Gloria Lemay is a childbirth activist living in British Columbia, Canada. She has a passion for VBAC, waterbirth and ending male genital mutilation. She is a blogger at wisewomanwayofbirth.com. Her film "Birth With Gloria Lemay" was produced in 2012 and has been viewed all over the world.
Photo by A. Pressman
Photo by Fidel Fernando
Women in Australia ask each other “Who are you going to for Prenatal Scare?” Sadly, that could be said in North America, too. Stressed practitioners unloading their personal fears on pregnant women is a common scenario all over the world.
Photo by FLY:D
When a pregnant woman mentions to her medical provider that she wants to leave the baby’s umbilical cord to pulse until it has turned white, the provider might say “Oh, no, you don’t want to do that because your baby can get too much blood in his/her body.”
Read more…. Polycythemia and the Natural Emergence of the Placenta
¿Que pasaría si no hubiera pelvis? ¿Y que tal si la pelvis tuviera tan poco que ver con como nace un niño como el tamaño de la nariz de la madre? Después de más de 20 años atendiendo partos estas son las conclusiones a las que he llegado. Read more…. Las pelvis que conocí y amé
Author Gloria Lemay holds a newborn.
Photo provided by the author
In this simple yet touching tale, midwife Gloria Lemay remembers a birth she attended by penning a letter to the baby, Rose, who is now a full-grown young woman.
Midwifery sometimes requires the balancing of choices. In this story, the midwife must decide which of her clients needs her more, while ensuring that the other ones’ needs are met.
With a reminder to the practice the three Ps (patience, patience, patience), regular contributor Gloria Lemay gives us some tips on successful breech birthing.
Contributing Editor Gloria Lemay tells about her path to ending circumcision by January 2008. Read more…. Foreskins for Keeps—An Idea Whose Time Has Come
Photo by Taisiia Shestopal
This experienced midwife gives some sound advice on what to do for premature rupture of membranes.
Photo by Jiyeon Park
My students and I don’t anticipate the placenta will be pushed out for 30 minutes after birth. The “mood” is maintained. We offer the mother a warm herbal tea. We don’t disturb the attachment that happens naturally or push sucking at the breast. I have used this method for years, with less than a 1% haemorrhage rate.
Photo by Vitor Monthay
For this issue’s theme, we have gathered together some valuable information to tuck into your birthkit. From Gloria Lemay’s cautions about a rising trend in more unnecessary testing to a disturbing press release about the effects of formula feeding, we hope you will add it to your ever evolving midwifery knowledge.
Many North American women are being told at the very end of their pregnancies to go to an ultrasound clinic and have a biophysical profile done. They will probably not be told that there is no scientific basis for having faith in the test results… Read more…. Suspect Diagnoses Come with Biophysical Profiling
Photo by Carolyn Brown
Being a midwife starts with the ego. Our “ego selves” see the status, admiration and responsibility of the job as an attraction. What the ego cannot see is that the aspiring midwife has placed her foot on a road by taking up the work. This road will take her on a journey, which she will only finish when they chisel the word “midwife” on her gravestone. Read more…. Being A Midwife
