Issue 106

Midwifery Today Issue 106 Theme: Breech Birth

As UK midwife Jane Evans says, breech birth is unusual, but it is not abnormal. For many mothers, a breech baby automatically means a cesarean. What has happened to cause vaginal breech birth to be a disappearing phenomenon? In this issue of Midwifery Today, readers will be educated on breech skills, such as how to resolve obstructed breech birth, by Gail Tully. Seven mothers share their own experiences in a special section dedicated to breech birth stories. Along with more breech information from experts like Michel Odent and Cornelia Enning, prenatal nutrition and the important topic of microbes are discussed.

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Photo by Annette Wilson

The Latest Research on Preconception and Prenatal Nutrition

by Judy Slome Cohain June 2, 2013

The quality of daily food intake is the most important and most ignored factor determining pregnancy outcomes. In the absence of chromosomal issues, the health of the fetus is determined by the woman’s diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices. The placenta is continuously remodeled with old villi being constantly replaced by new ones as the placenta migrates upward, giving women the ability to improve fetal nutrition during pregnancy. Prenatal care, including intensive hours spent improving diet, has the potential to optimize pregnancy outcomes. Read more…. The Latest Research on Preconception and Prenatal Nutrition

Identifying and Resolving Obstructed Breech Birth: When to Touch and When to Be Hands-free

by Gail Tully June 1, 2013

An educational article that not only covers the signs of obstructed breech birth, but also teaches the skills that best deal with resolving the situation.

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Michele Anderson—pinkletoesblogstalker.com

Babies Are Born Where They Are Born: A Conversation with a Midwife about Not Handing Babies to Their Mothers

by Mary Esther Malloy June 1, 2013

This article is wonderful argument about the importance of not disrupting the first moments after birth, rather allowing the mother to meet her new baby in her own way and on her own time. Read more…. Babies Are Born Where They Are Born: A Conversation with a Midwife about Not Handing Babies to Their Mothers

Protecting the Sisterhood: Thoughts from Midwifery Today’s Human Rights in Childbirth Summit, April 2, 2013

by Kathi Valeii June 1, 2013

An attendee of the recent Midwifery Today conference in Eugene, Oregon, Valeii shares her thoughts on the current situation in midwifery regarding the persecution many midwives face. Read more…. Protecting the Sisterhood: Thoughts from Midwifery Today’s Human Rights in Childbirth Summit, April 2, 2013

Thoughts about Breech Birth

by Jan Tritten June 1, 2013

[We are] concerned with the need for midwives to reclaim breech, twin and VBAC births. It is important that midwives gain the skills, experience and knowledge necessary to safely assist these births. Most doctors have lost knowledge of vaginal breech birth by allowing their few skills to get rusty … Read more…. Thoughts about Breech Birth

A Journey to Health during a Twin Pregnancy

by Mary L. Cooper June 1, 2013

What seems to be a precariously unhealthy start to pregnancy ends happily thanks to the dedication to health by a pregnant mother and her midwife.

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Breech Birth: Abnormal or Unusual?

by Jane Evans June 1, 2013

Babies, whatever their position, are guided by the internal structures, bones, muscles and ligaments of the mother’s pelvis, along with the movements both mother and baby make, working as a dyad from life in the womb to life in the outside world. These positions (ROA or OP) are unusual, not abnormal for birth and all are possible, though not necessarily optimal.

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Gentle Methods to Prevent and Turn Breech Babies: Using Traditional Chinese Medicine

by Allie Chee June 1, 2013

Two traditional Chinese medicine practitioners are interviewed in this insightful article that provides a gentle option for mothers carrying breech babies.

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Melissa Cate—melissacatephotography.com

An Introduction to Waterbreech

by Cornelia Enning June 1, 2013

German midwife Cornelia Enning shares why for more than 30 years she has assisted breech births exclusively in water.

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The Microbiota Battle

by LoriAnn Jones June 1, 2013

Without a doubt our arsenal of antibiotics has saved many lives, but with very limited understanding of our declared enemy, which is the vast pool of microbiotic life, are we creating terrible and dangerous beasts?

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The Disappearing Art (but Increasing Prevalence) of Breech Birth

by Diane Goslin June 1, 2013

With experience in more than 6000 births, midwife Diane Goslin shares why the incidence of breech babies has been increasing over the years. Goslin then goes on to tell a couple of breech birth stories that illustrate how to handle breech complications.

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Breech Presentation at Term: Beyond the Dominant Strategies

by Michel Odent June 1, 2013

French obstetrician and natural childbirth advocate Michel Odent shares the importance of concepts, such as planned in-labor cesareans and the fetus ejection reflex, in regard to breech birth.