Photo by Cheryl Holt
This article addresses the 20-week ultrasound that is now standard for some pregnant women and a case in which not having one done saved the mother from a cesarean.
Photo by T. F. Ricketts [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Measles is a viral, infectious disease. It is the most contagious of all infectious diseases. In the pre-vaccine era, measles affected nearly every individual during childhood. (ECDC). About 97% of exposed individuals who receive both vaccinations will not get measles, and neither will about 93% of those with only one vaccination (CDC 2016).
Photo provided by the author
This article elucidates when and why varicose veins occur, what medical studies suggest for treatment, and what other midwives and mothers have found helpful.
The protocol to induce for postdates at 41 weeks was accepted by medical professionals about 10 years ago. The randomized controlled trials (RCT) for this protocol are based on poor quality studies that included births at high risk of perinatal death, such as premature births and those of diabetics, and entail high rates of noncompliance with protocol (Cohain 2015). There is no good evidence that induction for postdates among low-risk women results in better outcomes for mother or baby. Read more…. More Evidence to Avoid Hospital Birth: A Critique of the Results of the ARRIVE Study
Letter to the editor, by Judy Slome Cohain
Jennifer Hamilton—jhmamarazziphotography.com
About 5 to 10% of newborns are born with tongue-tie. The majority of newborns with tongue-tie have no problem breastfeeding or bottle-feeding and their mothers do not suffer nipple pain. Among women with unresolved nipple pain from breastfeeding, nipple pain was decreased significantly if the baby either had a frenotomy or a sham procedure. Frenotomy should be painless for the baby, cause at most two drops of blood loss, and the baby should not cry more than 10 seconds.
Esther Edith—estheredith.com
A simple fix can prevent nausea and vomiting in a planned pregnancy.
Read more…. How to Prevent Nausea and Vomiting during Pregnancy
Agnes is a Hungarian doctor and midwife who faces prison as a punishment for attending homebirths. Slome Cohain argues that midwives need to document the homebirths they provide, to show that they are safe.
Twenty-two papers published in medical journals reached a conclusion that Asian women have shorter perineums, despite the fact that this is not so in Asia. She concludes that the problem is impatience and interference by doctors.
Read more…. Research on Perineal Outcomes of Asians Not Living in Asia Leads to Faulty Conclusion
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. Read more…. Postpartum Baths for Pain Control: Not Science and Not Midwifery
Many women experience bleeding in the first trimester but do not miscarry, yet few studies have evaluated it. Slome Cohain parses the medical evidence, concluding that first trimester bleeding is usually of no consequence. Read more…. First Trimester Bleeding Is Common
The author challenges the status quo of time limits in labor. With illustrative photos, she shares her personal experiences with long second stage labors with moulding—noting the lack of documented causation between the status quo and adverse outcomes.
Read more…. Three Cases of Prolonged Second Stage Labor: Lasting 14, 17, and 24 Hours
