Winter 2017

Theme: Prenatal Care

“Prenatal Care” is an essential component of the relationship between a midwife and mother-to-be. This issue looks at it from various angles, covering prenatal yoga, safe herbs, providing care in a low-resource country and in “plain communities,” as well focusing on what women want. We have our usual inspiring birth stories, international stories—including Laos and the Philippines, reviews of medical studies and our new section on doulas, which covers some of the groundbreaking changes happening in Oregon.

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Columns

• Poetry
• From the Editor
• Tricks of the Trade
• Marion’s Message: A Birth and a Resuscitation by Marion Toepke McLean.
  A sweet story of a challenging birth in Uganda.
• The Doula Corner
  Hardy Baker discusses the sea change in Oregon, as doulas begin to be integrated into the health care system and how all childbirth care providers can work together for change.
• Midwifery & Childbirth News
• Wisdom of the Midwives
  In this column, midwives describe how they approach prenatal care and its most important aspects.
• Media Reviews
• Photo Album
• Classified Advertising

Features

• Prenatal Care: What Really Matters?—Elizabeth Davis
  Davis approaches the concept of prenatal care from her position as an educator, focusing on what women want and what qualities and skills a good midwife offers to pregnant and birthing women.
• Kindred Midwife Spirits—Martha Barragan
• Turning Point in the History of Birth Preparation—Michel Odent
  In this excerpt from his latest book, The Birth of Homo, the Marine Chimpanzee, Dr. Odent discusses “physiological birth preparation” that occurs in the prenatal period.
• Cultural Differences in Waterbirth Practices—Gail Hart
• Prenatal Care in the Context of a Developing Country—Vicki Penwell
  Prenatal care in a developing country often looks different—if it exists at all. Penwell discusses the need to remove barriers to prenatal care in these areas and some of the basic barriers that must be overcome. These include food and water, access to care, lab tests, parasites and other health issues, and more. Midwives who practice in developing countries need to be aware of these issues and give serious thought to overcoming them.
• The Latest Findings about Hypoglycemia of the Newborn—Judy Slome Cohain
  The average newborn easily copes with three days of postpartum starvation until the breast milk supply arrives because it uses ketones for energy. The brain can function fine without added carbohydrates or sugars. This new information is contrary to current belief that the brain only uses glucose for energy.
• Concepts of Prenatal Care—Marlene Waechter
  To midwife Waechter, prenatal visits should be long and chatty, as well as covering the basic, necessary information–for both homebirths and unassisted births.
• Jane Wright: A Newly Certified Midwife in London (ca. 1798)—Jane Beal
  This story in the continuing historical series on midwives covers Jane Wright, who served as a midwife in the 1800s. Her essay addresses prenatal care, qualities needed in a childbirth attendant, and qualities needed in male and female midwives, as well as in social life, in general.
• Green Allies for the Childbearing Year—Susun Weed
  Regular contributor shares with readers the best herbs to use during the prenatal period, as well as a list of what to avoid.
• The Portable Office: The Homebirth Midwife’s Prenatal Bag—Regina Willette
  Homebirth midwives need to be prepared for anything when doing home prenatals. Willette addresses the essential contents of a birth bag.
• Integrating Doulas into the Maternity Care Team: A Health Care Transformation Measure—Debra Catlin, Courtney L. Everson, Jesse Remer, and Raeben Nolan
  The authors share the steps taken and challenges faced in Oregon’s implementation of first-in-the-nation legislation that authorized Medicaid payment for birth doula care.
• The Black Parent Initiative’s Sacred Roots Community-based Doula Program—Kimberly Porter
  Porter, the Diverse Communities Chari of the Oregon Doula Association, explains the Black Parent Initiative and its approach to addressing adverse birth outcomes in the African American community in Portland.
• Prenatal Yoga—Sally Lomas
  The benefits of prenatal yoga are discussed in this short article.
• Vientiane Babies: A Brief Look at the Options for Birthing in Laos—Kate Bavister
  Learn about the variety of birthing options, for both expats and Laotians, in Laos.
• The Best Worst Birth—Lori Barklage
  The author and new owner of Ancient Art Midwifery Institute tells the story of her path to that position and gives a dedication to founder Carla Hartley.
• Diluting Borders—Sarah Whittington
  Whittington shares her musings on what is needed to effectively provide midwifery care in a cross-cultural context.
• Postpartum Baths for Pain Control: Not Science and Not Midwifery—Judy Slome Cohain
  Slome Cohain responds to a study published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health that advocated taking mothers from their babies one hour after birth for a hot bath to relieve pain.
• Prenatal Care in the “Plain Communities”—Mary L. Cooper
  Author Cooper shows us what a day of prenatals looks like in her rural practice among five Amish and Mennonite communities.
• Thinking about the Influences on Informed Choice—Jesica Dolin
• My Journey to Rebirth—Siedah Aaishah Robinson
  After less-than-perfect hospital births of her first three children, the author had a lovely homebirth that felt like her own rebirth.
• A Thank-you Letter to My Body: Two Months after the Birth of My Daughter—Jaia Lin
  Many of us will be able to relate to this short essay on coming to terms with one’s body through the birth of a child.
• In Memory: Madelyn Bowen Anderson Connelly: 1939–2017—Sherry A. Stevens

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