Gaskin, Ina. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. New York, NY: Random House, 2003. Print.
1. List several topics/areas the book has taught you about that the "Business of Being Born" either ignored or treated differently or in less depth.
In the second part of Ina May's book, the information is purely factual, contrary to the stories in the first part. One thing that I learned from the book that wasn't focused on in the movie was that the emotional feelings that a woman may have in labor can highly affect how the process turns out. For instance, on pg. 138, Ina describes how even the smallest problem can make a woman reverse her labor. She described a memory in which a woman's cervix began to close mid labor after someone walked into the room who she didn't feel very close to. Another topic that I learned about was the role of the placenta. I never knew how important it actually was until I read this book. On pg. 144, Ina goes into the scientific facts about the process of labor: "The placenta does the work that will later be taken up by the baby's lungs, digestive system, liver, excretory systems, and the two chambers of the baby's heart..." As you can see, the placenta is the main provider for the baby and basically lives for it. I found that part really interesting because neither the movie, nor anything else really, show just how important a lot of the different parts of the female reproductive system really are.
2. The major insight the book tries to communicate in the second 100 pages (1-3 sentences) and your response to that insight (2-4 sentences).
Ina May's book focuses a lot more on the positives of home birth rather than the negatives of hospitalized births. While the first part of the book is really emotionally tied and very pro-home birth, the second part is much more factual and based around the medical facts of what always happens and what may happen. I believe that there really is no insight to this section because there are no opinions being stated. In that case, my response would be that there should be a lot more knowledge about the facts instead of simply getting opinions from our family and friends.
3. List 5 interesting aspects of pregnancy and birth discussed in the second hundred pages that you agree deserve wider attention (include page number).
-On page 138, Ina goes into a lot of research about the control a woman's mind can have over her body while in labor. I think it would be interesting to look into what causes retraction or pausing for a long period of time and how that's related to the mind of the woman.
-On page 145, Ina describes exactly what is happening to a woman's body as she is going through labor. I think this deserves wider attention because most people don't know what is happening, only that it's "right."
-On page 158, Ina gets firsthand accounts from women who had orgasms or extreme feelings of pleasure during their labor and birthing process. I think this deserves to have wider attention because society sees birth as a disease or a problem that involves pain and horror when in fact, there are a lot of women who have had quite the opposite experience.
4. Independently research one crucial factual claim by the author in the second hundred pages and assess the validity of the author's use of that evidence.
On pg. 210, Ina uses a quote from the producer of a synthetic drug that was used a lot on pregnant women, but never FDA approved: "G. D. Searle, the manufacturer of Cytocec, [a pill used as a synthetic substance to soften the cervix and lower part of the uterus.] has stated that it does not plan to seek FDA approval for the drug's use in labor induction." She got this information from Obstetrics & Gynecology, 1998; 91:828-30
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