If birth is so natural, then why do I have to take classes?
Human beings are cerebral creatures who think way too much. And we come with baggage. Add to that the fact that we have been socialized by the media into believing that birth is a horrible, painful thing that needs lots of medical intervention, and you have a major challenge. Birth in the US is not evidenced based. The ways in which laboring and birthing women are treated and cared for are not the ways that will produce the healthiest outcomes. Most women desire to have a loved one/husband/partner/friend trained as their primary labor assistant, or at least thoroughly educated so they know...
Read MoreHomebirth Conversation on Public Radio
Connections: Understanding the New Study on the Safety of Home Births with Evan Dawson of WRUR Rochester, and members of Rochester Area Birth Network http://wxxinews.org/post/connections-understanding-new-study-safety-home-births For more information check out an excellent analysis by Researcher Henci Goer: http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/homebirth-safety/ And from Researcher Dr. Eugene DeClerq of Boston University: http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/18/opinions/declercq-home-births/index.html
Read MoreThe Sociology of Birth
How our cultural socialization effects how we birth – Socialization about birth in the United States is a pervasive thing. We are, from the time we are born, receiving messages about our roles in life, and subsequently our ability to birth or be a parent. Both males and females go through this. How we are socialized by our culture and our families dictates our personal beliefs about ourselves and our respective roles. The United States is somewhat unique in this, as a great deal of disassociation from the body and cultural ritual has taken place. Mass consumerism and affluence have shifted...
Read MorePrenatal testing: Beyond Ultrasound
Most pregnant women in the United States are subjected to a multitude of tests that may or may not be truly medically necessary.
Read MoreDiet du Jour! Pregnancy & Popular Diets
[As seen in issue #111 of Midwifery Today] Diet du Jour! Pregnancy and Popular Diets by Amy V. Haas Popular diets are as prevalent during pregnancy as they are in everyday life. Every five years or so a new diet pattern pops up and is touted as the best way to eat. However, during pregnancy if we want to have a better chance at preventing problems such as prematurity, we really need to take a step back, look at the big picture, and use some common sense [Katz 2014]. The latest of these are gluten-free diets and the Paleo diet. There isn’t necessarily a problem when adults decide to...
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