From the Childbirth Connection (formerly Maternity Care Association):
Know
your facts when you discuss maternity care in the US. We have compiled
a brief, new resource document called “United States Maternity Care
Facts and Figures.” It details current statistics including the number
of births, proportion of hospital care that is devoted to the care of
pregnant women and babies, maternity outcomes such as preterm birth and
low birthweight rates, as well as statistics about paying for maternity
care. Sadly, many of the numbers are sobering. The 2007 cesarean rate
of 31.8% marked the 11th consecutive year of increase and a
record-level national rate. The rate of vaginal birth after cesarean
(VBAC) within childbirth related hospitalizations was 9.7% in 2006, a
decline of 73% from 1997, when the VBAC rate was 35.3%. Learn more in United States Maternity Care Facts and Figures – December 2009.
Doulas have an especially important role in changing birth practices, both one birth at a time and as a presence in the larger birth movement. With the exception of a brave few, midwives have not been able to infiltrate the hospital system. Doulas are reaching many spaces in birth care that we cannot. Doulas help more women have good births and motherbaby needs them.
If a woman hires both a doula and midwife, it is really important that they work together to make sure the mother’s autonomy and needs are put first. It is often difficult to synchronize our care but it is a goal we need to reach for. It’s important to know early in the pregnancy if you have a hands-on doula and hands-off midwife attending the same birth. Midwives are accustomed to forming a strong relationship with a mom during her pregnancy and perhaps doulas need a prolonged relationship with moms as well. Birth is so much about relationships and motherbaby should always be the center of those relationships.
Being a doula is a great stepping stone and a rich profession of its own. Doulas’ enthusiasm for birth often leads them to midwifery, where their experience can compliment further education. In Europe I have had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful doulas. Many of them have the desire to become a midwife but most of the schools they would have to attend are brutal. You do not become a loving birth practitioner through the brutal education that many countries have. We don’t need more cogs in the medicalization of birth. The education that doulas have gleaned put them in the best position to be the world’s next midwives. How can we help them?
— Jan Tritten, mother of Midwifery Today
Jan Tritten is the founder, editor in chief and mother of Midwifery Today magazine. She became a midwife in 1977 after the amazing homebirth of her second daughter. Her mission is to make loving midwifery care the norm for birthing women and their babies throughout the world. Meet Jan at our conferences around the world, or join her online, as she works to transform birth practices around the world.
Dr. George Morley wrote this letter to midwives he spoke with at the 2010 MANA conference:
"Meeting and talking with you reinforced my conviction that you
are the foremost profession in promoting and providing the very best in newborn
and maternal health and well-being.
There are reasons to induce or start labor before Nature starts labor. And there are reasons not to induce, or times when labor should not be hurried.
This article is in development. Please send links to your favorite studies and articles to show the pros and cons of induction. When it is medically necessary and when it is harmful. The summaries and links can be read and accessed by clicking read more.
In Minnesota, The Childbirth Collective is the largest doula group. As a non-profit, "The Collective" offers educational information through free weekly meetings, their website, and a newsletter. You'll learn things you won't find in a childbirth class at the Monday (Blooma in Edina) and Wednesday (Health Foundations in St. Paul) evening free parent meetings with doulas. www.ChildbirthCollective.org
There are other doula groups and organizations in our state. Everyday-Miracles.org is a five county program to help underserved women with pregnancy and birth concerns. Car seats, breast pumps and doula care. Childbirth classes and pregnancy yoga, all free or low cost. In NE Mpls, Central and Jefferson in the Waterbury building. www.Everyday-Miracles.org
Find more state groups and national organizations by clicking "Read more."
"The governor signed the birth center bill
into law this morning, May 21, 2010!...What
an incredible day for birth centers, midwives, and childbearing women!
We are the first state to have equal reimbursement for CPMs written
into law. Women on medicaid now have expanded birth options. And CPMs
are now a medicaid provider type! We have a great birth center
licensure bill that other states can use as a model. What an incredible
journey." says Kate Saumweber, who works assisting Midwife Amy Johnson-Grass at Health Foundations Birth Center.
Many women are still being told not to eat during labor. There are real risks of fasting during the hard work of labor. Over use of IV fluids can reduce electrolyte balance and occasionally give to much fluid during labor. The anesthesiologists claim eating can cause choking if the mother vomits under general anesthesia. Should all women be denied food for this reason?
The new birth center in Long Prairie is looking for another midwife starting about April 2011. The midwife we borrowed from Martha's Vineyard is going back in April. She has had the happy priviledge of doing 2 home births and one in the birth center in the last month. You do need to be certified however, we would not have to keep you forever but if you want to help out for a while let me know.
Even though the surge of flu infections may already be on the down swing in Minnesota, take care.
Wash your hands; ask others to wash their hands before touching you, during an exam for instance. Avoid places where you know people are sick or are likely to be sick. Make midwife and doctor appointments for early in the day. Walk the halls or walk outside instead of waiting a long time in a waiting room. Bring your own book to read, toys for your children, and other things to do in the waiting room. Eat lots of veggies, especially yellow veggies, and overall, eat good food with no or low sugar content. Take probiotics and get enough sleep. Read this article for pregnancy and flu http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/preg_H1N1fluvirus.asp
Group B Strep colonization effects about 30% of pregnant women. Of these 30% of women, a very few of their babies will get very sick, and a few of the sick babies will die. Read the mainstream medical view about Group B Strep on the Center for Disease Control website.
Antibiotics takes that small number and cuts it in half. The hospital protocol for Group B Strep is to test every woman with a swab between 36 and 38 weeks gestation. Positive testing women will receive IV antibiotics during labor. Some women have looked for alternatives to the antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics are effective but carry the risk of yeast infections and, rarely, allergic reactions. In Europe, some women are using Hibiclens. A few women use garlic. Probiotic use is recommended, though not as a labor treatment. Discuss self treatment with your doctor or midwife. The following information is not advice or a recommendation. Decide for yourself.
One of our moms really enjoyed Kimberly's fast and fun service.
Other mom's have borrowed or had a food dehydrator and bought a $15
dollar encapsulater from the coop with large gelatin capsules and a
friend has done it for them.
Home birth care is available in Minnesota for healthy women who want to give birth in their own homes. Two common questions about home birth are, "Is it safe?" and "What about the mess?" The answer to the second question is that the midwife tidies up after the birth. The answer to the first question is answered by a study from the Netherlands and a new study from Canada. Home birth is as safe as hospital birth. Marsden Wagner, former busts three myths about out-of-hospital birth. Local homebirth on YouTube.
Eating a special way can prevent hypertension in pregnancy
Pre-Eclampsia means “before the seizure.”
Dr. Tom Brewer, pictured here with a young friend, devoted his career to understanding and preventing one of the most common killers of pregnant women. In his day the disease was called Toxemia. The diet works.
These herbs have been used in pregnancy for generations. A tonic for female reproductive organs, Red
Raspberry Leaf was commonly used by North Americans
long before Europeans landed here. Here is a basic recipe that can be added to, according to pregnancy needs or taste.
1 part Red Raspberry Leaf
1 part Nettle
½ part Alfalfa (avoid the root, use the above ground plant, dried is fine)
Prenatal iodine and Low Thyroid considerations in pregnancy:
Despite its being critical to normal neurocognitive
development, only 51% of US prenatal
multivitamin brands contain any iodine, and in a number of randomly
selected brands, the actual dose of iodine contained in the supplements
did not match values on the labeling, a study finds. Low thyroid function might be related to low iodine intake. A Danish study finds low thyroid can cause the fetal malposition of posterior presentation, as well as other serious complications.
Women have always assisted other women during the time giving birth. The former Childbirth Education Association and the former Birth Community, Inc. were organizations from which Minnesota parents could find birth companions in the 1970s and 80s respectively.
The labor support/doula community began to grow in Minnesota in 1992 when,
A recent study found that drinking too much water in labor depleted sodium levels in the blood.
Specialists, from
Sweden, conducted a prospective observational study of 287 women at
full term (37 completed weeks of gestation). Of the study group, 125 women were first time mothers and 162 had babies before.
During labor, the women were allowed to drink water freely, but no
solid foods were allowed (in accordance with the hospital’s policy).
"A Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth is an
overview of results of the best available research about effects of
specific maternity practices. "
As a mother-to-be, I see the tremendous value of
Doula (doo-la) comes from the Greek and now refers to a woman who cares for the needs of another woman before or after birth.
The birth doula is a person who helps parents prepare for and personalize their childbirth experience. The postpartum doula is trained in helping mothers and families during early parenting. Doula care enhances your birth experience and, so, your life. Read Minnesota Public Health Association recommendation for doula care. Click on the Read Doula link below to read more.
Here are instructions to prepare herbs for birth. There are a variety of herbs to choose, and ways to prepare them. Here are some. Ginger Root soothes the perineum during pushing, and helps it stretch. Comfrey Root soothes the perineum after birth and reduces swelling.
The Minnesota Premier of Orgasmic Birth was truly ecstatic. Debra Pascali-Bonaro, director and producer of the Orgasmic Birth documentary called the night "a huge success." This was the biggest screening of the new, full length documentary so far, among many US cities and 19 countries. Why the title? Read on...
This article is from Midwifery Today E-news. You can subscribe for free
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Shorter Labors, Fewer Cuts, Less Cost, More Milk and Happier Mamas! Want the rest of the story? Click "Read more"...
These herbs have been used in pregnancy for generations. A tonic for female reproductive organs, Red
Raspberry Leaf was commonly used by North Americans
long before Europeans landed here. Here is a basic recipe that can be added to, according to pregnancy needs or taste.
Parents choosing a homebirth would have these supplies ready by week 36
-- one month before the due date. Click "Read More" to see a list of
supplies.
Doula (doo-la) comes from the Greek and now refers to a woman who cares for the needs of another woman before or after birth. 
This article is from Midwifery Today E-news. You can subscribe for free
to this useful and fun newsletter. It will come to your email inbox
with lots of tips, quotes, and information.