment great. Gaskin, Ina May (1987). Babies, Breastfeeding, and Bonding. South Hadley, Mass.: Bergin & Garvey Publishers. ISBN 9780897891349. OCLC 15860611.

Remember this, for it is as true and true gets: Your body is not a lemon. You are not a machine. The Creator is not a careless mechanic. Human female bodies have the same potential to give birth well as aardvarks, lions, rhinoceri, elephants, moose, and water buffalo. Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.”According to Carol Lorente (1995), the work of Gaskin and the midwives might not have had the impact it did, if it hadn't been for the publication of her book Spiritual Midwifery (1977): Considered a seminal work, it presented pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding from a fresh, natural and spiritual perspective, rather than the standard clinical viewpoint. In homebirth and midwifery circles, it made her a household name, and a widely respected teacher and writer." [9] Ina May Gaskin has been a longtime teacher of midwifery and is the author of ‘Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth,’‘Spiritual Midwifery,’ and ‘Birth Matters,’ among other titles. She is recognized as an authority on mother-led birth who caters to what the mother needs to have a positive and healthy birth. To get a better understanding of giving birth without fear, we recommend reading her books on Childbirth and Breastfeeding!