Category Archives: VBAC

Empowering Birth in the Trenches

Welcome to the Empowered Birth Week Blog Carnival This post is part of the Empowered Birth Week Blog Carnival hosted by Child of the Nature Isle and Betsy Dewey. For this special event the carnival participants have shared their perspective on Empowered Birth. Please read to the end to find a list of links to [...]

Also posted in Epidurals, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Labor Support, Vaginal Birth | 7 Comments

One World Birth about to launch!

Just stumbled upon this via a friend on Facebook, and watching the welcome video just sent chills down my spine.  Two passionate filmmakers are creating an interactive, continuously-updated online TV channel focusing on nothing but birth, and the state of birth in our world right now, by interviewing the world’s leading experts in birth and [...]

Also posted in Birth Stories, Cesarean Birth, Homebirth, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Labor Support, Midwifery, News, Vaginal Birth | Leave a comment

The Obstetrician’s Lament

There is an astounding collection of writing going up on The Unnecesarean regarding the growing rift between obstetricians and the out-of-hospital birth community.  All of this is in response to the The Obstetrician’s Lament, written by OB-GYN Anette Fineberg, MD, which came out in the May edition of ACOG’s Green Journal (Obstetrics and Gynecology).  I [...]

Also posted in Cesarean Birth, Complications, Hospitals, Journal Articles, Labor and Birth, Politics | Leave a comment

NIH Consensus updates on VBACs

One of the advantages to being a midwife is being on all kinds of funky mailing lists, which means that all softs of health information, conference invitations, and sometimes even free samples often show up on my doorstep.  A few days ago, I got just such a mailing– the NIH Consensus Development Conference Statement on [...]

Also posted in Cesarean Birth, Complications, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Research, Vaginal Birth | Leave a comment

Question CPD

I’ve been sick as a dog for the past three days, for the second time this season (I was so sick right before Thanksgiving that I actually lost my voice and had to call in sick to work…something which I NEVER do).  Luckily I’ve had the past 3 days off to recover, but I’m due [...]

Also posted in Homebirth, Labor and Birth | 3 Comments

The news from the NAPW summit

National Advocates for Pregnant Women just concluded its 4 day Summit To Ensure the Health and Humanity of Birthing Women in Atlanta, GA, this past weekend. This summit, one of the first of its kind, was organized by NAPW and NAPW’s director, Lynn Paltrow, to explore the grey area where pregnancy, birth and the law [...]

Also posted in Choice, Feminism, Fertility and Conception, Homebirth, Hospitals, Issues, Labor and Birth, Litigation, Midwifery, Politics, Pregnancy | Leave a comment

In the news: cesarean rate rises and VBAC rate declines

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 [...]

Also posted in Cesarean Birth, Choice, Hospitals, Labor and Birth | 1 Comment

Closer to the dream

Last week I had an exam in Neonatology, and my teaching project and a presentation in Neonatology all due at the same time, so it was a bit hectic. This week, the only thing on my plate is a few modules and some studying for the upcoming final exams, and a write-up of my teaching [...]

Also posted in Clinicals, Education, Episiotomies, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Labor Support, Vaginal Birth | 6 Comments

VBACs only slightly less safe than repeat cesarean

Whenever news abour labor and birth hits the mainstream media, I sit up and take notice. The fold-out section on Women’s Health in this sunday’s New York Times certainly caught my attention, and while perusing it, I read the following tidbit in Eric Nagourney’s article about shifting health guidelines for women: Caesarean Birth There was [...]

Also posted in Cesarean Birth, Labor and Birth | Leave a comment