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I became a nurse midwife after working for 15 years as a nurse in a high-risk labor and delivery unit. I was a staff nurse, then charge nurse, helicopter transport nurse, nurse educator, and critical care OB-certified.  Read more…. Induction: A Loaded Word

When wimyn gather, knowledge, skills, and wisdom are preserved and experience expands. Read more…. Gather the Wimyn!

Globally, there is the problem of the over-medicalization of childbirth, but there is also the problem of the under-utilization of lifesaving care, and marginalized people often suffer needlessly from lack, rather than overuse, of health care during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery. This quote from Miller et al. Read more…. Become an Implementing Partner of the International Childbirth Initiative: A Model for Safety and Respect in Childbirth that Works in Every Setting, Everywhere in the World

The term “medicalization” refers to the process in which conditions and behaviors are labeled and treated as medical issues. Medicalized birth came about in the early 1900s with advances in pain relief, antiseptic and aseptic surgical practices, and surgical techniques and outcomes, alongside a rapid rise in people’s faith in scientific medicine.  Read more…. The Medicalization of Midwifery and Birth

At the beginning of the pandemic, a woman I know well—I’ll call her Jackie—became pregnant at age 30. Jackie has a mild intellectual disability, but she is high functioning, verbal, and able to make her own medical decisions—which was recognized legally by the court in her county when she was younger. Read more…. When Traditional Western Medicine Breaks Faith

There is a nursery rhyme that goes “Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, doctor, lawyer, Indian chief.” Read more…. A Thousand Hats: Each Midwife’s Role(s)

Midwifery and Childbirth News – Midwifery Today Issue 141 Read more…. Midwifery and Childbirth News – Issue 141

It is the universal joy of every community midwife to run into a family months or years later and see them with the baby you so lovingly helped them bring into the world Read more…. The Role of the Midwife in the First 1000 Days

I remember when I first started midwifery in 1976—after my second child and first homebirth—I realized that being a midwife included so much more than prenatal care, birth, and postpartum care. We were counselors, nutritionists, life coaches (for a year, sometimes more). We were also childbirth educators and doulas (although that was not a word we knew back then). Our roles are many, diverse, and unique, depending on the mom we are working with. Read more…. Midwives’ Roles