Midwifery Today Responds to Study Questioning Homebirth Safety

The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology will soon publish a report that questions the safety of planned homebirths. This report may fuel an attack on all types of midwives, everywhere. The authors state that babies born at home have a mortality rate three times higher than babies born in hospital. Their conclusion is controversial because many large and rigorous studies have concluded that homebirth and hospital birth have essentially the same safety for mother and baby. READ MIDWIFERY TODAY’S RESPONSE…

Full Moon Birthing

“It was just the three of us. They wanted absolute privacy. After an hour or so, her water broke and she had a slight urge to push. The baby’s heart tones sounded wonderful. The night was warm and the moon was just on the horizon, yellow and full. She wanted to go to the tide pool.” [ ARTWORK BY VICTORIA TRUJILLO ] READ MORE…

Jacuzzis to the Rescue

“Women love them. As they relax in the tub, the jets help distract them from their discomfort. Many have told me they think the ‘white noise’ of the jets helped them shut out the outside world during labor. In addition, I love them for the nipple stimulation they can provide in a stalled labor.” Induction Risks is the theme of the current issue of Midwifery Today E-News. Read Question of the Week Responses about longest second stage. READ MORE…

Caesarean: just another way of birth?

Review by Elise Hansen. “ Mander calls, shouts, begs for more appropriate and applicable research to be done, including factoring in the birthing woman’s and her baby’s experiences, as well as taking a long, long look at the long-term implications for us all. She does not hesitate to discuss just who the beneficiary of this popular surgery might be and strongly implies that it may NOT be the women and babies it is supposed to be saving.” READ MORE…

Learn about breech birth with Ina May Gaskin, Michel Odent and Cornelia Enning

In the morning, Ina May and Michel will help you develop a variety of breech skills. including palpation and assessing fetal weight. You'll also learn about frank, footling and complete breech, as well complications that can occur. In the afternoon, Cornelia will discuss the the special circumstances of breech waterbirth. Did you know that breech birth in water improves fetal oxygenation by increasing uterine blood supply during immersion? Attend this class to find out more! This full-day Breech Workshop is part of our conference in Strasbourg, France, Sept. 29 – Oct. 3. LEARN MORE…

Birth Emergency Skills Training

Review by Jan Tritten. “If you take the first letter of each word in the title, it spells BEST. The book is a comprehensive ‘Manual for Out-of-Hospital Midwives.’ It will help you serve women better because you will be armed with an amazing amount of information, right at your fingertips. It is spiced with many mnemonics to help you remember key information. It also includes many lists, tables, illustrations and photos—Bonnie is also an accomplished artist!” READ MORE…

The International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative: A Human Rights Approach to Optimal Maternity Care

"…we deeply believe that women who do get pregnant should have what we consider to be the basic human right of humane and evidence-based maternity care. It’s not about the right to give birth—there is no such right—it’s about the right to receive appropriate care when you do." READ MORE…

The Issue of Birth Rights

"Birth is biological. At its most fundamental level, it is an animal rights issue. When I was working in Mexico, I was not surprised when, following a birth, a grandmother asked me, ‘How is the mother?’ But when she endearingly asked, ‘Y la creatura?’ (‘And the little creature?’), I stopped in my step." READ MORE…

A Hidden Tragedy: Birth as a Human Rights Issue in Developing Countries

"…I want to concentrate this article on the issue of inequality: the human rights violation currently happening to three-fourths of the world’s women due to poverty. Maternal mortality is the health indicator with the most disparity between developed and developing countries, at a rate 100 times greater in poor countries than in richer nations." READ MORE…

Birth in 2050

"Is a day coming when every motherbaby will receive these birth rights: access to good food, clean water and loving care? When motherbaby has access to an optimal and hopefully miraculous birth, we will see our world change, and I believe we will live on a more peaceful and loving planet." Read this editorial, and other informative and inspiring articles in the brand-new issue of Midwifery Today, the print magazine. READ MORE…

Safer Birth in a Barn?

"She’s been in this box stall (when not out to pasture) for weeks, because she must be in a familiar environment to birth smoothly. There is her usual water and hay in the stall—never restrict their food in labor!" READ MORE…

See what it’s like to give birth naturally.

When you watch the Birth of a Family DVD you’ll see the relaxed, joyous births of Christina and Nielsen van Duijn’s four children. This family shares these intimate moments so that others could be inspired by their experiences. Birth of a Family will help women learn about their choices and options so that they may experience a healthy joyous journey through pregnancy into birth and motherhood. VIEW PRODUCT…

Learn about midwifery education!

Are you an aspiring midwife who’s looking for the right school? Are you a practicing midwife who would like learn more? Visit our Education Opportunities page to discover ways to start or continue your education. LEARN MORE…

Trick of the Trade

I often joke with a first-time mother who is preoccupied with watching the clock that no woman has ever missed her birth by sleeping through it. It is important that the mother is encouraged to rest and sleep as much as possible in very early labor. If exhaustion has occurred, labor will slow down, and inertia and constriction rings may lead to operative intervention. The risk of maternal hemorrhage increases as well as the possibility of subinvolution with excessive bleeding and postpartum infection.

— Valeria El Halta in Midwifery Today Issue 46, E-News 2:12

Quotable Quote

Trauma always leaves a scar. It follows us home. It changes our lives. Trauma messes everybody up. But maybe that's the point. All the pain and the fear and the crap. Maybe going through all that is what keeps us moving forward. It's what pushes us. Maybe we have to get a little messed up, before we can step up.

— Grey's Anatomy, Midwifery Today Issue 90

The H1N1 Primer for Pregnant Women

This article on the H1N1 flu and vaccines regarding pregnant women addresses such questions as, “I have heard that the H1N1 Flu carries more risk when I am pregnant. Is this true?” “What about risks to my baby?” “How likely is it that a serious complication will occur if I get H1N1 while I’m pregnant?” and “Are antiviral drugs really safe in pregnancy?” READ MORE…