Born to Live.

This delightful book deals with life as ongoing spirit, through conception, pregnancy, birth and death. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, in the foreward, writes: "Born to Live makes a plea for home care, for home delivery, just as we made a plea for allowing patients to die at home. And in reading through these pages, I am once more reminded how terribly identical the moment of birth is to the moment of death, when you enter from a dark place, through a tunnel towards the light, expected and welcomed by the warm, caring hands of those who took care of us on both.sides of this invisible barrier."

Gladys McGarey, a physician, lecturer, writer, wife, mother of six children and grandmother loves delivering babies. She remarks:

"Spiritual food is as essential to

the purpose of the unborn infant as

physical food."

"Maybe, when a baby is born, it

is an opportunity for us to greet a

soul who has much to share, much

to experience, and who may help

us as time goes on, much as we

have greeted that one when he

entered this sphere of existence.

"We need to be aware, as

physicians, obstetricians, Or

midwives, to be in the consciousness

of blessing as each entity

comes into the world. if we do

that, birth truly becomes an exalted 

event, a gentle marvelous time in

the lives of the mother, the father,

and the infant who receives the

blessing."

"We who bring babies into this

world have the responsibility to

become sensitive to the needs of

these individuals who are under

our care. I think it is important to

allow each woman to have her own

baby in the way she chooses. After

all, choice is one of the most

precious gifts to mankind from the

Divine."

I was deeply touched when I first read the book several years ago. Born to Live includes fascinating stories about: difficulty conceiving; abortion; reincarnation; husbands experiencing symptoms of pregnancy; lack of progress, elevated blood pressure, fetal monitors; dealing with low back pain in labor; birth into light (rather than darkness); a mother using her mind to control postpartum hemorrhage; and "special" children. One that intrigued me was about a fetus that kept returning to breech, was extremely frightened after birth, and his mother, who was eventually able to help him.

I think that this book is very complementary to IH/IBP'S philosophy and war reading for anyone involved in pregnancy, birth, or childcare! Elizabeth Kubler-Ross sums it up: "Anyone who is willing to read Gladys' book with an open mind and a heart full of love, understanding and wisdom will be grateful for her courage and will learn a great deal, not only about beginnings and endings, but about life itself.

Thank you Gladys, for Your warm and personal sharing, and for the courage you have to let more people know about the real meaning of unconditional love."