De mooiste quotes van… Ina May Gaskin

Zoals jullie waarschijnlijk wel weten is een van de (zo niet dé) bekendste vroedvrouwen ter wereld: Ina May Gaskin. Ik ben dol op haar boeken en las tijdens mijn zwangerschappen ‘Spirituele Verloskunde’ en ‘Ina Mays guide to childbirth’. Als je bij mij de cursus Hypnobirthing volgt zal je er ook dingen uit terug horen.

In 2017 was ze in Nederland en heb ik heerlijk kunnen genieten van haar verhalen en ervaringen. Zo gaf ze onder andere antwoord op een vraag uit de zaal ‘hoe kunnen we er voor zorgen dat er minder geknipt wordt tijdens de bevalling. Het antwoord was nogal Cruyffiaans:

“Do not… pick up the scissors”

Het was ontzettend grappig, maar ook waar natuurlijk!

In dit blog vind je nog meer uitspraken van haar. Geniet ervan en neem tot je wat bij jóu past!


“There is no other organ quite like the uterus. If men had such an organ they would brag about it. So should we.”

“Remember this, for it is as true and 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.”

“Whenever and however you give birth, your experience will impact your emotions, your mind, your body, and your spirit for the rest of your life.”

“If a woman doesn’t look like a goddess during labor, then someone isn’t treating her right.”

“Good beginnings make a positive difference in the world, so it is worth our while to provide the best possible care for mothers and babies throughout this extraordinarily influential part of life.”

“Choosing where and how you will give birth is one of the most important preparations you can make for a good breastfeeding experience.”

“When we as a society begin to value mothers as the givers and supporters of life, then we will see social change in ways that matter.”

“Let your monkey do it!”

“Our sphincters are shy & our sphincters do not obey orders”

“Gardeners know that you must nourish the soil if you want healthy plants. You must water the plants adequately, especially when seeds are germinating and sprouting, and they should be planted in a nutrient-rich soil. Why should nutrition matter less in the creation of young humans than it does in young plants? I’m sure that it doesn’t.”

“Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.”

“The state of relaxation of the mouth and jaw is directly correlated to the ability of the cervix, the vagina, and the anus to open to full capacity.”

“Breast stimulation is especially effective in starting labor at term when it is combined with sexual intercourse. Unless your partner is an abysmally poor lover, this combination is by far the most enjoyable method of induction.”

“It’s easy to scare women. It’s even profitable to scare women… But it’s not nice, so let’s stop it.”