Newest Book I Have Started Reading

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin. I got this book in yesterday and skipped over Active Birth for a few nights to start reading it. I really like the way she comes across. Quite honestly I expected her to be really pushy and unapproachable because of her fame and experience. Not so... so far. She seems to genuinely care about woman and childbirth. I also like the way it is set up. It gives the reader a little story time, the essentials of birth, and other useful information. It is not just a one note book.

With that being said, I also feel that a lot of these natural childbirth books put birth up on a pedestal and make it sound like it affects every aspect of a woman's life. I believe birth is important, moving, inspiring, and even life affirming but I also think that the actual mothering, being a wife, having faith, serving others, and even daily interaction cannot be pushed a side as we delve into learning more about this process. When I was pregnant with my first son I got sucked into this world where little else mattered. I ate, drank, and slept my upcoming birth. I put so much importance of this one day and dedicated much less time to what motherhood would be like or even remember to live in the present as well. This time around I think I have a more balanced view. Again, I am spending a lot of my time thinking and reading about birth but I also have the joy of thinking about more. I am happily anticipating a wonderful birth with this child, but I am also no so focused on the birth being the end of the story. No... it is only the beginning.