Author Archives: midwife
The Length of Second Stage of Labor Is Not Related to the Incidence of Anal Sphincter Injury
Anal sphincter disruption (sometimes referred to as a fourth-degree laceration or laceration from the vagina through the circular muscle that surrounds the anus) is a birth injury that can have…
How Long After First Birth Do Women Wait to Have Sex Again?
A 2013 study from Australia, reported in the online edition of the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, looked at the timing of resumption of vaginal intercourse after first birth…
Should Pregnant Women Get the Flu Vaccine?
The answer to this question is a resounding "Yes!" According to the CDC, "flu is more likely to cause severe illness in pregnant women than in women who are not…
Practicing for an Emergency
The New York Times (Channon Hodge, October 12, 2014) published a video on a practice simulation of a difficult birth at North Central Bronx Hospital, where the obstetric unit has…
Do Bigger Babies Do Better in School? and By the Way, Are We Getting Too Much Healthcare?
There is an interesting and thought-provoking article by David Leonhardt and Amanda Cox in The New York Times Sunday Review (October 12, 2014). The article describes research done on a…
Lancet Series on the Importance of Midwifery in the Lives of Women and Infants
The Lancet, a highly-respected medical journal published in the , has recently released a series of articles on midwifery and its actual and potential impact on the lives and health…
What Exactly is Postpartum Depression?
, Dec. 2005 “Postpartum depression” is an ill-defined term that refers to a broad range of symptoms and conditions, from “baby blues” which can from time to time affect almost…
Do You Really Need that Embarrassing and Uncomfortable Pelvic Exam?
In her New York Times column on Personal Health, Jane Brody recently questioned the value of routine pelvic exams during visits to the gynecologist. (Routine pelvic exams during labor are…
The Pressures of Pregnancy
Taking Blood Pressure Women are delaying parenthood until later and more women age 40 and over are having babies; chronic hypertension becomes more common as women get older. In addition,…
Medical Research Terminology – What the Heck is an RCT, a Meta-analysis, a Systematic Review?
I have been reading an alarming book by Ben Goldacre, a British physician and journalist who writes a sometimes column for The Guardian called Bad Science, and has a website…