In order to feel protected during this time of neocortical inhibition, some modern women naturally prefer to rely on a doula.
Free Articles
These are our free articles. Sign up as a Member for access to all of our online articles, and more.
Click here to browse articles by issue.
An Interview with Ray McAllister: A Blind Doula
An interview with a unique birth doula—a blind man who came to the work from massage therapy.
Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: Snatched from the Hands of Death
Complications can sometimes mar what seems to be a birth gone well. Learn about the sign of peripartum cardiomyopathy and its risk to moms.
Prenatal Care
Continuity of carer is key to a normal, physiological, and empowered birth. Midwifery is about relationship which develops in the course of prenatal care.
Cultural Differences in Waterbirth Practices
Many US practitioners are unaware that we do waterbirth differently than our European colleagues who developed it. Many of these European doctors and midwives are upset at that difference and would like US midwives to change the way we do waterbirths. There are two crucial differences in the way waterbirth is taught on the two continents.
Postpartum Baths for Pain Control: Not Science and Not Midwifery
Slome Cohain responds to a study published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health that advocated taking mothers from their babies one hour after birth for a hot bath to relieve pain.
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…
Midwifery Education for Autonomous Practice: The Time Is Now!
One of the easiest ways for a student to frame this question is to ask, “What kind of midwife would I want at my birth?” And then, “Is my educational program preparing me to be this kind of midwife?”
The Herbal Education of Midwives
Wise use of herbs is especially important during pregnancy and lactation. Using herbs instead of drugs to allay problems protects both mom and fetus from harm. Even more importantly, the abundant nutrition available from select herbs…