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The Birth of Sage—A Homebirth Reflection

by Analeah Lovere December 1, 2008

One year ago this week our son Sage was born. As I sit and watch the morning winter sky come to life, shades of pink and golden hues reveal themselves through the light mist of the recent rains. I feel a sense of peace. Deep gratitude fills my heart as I reflect on our family experience over the past year.

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Photo by Mae Mu

Understanding Plastics

by Blue Bradley December 1, 2008

News about the adverse effects of plastics has been abundant in the media lately, causing many consumers to alter their purchasing habits. Many of the chemicals used to make plastics today were grandfathered into the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 without testing for safety. However, more and more research is showing adverse effects from some of these chemicals.

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Mars Attacks

by Judy Slome Cohain December 1, 2008

Abstract: “Mars Attacks” is a new term coined to describe unjustified violation of women by care providers at the time of birth, as well as the purposeful abandonment of the peer review system by major obstetric journals and the abandonment of the use of research evidence by ACOG in their latest protocols, in order to justify continued use of this form of violence against women.

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Supporting Pregnancy with Massage Therapy

by Carole Osborne September 1, 2008

Even in a midwifery practice, technology often displaces the soothing touch of skilled hands in the care of expectant women. Busy schedules and task-oriented appointments can leave little time to offer relief from pregnancy’s common companions: back and hip pain and swollen extremities. Midwives can offer their moms the tactile attention they need by including a massage therapist on their referral list of maternity health care providers.

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Dispelling the Disempowering Birth Vocabulary

by Michel Odent September 1, 2008

Before considering what makes the birth of human mammals special, we must first understand universal mammalian needs in the perinatal period. These needs are easily summarised and interpreted in the current scientific context. When giving birth, all mammals have strategies to avoid feeling observed: Privacy is one of their basic needs. At the same time, all mammals need to feel secure. For example, in a wild environment, a female cannot give birth as long as a predator is around. Physiologists easily explain that in such a situation the female releases hormones of the adrenaline family. This activation of the “fight or flight system” blocks the release of oxytocin, the key hormone in childbirth: The birth is postponed until the time when the female can feel secure. We are in a position to claim that today the priority is to “mammalianize” childbirth.

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Womb to Learn

by Joni Nichols September 1, 2008

After climbing into the oversized uterus that San Diego midwife Celesta Rannisi used as part of a kids’ childbirth class at the Gentle Birth World Congress (September 2007) I came home to Guadalajara, Mexico, and created one of my own.

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Thinking Like an Herbalist

by Janice Marsh-Prelesnik September 1, 2008

To think like an herbalist one must come to know the ways that herbs interact with human physiology. Which herb will support the body’s healing process? Which herb is the best choice for nourishing the part of the body in need of healing? Which one relieves tension, thereby eliciting the relaxation response? How do the energetics of the herbs interact with the energetics of the human being?

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Read more…. Thinking Like an Herbalist

Learning Hawaiian hula
Photos are from the Philadelphia 2008 conference where Janice taught “The Midwife as Community Healer.”

The Midwife as Community Healer

by Janice Marsh-Prelesnik September 1, 2008

I’m constantly amazed at the kind of care a midwife gives to the people she serves. Midwifery care is a unique gift to the beloved community and is based on unconditional love. During the recent Philadelphia and Ann Arbor Midwifery Today conferences, participants in the “Midwife as Community Healer” class were asked to brainstorm words that describe the midwifery way of caring.

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Traditional Midwives and the Fight Against Malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa

by Sudy Storm September 1, 2008

Malaria is the most significant and widespread of the tropical diseases in sub-Saharan Africa—with levels of transmission the highest in the world. It is also the greatest contributor to the high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in this region (Howson et al.). The ripple effect of this disease reaches far into some of the poorest countries on the planet.

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Indigenous Knowledge of Patalkot and Dangi Healers for Pregnancy Care

by Garima Sancheti Acharya, Sanjay Pawar, Surendra Bhade, Devang Patel, Anshu Shrivastava, Deepak Acharya and Manish Singh September 1, 2008

Over the past two decades India has experienced enormous changes and growth and has exhibited its economic strength around the globe. Needless to say, this globalization has provided enormous opportunities to many of India’s citizens. More focus has been given to the modernized health care facilities and technical education for the urban sector. Today, much of urban India is a showcase for the successes of globalization.

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Two Women Trusting Birth

by Paulina G. Perez and Jamie D. Perez September 1, 2008

For me, this birth story began when my second son was a teenager. One day he commented to me, “You will be there when my wife has a baby, right?”

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Being the Quiet Midwife/Doula in the Corner

by Ana Paula Markel September 1, 2008

Listening to Michel Odent, Sarah Buckley and Pamela Hines-Powell, I think about the quiet midwife in the corner of a labor room. The one who’s knitting, attending to the laboring woman or older children, or simply sitting quietly.