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Rachel Baransi
International midwife Vicki Penwell discusses the culture of homebirth in America to see what might be done to improve the life-long health of the baby.
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A wonderful article on the benefits of motherwort for pregnant and lactating mothers.
Monet Moutrie—monetnicole.com
The microbiome is a virtual swarm of micro-organisms which live in, on and around the human body. The Human Microbiome Project, launched by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2008, was a five-year project which analyzed the genetic code of the microbes living in and on the human body, with the ultimate goal of finding how changes in the human microbiome are associated with health and disease. Despite the generation of massive amounts of data, this issue is currently not well understood. Read more…. The Microbiome and the Midwife
Today, it is commonplace to present Homo sapiens as an ecosystem with a symbiotic interaction between the trillions of cells that are the products of our genes (the “host”) and the hundreds of trillions of microorganisms that colonize the body (the “microbiome”).
Read more…. Homebirth vs. Hospital Birth, The Bacteriological Perspective
Paige Driscoll—antacruzbirthphotographer.com
Sometimes it is easier to trust the innate intelligence in natural processes when science discovers or confirms through scientific studies the validity of something that is believed to be true, like upright positioning for birth, or something previously unknown, like the benefits of the human microbiota. Most recent is a growing respect of the microbiota at birth and its effect on long-term health.
Jennifer Mason—jennifermasonphotography.com
As a birth photographer, I’ve captured over 125 births since having my first daughter. Each story I documented was as unique as the woman I worked with; the myriad of birth stories I saw reminded me that life is full of both unforeseen turns and unimaginable beauty. I sat beside many of my clients as they saw their birth plans change drastically, and I witnessed the strength that women possess when they’re asked to do something that perhaps they had previously thought impossible. After I sent off an edited gallery of images or when I met with a client for the very first time, I found myself thinking how blessed I was to have found a calling that demonstrated the immense power of womanhood and sisterhood again and again.
Monet Moutrie—monetnicole.com
In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights affirmed that the human right to private life includes the right to choose the circumstances of giving birth. In Ternovszky v. Hungary (2010), the human rights tribunal made clear that this right includes the choice between giving birth with a midwife or with a doctor, at home or in the hospital. Read more…. Equality for Midwives
Monet Moutrie—monetnicole.com
What If, What For and What Now? Human Rights and Cultural Rights in Childbirth by Sister MorningStar. “One of the most tragic destructions of indigenous sacred female knowledge is the false superiority and medicalization of childbirth by professionals among native peoples. Read more…. What If, What For and What Now: Human Rights and Cultural Rights in Childbirth
How a Checklist Promotes Human Rights in Childbirth: the International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative by Vicki Penwell. Midwife Vicki Penwell shares a simple and practical tool to get better outcomes in childbirth. Read more…. How a Checklist Promotes Human Rights in Childbirth: The International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative
Mothers worldwide are crying out for respectful, gentle maternal health services. The nightmare of “prenatal scare” instead of prenatal care has mothers-to-be crying after visits with the Ob/Gyn. Clearly, it is time for an awakening in birth. This is what so many of us birthkeepers are holding in our hearts. We devote our days and nights to supporting individual women to have choices in childbirth, while working on the broader, global front of human rights in childbirth.
Lynsey Stone—dfwbirthphotographer.com
The Right to Challenge Tradition and Cultural Conditioning by Michel Odent. Natural childbirth advocate and obstetrician Michel Odent discusses cultural interferences in childbirth and the repercussions these have had on human development. Read more…. The Right to Challenge Tradition and Cultural Conditioning
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A helpful article by herbalist Susun S. Weed on the benefits of raspberry leaf, particularly in tea form, during pregnancy.
