Issue 147

Theme: International Midwifery
A goal of Midwifery Today has always been to learn from and share midwifery knowledge from around the world. This issue deals with that topic, along with the usual cohort of articles related to various aspects of midwifery.

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Cover Image: Baby is Olivia Rose 06/16/2023
Parents are: Jasmin and Paolo
Photo by Eneyda Spradlin-Ramos

Columns

• From the Editor: My 37-Year Midwifery Today Voyage, by Jan Tritten
  In her final editorial before turning Midwifery Today over to Shannon Wilson, Jan shares some of the highlights of her journey with the organization, as well as photos to illustrate them.
• Marion’s Message: International Midwifery/Brought to Earth by Birth, by Marion Toepke McLean
• Tricks of the Trade
• Quote of the Quarter
• Media Reviews
• Midwifery and Childbirth News

Features

• Kneeling Before the Elders, by Sister MorningStar
  Sister MorningStar offers us a panoply of experiences she has shared in and learned from, in cultures around the world.
• Wonders of Third Stage: The Placenta, by Jane Beal
  From personal experience, placentophagy, research, and more, Jane Beal covers the many aspects and wonders of the placenta.
• Healing Birth, by Judy Ribner
  The heartwarming story of a homebirth in an orthodox Jewish community in New York, which contrasts with the woman’s first hospital birth.
• The Birth of a Baby and a Midwife in the San Luis Valley, by Brigid Mulloy
  The author shares with us a still-timely account of a birth she assisted during her time in Costa Rica nearly 40 years ago, at the age of 18.
• Mercy In Action: Still Training Global Midwives After all these Years! by Vicki Penwell
  Mercy In Action is still training midwives 43 years after it began. There are now students from six continents in their international
  programs. Vicki discusses their offerings and how things have changed in the years they have been educating.
• The Evolved Nest: What We Share with the Animal World, by Darcia Narvaez and G.A. Bradshaw
  The authors compare the similarities and differences between humans and the rest of the animal world, when it comes to birth.
• Wachakuy Birth Program, by Cynthia Ingar
  An introduction to the nonprofit Hampi Warmi Initiative Peru project, which includes the offering of the “Wachakuy: Sacred Birth Way” to international  birthworkers and aspiring midwives, doulas, and birthkeepers to experience a unique entrance to the Andean ancestral teachings around birth, midwifery, and BirthGuardianship around pregnancy, the sacred Initiation of birth, and the postpartum.
• The Modern Hen Party, by Mary Earhart Unger
  The practices and working environment of a midwife whose goal is to lessen maternal anxiety, which includes support and interaction among pregnant women.
• Prenatal Care or Prenatal Scare? by Gloria Lemay
  Gloria Lemay discusses dos and don’ts for prenatal care, sharing examples of how many women are scared by the negative information shared by some birth practitioners.
• It is a Privilege to Simply Be Here, by Mary Spitzer
  The author tells how, beginning at the age of 10, she has had a fascination with birth. She feels honored to be allowed to participate in the sacred process.
• Wisdom of the Midwives

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