Issue 69

An Intimate Dance with Birthing Women

When he was asked, “What is a friend?” Aristotle answered, “One soul inhabiting two bodies.” When asked, “What is a doula?” I answered, “One soul inhabiting two bodies,” … the privilege to be in union—nonseparate from another with a shared intent or purpose. Read more…. An Intimate Dance with Birthing Women

An Intimate Dance with Birthing Women

So rarely in our lives do we have the privilege to be in union—nonseparate from another with a shared intent or purpose. Such is the opportunity during labour and birth. We must take notice and give ourselves permission to engage in this type of intimacy.

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Omega 3 Oils and Pregnancy

I can’t count all the births I’ve been to where the mother was relaxed and the contractions strong, and yet, try as it might, the cervix would not open.

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A Knowledge Base Fit for All Midwives

The question we must ask ourselves is this: Can a midwife survive a medicalized education and still come out an authentic midwife? Read more…. A Knowledge Base Fit for All Midwives

Pronunciamiento/Pronouncement

On September 24, 2003, a group of traditional midwives from Mexico gathered at the Iglesia de los Pobres, a church in Oaxaca de Juarez, to write these declarations about midwifery and birth. Read more…. Pronunciamiento/Pronouncement

Suspect Diagnoses Come with Biophysical Profiling

Many North American women are being told at the very end of their pregnancies to go to an ultrasound clinic and have a biophysical profile done. They will probably not be told that there is no scientific basis for having faith in the test results… Read more…. Suspect Diagnoses Come with Biophysical Profiling

The Pie of Midwifery Knowledge

It is always tempting, when speaking or writing about complex philosophical ideas, to look for simple, everyday metaphors to try to make sense of and explain those ideas to other people. Often, what you gain in being able to express your thoughts, you lose in attempting to simplify thoughts that should not be simplified, or in trying to put boundaries around ideas that should remain fluid and unbound.

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Ways of Knowing: Open and Closed Systems

When a baby is gestating in the mother’s womb, neural circuits are being formed in its brain. This process begins in early pregnancy and continues as the baby grows, until by the time of birth the baby’s developing brain already contains millions of pathways and connections. Much of the information that flows along these circuits is cultural. As it develops, the baby receives enormous amounts of cultural information from the mother’s activities: when she goes to sleep, when she wakes, how she moves during the day, her speech patterns, her emotions, etc.

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Marion’s Message: Support Nurse-Midwives

Bad news came among the holiday greetings in my mail this year. Two Oregon nurse-midwifery programs are closing their doors. This follows on the heels of other closures and downsizings, both locally and nationally.

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