Issue 146

The author writes about her experiences about becoming a doula and the pitfalls that she has encountered in the US birth world supporting women. Read more…. My Journey as a Doula and Discovering Something More

Vicki Penwell, of Mercy In Action, has another fantastic article about providing services for birthing women in low-resource areas. The article discusses new strategies to stop and prevent hemorrhage in third or fourth stage, and the need for ongoing training so that midwives are better able to handle emergencies. Read more…. Emerging Strategies: Helping Mothers Survive Bleeding After Birth

I have only had to do an internal bimanual compression one time. She was a redhead (although I do not believe redheads hemorrhage more). My partner, Monika, and I were at the birth, which progressed normally but was followed by a dreadful postpartum hemorrhage that followed the placenta. Read more…. From the Editor: Thoughts on Third Stage

In the process of establishing a birth plan in the ’80s in the US and Europe, an effort was made to make women aware of their choices during labor. It took about 50 years—two whole generations—until women started to face the medical interventions while exploring their own possibilities during childbirth. The formally written birth plan was introduced in the 1980s as part of childbirth preparation to help women avoid escalating interventions (Lothian 2006). Read more…. Birth Plan: Does the Path Still Fit the Objective? Do the Means Still Fulfill the Purpose?