Monthly Archives: December 2006

Didelphic triumphs

By The Midwife | Published: December 22, 2006

On vacation, just popping in briefly (the beloved boy just looked over my shoulder at what I’m doing and said “I can’t believe you’re posting while on holiday”). Uh, yeah. So, anyway, the semester is over. It was pretty intense at the end, with three hefty exams one right after the other: our neonatology final, […]

Posted in Labor and Birth, News, Pregnancy, Research | 2 Comments

Selected Bibliography on Birth Centers

By The Midwife | Published: December 8, 2006

This is in follow-up to last week’s post about ACOG’s recent new policy on out-of-hospital birth. The American Association of Birth Centers wrote a detailed and very well researched response, and included a 2 page selected bibliography on the safety and efficacy of birth centers at the end of the letter. I thought I’d just […]

Posted in Birth Centers, Labor and Birth, Midwifery, Research | Leave a comment

In the news: cesarean rate rises and VBAC rate declines

By The Midwife | Published: December 6, 2006

Well, huh, this isn’t really news, but better late than never: a very well balanced article from the New York Times examines many of the issues which contribute to the declining rate of VBACs in this country, including doctors’ rising fear of uterine rupture, hospitals’ difficultly in staffing the necessary number of qualified doctors to […]

Posted in Cesarean Birth, Choice, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, VBAC | 1 Comment

Into My Hands

By The Midwife | Published: December 5, 2006

While studying for our upcoming neonatology final at a friend’s house tonight, I accidentally stumbled upon her beautiful birth record book: Into My Hands from the Eagle Tree Press (which is a really cool website, check it out while you’re there!). My own birth record book, where I’ve been keeping tabs on the vital stats […]

Posted in Labor and Birth, Midwifery, New Products | Leave a comment

BOLD book club

By The Midwife | Published: December 4, 2006

This is something I’ve been meaning to post about for ages now, brought to my attention by one of my readers. The creative folk behind Birth on Labor Day, which is quickly becoming a an annual Labor Day tradition, have launched an online book club that you can participate in. The Sept.-Oct. pick, The Birth […]

Posted in Books, Midwifery | Leave a comment

The Out-of-hospital birth debate continues

By The Midwife | Published: December 3, 2006

A few weeks ago, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released the following policy on out-of-hospital birth: Out of Hospital Births in the United States Labor and delivery is a physiologic process that most women experience without complications. Ongoing surveillance of the mother and fetus is essential because serious intrapartum complications may arise with […]

Posted in Birth Centers, Homebirth, Hospitals, Issues, Midwifery, Politics | 5 Comments