Mary Ann Lieser is a freelance writer and doula, and sells used books in Wooster, Ohio. She is the mother of eight homebirthed children.
Illustrations by Wikimedia Commons and Internet Archive Book Images
How did lithotomy position become the standard position for giving birth? This article discusses the work of George Engelmann and how this came about.
Photo by Denis Oliveira
With mass incarceration in the US, we now have more women of childbearing age in prison than ever before. Lieser discusses the shortcomings of giving birth behind bars, and how doulas can help support these women to have a better birth. Read more…. Birth Behind Bars: The Difference Trauma-informed Doula Care Can Make
Photo by Danielle MacInnes
Traditionally, women in labor have been able to eat and drink as they desired. Most birthing women still eat and drink in parts of the world where Western medicine hasn’t yet transformed traditional birthing practices. In colonial times, as Lying-In: A History of Childbirth in America informs us, “female attendants provided food and drink for the laboring woman to keep up her strength, offering such things as toast, buckwheat gruel, mutton, broth, and eggs” Read more…. Eating and Drinking in Labor: A Step toward Reclaiming Autonomy in Birth
Photo by Keisuke Higashio
The maternal/child health system is broken, but doulas around the country are developing programs to change that. Learn about some of them in this timely article. Read more…. Navigating a Broken System: Addressing Racial Disparities in Birth Outcomes
Media review Read more…. Media Reviews: Issue 126
An interview with a unique birth doula—a blind man who came to the work from massage therapy. Read more…. An Interview with Ray McAllister: A Blind Doula
A wonderfully written birth story by a woman who experienced shoulder dystocia during the birth of her child.
Read more…. Capable Hands and Calm Eyes: My Sixty Seconds of Shoulder Dystocia
