Ina May Gaskin - Born 1940
American Midwife, Author, Educator and Activist
Added to the album by Vicky, A Wonderful Woman
Before Vicky nominated Ina May Gaskin as an addition to the Wonderful Women album, I was not aware of her at all. Reading about her has been a great experience, once again I feel inspired and impressed by just how wonderful one woman can be.
In 1971, Ina May founded The Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee, U.S.A. The Farm is dedicated to delivering babies without medical intervention, unless absolutely necessary. The Farm has handled approximately 3000 births and Ina May is said to have personally attended more than 1200 births. It has been Ina May's life work to promote low-intervention but extremely effective methods of dealing with shoulder dystocia. The Gaskin Maneuver is the first obstetrical procedure to be named after a midwife and is now widely used by medical practitioners.
Ina May is a strong advocate of home births, she believes that low-risk births should be delivered at home with a midwife overseeing, rather than in hospital with medical assistance.
The overriding theory in all Ina May's work, is that preganancy and childbirth are a natural and spiritual experience between mother and child, and for this experience medical assistance is not usually necessary.
Ina May has published five books about childbirth, which centre on a number of topics including natural birth, the spirituality of childbirth, pregnancy and breast-feeding. She has also written numerous articles, created film documentaries and given countless lectures on these subjects.
Her arguments are compelling, her results undisputable and her dedication to midwifery undeniable. A true Wonderful Woman.
Remember this, for it is as true as 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.
Ina May Gaskin
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