02 February 2010
Birth is a Human Rights Issue
I have thought a lot about “Birth is a Human Rights Issue,” possibly because of hearing so many brutal birth stories. We have been publishing Midwifery Today for 24 years, since 1986. In those years of publishing birth and midwifery information many, many birth stories have come across my... Read More...
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10 November 2009
Survivor Moms - Healing after Sexual Abuse
Midwives are called upon to help each of their clients have the best birth possible. As many as one in three or four women have suffered sexual abuse or rape. The effects of such abuse often play out in the childbearing year, as well as in other aspects of a person’s life. In that the experience... Read More...
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06 October 2009
Your Birth
This is what I want to say to every young woman in the world: your birth is the most important event in shaping your life as a mother. It is imperative that you be properly cared for, nurtured and, in this culture, educated. You need a loving midwife, because the effects of the birth year—positive... Read More...
4 comment(s)
22 September 2009
The Complexities of Birth
A mother’s birth is first a physical event, but if the psychological aspect takes over it may be impossible for the birth to proceed as a straight-out physical event. In this case, the mind needs to be cleared in order to fall into the primal brain, where the birth works best. And then there are... Read More...
3 comment(s)
25 August 2009
Working in the Same Community over Time
In our birth practice, we always had so much trouble saying goodbye to the mothers we served. You know how accustomed you get to seeing them weekly, by the end of the pregnancy? Prenatal visits often happened with a lot of laughing and information flying, blended with the seriousness of the most important... Read More...
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11 August 2009
Health Care Needs Midwives
Midwifery is the answer to the question, “how can we afford national health care?” If every motherbaby were attended by a non-interventive but knowledgeable midwife, a national health care program would save billions of dollars on the four million births that occur in the US each year. Imagine... Read More...
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05 August 2009
American College of Nurse-Midwives’ (ACNM) Declaration
I was horrified when I read the American College of Nurse-Midwives’ (ACNM) declaration of opposition to federal recognition for the CPM, or Certified Professional Midwife. One of my most recent blogs was on unity within the midwifery profession , and was written before this declaration came out... Read More...
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07 July 2009
What is a "Real" Midwife?
Guest Post by Lynn Baptisti Richards (Lynn Baptisti Richards, BS, Ed, LM, is a performing and visual artist, a midwife and a writer.) I thought I was the only one (or nearly the only one) who feels that midwives have been sold a load of crap. The desperate need for us to be legally safe from prosecution... Read More...
3 comment(s)
24 June 2009
Support All Types of Midwives
My role in midwifery, besides being a midwife and journalist, is to support and encourage all midwives. I do support “The Big Push for Midwives.” I really want to see CPMs (Certified Professional Midwife) be part of the healthcare system, and I support CNMs (Certified Nurse Midwife) as well... Read More...
3 comment(s)
20 June 2009
The 10 Commandments of a Good Birth
These were originally posted on our Twitter page. Number 1 is by Gloria Lemay; 2-10 are by Jan Tritten. A good midwife is worth her weight in gold if you want a good birth experience. Shop carefully and pay her well. Thou shalt eat a healthy diet: 80-100 grams of protein, salt food to taste and lots... Read More...
2 comment(s)
16 June 2009
Cytotec for Birth is Dangerous
When I first started doing homebirths 32+ years ago the mortal sin was to use buccal Pitocin (the pill form, which is put under the tongue to begin or augment labor.) The reason that it was a no-no is that it might cause tetanic contractions, which can lead to uterine rupture, problems with the baby... Read More...
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03 June 2009
Stop the Misleading Sensationalism!
The News & Observer of North Carolina ran an article on May 27 entitled “Police probe home birth; baby died.” When I went to the site to read the article, I learned that “A woman who delivered a baby into the toilet and told emergency dispatchers she had not known she was pregnant... Read More...
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20 May 2009
Developing a Birth Philosophy
A wise and important step in preparing for midwifery is to develop a philosophy of midwifery and birth. We once taught a conference class in London, England called, “Midwifery: A Profession Looking for a Philosophy.” My friend, Suzanne Colson, believes that midwifery is all over the board... Read More...
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17 May 2009
Protecting Mother and Baby
I believe that midwives and doulas, despite their already large workload, have a duty to protect mother and baby. This role might not have fallen on us before such intense and dangerous interventions were used in pregnancy and birth. However, because of increasing misinformation, myth and medicalization... Read More...
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14 May 2009
Trust me, It’s Safe! (Pregnancy and H1N1 influenza)
Pregnancy is now considered a risk factor for H1N1 influenza (formerly Swine flu), and consequently the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has begun to advocate that pregnant women who develop symptoms of the flu take Tamiflu or Relenza. The intent is to avoid complications such as premature labor, pneumonia... Read More...
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