Issue 112

Midwifery Today Issue 112Theme: Preeclampsia

For birth workers, preeclampsia is certainly a topic worth learning about. Within this issue, you will learn from the best. The lineup of authors includes obstetrician Michel Odent, herbalist Susun S. Weed and midwives Sister MorningStar, Gail Hart and Mary Cooper. Along with preeclampsia, there are articles on the placenta, breech babies and pelvic organ prolapse, as well as a photo essay on a public breastfeeding campaign. This is definitely an issue containing loads of information, so get ready to learn. We hope you enjoy it!

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The Power of Placenta for Hemorrhage Control

It’s always important to be reminded of the basics, such as using the placenta to stop a hemorrhage. Hollie S. Moyer does a fine job of doing just that in this article. Read more…. The Power of Placenta for Hemorrhage Control

Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project

Birth Photographer Leilani Rogers created the Breastfeeding Awareness Project, which involves breastfeeding photography in the hopes of making breastfeeding a normal part of life in our culture. She shares a bit about her project and some beautiful images with us in this article. Read more…. Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project

Preeclampsia and Nutritional Priorities

“The nature and the expression of pregnancy diseases vary among different species of mammals. It is notable that these differences are related to the nutritional priorities during the prenatal phase of development.”

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The Deadly Itch: How My Midwives Saved My Babies’ Lives

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a pregnancy-related liver disorder in which there are abnormalities in the flow of bile. These abnormalities lead to a build-up of bile acids in the mother’s blood, resulting in symptoms such as severe skin itching. —March of Dimes definition of Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy Read more…. The Deadly Itch: How My Midwives Saved My Babies’ Lives

Sowing Seeds of Change

After seven years of being a doula, midwife and childbirth educator in a huge urban Indian city, I have started to see a difference. Times are changing. Women and their partners are standing for what they believe in.

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Midwifing a Movement

Jan’s recent experience at the Baker Creek Heirloom Festival in Santa Rosa, California, gave her a whole new appreciation of what some are doing to help change the world of food for the better. Her experience caused her to ponder things in the birth world movement; her musings are found in this article. Read more…. Midwifing a Movement

Calcium and Vitamin C Supplements: Effects on Preterm Birth and Preeclampsia

A lot of research has recently been done in the field of dietary supplements. Ordinary prenatal vitamin supplements show little effect in women with moderately good diets, and it’s difficult to tell if they show any effect in women with poor diets. However, some specific supplements show promise to improve outcomes even in developed nations. Since regions of the world experience vitamin/mineral deficits which are specific to that region, these places may benefit from specific supplements. For instance, there may be a widespread need for a supplement of vitamin A or iodine in the Himalayan regions of upland China, but this doesn’t apply to people in the US, and so the effectiveness of supplements vary by region. This article will look specifically at the effectiveness of calcium and vitamin C supplements on preterm birth and preeclampsia. Read more…. Calcium and Vitamin C Supplements: Effects on Preterm Birth and Preeclampsia

Newborns: Their Biological and Theological Uniqueness

Back to the question asked of me by that newborn girl in 1969 in a delivery room on the seventeenth floor of CPMC. Yes! I do know who you are! You are an ordained life with a potential and message unlike any other baby sent into this world. You are the continuing revelation of goodness to humankind and you come with a profound message of love.

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Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Proactive Approach to Prevention

When women give birth, they expect a baby and then the placenta to come out, but not many moms are expecting their bladder or uterus to come out! When this event happens, it is called pelvic organ prolapse. Women are unfortunately uninformed about many aspects of how pregnancy and birth can affect their bodies. Midwives play a key role in empowering women with knowledge and awareness so their clients have an opportunity to make choices in their pregnancy and birth that can help prevent pelvic organ prolapse.

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 Read more…. Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Proactive Approach to Prevention

Assuring Healthy Babies: Weight Gain in Pregnancy

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Midwifery Today, Issue 112, Winter 2014. Subscribe to Midwifery Today Magazine There is a notable change in birth outcome statistics in the United States. After decades of steady improvement in reducing the rates of preterm birth and low birth weight, we are now seeing an increase in the rate of premature births and small-for-dates babies. In fact, the average weight of full-term babies declined from 1990 to 2005 (Donahue et al. 2010). The increase in preterm rates could be partly due to obstetrical intervention to induce earlier births in high-risk pregnancies. However, the decline in full-term birth weight was sharpest in low-risk women with uncomplicated pregnancies (Donahue et al. 2010). These are the very women who would be expected to have access to early prenatal care and nutritious food choices. But they are also likely to be restricting weight gain either by choice or in compliance with birth attendant’s instructions to restrict weight gain, and this may be contributing to the trend of small-for-dates babies. All women—even those who are overweight—must gain weight in order to nourish a healthy baby and maintain the pregnancy to term. Unfortunately, many women in the US still believe that weight gain is irrelevant to their baby’s health. According to a recent survey, one-third of US newly pregnant women planned to lose weight or hoped to maintain their current weight throughout their pregnancy. Many of them were dieting either to “save their figures” or reduce the baby’s birth weight, and others mistakenly believed they were following the recently changed advisories on acceptable weight gain which sharply lowered the recommended amount (Bish 2009). A normal weight gain is important during pregnancy. Women who begin pregnancy underweight have a higher risk of preterm birth, and women who have a poor… Read more…. Assuring Healthy Babies: Weight Gain in Pregnancy

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Stories to Learn From: Toxemia in Pregnancy

I have been a midwife for over 36 years and many of my clients come from Amish communities. What follows are two very different stories of preeclampsia in pregnancy.

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How to Turn a Breech Baby to Head-down

Learn some tricks on how to flip a breech baby from Mexican midwife Naolí Vinaver.

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