Theme: Midwifery Education
Are you considering becoming a midwife or already starting down that path? This issue of Midwifery Today will help you think more deeply about your educational path and options. You’ll find articles on various programs in the US and abroad from some well-known midwifery educators, such as Elizabeth Davis, Vicky Penwell and Deb Puterbaugh.
You will also be able to read a great clinical article on first trimester bleeding from Judy Slome Cohain, one on placenta encapsulation by Valerie Coppenrath and a fantastic “Wisdom of the Midwives” column dealing with shoulder dystocia. Issue 123 also includes our first “Doula Corner,” which recognizes another important member of the birth team.
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Many women experience bleeding in the first trimester but do not miscarry, yet few studies have evaluated it. Slome Cohain parses the medical evidence, concluding that first trimester bleeding is usually of no consequence. Read more…. First Trimester Bleeding Is Common
When you are a homebirth midwife with a lot of kids of your own, how they choose to give birth may not quite fit with how you had envisioned it. Waechter shares her compelling personal story, with a focus on the need to support your children in their own journeys.
How do you prevent shoulder dystocia (SD)? Can you prevent it?
Puterbaugh makes the argument that midwives should be the ones to determine the future of midwifery education and puts the call out to organize so that we may have our voices heard.
Read more…. The Future of Midwifery Education Midwives Defining Midwifery
Monet Moutrie—monetnicole.com
One of the easiest ways for a student to frame this question is to ask, “What kind of midwife would I want at my birth?” And then, “Is my educational program preparing me to be this kind of midwife?” Read more…. Midwifery Education for Autonomous Practice: The Time Is Now!
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Wise use of herbs is especially important during pregnancy and lactation. Using herbs instead of drugs to allay problems protects both mom and fetus from harm. Even more importantly, the abundant nutrition available from select herbs… Read more…. The Herbal Education of Midwives
Photo by Shea Hardy Baker
Midwifery Today, where I have been working as the conference coordinator since earlier this year, is my new work home. Read more…. The Doula Dialogue
In May 2017, Pro Publica and National Public Radio (NPR) published a story entitled “The Last Person You’d Expect to Die in Childbirth” (Martin and Montagne 2017). Read more…. Why Did Lauren Bloomstein Die?
There is a theme in my world travels over the past 30 years. I have searched my mind and heart to find words for the theme. I have listened to languages different from my own describe this “something” from the mouths of thousands of wimyn. The theme is captured by a beautiful Bolivian midwife attending an international conference in Mexico in 2000 regarding the future of birth and midwifery in Central and South America. “We know we must take our mothers to the hospital,” she nearly whispers with a quivering voice, “but where are the prayers?” Read more…. India’s Fierce Wimyn and You
Despite spending $111 billion annually on maternity care, the United States is plagued by poor maternal and infant health outcomes, ranking thirty-third on the 2015 Mother’s Index—a global measure that evaluates the well-being of mothers and children by nation (Save the Children 2015). Read more…. Doulas and Midwives: Transforming the Landscape, Together
In 1998, as a young girl of 18, I eagerly submitted my application to the Mercy in Action College of Midwifery. This was before the days of Google, when finding a midwifery school was not as simple as a quick keyword search on the internet.
Read more…. What an Admissions Director Looks for in a Potential Midwifery Student
In the land of Utopia, the statistics are impressive. Whatever the place of birth—hospital or home—most women can deliver babies and placentas thanks to the release of cocktails of love hormones alone.
