From: Giving Birth Naturally
I received this email from an expectant father seeking help in
changing a local hospital's policy on midwives attending births. If
you live in the area (and even if you don't), please consider
making a phone call or sending a letter/email to the hospital
administrator to heighten awareness of the issue and hopefully
change hospital policy for the benefit of mothers and babies:My
wife and I are expecting our first in September. We are eager and
excited to work with a specific midwife/nurse practitioner who
works in a woman's health office near our home. This office is
connected with Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland. For
this reason, we can not work with our midwife during birth because
Holy Cross does not allow midwives to help women deliver in their
hospital. They are th...
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Campaign to Change Hospital Policy Against Midwifery Care
I received this email from an expectant father seeking help in
changing a local hospital's policy on midwives attending births. If
you live in the area (and even if you don't), please consider
making a phone call or sending a letter/email to the hospital
administrator to heighten awareness of the issue and hopefully
change hospital policy for the benefit of mothers and babies:My
wife and I are expecting our first in September. We are eager and
excited to work with a specific midwife/nurse practitioner who
works in a woman's health office near our home. This office is
connected with Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland. For
this reason, we can not work with our midwife during birth because
Holy Cross does not allow midwives to help women deliver in their
hospital. They are th...
Anthropological Perspectives on Global Issues in Midwifery
Article by Robbie Davis-Floyd, PhD: A distressing cross-cultural
trend is showing up in the growing body of anthropological
literature about midwifery and birth in the developing world. From
Tanzania to Papua New Guinea, anthropologists who observe
professional midwives giving prenatal care and attending births
increasingly note that, far from the midwifery ideal, professional
midwives often treat women very badly during birth, ignoring their
needs and requests, talking to them disrespectfully, ordering them
around, and sometimes even yelling at them and slapping them. At
the same time, and in direct correlation, the professional midwives
are themselves often treated badly by the healthcare systems in
which they work. ...
Anthropological Perspectives on Global Issues in Midwifery
Article by Robbie Davis-Floyd, PhD: A distressing cross-cultural
trend is showing up in the growing body of anthropological
literature about midwifery and birth in the developing world. From
Tanzania to Papua New Guinea, anthropologists who observe
professional midwives giving prenatal care and attending births
increasingly note that, far from the midwifery ideal, professional
midwives often treat women very badly during birth, ignoring their
needs and requests, talking to them disrespectfully, ordering them
around, and sometimes even yelling at them and slapping them. At
the same time, and in direct correlation, the professional midwives
are themselves often treated badly by the healthcare systems in
which they work. ...
How Different They Are...
Yesterday, I ran across this article, which details the story of a
UK mother with a history of precipitous labor (labor lasting less
than 3 hours), who chose a homebirth (which nearly became an
unassisted birth) with her last child to avoid giving birth en
route to the hospital.She and I share commonality in that both my
labors were also precipitous. My first was born in 3 hours and my
second in a mere 45 minutes.As I read further, I was struck by a
seemingly small detail, but one that truly crystallizes the
differences between the US and UK maternity systems:"After
Charlotte was born doctors had recommended that Hazel have a home
birth if she ever fell pregnant again..."Ummm, did I read that
correctly?In the US, homebirth would never be suggested as the
solution to precipitous labor. I ...
Hello wrong profession!
I just came back from my first Official OB appointment. I love the
nurse practioner I will be seeing, however she has no delivery
privileges at the hopsital, if I end up there. While discussing
aspects of care she gave me a copy of a letter from the chief of
outpatient services (Who I have met, and yes he is a egotistical
jerk), with these points:1. Patients are not allowed to eat solid
while in labor. Clear liquids are permissible2. CFM should be
expected. IF there is adequate staffing a patient may be allowed
intermittent monitering and be allowed to walk. This cannot be
guaranteed.3. All patients should expect to be delivered in the
lithotomy postion. This is the postion our providers are trained to
deliver, and is most conductive to emergencies such as shoulder
dystocia. 4. All patient...