Learn what a Midwifery Today Online Membership can do for you. = Membership Article.
Chinelle Rojas—tampabirthphotographer.com
We know that how a pregnant woman experiences, evaluates, and copes with labor depends on: where and with whom she is during labor; her personality; her past experiences dealing with love, empathy, compassion, depression, anxiety, and stressful life events; as well as her partner and providers—whether midwives, doctors, or doulas. Read more…. First Stage of Labor … My Reflections
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
Laura Swift—lauraswiftphotography.com
For a long time, many women have noticed that they are not as mentally sharp as usual at the end of their pregnancies. They mention anecdotes of memory loss and, occasionally, poor concentration. Their topics of interest become different. Their need for socialization may be reduced and reoriented. Read more…. Preliminary Phase of Labor: What Does It Mean?
Most of you probably read the trilogy Call the Midwife years ago. I am a little late, but I just finished all three books. The stories of people, mostly from the East End of London, seem more unreal than fiction, yet they are all true, according to the author, Jennifer Worth. She writes about the midwifery services, mostly homebirths, provided by the nuns at Nonnatus House for 99 years—from the 19th and through most of the 20th century. Read more…. Call the Midwife
Photo by Roman Kraft
Midwifery & Childbirth News
Issue 128, Labor Complications
Read more…. Midwifery & Childbirth News: Issue 128
Media Review Issue 128. Giving Birth in America, Why Induction Matters, Inducing Labor: Making Informed Decisions, 2nd ed, The National Heirloom Expo. Read more…. Media Reviews: Issue 128
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
Vicki Penwell shares the essentials of a training by Mercy in Action on how to deal with the unexpected during a birth. Read more…. Expect the Unexpected
Photo provided by the author
“Homebirth, first breaths, re-immersion in water and primate movement are a biological continuum for mamababy.” Sister argues for first breaths and primal imprinting for newborns—an instinctual interaction between mother and baby. Read more…. Newborn First Breaths: The Primal Movements of Lifelong Bonding, Imprinting, and Well-being
Photo by Trevor Cole
A great discussion of births during pre-agricultural times versus our current socialized birth, and the fetus ejection reflex. We need to go back to privacy for birthing women. Read more…. Is Labor a Complication of Socialized Birth?
Photo by Cristian Newman
Complications of childbirth are frightening for moms-to-be—yet they exist. Luckily, in our present day and age, there are effective treatments for most. Learning to deal with complications—to bring moms and babies through safely—is an important part of a midwife’s learning. Read more…. Complications of Childbirth
Photo by Javier Allegue Barros
Complications are why we need midwives. If birth were completely normal all the time we midwives would not be needed—but, indeed, we are needed. It is so important that we all learn and gather the necessary skills and didactic and emotional knowledge we can before we take responsibility for a mother and baby. One of the great keys to a good birth outcome is knowing when and how to act and to do so quickly. Otherwise, we can keep hands off and be the quiet midwife in the corner—unobtrusive and loving. We need to be careful not to disturb the process. Read more…. Let’s Move Birth in the Right Direction
