Learn what a Midwifery Today Online Membership can do for you. = Membership Article.
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Russia is a long way from my cottage door. I love Russia. Her strength and wild forests. Her legends and legendary wimyn. A motherland she is called, and rightly so. Mother to so much. I remember my first journey there in 2011.
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In 2007 a chain of coincidences brought about a meeting with a gynecologist, who asked me if I would like to help in the labor and birth ward at one of the public hospitals of Honduras.
Read more…. Promoting Human Rights in Childbirth as a Solution to Obstetric Violence
The last decade of the WHO Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030) has been dedicated to nurses and midwives. Cadee and Wicklund stated that, “two million midwives and 22 million nurses make up half of the world’s health workforce and are at the heart of health care everywhere” (Cadee and Wicklund 2020.).
Photo by Anastasiia Chepinska
Argentinian Marina Lembo, enthusiastically promotes midwifery and recounts the development of a community of midwives who have put together a birthing center where they can treat birth as a natural event.
Traditonal Midwife Anita Rojas with Doña Irene at the Midwifery Today 2005 Eugene conference
A Mexican midwife recounts the story of her calling to midwifery and shares her philosophy.
Photo by Sandra Seitamaa
Throughout history, women have been supported during pregnancy and birth by laywomen, i.e., mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and friends. It wasn’t until birth moved from home to hospital that women were forced to birth alone, surrounded by technology and medical staff rather than loving companions.
Photo by Liv Bruce
Wisdom of the Midwives, Issue 141
Photo by Ana Tablas
Modern women are faced with an inordinate amount of pressure when preparing to give birth. Because the culture we live in does not value the greater spiritual relevance of childbirth, the people and systems set up to assist us during the process can quickly disrupt the natural unfurling of this sacred initiation. Due to our collective and individual ignorance about the gravity of initiations like childbirth, we end up inadvertently giving our power away to others.
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Avery Judith Warren was born at home into pure love. Her birth was a magical home VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). But in order to express the impact her birth had on me, I must include the birth of my son, Mason.
Photo by Kristine Cinate
Momnibus derives its name from omnibus where a number of bills, usually about the same topic, are packaged together into one large bill. The California Momnibus Act is designed, among other things, to collect and study data around infant and maternal mortality and to help reduce maternal and infant mortality, especially among Black and Indigenous women.
Read more…. Let There Be Life! Momnibus and the Birth Revolution
Midwifery Today, Issue 141, Spring 2022.Join Midwifery Today Online MembershipUsing Traditional RemediesSkullcap for elevated blood pressure. One dropperful initially, repeat in an hour if still elevated.—Marielle TomlinAngelica tincture to help the placenta release. One dropperful by mouth. Takes five minutes to work.—Carolyn GreenfieldApple cider vinegar.—Susan DiNataleHoney. It is a miraculous food and healer. I keep Manuka honey for cuts. I had an accident on my horse and he stepped on my leg. I was in wound care for over six months and they used medical grade Manuka honey on the open wound. I have used it on myself, my horse, and other critters. When you sit down, put some in your tea. I have had women just swallow a spoonful for a sore throat. It’s great stuff.—Vicki Gilbert ZiemerHerbal (sitz) bath for all. I carry tinctures such as shepherd’s purse, Placenta Ease, Angelica, cotton root, raspberry leaf. Also, Rescue Remedy, essential oils (especially peppermint), arnica, a massage blend, and Yunnan Baiyao.—Sabrina Simmons FerrageI rarely use anything, as women’s bodies know best. However, I have suggested shiatsu, acupuncture, essential oils, and homeopathy for those few cases where some extra help is needed.—Imma SarriesCuachalalate tea for kidney and urinary tract infections. SEA-90 for premature labor. Arrowroot for eclampsia. Witch hazel tincture for postpartum hemorrhage.—Gwendolyn PoseyCatnip and fennel tincture. Helps for stomach cramps and flu.—Tracy PembertonSlow PlacentasRemember, classical midwifery is about prevention. Before the second stage, make sure her bladder has been emptied within the hour or so. A full bladder can inhibit the descent of the placenta and even cause hemorrhage. Then I use a dropperful of Angelica root and mistletoe tinctures, and gravity. If that doesn’t do it and she’s not bleeding profusely, I either wait or investigate why it’s not coming. Don a sterile glove, follow the cord up, and… Read more…. Tricks of the Trade – Issue 141
Photo by Liane Metzler
Poem by Peter Waldor
