Birth Matters... It matters because it is the way we all begin our lives outside of our source, our mother's bodies. It's the means from which we enter and feel our first impression of the wider world. For each mother,… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share Image
The way a culture treats women in birth is a good indicator of how well women and their contributions to society are valued and… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
“The techno-medical model of maternity care, unlike the midwifery model, is comparatively new on the world scene, having existed for barely two centuries. This… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
The best a health care system can do is to equip itself to meet the needs of each individual woman and birth. Those needs… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
Why do we, then, continue to treat women as if their emotions and comfort, and the postures they might want to assume while in… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
I had to learn not to let anyone push me around, to be brave and to say things I knew might make people mad. — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
When we as a society begin to value mothers as the givers and supporters of life, then we will see social change in ways… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
“I have felt incredible energy and life force through my body, and I have really been reborn a happier, healthier, and more confident person.… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
“Remember this, for it is as true and true gets: Your body is not a lemon. You are not a machine. The Creator is… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
Simply put, when there is no home birth in a society, or when home birth is driven completely underground, essential knowledge of women’s capacities… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
A society that places a low value on its mothers and the process of birth will suffer an array of negative repercussions for doing… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
I know of no country in the world that has passed a law specifically denying a woman's right to choose where she intends to… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
“Many midwives work as employees in large hospital practices, where the techno-medical model of care is still the rule. In practices like these, midwives… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
I have never observed even the slightest laceration in a woman who used clitoral stimulation as a relaxation method during birth. Clitoral stimulation seems… — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
I dreaded having a boring life when I grew up. And I certainly can't complain about being bored. — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
There is no other organ quite like the uterus. If men had such an organ they would brag about it. So should we — Ina May Gaskin Copy Share
