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It Is a Privilege to Simply Be Here

I have always had a deep fascination for childbirth. When my mother was pregnant with my second-to-last sibling, I attended her midwifery appointments and read all of her birth books. She taped together the pages that she deemed inappropriate for an eight-year-old, which, naturally, I untaped, read, and retaped carefully. None of my other siblings saw what I did in childbirth and pregnancy, but I was captivated by it.

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The Birth of a Baby and a Midwife in the San Luis Valley

In 2009, when cleaning out old files, I found a handwritten account of the following events that had been carefully saved and totally forgotten for 25 years. I had not forgotten the story, but I had lost track of the fact that I had written about it shortly after it happened. I was living in a very rural isolated area of Costa Rica in the community of Monteverde, a place that I had lived in several times during my young adulthood, first when I was just 18 years old. My experience there had strongly informed and inspired my desire to become a midwife. At the time of this birth I was waiting to hear if I would be admitted to the Frontier Nursing Service Midwifery class of 1985. I was a registered nurse with lots of experience working with pregnant women but I had never been the primary attendant at a homebirth.

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Wisdom of the Midwives: Third Stage

Wisdom of the Midwives: Third Stage _ Issue Theme: Third Stage

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Marion’s Message: What is the Fetal Ejection Reflex?

Marion discusses the fetal ejection reflex and an idea for a study comparing it to routine hospital care.

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Midwifery and Matrescence*

In this essay adapted from “The Birth of a Mother,” an article in the New York Times by Alexandra Sacks, MD, the author discusses the concept of matrescence, or becoming a mother.

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The Little Midwife: 11 Key Observations about What it Takes to be a Midwife

She was almost 4 years old when she asked about what her birth was like. She was intrigued to hear about the whole process. I told her how, toward the end, even though we had prayed, talked to her, and tried so many things, Anaiyah just didn’t want to come out! Every night, when she was quite “overdue,” big sister would talk to her and ask her to come out because we were excited to see her.

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Third Stage of Labor

The third stage of labor consists of two phases: 1) separation of the placenta and 2) its delivery. Of the three stages of labor, the third stage of labor is usually the shortest and the easiest, especially if it is not rushed. The third stage is important because it is a primary factor in determining whether postpartum hemorrhage will occur.

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Birth of the First Mother

Anna held her jewel of a son in her arms. A halo seemed to surround them as she beamed her love into his face, cradling him like a Mother Mary. It was her third birth but first homebirth. We were village midwives back then, some 40+ years ago now.

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A Travelling Midwife: Four Births

Names have been changed to protect the real people involved.
My travelling midwife days began in South Africa. South Africa is a vast country and often families who live on farms wanted to remain in their homes to birth their babies. I would drive for up to six hours and sometimes longer to arrive at their homes.

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Tricks of the Trade

Tricks of the Trade – Issue 145

Tricks of the Trade – Issue 145

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Wisdom of the Midwives: Education

Wisdom of the Midwives – Issue 145

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Poem: The Apprentice Becomes a Midwife

Poetry – Issue 145

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