Midwifery Today Articles

= Membership Article.

To browse by issue, click here

The Impacts of Covid-19 on Birth Practices in the United States

by Robbie Davis-Floyd, Kim Gutschow and David A. Schwartz June 10, 2020

This rapid-response article (1) seeks to describe the quick and dramatic changes occurring in birth practices across the United States resulting from the pandemic of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and the life-threatening disease it produces, Covid-19. Long before the Covid-19 epidemic hit the United States, the medicalization of pregnancy had led to a broad acceptance of birthing as hospital-based—where it is often treated like a dysfunctional mechanical process and its normal physiology is ignored. We explore the question of how Covid-19 is causing women and birth providers to look at birth differently, given that hospitals are now more than ever being perceived as sites of contagion. We show that Covid-19 offers a testing ground for ongoing debates about the efficacy of maternity care and the safety of hospital versus out-of-hospital (OOH) births. We conclude by suggesting specific policy changes to generate effective maternity care in the face of future pandemics and other disasters that are bound to increase in our era of the climate crisis.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Photo by Brett Zeck

Country Contacts – Issue 134

by Editorial June 10, 2020

How has Covid-19, the disease from the novel coronavirus affected your country?

Have you done anything different with pregnant and birthing women during this time?

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Initiatives for Pregnant and Birthing Women in India during Covid-19 Pandemic

by Manju Chhugani June 10, 2020

he world is witnessing a huge outbreak of deadly Covid-19, or novel coronavirus. Similarly, India is also struggling with fast-growing coronavirus. The first case of coronavirus in India was reported on January 30, 2020, in a student who was brought to Kerala from Wuhan University (China). Thereafter, it rose to three cases, confined to Kerala, and all were students who returned from Wuhan University. No significant increase in cases was seen in February.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Marion’s Message: Healthy Childbirth Boundaries

by Marion Toepke McLean June 10, 2020

In childbirth, the needs of the one giving birth and the baby—who is transitioning from unborn to born—are primary. The events of the birthing day will affect them for their whole lives. Without their presence, no birth will take place.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Photo by Annie Spratt

Dealing with Postpartum Psychosis in Sierra Leone

by Kristine Lauria June 10, 2020

I have encountered many things in my humanitarian and midwifery career. I am prepared for just about anything because I have learned that I have to be. A lot of it is not easy. Much of it stays with me. Some of it goes down on paper, like this story. As a midwife supervisor in… Read more…. Dealing with Postpartum Psychosis in Sierra Leone

“Call the Midwife”: Jennifer Worth, a Twentieth Century British Midwife, and the Birth of Conchita Warren’s 24th Baby on TV vs. in Real Life

by Jane Beal May 26, 2020

I started watching the BBC television series “Call the Midwife” after everyone and her mother had recommended it to me. In the first episode, set in 1957, Jenny Lee arrives at Nonnatus House, a nursing convent in London, as the new midwife on staff. I was intrigued.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Photos provided by author

Covid-19 in Nigeria

by Chinenye MaryRose Nneoma Okonkwo May 24, 2020

The novel coronavirus, which causes Covid-19, is a new life-threatening disease. Covid-19 is a worldwide health hazard that is now spreading throughout the world. Read more…. Covid-19 in Nigeria

Photos provided by author

Covid-19 in Iran

by Narjes Shiraghaei Kootenaei May 22, 2020

Iran is an ancient country in the Middle East, with 7000 years of history and a population of more than 83 million. Every year around 1,300,000 children are born in Iran, and there are more than 55,000 midwives currently available.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Keeping Waterbirth Safe During Covid-19

by Barbara Harper May 8, 2020

All the research shows that water reduces the rate of infection in all three participants—mother, baby, and provider—and in some cases makes contaminants non-viable. This was the answer I gave to the first person, a hospital midwife from Italy, who asked about restrictions for using water for labor and birth during the Covid-19 outbreak. She sent a message on March 20 and I recommended that they continue with their established hospital waterbirth practice and, where and when necessary, use full personal protection equipment (PPE). Read more…. Keeping Waterbirth Safe During Covid-19

Andean Mountains in southern Ecuador.
Photos provided by author

Ecuador’s New Life Birthing Centers at the Time of Covid-19

by New Life Team Members May 7, 2020

Times are challenging right now all over the world—especially in areas of low resources, where supplies are already stretched thin and cultural barriers exist.
New Life Birthing Centers is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which plants and operates holistic birthing centers that offer free evidence-based care in low resource countries. We currently operate in the Andean area of Ecuador and are opening in the Dominican Republic.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Pregnancy on High: Is Cannabis Better or Worse than Pharmaceuticals during Pregnancy?

by Ken Magri April 26, 2020

The number of pregnant American women self-reporting cannabis use during pregnancy rose in 2017, to three to five percent. With more states legalizing the drug each year, that percentage is likely to keep rising, reigniting an old debate about whether using cannabis during pregnancy is safe.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema

Letter to My Soon-to-be Parents—As We Negotiate These Unusual Times….

by Nancy Wainer April 24, 2020

Each day is one day closer to your meeting your baby—how exciting! We all want to do whatever we can to make it the safest, calmest, and most wonderful time it can be.