Midwifery Today Issue 71

Midwifery in Israel

by Judy Slome Cohain August 31, 2004

Socialized medicine provides free and easily accessible prenatal and intrapartum care in Israel. The emphasis on the value of life in Israel is reflected in its birth practices, such as free, easily accessible prenatal care, low infant mortality rates and excellent infertility treatment.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Compassionate C-section

by Janelle Schmidt August 31, 2004

I know that c-sections are over-prescribed and poorly handled throughout, and I do not want to invalidate the horrible experiences of women who have suffered from them. But I do want to share my own story to demonstrate that the experience, while far from ideal, does not have to be a nightmare.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Saving Our Endangered Midwifery Allies

by Mary Lou Singleton August 31, 2004

Midwives, our sisters are in danger. The medical industry has co-opted them, commodified them and is now not-so-gradually eliminating them. Our allies in women’s health and the healing of birth are disappearing so quickly as to pose the terrible possibility that our daughters won’t have access to the help they provide.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Photo by Filip Mroz

A Determined Life

by Nancy Miller August 31, 2004

MT is an enormously spirited woman. Her spiritedness has gotten her into trouble—big trouble. And it has also fueled her determination to deal with her troubles head on. I met MT during her initial prenatal visit with her fifth child. She told me unabashedly that she was HIV-positive and had a history of crack cocaine abuse and supporting her habit by selling sex for drugs. But with pride she went on to tell how she had kicked the cocaine habit and gotten her life together after finding out she was HIV-infected. She had gone to support groups, even learning how to tell her kids about her HIV status and support them in their reactions. Now she leads support groups.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Placental Rituals, Placental Medicine

by Alison Bastien August 31, 2004

The placenta is a mediator between the life flow of mother and baby. It is rich in nutrients, hormones and immune builders (stem cells too!); indeed, it helped build a body. This article presents a few small ways we affirm that our lives and the lives of other women matter. That birth matters.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Photo by zelle duda

“There is a foot!”

by Sonia Richardson August 31, 2004

Sue says the words I will never forget: “There is a foot!” Then, continuing: “It’s twins!” I look down at the little foot kicking out of Maiko’s body. I stare at Sue, Sue stares at me. Ten seconds of complete bewilderment, and then we act automatically. We clamp and cut the cord of the first baby and call an ambulance.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Preserving the Breastfeeding Relationship: Hypoglycemia in the Breastfed Infant—Fact or Fiction?

by Meredith Goff August 1, 2004

What to do when faced with the issue of whether to allow your asymptomatic, big, healthy baby to be tested for hypoglycemia? Confidently tell the nurse that testing of large-for-gestational-age babies is not supported by the evidence. Then put the baby to breast, knowing this is the best place for a baby to be.

This post is only available to members. To purchase an online membership, go here.

If you are already an online member login here.

Photo by Megan McFadden

Meet the Practitioner

by Meredith Goff August 1, 2004

I have been a midwife for 21 years. Midwifery and motherhood have defined my adult life. I was 24 and in nursing school, pursuing an interest in women’s health and what was known then as “preventive medicine,” when I witnessed my first midwife-attended birth. Lightning struck.