Category Archives: Midwifery

Misleading home birth headline

By The Midwife | Published: September 19, 2013

Yet another scary press release regarding home birth has come out today in advance of research which is set to be published in the upcoming issue of AJOG.  We’ve already seen in the Wax report how relying on birth certificate data can mar research, as the intended place of delivery is often not captured on a birth […]

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Healing after a Miscarriage

By The Midwife | Published: July 1, 2013

Hi, lovelies.  It’s certainly been awhile, and a lot has been going on.  I promise I will write some updates soon, but a great deal has been happening and I haven’t quite been able to process all of it yet.  Once the processing is finished, the posts will come.  In the meantime, I thought I’d […]

Also posted in Miscarriage, Mothering | Leave a comment

Independent Midwifery in the UK threatened

By The Midwife | Published: April 25, 2013

It’s easy to get sucked into your practice bubble when you’re a midwife, and put your nose to the grindstone and not look up much.  Midwifery is like that; it’s one of the hardest jobs out there, demanding huge amounts of your energy and time, and it’s hard to take a moment to catch your […]

Also posted in Homebirth, Hospitals, Issues, News, Politics | 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, Labor and Birth, 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, Labor and Birth, Vaginal Birth | 2 Comments

10th Anniversary Miles for Midwives: Come on down!

By The Midwife | Published: October 3, 2012

I write about this every year, but this year I’m one of the organizers for this event, so it’s even more near and dear to my heart.  We’re having the 10th Annual Miles for Midwives this coming weekend, October 6th, in Prospect Park.  Miles for Midwives is a 5K run/ walk race which jointly benefits […]

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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, Labor and Birth | 4 Comments

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, Labor and Birth, Vaginal Birth | Leave a comment

Experience and Personal Practice

By The Midwife | Published: December 6, 2011

Personal experience always changes the way you practice in some way.  Anyone who denies this is probably not being 100% honest with themselves.  It’s the nature of us being human, and it’s inevitable because humans (as opposed to future robots?) provide health care, and by and large it’s a very good thing.  This can be […]

Also posted in Complications, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Labor Support, Vaginal Birth | 1 Comment

Wax Study Revisited

By The Midwife | Published: October 9, 2011

Imagine the following scenario:  a meta-analysis comparing planned homebirths to planned hospital births is published, but it has so many statistical flaws in it that the journal which originally published it goes on to print several letters to the Editor critiquing the flawed research, in order to give the authors a second chance to explain […]

Also posted in Choice, Complications, Homebirth, Hospitals, Issues, Labor and Birth, Politics, Research | 1 Comment