Let’s face it: the economy sucks right now. We haven’t yet hit rock bottom, and it’s going to be awhile (probably a long while) before things begin to recover. In the midst of this harsh financial reality, companies and industries are scrambling to find ways to save money. Birth activists have been trying for decades [...]
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently issued a Statement on Homebirth which condemns homebirth and all those who are willing to attend homebirth (aka midwives), concluding that only “…the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate postpartum period is in the hospital, or a birthing center within a hospital complex, that [...]
The other day I discovered a postcard at my local yoga center urging women to participate in a birth survey, which instantly piqued my interest; apparently this survey has already been going on for some time, although I have only now heard about it. A little research has revealed that the Coalition for Improving Maternity [...]
Last Friday I was a very lucky duck: I was able to attend a screening of The Business of Being Born at the Tribeca Film Festival, hosted by Friends of the Birth Center, along with a post-show talkbalk with the Abby Epstein, the director of the movie, and Ricki Lake, the producer, followed by a [...]
Dear American Association of Birth Centers: I have a lot of respect for you. I feel that you’re a very informed and informative organization, providing countless resources for both families seeking a birth center experience, and for midwives, doctors, nurses and other care providers and community advocates who are interested in opening up birth centers [...]
Also posted in Midwifery, Politics |
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 [...]
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 [...]
Funny how IP will just knock the wind out of you. You wake up on a Friday morning and realize that it’s been National Midwifery Week ALL week, and you haven’t said or done a thing about it. However, it’s not too late to celebrate! This year, like last year, our local NYC ACNM chapter, [...]
Also posted in Midwifery, News |
If anyone is in New York in the next two weeks, be sure to check out Until the Violence Stops: NYC, a two week festival organized by playwright Eve Ensler to help educate and promote awareness about violence against women, with events and venues all over the 5 boroughs. Like V-Day, which uses creative events [...]
We had a quick consultation yesterday with the professor who will be teaching us the pelvic part of our physical assessment class, which will begin in October. She had a three ring binder with her that was 4″ thick, filled to the brim with paper, and all of this was our pelvic unit. It was [...]