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 26 Ways To Change Birth Globally - by Sara Wickham, RM
This action list of small things all midwives can do to change societal attitudes to birth and promote midwifery and the midwifery model was derived from some research I carried out a few years ago.
 50 Ways to Protest a VBAC Denial - by Barbara Stratton
After advocating VBACs for years, ACOG in 1999 flip-flopped and issued guidelines restricting them. Barbara lists a number of ways to fight a such a denial and win.
 A Butcher’s Dozen - by Nancy Wainer
VBAC. A victory and a relief for most of the women who have one. A deep and generous healing for many of them. And still, very much a sham, because most of the women never really needed to be cut in the first place, so they didn't really need to be VBACs after all.
 A Declaration of the Rights of Childbearing Women - by Leilah McCracken
Birth is easy. Obfuscating medical factoids make it hard. Modern obstetrical knowledge is based on false hospital outcomes; more is known about how bedridden patients give birth than how real, panting, sensual women give birth.
 A Father’s Point Of View - by Anthony Wilson
The day my wife gave birth to our firstborn was the end and the beginning of something beautiful. The culmination of nine months of physical, emotional and spiritual preparation for the birth of our baby, it was also the beginning of our life with children.
 A Keen Eye: An Interview with Verena Schmid - by Jan Tritten
A veteran Italian midwife shares her philosophy of observation.
 A Landmark in the History of Birthing Pools - by Michel Odent
Not one of the five perinatal deaths among 4,032 births in water were attributable to delivery in water, finds a landmark study. If the study's advice is taken, water birthing will seriously compete with epidurals; helping women enter the pool at the right time might become a new aspect of the art of midwifery.
 A Midwife’s Perspective: Labor and Birth in the Water - by Jill Cohen
Misunderstandings abound about the use of water in birth, learn about the positive effects.
 A Midwife’s Touch - by Elaine Stillerman
A hands-on approach to helping women during pregnancy, labor and postpartum, this article will help you improve your doula or midwifery practice and help moms.
 A Modern Midwife's Experience with Ancient Maya Techniques of Abdominal/Uterine Massage - by Anne Hirsch
The author shares some brief theory and many anecdotal experiences that are representative of what women report from the use of Maya Massage.
 A Natural Alternative to Suturing - by Denise Gilpin-Blake, LM, CCE, CLE and Summer Elliot, SM, RN, BSN
While on an Indian reservation, I had studied with a shaman and observed the use of seaweed to heal burns and deep lacerations...
 A Note To Fathers - by Lois Wilson
What is the role of the father who is present at the birth of his child? Is he a labor coach, advocate or partner? Is he a fifth wheel? A nuisance? A liability?
 A Timely Birth - by Gail Hart
The timing of birth has major consequences for a baby. Too early or too late can mean the difference between life and death. Or so we have come to believe; and it's undoubtedly true at the extreme ends of preterm and postterm birth dates.
 A VBAC Primer: Technical Issues for Midwives - by Heidi Rinehart, MD
Women pregnant after a previous cesarean section have special needs and concerns.
 A Word to Fathers - by Jill Cohen
As a father, you play a vital role in pregnancy and birth. Since you are responsible for getting the baby in, you are also a major support for getting the baby out.
 Adverse Events Following Misoprostol Induction of Labor - by Marsden Wagner, MD, MS
Off-label use of misoprostol (Cytotec) for labor induction has been steadily increasing for 10 years, even though this use is approved neither by the U.S. [FDA], other national drug regulatory agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, the Cochrane Library nor a number of national obstetric organizations
 Africa: Journey to the Motherland - by Shauna Dillard
We worked really hard to get rid of the bed pan, but the bottom line was cleanliness. If we didn't use the bed pan we would have more blood to clean up and more chance of infection in the clinic. It's a hard call at best.
 Amicus Maternity Center: Part I - by Jan Tritten
This is part one of a two-part series on Amicus Birth Center in Trinidad. See part two in Midwifery Today Issue 85. We hope that this successful model can be used by others.
 Amicus Maternity Center: Part II - by Jan Tritten
This is part two of a two-part series on Amicus Birth Center in Trinidad. See part one in Midwifery Today Issue 84. We hope that this successful model can be used by others.
 An Intimate Dance with Birthing Women - by Heather Mains
When he was asked, "What is a friend?" Aristotle answered, "One soul inhabiting two bodies." When asked, "What is a doula?" I answered, "One soul inhabiting two bodies," ... the privilege to be in unionnonseparate from another with a shared intent or purpose.
 Anciona Juarez Arrozco - by Sarah Proechel
Anciona Juarez Arrosco tells the story of a traditional Mexican midwife, who has practiced for more than 30 years. Taken from the book, Voices of the Maya Midwives, by Sarah Proechel, the article relates some of the traditional herbal and other practices of midwifery that have been in use for many years.
 Anthropological Perspectives on Global Issues in Midwifery - by Robbie Davis-Floyd, PhD
According to the international definition, a midwife is one who graduates from a program duly recognized in its jurisdiction. In the developing world, this generally means a two-year government training program.
 Antonina Sánchez Méndez - by Sarah Proechel
This article in Spanishis excerpted from the book, Voices of Maya Midwives: Oral Histories of Practicing Traditional Midwives from the Mam Region of Guatemala. Este artículo fue extraído del libro, "Voces de las comadronas mayas: Historias orales de la práctica de la partería tradicional de la región de Mam de Guatemal
 Are You a Size-Friendly Midwife? - by Pamela Vireday
Fat women are tired of being marginalized by the medical community. They tell stories of egregious bias, of being treated as less than human. They also tell stories of subtle bias, of providers who seem to be size-friendly but ultimately are not.
 Arriba la Revolucion - by Marina Lembo
This article is excerpted from the book, Voices of Maya Midwives: Oral Histories of Practicing Traditional Midwives from the Mam Region of Guatemala. Este articulo fue extraido del libro,
 Baby's Bedding: Is It Creating Toxic Nerve Gases? - by Joanne B. Quinn, RMA, PhD
A British/New Zealand study offers clues about the cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
 Becoming an Agent of Change: What to Do When Your Midwife Has Been Charged - by Katherine Prown, Ph.D.
It's a situation every homebirth family dreads, but one all too many will have to face: your midwife is under investigation or, worse, has been charged with a crime.
 Berta Juárez Fuentes - by Sarah Proechel
This article is excerpted from the book, Voices of Maya Midwives: Oral Histories of Practicing Traditional Midwives from the Mam Region of Guatemala. Este artículo fue extraído del libro,
 Birth as a Community Experience - by Lois Wilson
Much of the fear and consequent difficulties American women experience during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period are directly related to the isolation so inherent to their culture.
 Birth at Sea - by Holly Knight
Read the beautiful poetry by Holly Knight about the birth of her child.
 Birth Healing - by Rosetta Thuresson
Rosetta lost her mother when she was born, as a result of an epidural. She shares here how birthing her own daughter helped her on the road to healing.
 Birth in India: One Chosen Perspective - by Diane Smith
I tiptoed my entry in to India carrying within a latent, hidden familiarity with her people and culture. I was bringing with me my acquired midwifery skills and an aspiration to follow my resonance with birth as a life event that stands outside of the modern medicalized model.
 Birth of a Midwife - by Amanda Moore
For ages the expertise and experience of the elders was handed down to younger generations. It was not a matter of choice, merely a matter of survival. If they didn't share their knowledge of the way life revealed itself, then that knowledge was lost. Midwifery is not different by any means.
 Birth Plan - by Janine DeBaise
Here is the plan for the birth of my child. I've taken words from the dreams of 200 women. I'm translating them for the hospital staff.
 Birth Stories: The Instinct of Birth - by Candace Whitridge
When a woman is in labor, a little fight goes on in the woman's brain. One part of here brain, the intellect, will tell her that she should do certain things.
 Birth Surprise in Jerusalem - by Chaya Raizel Breger
Our twins remained in the breech position for months before their due date. We were unable to find a midwife or doctor willing to let me birth naturally unless at least the first baby turned head down.
 Birth Works! - by Cathy Daub and Michelle Freedman Brill
Article in French. Le probleme avec la formation traditionnelle a la naissance est qu'elle ne vise pas assez haut.
 Birth, Love and Death - by Nick Owen
It is a well-known fact that the template for a child's psychological development is laid down in earliest infancy. But did you ever consider that the experience of being born sets up the most fundamental predispositions and life reaction patterns we have?
 Breastfeeding Nemesis - by Suzanne Colson
Human mothers are the only mammals who have a choice about whether or not to give their own milk to their infants.
 Breastfeeding: Food For Thought - by Tamara Crafts, RN
The nature of breastfeeding itself—the interdependence of mother and child to create a successful breastfeeding relationship through the demand for, and supply of, human milk—literally establishes a physical bond.
 Bridging the Gap: Cracks & Chasms - by Judy Edmunds
Midwives are great bridge builders. There are so many gaps to bridge! Some are just shallow potholes, little bumps in pregnancy's road—nausea, backache, heartburn, insomnia. We offer solace and suggest remedies, kindly ministrations to fill in and smooth out ruts in the prenatal path.
 Build Bridges, Not Walls - by Alicia Huntley, CNM
I elected to spend some of my 1998 conference budget to attend the American College of Nurse Midwives' (ACNM) annual meeting in San Francisco. One of the reasons I chose this particular conference is that I have become increasingly concerned about the divisions emerging among midwives in the United States.
 Bullying - by Marinah Valenzuela Farrell
This is the first of four articles on bullying, a problem that has been identified within the profession of midwifery, as well as in many other areas. The next issue will feature The Bully (identifying the bully).
 Caught Off Guard: One Father’s Memories - by Steve Hinnefeld
No other joy I have experienced can compare with watching my child come wriggling out into the world and with being present for the breathtaking first moments of a new human being.
 Cesareas en Mexico - by Marian Tudela, Partera Profesional, CPM
¿Cuántas mujeres de su entorno conoce que hayan dado a luz de forma normal, es decir, por parto vaginal? Y ¿cuántas que hayan tenido su bebé por operación cesárea?
 Craniosacral Therapy in the Midwifery Model of Care - by Kara Maia Spencer
Learn about craniosacral therapy and how it can be used to prevent and health birth trauma.
 Craniosacral Therapy in the Midwifery Model of Care - by Kara Maia Spencer
Learn about craniosacral therapy and how it can be used to prevent and health birth trauma.
 Cruci/Section: My Baby Was Cut Out with a Knife - by Leilah McCracken
Trying to write about the c-section I had 10 years ago with my second child is difficult.
 Cuban Maternity Homes - by Heather Renz
Imagine health care as a right, not a privilege. One of the many successes of the Cuban revolution is its dedication to creating a comprehensive medical system accessible to all citizens free of cost.
 Cuddle Up! Slings and Baby Carriers - by Jennifer Rosenberg, CD (DONA)
This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each kind of baby carrier, ways of making your own baby carrier, and reviews of specific brands of 'ready made' carriers.
 Cytotec Induction and Off-Label Use - by Marsden Wagner, MD, MS
Without adequate testing of Cytotec (misoprostol) for labor induction, obstetricians simply began to use it on their birthing women. They were taking advantage of a huge loophole in our drug regulatory system.
 Daughters of Time - by Barbara Katz Rothman, PhD
Direct-entry to what? A path to where? What is it that we are entering, and where is it we are going? A midwife is, like everything else in this world, very much in the eye of the beholder.
 Déclaration d'Aix-la-Chapelle
Article in French. Declaration de Aix-la-Chapelle - Europeen des sages-femmes.
 Demeurer humble: Une naissance par les pieds - by Claudie Cameron, sage-femme
Article in French. Read this story of a double-footling breech.
 Disproporcio Cephalopelvico Real - by Jill Cohen
Article in Spanish. Esta mama primerisa estaba 43 semanas embarazadas con un bebe grande. Fuimos a hacer una ecografia para suavizar sus preocupaciones que su bebe fuera post fechas.
 Do I have to leave my country and home to have my baby sanely? - by MorningStar
Today, the issues are VBAC and recognized education and training, standards of health care that challenge the rights of both wimyn and midwives. But as a retired midwife with 30 years of experience, the issues seem to me to be inherent challenges to the power and instincts of wimyn.
 Doña Irene Sotelo: Traditional Mexican Midwife - by Elise Kimmons
Learn about the traditional midwife from Mexico!
 Drugs in Labour - by Beverley Lawrence Beech
Childbirth is a normal physiological event. However, since the advent of universal hospitalisation, for the majority of women childbirth has been transformed into a medical event where labour is processed, monitored and controlled by the medical profession from beginning to end.
 Editorial: 20 Years of Carrying Out a Calling - by Jan Tritten
I was in the midst of writing a book about my homebirth practice when God said to me, "No, do a magazine for midwives." In 20 minutes He dictated to me the exact pattern and plan of Midwifery Today magazine.
 Editorial: A Circle of Midwives - by Jan Tritten
As midwives, we are called to serve many kinds of women and families. These may include those with whom we do not resonate for one reason or another. You could be asked to serve a member of an ethnic group that is traditionally hostile to yours, a woman with widely divergent beliefs...
 Editorial: A Knowledge Base Fit for All Midwives - by Jan Tritten
The question we must ask ourselves is this: Can a midwife survive a medicalized education and still come out an authentic midwife?
 Editorial: A Trip to the Tropics - by Jan Tritten
Marina Alzugaray and I went to the Bahamas on our way to the Trinidad International Confederation of Midwives conference to check into doing a Midwifery Today international conference there in September 2005.
 Editorial: A Vision to Share - by Jan Tritten
I have a vision: I think we need to have a museum of midwifery. The thought first came to me when I was at the New York City MANA conference a decade ago.
 Editorial: Aspiring and Student Midwives Are Our Hope for the Future - by Jan Tritten
Just as we each have a responsibility to birthing women to ensure the future of midwifery, as "mother midwives" we also have a responsibility to educate the next generation of midwives. Midwifery is fairly fragile in the US and we must acknowledge our responsibility to protect it.
 Editorial: Baby's Choice - by Jan Tritten
What would a baby choose for her birth? Editor-in-Chief Jan Tritten encourages us to think about what a baby might choose for birth and respect the baby, as well as the mother.
 Editorial: Bahamas / Success on Many Levels - by Jan Tritten
As Marina Alzugaray explains in Reclaiming a Cuban Heritage, the Bahamian midwives really know how to make others feel welcome to their country. They were so open and ready for us to be there with them at the Midwifery Today Bahamas conference in September; they made us feel a part of them.
 Editorial: Birth Change - by Jan Tritten
One of my most important roles in my midwifery life is that of encourager. My desire is that you carry out the dreams given to you - and I know you have them. I delight in telling about people carrying out their dreams as a way, hopefully, to inspire you.
 Editorial: Birth Odyssey - by Jan Tritten
Nothing is more important than the motherbaby relationship. The experience of growing a little person inside of you, nourished and fed by your own body and blood, is precious. These days we realize that our baby is also nurtured by our heart, mind and spirit.
 Editorial: Bringing Good Birth to the Light - by Jan Tritten
We are in a profession that can give the greatest joy humankind has known—birth. In Spanish, birth is termed a more poetic
 Editorial: Business and Midwifery - by Jan Tritten
Business is second nature to me; I really enjoy it. I have been making lemonade for 32 years now and have always known that if I wanted to be rich I could have franchised my successful lemonade stand, Family Homesteader. The calling of midwifery got in my way, though.
 Editorial: Carry Out Your Visions and Dreams - by Jan Tritten
One of my most important roles in my midwifery life is that of encourager. My desire is that you carry out the dreams given to you—and I know you have them. I delight in telling about people carrying out their dreams as a way, hopefully, to inspire you.
 Editorial: Don't Sell Your Sisters Down the River - by Jan Tritten
As midwives, aren't we capable of something different and more feminine than thinking in a Western, hierarchical, patriarchal manner-the 'we are in, you are out' thought style?
 Editorial: Drugs in Labor - by Jan Tritten
My soul is flooded with grief. My frustration overwhelms me. I cry for countless mothers and babies—for the births that could be. I am overwhelmed because I have felt the strong light of a powerful birth.
 Editorial: Education Priority Check - by Jan Tritten
Your love of women, babies, families and each other needs to be your focus. You are answering a calling, one of service, not one that is self-serving.
 Editorial: Enlisting Change Around the World - by Jan Tritten
Since founding Midwifery Today magazine in 1986, I have had an interest in international midwifery. I have always had the feeling that the keys to helping and understanding the birth process would be found all over this marvelous globe with its many cultures.
 Editorial: First Do No Harm - by Jan Tritten
Unfortunately, a new wave of technology and drugs has followed, and in our culture the use of drugs and high-tech procedures is considered innocent until proven guilty.
 Editorial: Giving Voice to Wisdom - by Jan Tritten
The orthodoxy of today's technological birth procedures is built on false foundations masquerading in the name of science, but whose master is often fear of malpractice.
 Editorial: Global Alliance of Midwives - by Jan Tritten
Nothing short of a strong global movement will change birth. What we need is you, your suggestions and input. Let's ponder how best to foster these needed changes together.
 Editorial: Grief, Fear and Pregnancy - Creating a Haven in Troubled Times - by Jennifer Rosenberg
In pregnancy, we often tell pregnant women that being happy, reducing stress and eating a nutritious diet are the best things a woman can do to ensure the health of her unborn baby.
 Editorial: Hands-On Care - by Jan Tritten
Look at your hands. These hands are holy-ordained by God to receive babies. What is the substance of this divine trust? What is the responsibility? Midwife, partera is a high calling.
 Editorial: Happy Birthday, Birth Change - by Jan Tritten
Midwifery Today turns 19 years old in February of 2005. For me, that is nearly 20 years of working to change birth with Midwifery Today, plus over 10 years of homebirth practice, changing birth one motherbaby at a time.
 Editorial: Healing in Mexico - by Jan Tritten
We began the Oaxaca, Mexico, conference with an exercise in global healing. Marina Alzugaray and Yeshi Sherover Neumann created the idea of splitting our group of about 275 people into "conquered" and "conquerors."
 Editorial: Here We Go Again - by Jan Tritten
Another attack on homebirth and traditional midwifery comes, once again, from a very persuasive source - The Lancet medical journal. Within what seems like a good idea upon cursory review - establishing midwife-run birth centers around the world - comes another imperialistic onslaught...
 Editorial: How Do You Feel About Giving Up Your Freedom? - by Jan Tritten
I was shocked at this quote by Beverly Beech in the British Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services...
 Editorial: ICM and Hemorrhage - by Jan Tritten
The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and the Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO) recently made a clandestine and potentially dangerous decision about midwifery practice.
 Editorial: Inclusiveness, The Essence of Midwifery - by Jan Tritten
We will look back someday and say, "We had a legendary meeting at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) meeting in Vienna in April 2002." It was not a sanctioned meeting but one where we discussed issues many midwives have been concerned with.
 Editorial: International Networking - by Jan Tritten
Here at Midwifery Today, we have been working hard on our country contacts. The goal is to have a contact person or persons in every country of the world.
 Editorial: Let's Work Together - by Jan Tritten
A global alliance of midwives would promote the midwifery model worldwide, not the medical model. It would emphasize woman-centered birth with autonomous midwives who work at home, birth center or hospital.
 Editorial: Love that Protects - by Jan Tritten
As childbirth attendants, we must vigorously protect the birthing woman and her baby against wrong information, overly interventive technology, a convoluted system of law and medical ignorance that fuel interventive technology, and individuals who do not have her best interests at heart.
 Editorial: Mexico, An Engaging Country - by Jan Tritten
My first trip to Mexico was to plan our long-dreamed-of conference in this enchanting land. We met wonderful people in Oaxaca with a real willingness to help make this conference a reality. We met traditional midwives Mercedes and Antonia. Mercedes has been a midwife for 50 years.
 Editorial: Midwifery Today: Past and Future - by Jan Tritten
Midwifery Today is 18 years old this year. I like to reflect deeply at special milestones. To me, the beginning of the year is always a time of intense planning for the future and pondering where we have been.
 Editorial: Misplaced Fear - by Jan Tritten
I find it fascinating that women are afraid of the wrong thing when it comes to birth. They are afraid of birth when it is what they are perfectly designed to do. The thing they should be afraid of is whom they put their trust in and where they birth.
 Editorial: Molly and Mary - by Jan Tritten
Jan tells two amazing midwives serving the Amish and Mennonite communities.
 Editorial: One Birth, One Woman at a Time - by Jan Tritten
There are little things we can do each day, just by being who we are. Wear a shirt or earrings—or carry a bag—with a birth saying or image on it that leads to dialog about midwifery or birth.
 Editorial: Out of the Pot, Into the Fire - by Jan Tritten
You don't control, coach or manage a physiological process. What really is the midwifery model of care? Is it what midwives really practice?
 Editorial: Professional? - by Jan Tritten
What is a professional? How do we become professionals who serve women instead of ourselves? Is it possible?
 Editorial: Sacred Ground - by Jan Tritten
It is experience that seems to help most in understanding an idea.
 Editorial: Take Birth Back - by Jan Tritten
The colonizing countries dominated birth with destructive medicalization at a time when Western powers were decimating cultures. Medicalization rode on the wave of imperialism. This force is still going today and is an effective tool used against normal, instinctive birth.
 Editorial: Technology: Stemming the Tide - by Jan Tritten
Technology can make take away the beauty of birth, when used unnecessarily. Editor Jan Tritten argues that midwives are in a position to change the tide of unnecessary technology, using the evidence that is accruing.
 Editorial: The Battle Is in the Mind - by Jan Tritten
We are mammals. Most mammals birth fine. So what happened to us? We used to birth fine. Women in
 Editorial: The Personality of Birth - by Jan Tritten
I love it that you never really know the personality of each birth until it unfolds. Birth, the interaction of mother, baby and family with all their past and present, is the doorway to the future and will be decorated in its own way.
 Editorial: The Power Belongs to Motherbaby - by Jan Tritten
While herbs and other remedies have their use in pregnancy, we need to remember that it's the women and their babies who actually do the birthing.
 Editorial: To Learn to Grow - by Jan Tritten
Feeding the heart of midwifery through support, good counsel, and continuing education has always been the end goal of our efforts at Midwifery Today.
 Editorial: Toward Equilibrium - by Jan Tritten
Do midwives have a responsibility to functional family life? Can we help teach mothers both the significance of their new role, and the skills that will be required of them?
 Editorial: Two Important Keys: Autonomy and Working Together - by Jan Tritten
Is our profession a barrier to instinctive birth? Are we, whose calling it is to protect and care for motherbaby in the birth year, actually forming a barrier? If so, how do we change our profession to meet the real needs of women in pregnancy and birth?
 Editorial: We Can Improve Primal Health - by Jan Tritten
Much of primal health depends on non interference in birth; that is, not performing procedures on women that can negatively affect their babies. The foundation of superior health depends on the one great and original physician-God-who designed the process to work so well.
 Editorial: Who Are the Statistics? - by Jan Tritten
Listening to Mothers II survey covers statistics on the frequency of various birth interventions. Editor Jan Tritten puts a face on the women and babies behind these statistics and argues that we need to stop interfering in birth.
 El Cordón y la fuerza de la vida—Algo Extraordinario - by Marina Alzugaray
(Article in Spanish) I have observed babies birthed with the placenta detached and following right behind them for over 20 years. Hace mas de 15 anos que observo a bebitos viajando con su placenta, es que la placenta se desprende de la matriz al nacer el bebe.
 El Temascal (chuj) - by Sarah Proechel
Article in Spanish. The traditional Mesoamerican sweat bath and its perinatal uses. Durante el primer trimestre del embarazo, es costumbre que la mujer entre al temascal con la partera para aliviar la nausea y las molestias generales.
 Elaine's Birth - by Ann J. Hines
When my contractions began Tuesday night, they were regular, but were still of the "practice" type intensity.
 Elizabeth Davis - An Interview with Heather Long
Learn about and be inspired by Elizabeth Davis, author of Heart and Hands, expert on womens issues and midwifery teacher, in this compelling interview with graphic designer Heather Long.
 Eve's Foundation - by Florence Okra
Ghana's...public health service plays a very important role in promoting maternal and child health care through the provision of antenatal, postnatal and child health services. Despite this hard work WH) estimated that in 2000 Ghana's maternal mortality ratio was 540 deaths per 100,000 live births.
 Experience the Comadres Oaxaca Exchange Program - by Marina Alzugaray
If you are a student of women's health, why not take advantage of a great opportunity and enroll in the Comadres Oaxaca Exchange program?
 Family Planning: A Reality Check for Global Midwives - by Robin Lim, CPM and Marie Zenack
Working overseas presents multi-layered challenges to those of us devoted to healing birth. In the precious postpartum time couples would ask me, "What about family planning?" and it was then that I fell down.
 Finding Better Solutions to End Bullying: What an Organization Can Do - by Marinah Valenzuela Farrell
This final article in our series on bullying addresses what organizations can do to end bullying, as well as legislative solutions that have been proposed.
 Finding Better Solutions to End Bullying: What an Organization Can Do - by Marinah Valenzuela Farrell
This final article in our series on bullying addresses what organizations can do to end bullying, as well as legislative solutions that have been proposed.
 Finding Better Solutions to End Bullying—What a Midwife Can Do - by Marinah Valenzuela Farrell
This 4th article in our series on bullying offers solutions for midwives who find themselves the target of a bully.
 Finger-Feeding a Preemie - by Jude Kurokawa, CNM
Learn a finger-feeding technique for breast milk, used on preemies.
 Finger-Feeding a Preemie: A Letter - by Linda Killion Healow, RN
Breastfeeding is a learned skill for both mother and infant. Some mothers are under the false impression that if a newborn gets hungry enough, he will simply latch on to the breast and nurse effectively.
 Footling Breech: A Midwife’s Own Birth Story - by Veronica Wagner
In this memoir a midwife reflects on the story of her birth as a footling breech in Germany during WWII, and the homebirths that she has attended in her life. She touches on both themes, remembering not only breech births, but the role that animals have played in many births she has been involved with.
 Foreskins for Keeps—An Idea Whose Time Has Come - by Gloria Lemay
Contributing Editor Gloria Lemay tells about her path to ending circumcision by January 2008.
 Four Birth Stories
Two of my doulas at each of my last two births were my daughters. My oldest daughter was almost five and my second was 20 months old at my first homebirth. They were 17 and 14 years old at my second.
 Freedom - by Jan Tritten
The empirical midwife movement in the United States is one of those few islands where technology, money and brainwashing haven't taken over common sense, evidence, and woman centeredness.
 From the Editor: Birth Communities - by Jan Tritten
Each one of us belongs to many communities, including many separate birth communities.
 From the United Kingdom - by Jennifer Hall
As I prepare this article… I am conscious of two major reports released here in the U.K. in recent months. As I have been reflecting on them I know their message is pertinent to women and midwives all over the world and it felt appropriate to draw your attention to them.
 Gentle Birth Choices (book) - by Barbara Harper, RN
This book is exactly the sort of guide that pregnant women have been needing to help them sort through the myriad choices and options that confront them…. It conveys the magic, wonder and excitement of birth when women approach it as a natural process they can trust.
 Gentle Birth Choices (video) - Produced by Barbara Harper, RN
Barbara Harper, RN, oversaw the production of what should become a classic visual and audio essay about how birth should be. The viewer's attention is held by scenes from six births interspersed with interviews with parents, midwives, and physicians.
 Gestational Diabetes - by Marion Toepke McLean, CNM
Gestational diabetes is a reality and it can be a serious problem for both mother and baby, but detection and treatment, along with the mother's cooperation, can prevent problems for mother and baby.
 Good Dental Care a Must for Moms-to-be - by Cheryl K. Smith
Pregnancy is a time filled with many changes to the body. As midwives and moms know, these changes affect virtually all of the body. One area that may not get the attention it deserves is the teeth and gums.
 Gracious Births - by Judy Edmunds
Midwives try to convey these simple truths: Birth is not a clinical exercise. It is not a medical procedure. In nearly every instance, it should not be major surgery. Nor should it even routinely include minor surgery.
 Guatemala Journey: Partnering with Traditional Midwives - by Judy Luce, CPM
In August 1999 I spent eight days in Guatemala, where I visited the town of Concepcin Chiquirichapa, in the western highlands outside of Quetzaltenango.
 HABT Editorial: A Perfect Birth - by Jill Cohen
Having recently given birth I am awash with love and devotion to my newborn.
 Healing the Trauma: Entering Motherhood with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - by Jennifer Jamison Griebenow
When seeking help, you may be told that you are experiencing the baby blues or PPD, either of which may be present with PTSD. However, along with the typical weepiness, anxiety and depression of PPD, key symptoms of PTSD include insomnia, irritability and angry outbursts, panic attacks, nightmares...
 Healing Through Homebirth - by Cynthia Luxford
I met Jill in January. She knew she was pregnant, but not how far along she was. She had experienced a recent episode of bleeding that lasted for weeks. Without giving her any diagnosis of what was causing her bleeding, the physician had treated her with birth control pills and pain medication.
 Hello from Guatemala - by Kate Holloway
Hello and Happy New Year! Here is our update from February 2004. We are all doing well. The Clinica Naturista is growing and expanding! A wish list of supplies needed for the Clinicas Maya, in San Marcos La Laguna, Solola, appears at the end of this article.
 Herbal Applications - by Demetria Clark
A primer of herbal applications, methods for preparation, indications for use and practical recipes and tips.
 Herbal Applications - by Demetria Clark
A primer of herbal applications, methods for preparation, indications for use and practical recipes and tips.
 Herbs for Mother's Care Postpartum - by Demetria Clark
Handling postpartum issues naturally gives the mother more control and is generally less invasive then going to a doctor. Make sure the mother knows when to seek additional medical care.
 Herbs for Postpartum Perineum Care: Part One - by Demetria Clark
The author discusses uses of herbs for postpartum perineum care, such as arnica, plantain, calendula, lavender, chickweed, raw honey and aloe vera.
 Herbs for Postpartum Perineum Care: Part Two - by Demetria Clark
The author discusses uses of herbs for postpartum perineum care, such as gotu kola, comfrey, horsechestnut, marshmallow and St. John's Wort.
 Home: Our Birth Right - by Judy Edmunds, CPM
For the Inuit, a paternalistic government assumed they would prefer to be flown out to “safer” surroundings of big city hospitals far from home.... It took strong, determined native midwives to restore the continuity of birth and family care back to their community.
 Homebirth after Cesarean: The Myth and the Reality - by Amy V. Haas
No studies are available on homebirth after cesarean (HBAC). Is it as safe as inhospital VBAC? What elements make it risky? Amy Haas takes on the difficult task of wading applying the available studies on VBAC to the domain of homebirth to give a general idea on its safety.
 Homebirth after Cesarean: The Myth and the Reality - by Amy V. Haas
No studies are available on homebirth after cesarean (HBAC). Is it as safe as inhospital VBAC? What elements make it risky? Amy Haas takes on the difficult task of wading applying the available studies on VBAC to the domain of homebirth to give a general idea on its safety.
 Homebirth in the UK - by Brighton Homebirth Support Group
There are many reasons people choose to give birth at home, and most have more to do with feelings than statistics.
 Homebirth: What Are the Issues? - by Sara Wickham, RM, BA (Hons)
There is no shortage of evidence to support the fact that homebirth is safe, satisfying and empowering for women and their families. It is also a much-neglected option for childbearing women in Western society today.
 Homeopathic Remedies for Back Labour and Posterior Presentation - by Piper Martin, DS Hom. Med.
Homeopathic remedies are a safe and effective means of treating a woman experiencing back labour.
 Honoring Body Wisdom - by Pamela Hines-Powell
Who or what are we protecting the perineum from? A different take on birthing.
 How to Build a Birth Network - Cynthia Yula and Katie Heffelfinger
This article is a blueprint for a program of birth activism that can be set up in any community to stimulate better birth practices, political activism, and media savvy for the birth community. Two successful birth networks, one in Nashville and the other in Philadelphia were started by the authors.
 How to Make a Portable Waterbirth Tub - by Melanie Moore
For almost three years, I have been renting out a birth tub to my clients. The entire system cost me $350. I charge $100 for one month of use, including set-up and removal. I have even set this tub up in the hospital.
 How to Stay Healthy and Low Risk During Pregnancy and Birth - by Amy Haas
If you did only one thing to help yourself stay healthy during pregnancy, good nutrition would be it!
 How to Treat a Vaginal Infection with a Clove of Garlic - by Judy Slome Cohain, CNM
Garlic kills yeast. Those who bake bread know not to add garlic while the dough is rising or it will kill the yeast. Instead, garlic is added to the dough after it has risen, just before baking it in the oven.
 Humanizar el parto y el nacimiento; humanizar la vida
Madre y bebe; protagonizan este proceso y los deseos y sentimientos de la madre deben estar en primer lugar.
 Hummous and Enchiladas Make Beautiful Babies, Too! - by Valerie El Halta
If you had asked me to be your midwife in 1978, I would have come to our initial interview armed with vitamin charts, diet lists and food diaries—all in my well meaning attempt to get you to eat foods I thought were best for you.
 Humor as Natural Medicine - by Kate Prendergast
I wish I could think of a punch line for this joke: A midwife, a doula and an obstetrician walk into a bar... but, I don't really need one since I've gotten plenty of laughs just with that opening.
 HypnoBirthing: Instinctive Birthing through Relaxation - by Tracy Donegan
Birthkeepers of the world are divided on whether pain does or does not have to exist in birth; each of us is firm in our stance that our belief is right. For many the notion of comfortable or even joyful birthing still remains just outside of our grasp.
 International Code of Ethics For Midwives - by The International Confederation of Midwives
The International Confederation of Midwives invites your comments on its Code of Ethics.
 International Credentialing of Midwives - by Christine Hindle Verber, EdD, RN, SCM
When midwives move from one country to another, they should, with equivalent education and credentials, be able to practice their profession wherever they live.
 Is the Participation of the Father at Birth Dangerous? - by Michel Odent
Does the participation of the father aid or hinder the birth? Read Michel Odent's article and find out!
 Journal Abstracts - Compiled by Marion Toepke McLean
Abstracts of three papers from professional journals of interest to midwives. Topics: Prevention of premature birth; Moxibustion for Correction of Breech Presentation; Hormone changes make moms smarter
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