In an article published on May 16th, author Jeffrey Kluger brought the political battle over birth between doctors and midwives to the forefront of the news media once again. Kluger interviews Melissa Cheyney, an assistant professor of Anthropology at Oregon State University and a practicing midwife about her insights into this tug-of-war over mothers and babies.
Two women, Mary and Joan, are both giving birth in May. They’ve both chosen Dr ABC as their care provider, and they’ll both be birthing at Hospital XYZ. They both think they would like a natural birth; vaginal and without pain meds. However, both feel open to the idea of an epidural at some point since they really don’t know what to expect of themselves. To help them decide, they both hire a doula. Both women start labor and arrive at the hospital in active labor. Both women eventually have Pitocin augmentation recommended, consent, and also decide to get an epidural not long after. Both women have otherwise uncomplicated vaginal births, healthy babies, and are successful with breastfeeding after a small amount of formula supplementation. Read more…
This article by Alison Stuebe, MD was printed in the News & Observer on Sunday, May 10th. Dr. Stuebe is a mother of three and an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the UNC School of Medicine. You can read the article on the N&O website here.
Americans are expected to spend nearly $16 billion this year on Mother’s Day celebrations. It’s an impressive outpouring of appreciation-and it’s also an aberration. The other 364 days of the year, American mothers are on their own, with profound consequences for public health. As an obstetrician, I see these consequences every day. When mom and baby leave the hospital, dad goes back to work, and older children get pulled from day care to save money. Saddled with responsibility for housework, older children and baby care, mothers fight for even a few minutes to nurture their infants. Three-quarters of American mothers start out breastfeeding, but more than half wean early, unable to reach the goals they set for themselves. It’s not difficult to understand why-stress interferes with the hard-wired brain circuitry responsible for mothering and nurturing babies.
Read more…
The Baby Blues…almost every pregnant woman has heard of this vague and ominous condition. Many women struggle with the idea that they may not be happy about becoming a mother or deeply, inexplicably angry with their baby.
When is crying too much crying? When is tired too tired? It’s uncomfortable and disturbing and unpolite….and so thousands of women are suffering in silence every year. Read more…
There has been a buzz in the news lately with birth being called “ecstatic” or “orgasmic,” even. Scandalous or Scientific? Read more…
Midwives are a cornerstone of maternity care worldwide. They are the guardians of normal birth everywhere. In every other developed country (besides the United States), midwives attend 70-80% of women giving birth, while high-risk obstetricians handle high-risk cases. In the Netherlands, 36% of births are planned home births with midwives. Interestingly, the Dutch have lower mortality rates than the United States (Wagner, 2006). Holland’s midwives are autonomous health care providers, reimbursed by health insurance. In less developed nations, they are critical to women who may be isolated in rural areas without access to technology of any kind. Read more…