Midwifery Today Issue 121

Issue 121

Spring 2017

Theme: Mothering

Throughout life, women find themselves in the role of Mother. With this issue’s theme of “Mothering,” our offerings are diverse. You will find tips on having a good pregnancy to making the best of a cesarean birth to mothers supporting mothers after birth. Our beloved Robin Lim even shares the challenges of mothering one’s own mother. As always, our pages are packed with interesting reading from many well-known authors in midwifery along with other new contributors who cover unique and timely subjects.


Cover photo by Hannah Palamara (hannahpalamarabirthphotography.com). Hannah Palamara is a wife and mother to three children who lives in Kent, UK. As a documentary and lifestyle birth photographer and doula, Hannah serves families across the UK by providing them with beautiful and tangible memories of their monumental day. Hannah sees herself as a storyteller who captures birth stories in homes, birth centers and hospitals. Each is powerful, captivating and worth remembering. Hannah brings her extensive knowledge as a doula and birth worker, as well as her expertise in documentary photography, to every birth she attends.

Pictured: This birth happened on the hottest night of the year on a full moon. Hannah arrived as the sun was rising, just 15 minutes before Suzy breathed her beautiful baby girl Aluna into the world in the most peaceful, transcendent Hypnobirthing birth.


Buy This Issue

Departments

  • Poetry: Motherhood—Guiditta Tornetta
  • From the Editor: Midwifery Is Standing on Holy GroundJan Tritten
    “You help bring forth mothers as well as babies. You need to be one who understands when protection might be necessary and the one who is ready to protect. You are serving motherbaby, not medicine. Stand guard, for you are standing on holy ground!”
  • Marion’s Message: Cancer of the Cervix and the MidwifeMarion Toepke McLean
    “Birth attendants need to learn about cervical cancer, to understand and teach about it. Why? Although potentially fatal, cervical cancer is slow growing. Death is almost always preventable, with early detection and treatment.”
  • More departments:
    Wisdom of the Midwives, Media Reviews, Discussions, Classified Advertising, Photo Album

Features

  • Tricks of the Trade: Ten Essential Remedies for HomebirthPiper Martin
    Homeopath Piper Martin shares some tricks for dealing with issues related to homebirth—a change from our usual “tricks.”
  • Holding Space: With Women in the LabyrinthErica Andrews  
    In this article, the author uses the metaphor of a labyrinth to discuss the journey that women take with each of their births, with the midwife playing a secondary role.
  • A Turning Point in the History of MotheringMichel Odent 
    The author ties changes throughout the world in this era to another change: the focus on parenting rather than mothering.
  • Sage FemmeSusun Weed
    Garden sage, Salvia officinalis, is the subject of this article. Read about how it strengthens uterine contracts and eases labor pain.
  • Midwifing Birth and Death and Each OtherSister MorningStar
    “Being a midwife is not something in a school or a book or something that happened before. It is being with a birthing mother with what is happening now.” Sister MorningStar urges us to continue the fight to protect birthing mothers and midwives.
  • The Mindful CesareanMary Esther Malloy
    While a cesarean is not the ideal birth for most mothers, the author talks about how skin-to-skin contact and kangaroo care can improve the experience for mother and baby.
  • Joanna Torellas and the Spanish InquisitionJane Beal
    The author tells an engaging story about a fifteenth century midwife.
  • Birthkeepers: Mothering Our MothersRobin Lim
    Frequent writer Robin Lim shares the challenges and rewards of caring for her mother, who suffers from dementia, while continuing her Bali midwifery practice.
  • Conversation in a Birthing Bath with Ibu Robin—Robyn Yudana Wellwood
    A beautiful poem—an author who birthed in Bali with Robin Lim.
  • Divine Intervention—Carmen Linhares
    A chance encounter with a friend in the hospital leads to a good birth that the author believes was divinely inspired.
  • Postpartum Mood DisordersAubre Tompkins
    This author offers a discussion of the all too common mood disorders that can affect postpartum women, including symptoms, screening, and treatment options.
  • The Gifts of Red TentPiper Martin
    Author Piper Martin shares the community that developed out of a women’s circle—focusing on pregnant women and mothers—that she facilitated.
  • Deep Malnutrition: Understanding Nutritional Histories—Cindy Morrow
    We all know that diet is important for health, but did you know that even the nutrition of our forebears could affect our babies? This article will help midwives understand how to help moms have a healthier pregnancy and better birth.
  • My Birth Story—Tammy Emert
    The author shares her story of birthing twins with the hope of inspiring moms to put their fear aside and trust in birth.
  • Trust and Technology: Mothering in a Modern Age—Deborah Simone
    Modern technology brings with it some solutions that are better not being invented. Deborah Simone tells us about one of them.
  • If We Ever Have an OB Call, Dorham, You’d Better Be There—Sylvia Dorham
    Doula Sylvia Dorham tells a lively and interesting story involving the intersection between midwifery and medical protocols in an emergency medical call.

= Membership Article.

Categories:
Skip to content