Birthing: Past, Present, and Future

Today we'll be speaking with acclaimed midwife Ina May Gaskin about how she came to be a midwife, different schools of thought in birthing, and where she would like to see birthing culture go in the future. Ina May Gaskin is founder and director of The Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee. Founded in 1971, The Farm Midwifery Center has handled several thousand births, with remarkably good outcomes. Ms. Gaskin herself has attended more than 1,200 births. She is author of Spiritual Midwifery, now in its fourth edition, and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. For over 20 years she has published Birth Gazette, a quarterly publication covering healthcare, childbirth and midwifery issues. She has lectured all over the world at midwifery conferences and at medical schools, both to students and to faculty.