Monthly Archives: June 2010

Your own Midwife

Honestly, I’m not really sure hot to approach this topic.. The question is do you really need us? And if so, what for exactly? We all feel that we need someone there, a second set of eyes and hands, someone … Continue reading

Posted in General, Midwifery | Tagged | 5 Comments

Answering a question nobody asked.

In my early birth work days I had the need to shout the praises of natural birth off the roof tops.  I assaulted my fair share of pregnant women in the grocery stores and the mall. I was saving the … Continue reading

Posted in activism, General | Tagged | 5 Comments

Fearful Fathers.

On this Father’s Day weekend, in addition to all of the celebrating & thanking we’ll do for the fathers in our lives, we also should take a moment to think critically about the power that some fathers exert over the … Continue reading

Posted in Dad, General, Homebirth, Hospital Birth | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Preparedness

Preparedness refers to the state of being prepared for specific or unpredictable events or situations. Preparedness is an important quality in achieving goals and in avoiding and mitigating negative outcomes. While working on a mural I am painting for my … Continue reading

Posted in Baby, Birth Trauma, Breastfeeding, Cesarean Section, Childbirth Education, Co-sleeping, Labor and Birth, Natural Childbirth, Pregnancy | 7 Comments

Wedding Analogy

I woke up the other morning thinking about an experience I had last summer.  I was following a mommy blogger who was preparing to have her first baby.  She was talking about her 36-37 week prenatal visit.  She was hoping … Continue reading

Posted in Birth Stories, Birth Trauma, Breastfeeding, Cesarean Section, Hospital Birth, Induction, Obstetricial Interventions | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

New York City Home Birth Midwives Need Our Help!!

Hello Birth Activists! This is where we do our work! Since St. Vincent’s Hospital in NYC closed, midwives have lost their written agreement with them as their official back up hospital. They were not able to find another hospital that … Continue reading

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Getting Closer to your Partner During Pregnancy

We are with the baby at every moment. The baby feeds off or our nourishment, we feel them wiggle, hiccup, and kick. They listen to our voices, they feel comforted by our warmth, nutrition, movements, our heartbeat, and our breath. … Continue reading

Posted in Childbirth Education, Dad, General, Labor and Birth, Pregnancy, Prenatal Care | Tagged | 1 Comment

In Control

When I was very young I asked my mother what giving birth was like, and she told me it was kind of like lying on a raft in a very fast river. “If you can just lie there and let yourself be carried by the flow, you will be fine. The more you try to fight it and control what is happening, the more everything will spin out of your control.” Continue reading

Posted in General, Obstetricial Interventions, Pregnancy, Prenatal Care | 1 Comment

I Want a Home Birth…Next Time.

If I had a dollar for every woman I have heard say “I want a home birth, but the first one is going to be in the hospital, JUST IN CASE” I’d be a midwife with a lot more dollars. … Continue reading

Posted in General, Homebirth | Tagged , | 30 Comments

Gates Foundation Commits $1.5 billion for Maternal, Newborn, Child Health

The Gates Foundation has committed $1.5 billion today, to be spent over the next five years, for maternal health. Continue reading

Posted in activism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment