Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring and informative - a must have for all mums to be.
Review: I found this book a lovely read, particually the birth stories although the language used was a bit dated (in my experience) it did not detract to much from the message. The book shows atrust in a womens ability to birth her baby that will inspire any that read it. I just wish that I had read it before the births of my children rather than after. This book also gives me faith that I will achieve my dream of being a midwife.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous- Emphasizing the Emotional Aspect of Birth
Review: I just finished reading this book. I was interested in learning more about natural childbrith and came away with insight into not only the physical but the essential spirtitual and emotional aspects about birth. I really loved the comments about how both partners(mother and father)need to "get it together" emotionally to be prepared for this event. I also enjoyed the the advice not to complain, that your outlook and attituted affects labor. I am glad to see this book wasn't at all sugarcoated, it dealt with complications in birth and death with such dignity and grace as well as highlighting the amazing success rates of natural childbirth. I had no idea when I started reading it that it was about an alternative "hippie" community. Very different from my personal life but I totally respect all of the individuals who made the decision to live such a simple life and focus on the amazing spirituality that surrounds us all in everday life. A definite must read!
Rating: 
Summary: The Fear Eliminator
Review: I just read the fourth edition of this book (published 2002) and am inspired and relieved. Many women have related the fears associated with giving birth and their doubts about their ability to do it. Whether you go natural or choose another route, you will find this book one that eliminates or greatly alleviates the fears that many, many women have. I felt amazed and inspired by how "down-to-earth" and do-able birthing seems after reading these countless stories. This is not an extremist book and Ina May and the midwives she mentors are the first to advise having a back up plan when circumstances warrant medical attention.
Rating:
Summary: The Fear Eliminator
Review: I just read the fourth edition of this book (published 2002) and am inspired and relieved. Many women have related the fears associated with giving birth and their doubts about their ability to do it. Whether you go natural or choose another route, you will find this book one that eliminates or greatly alleviates the fears that many, many women have. I felt amazed and inspired by how "down-to-earth" and do-able birthing seems after reading these countless stories. This is not an extremist book and Ina May and the midwives she mentors are the first to advise having a back up plan when circumstances warrant medical attention.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic!
Review: I love this book, I own several copys, dating back to the original printing. It has fantastic stories about home births, and a view into the life of a vegan comunity. wonderful photos. An great book for first time pregnant woman. Even if you don't plan on having a hospital birth the stories in this book will help give you an idea of what birth is like.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Childbirth Book Ever
Review: I loved the personal stories in this. I couldn't put this book down once I picked it up and I had already had my twins three months earlier. It made me want to have more babies just to feel childbirth the way it was written. True stuff, an amazing book, revolutionary.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic! Life-affirming!
Review: I loved this book. Yes, it is on the hippy side of things; yes, the photos look kind of funny; and yes, the language can sound kind of silly. However, I've never read such a beautiful and spiritual description of childbirth. The mindset descriped in this book is wonderful, and it also contains lots of very valuable information as well. I just adore it! I'll be reading it again and again. Wonderful book!
Rating:
Summary: Really Wonderful
Review: I picked this book up at my birth center's lending library. At first I was pretty taken aback by some of the language and the 'hippyness' of it, but I kept reading because I was hooked on the birth stories. It's amazing to see how wonderful these women's births were without pain and without medical intervention. The farm's record speaks for itself, I think they had less than 1 percent cesarean rate - definitely makes you realize the 35% rate in america is really a problem. Gave me another way to look at birth, not as a painful event to get through but as something joyful to experience.
Rating:
Summary: Joyful Birth Stories
Review: I read this book before I even met my husband. By the time we had our first child seven years later, my copy had become well worn. Although my home birth became a transport-for-emergency c-section, I'm still grateful to Ina May for sharing these stories. I'm even more grateful to my midwife who knew mid-labor that my birth needed surgical intervention and to the hospital staff who brought my daughter safely into our lives.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting info but very debatable conclusions
Review: I read this book to kearn more about childbirth and to find about about what natural birth has to offer. While the book had a lot of useful information about various stages of labor enhanced by personal experiences, it failed to convince me that natural childbirth is the best method of giving birth. First, to suport her point of view, Ina May Guskin (IMG) supplies us with personal accounts of women who gave birth in her care. To consider this accounts seriously the should have been authenticated by outisde authority. Also, it does not help that all accounts seem virtually identical and not a single one expresses concerns or dislike about the process. It just does not seem statistcally possible that not a single woman had a negative exprience or wanted to express some concerns. What was more alarming is IMG airly discussion of several birth practices that for decades were deemed unacceptable by medicine. For example, she advocated drinking vodka on a daily basis to stop early contractions. I wonder what damage this constant drinking made to the child and whether the contractions could have been stopped by more harmless methods. (Otherwise, it seems that medical research pointing at high risk of harm to babies of mothers who drink during pregnancy should go out of the window). There are quite a few little conroversial tidbits like that in the book which IMG does not chose to address and, which potentially could hurt a baby, whose mother takes her advice to heart. All in all, interesting book, which takes some fo the trepidation out of childbirth process, but, at least for me, not convincing that natural childbirth is what would be best for my child.
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