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Photo by Simon Wilkes
Each of us has experiences that inexorably lead to where we are, what we are doing today. The author shares with us her experience of her sister’s birth, which put her on the path to becoming a midwife.
As midwifery is poised to go mainstream, we must be very clear on our foundation: What is essential to our work, and what is momentary or temporary? In other words, what about midwifery has endured, and what must endure if we are to continue to provide what women want when they seek midwifery care? Read more…. The Enduring Qualities in Midwifery
Photo by Jonatan Lewczuk
WHO and ICM have labeled traditional midwives “traditional birth attendants” (TBA). This proposal, written for submission to these two organizations, lays out the case for calling traditional midwives midwives.
Photo by Paul Volkmer
A reflection on the nature of time, our culture and midwives.
Photo by Carolyn Brown
Author Jill Cohen lists and contrasts numerous trends in birthing practices. Read more…. Trends vs. Traditions
Photos provided by author
Tom and I made the very careful and, for us, very clear-cut decision to have our third child under the care of a homebirth midwife. The decision was easy for us, because the idea of having the child at home fit with where we were as a family. We had moved to a new community about a year earlier hoping to live more simply, more thoughtfully and more intentionally. We wanted not to accept the status quo, but to follow our own course that may or may not have been the societally accepted path. It was also easy because, as a nurse, I had begun working for a visiting nurse and hospice organization, providing home care for people who were ill or dying. This role and work showed me first-hand how natural, safe and true I felt helping people stay in their homes during the difficult time when most people are transferred from family and community to doctors and institutions.
Illustration by Minhoon Kim
This third article in our four-part series on bullying focuses on the target of the bully, and the effects on her, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Read more…. The Target of the Bully and the Effects of PTSD
Photo by Regina Calvo
They say they’re sad about me leaving: Who will take care of them? What they don’t know is that the loss is mine as well. My patients—some hated me, some loved me, and some passed by me. And yet they are all part of me, part of my time, part of my heart. And I am sad, sad, sad to no longer have the opportunity to serve, to be loved, to be hated.
Readers of Midwifery Today may remember my article in Issue 62 about a new trend—a faster way of suturing women’s uteri that came into vogue in the US in the 1990s. Formerly obstetricians in the US considered that in order for a uterine incision after c-section to heal properly it had to be closed in two layers and then a third layer added to close the peritoneum. The new minimalist method called instead for suturing the uterine incision in a single layer and leaving the peritoneum open. This one-layer suturing—also called the Misgav Ladach technique (1)—quickly became very popular among younger obstetricians, despite the dearth of research concerning its long-term safety implications. An obstetrician friend told me that the warnings of the older faculty members (“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you”) could easily be ignored because so much peer pressure was brought to bear on young residents to switch away from the traditional method to the new one.
Photo by Sara Kurfeß
How does one draw the line between resounding enthusiasm for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) and an accepting attitude towards one’s limitations? Many in the natural childbirth culture advocate a laissez-faire approach toward all VBACs, excepting the typical obstetric interventions of induction, continuous monitoring, and the like. These enthusiasts dismiss virtually any reservation. I have a unique perspective on this topic: My attempted VBAC at The Farm ended in a transport and full uterine rupture.
Midwives, with their focus on the caring rather than management, can help to prevent an overly-medicalized birth outcome. Frequent contributor Judy Slome Cohain contrasts the story of birth that was published in a popular magazine with how it might have been had the mother been cared for by a midwife.
How does one draw the line between resounding enthusiasm for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) and an accepting attitude towards one’s limitations? Many in the natural childbirth culture advocate a laissez-faire approach toward all VBACs, excepting the typical obstetric interventions of induction, continuous monitoring, and the like. These enthusiasts dismiss virtually any reservation. I have a unique perspective on this topic: My attempted VBAC at The Farm ended in a transport and full uterine rupture.
