Author Archives: midwife - Page 6
Cesarean on Demand – What Do Obstetricians Think?
In 2007, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists published an important and interesting study asking practicing obstetricians about their knowledge, beliefs, and practices regarding the risks and benefits of…
Do It Yourself Labor Induction!
In an original study, researchers in Malaysia found that women who reported having sexual intercourse during the last month of pregnancy were more likely to go into labor before 41 weeks gestation…
Cord Clamping – Please Wait!
There are suggestions that the practice of early cord clamping may have far-reaching detrimental effects on the infant, such as autism, infant anemia, childhood mental disorders and hypoxic ischemic brain…
Doulas
As many midwives have found, a doula can be an invaluable resource to a laboring woman and to a new mother. A doula is a professionally-trained supportive companion for a…
Respectful Maternity Care
The White Ribbon Alliance has an excellent short video on YouTube about respectful maternity care. (more…)
Why Finnish Babies Sleep Mostly in Cardboard Boxes
A wonderful story about Finland's gift to its new parents was posted on June 3 on the Updated News website. It starts, "For 75 years, Finland's expectant mothers have been…
Saving Mothers and Babies in Mexico with Midwives
In a story on Weekend Edition Sunday on January 6, Monica Ortiz Uribe recounts an effort to reduce the high Mexican maternal mortality rate, especially in poorer, more rural and…
“Natural” Cesarean?
This is fascinating - although an oxymoron (natural cesarean?), it immediately and instinctively appealed to me as a midwife. (Photo is of a cesarean in rural Nepal) In recent years,…
Midwife as Status Symbol?
The New York Times writes in the Sunday, June 17, 2012 edition that midwives have suddenly become a "status symbol." (more…)
What to reject when you’re expecting 10 procedures to think twice about during your pregnancy
Consumer has an excellent article (May, 2012) about ten procedures that may be more harmful than helpful during pregnancy and birth, as well as ten things to do during your…