Issue 73

Midwifery Today Issue 73Theme: Changing Protocols

Learn what a Midwifery Today Online Membership can do for you. = Membership Article.

The Bristol Third-Stage Trial

If you set out to compare a policy of intensive, precipitous intervention with a policy of sitting back and watching the patient bleed, obviously the former will be seen to be safer. This was the approach and conclusion of the Bristol Third-Stage Trial. But the trial … is completely misleading… Read more…. The Bristol Third-Stage Trial

Having Ahna at Home

Some people say I am “a brave pioneer woman,” while others look askance at the middle-class, educated woman birthing at home. This birth was not better than the other two, I remind myself. With Jamin I learned about resilience, and with Maya I learned about patience. This birth taught me I could trust my body.

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

If you are already an online member login here.

 Read more…. Having Ahna at Home

Screening Tests: Not Worth Triple the Trouble

My 37-year old e-mail friend was 19 weeks pregnant with her second. She shared by e-mail the bad news that her triple screen showed increased risk for Down’s Syndrome. She repeated the test and was awaiting results. She couldn’t decide whether to pursue amniocentesis. I replied…

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

If you are already an online member login here.

 Read more…. Screening Tests: Not Worth Triple the Trouble

Birth and Death in Yayasan Bumi Sehat, Bali

Update: October and November, 2004. When we face loss of life, finances fade into the distance, and we know our responsibility is to something deeper and more from the heart. Each of you who help has contributed to Budi’s survival and to a proper goodbye for two small babies who did not make it on Earth.

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

If you are already an online member login here.

 Read more…. Birth and Death in Yayasan Bumi Sehat, Bali

Jasmine’s Story: What Are the Limits of “Normal Birth”?

What is a “normal” birth? While this birth was hands-off by medical standards, we used more interventions than usual. Did any of them make a difference? Maybe. Could we have done less? Probably. I realized that this amazing birth was normal. Beth had everything she needed to get her baby born in her own best way.

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

If you are already an online member login here.

 Read more…. Jasmine’s Story: What Are the Limits of “Normal Birth”?

Happy Birthday, Birth Change

Midwifery Today turns 19 years old in February of 2005. For me, that is nearly 20 years of working to change birth with Midwifery Today, plus over 10 years of homebirth practice, changing birth one motherbaby at a time. Read more…. Happy Birthday, Birth Change

Protocols vs. Guidelines

The term “protocols” is confusing sometimes because it is used differently from location to location, state to state. In general, protocols have to be very carefully written, or midwives damage themselves legally. Read more…. Protocols vs. Guidelines

Antiretroviral Basics

As midwives, we often struggle against medical interventions that have dubious value for mothers and babies. But a few medical interventions, when used appropriately, are lifesavers. I believe antiretrovirals to be one of these lifesavers.

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

If you are already an online member login here.

 Read more…. Antiretroviral Basics

A Progressive Midwife in Nazareth

There is a special midwife in Nazareth named Izdihar Abu Eid. Her name means “progress” in Arabic, her mother tongue. She lives up to the name given her by her Bedouin parents and does all she can to advance the cause of her profession, to empower midwives and birthing women.

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

If you are already an online member login here.

 Read more…. A Progressive Midwife in Nazareth

Can the Art of Midwifery Survive Protocols?

We must keep in mind that “protocol” derives from the Greek word “kolla,” which means “glue.” To follow a protocol is to give up freedom. Freedom is the prerequisite for any artistic way of behaving. This implies that if it is an art, midwifery is incompatible with the concept of protocol.

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

If you are already an online member login here.

 Read more…. Can the Art of Midwifery Survive Protocols?

The Air We Breathe – Oxygen: Tradition and Heresy?

Oxygen for resuscitation of newborns was adopted with little research, and maternal oxygen “for treatment of fetal distress” had even less. The use of a high proportion of oxygen was rapidly adopted in the 1970s—not without opposition! Debate continues, even though large studies were designed to settle the questions.

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

If you are already an online member login here.

 Read more…. The Air We Breathe – Oxygen: Tradition and Heresy?

Protocols

We are a profession separate from OBs, paediatricians and physiotherapists; we should not allow others to be responsible for writing our protocols. Yes, where there is overlap, we could work as a team to create guidelines for the working area. But ultimately, we should be creating a framework that works for us.

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

If you are already an online member login here.

 Read more…. Protocols

Skip to content