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Dystocia has not only physical causes, but emotional and psychological ones. This article identifies those causes and suggests some strategies that women and their carers can use to avoid or minimize this problem.
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Imagine, as a midwife, being called to the home of a client who has been in labor for two days. The mother’s contraction pattern is erratic and the pain she is experiencing is severe and primarily in her back. She is exhausted from lack of sleep, and her labor pain is more intense than the intensity of her contractions would indicate. This woman is 5 cm dilated and not sure she can “do this anymore.”
Read more…. Manual Rotation Maneuvers for Persistent OP Position
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A discussion of primal health would be incomplete without the inclusion of epidurals in labor, since they are used in approximately two-thirds of US births and are common in most developed countries. Frequent contributor Sarah J. Buckley, MD, explains the effects of this intervention, providing a good argument against using it for uncomplicated births.
Read more…. Epidurals: Risks and Concerns for Mother and Baby
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A midwife and herbalist discusses the practice of (and in some cases, requirement for) the use of antibiotics in labor for women with group B strep and the potentially lifelong negative outcome for babies. She also offers some age-old alternatives to this regimen.
Read more…. Group B Strep Prophylaxis: What Are We Creating?
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Reprinted from Volume 13, Number 4, of Primal Health Research, this article discusses a variety of studies that link events during the primal period to a variety of behaviors/conditions under the heading of “antisocial,” including schizophrenia, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other categories.
Read more…. Antisocial Behaviours from a Primal Health Research Perspective
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Vesico-vaginal fistulas (VVF) are a common result of birth in sub-Saharan African countries. Learn about how the charity Mercy Ships is working in Sierra Leone to repair these birth injuries, allowing the women to return to normal lives.
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The newborn baby’s placenta is the focus of a variety of rituals throughout the world, which Sarah shares with us.
Read more…. Placenta Rituals and Folklore from around the World
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An inspiring story of a community-based midwife who is making a difference in a country where maternal and infant mortality are extremely high.
Read more…. Flower Healing: The Story of a Pakistani Midwife
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Considering the Peace Corps or just wanting to make a difference in birth in Central America? Read this article on one woman’s experience.
Read more…. From Midwife to Peace Corps Volunteer: A Baby Boomer’s Journey in Honduras
Harriette Hartigan—harriettehartigan.com
The author tells of how her personal experience with birth in Poland influenced the course of her work as an obstetrician and gynecologist.
Women get their ideas about what to expect from birth from the stories told by those who have gone before them. As more negative stories are told, more women expect and have traumatic births. The author discusses ways to change this.
Read more…. The Development of Birth Stories in an American Culture
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This second in our series on marketing provides information on how to write a press release.
