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Like stormy weather, birth brings “people together in the community to laugh and smile about the situation and to make the best of it!”
Although many women experience coercive and traumatic hospital births, others fully trust their OB/GYN and prefer to birth in a clinical setting. Women must choose their allies in birth carefully while remaining mindful that castigating all OB care providers does a great disservice to those medical professionals who observe and respect human and childbirth rights.
While in England, a green Italian midwife struggles to help her African client deliver and quickly realizes the implications of cultural differences in midwifery.
Read more…. With the Grace of God We Shall Deliver This Baby
Sometimes birth is a peaceful, gentle event. Other times a cushion is needed to intercept the blows from a mother’s fists. One father tells the story of an adrenaline-fueled homebirth and how he survived it.
Tara Shah takes you on the emotional journey of her healthy pregnancy gone tragically wrong. Read more…. The Tragic Ending of a Healthy Pregnancy
Posttraumatic stress disorder affects a growing number of women, impacting the transition to motherhood in negative ways. This article questions current medical models and suggests that maternal trauma may be avoided by addressing dehumanizing birth practices.
Read more…. Acute Distress and PTSD Following Childbirth: A Complex Longitudinal Case Study
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Trust, intuition, and access to loving care coalesce to help a mother birth twins over a span of two days.
Read more…. Six Days, Two Healthy Babies, One Extraordinary Birth
Jen Otey—moonbowartworks.com
In honor of Midwifery Today’s 100th
issue:
We asked you, our readers and Facebook friends,
to share the midwifery-related people, places and things you love.
As normal birth becomes medicalized and fear replaces faith in the birthing process, traditional and considerate midwifery continues to present a path toward happy, healthy families. Read more…. Returning to Traditional Midwifery
Many families are surprised when I say that I do not touch the baby if all is well, and I do not clamp or cut the umbilical cord until after the placenta has been birthed. They are always curious to know why I do this, since the vast majority of obstetricians clamp and cut the cord immediately, and even a good number of homebirth midwives clamp and cut the cord before the placenta has been birthed.
Read more…. Third Stage of Labor: Hands Off and Have Patience!
Third stage represents a time of amazing physical and emotional changes for mothers and their newborns, and this transitional period is best managed by Mother Nature while attendants patiently wait in the background.
Birth caps are seemingly ubiquitous, at home and in the hospital, but why? Nicole Deelah questions the use of these caps and considers how a thin layer of polyester can create a considerable barrier between mothers and newborns.
