Category Archives: Labor and Birth

Cesareans less likely when mother is a physician

By The Midwife | Published: August 30, 2013

There have been several studies which have looked into the economic incentives which might play into the decision making that leads to a cesarean birth, but a new report for the National Bureau of Economic Research (recently reported on NPR) has found that cesareans are 10% less likely when the patient in labor is a […]

Also posted in Cesarean Birth, Hospitals, Research | Leave a comment

What to Reject When You’re Expecting

By The Midwife | Published: December 18, 2012

Check this out: A fantastic new guide written by Consumer Reports (who would have guessed?) about what to reject when you’re expecting, including unnecessary cesareans, elective inductions, routine amniotomy and episiotomy, and babies routinely going to the nursery.  Coupled with advice on what to look for instead, including midwifery care!  Well researched and very refreshing. […]

Also posted in Birth Education, Cesarean Birth, Epidurals, Episiotomies, Inductions, Midwifery, VBAC | 1 Comment

A wild ride so far

By The Midwife | Published: November 11, 2012

One month into my new job as a home birth midwife, and I must admit, I am wholly, unashamedly, unequivocally LOVING it!  I’ve attended 4 births so far, 3 of which were in the home and one of which was a transfer (and I’ll have to write more about that later, but let’s just say […]

Also posted in Birth Stories, Homebirth, Midwifery, Vaginal Birth | 2 Comments

Home Birth Debate Heats Up

By The Midwife | Published: August 27, 2012

I’ve been meaning to write about this for awhile now.  The debate about home birth, usually relegated to the side-lines in the larger debate about birth, has hit the big time recently (well, back in June) as some of our nation’s top female journalists waded into it full force.  First, Michelle Goldberg at the Daily […]

Also posted in Choice, Complications, Homebirth, Hospitals, Issues, Midwifery | 4 Comments

Josiah Morgan’s Birth

By The Midwife | Published: August 25, 2012

Another beautiful birth story to share with all of you, this time a successful VBAC in a hospital with an intense pushing phase (but all turned out well, as you shall see!). Enjoy! (And thank you, RH, for sharing your story!) ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Josiah’s birth story begins the weekend before he was born. I had been […]

Also posted in Birth Stories, Good Enough to Share, Hospitals, VBAC | Leave a comment

NRP with Karen Strange

By The Midwife | Published: June 6, 2012

I took the most amazing NRP class today (NRP stands for Neonatal Resuscitation Provider, for those who aren’t hip to all of the gazillion acronyms in this crazy profession) with Karen Strange of newbornbreath.com, and I am so buzzed from the class that I have to sit down and write about it tonight before I forget […]

Also posted in Academia, Complications, Education, Homebirth, Miscellaneous | 5 Comments

Grace’s Birth

By The Midwife | Published: May 27, 2012

Another birth story from my totally fantastic Due Date Club, this one written by Kristy.  I’ve got plenty more stories to come, but I’m trying to ration them a bit, birth story junkies that we all are.  So enjoy this lovely hospital birth with a very supportive team that did a great job of respecting […]

Also posted in Breastfeeding, Hospitals, Vaginal Birth | 2 Comments

Ashley Sophia’s birth story

By The Midwife | Published: May 13, 2012

Happy Mother’s Day!  Here’s another fantastic birth story from Kim, a mother in my due date club, this one a successful VBAC with a hospital team that was very respectful of her birth plan.  Isn’t it wonderful when that happens?  Enjoy! ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ On August 20th, 2010, two little pink lines appeared on a pregnancy test […]

Also posted in Birth Stories, Good Enough to Share, Hospitals, VBAC | 2 Comments

Holy Work

By The Midwife | Published: March 18, 2012

I’ve been reading a lot of birth poetry lately.  For reasons which I can’t quite yet delve into in this moment (still keeping things on the down-low, if you know what I mean), I’ve been revisiting my calling to midwifery, and finding that it is still singing it’s siren song, as strong as ever as […]

Also posted in Birth Art, Good Enough to Share, Myth, Folklore and Ritual | Leave a comment

Ina May in the Sun

By The Midwife | Published: January 6, 2012

The Sun Magazine has a fantastic article in their current issue (Jan. 2012) interviewing Ina May, who’s recently come out with a new book Birth Matters: A Midwife’s Manifesta, about the medicalization of birth.   While the online version of the article is truncated, it’s still a fascinating read, complete with the history of how and […]

Also posted in Homebirth, Midwifery, Vaginal Birth | Leave a comment