Wednesday Wrap Ups

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Wednesday Wrap Up February 2020

A new study shows that general anesthesia, where they person giving birth is unconscious, increases postpartum depression quite a bit.

One parent’s attempt to find the perfect parenting book leads to discovering the Diabolical Genius of the Baby Advice Industry

An excellent summary of Why it’s Worth Waiting to Go Into Labor and the questions you can ask if you’re thinking about an elective induction.

This article on the need to allow doulas in the operating room for cesarean births is intended for hospital decision makers. But I think it’s important for expectant parents to read as well. I firmly believe that the ONLY way that changes to policies and protocols will happen is is the parents – the consumers of the hospital’s service – push for it. Pro tip: Hospitals are all about increasing their patient satisfaction ratings right now, so feel free to use that approach. “I really want to have a great patient experience here, and having my support team in the room with me for the birth will go a long way.”

A tongue in cheek look at all the armchair experts on pregnancy you might run into: Why I decided not to have an OB and let Wendy from work handle all my prenatal care instead.

Wednesday Wrap Up February 2020 Read More »

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Wednesday Wrap Up

Stacie Bingham takes a look at the differences between training, certification and experience in doulas

The Data Detective: One doctor’s quest to fix cesareans – short video on Neel Shah and his work to lower cesarean rates.

Some new information from the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine about safe cosleeping.

I’ve always thought that there is no one right way to do anything in birth, and as proof, here’s a look at a different pushing technique than I’ve ever seen before: Knees Together Pushing

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Wednesday Wrap Up December 2019

Nothing can make brand new parents feel more out of control than having their baby admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. The organization Empowered NICU Parenting aims to change that.

It’s happening all the time on social media, but Is Informal Milk Sharing Safe?

A new project in Ireland aims to build more realistic (and I don’t mean terrifying) expectations about what life and bodies look like immediately after birth. Photographer Neeley Ker-Fox and lots of new moms team up to show some beautiful, but not idealized, images.

Abuse of women during childbirth happens. And usually it’s not family members, it’s the staff! I haven’t seen it often, but I have seen it. This article presents 4 Ways to End the Abuse of Women During Birth.

Amazing Lactation Feats – humans and other mammals have some pretty cool abilities to feed their babies.

Wednesday Wrap Up December 2019 Read More »

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Wednesday Wrap Up November 2019

How Forceps Permanently Changed the Way Humans are Born – and an interesting idea of medical knowledge and lived experience as two valid sources of knowing about birth

Let’s Midwife the System – Amy Romano’s call for change in maternity care, led by midwives.

Just because it’s that time of the year and you might have missed it: A Holiday is Not a Medical Reason for Induction!

And finally, how could I not laugh my head off at Saturday Night Live’s version of a childbirth class?

Wednesday Wrap Up November 2019 Read More »

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Wednesday Wrap Up September 2019

Fascinating article in The Cut about the placenta. Touches on science, culture, different worldviews, and all kinds of interesting stuff.

A list of potential scripts for things to say if you feel like the staff caring for you during your labor and birth are not being respectful or kind.

Hannah Chenoweth is busting some doula myths over at SheKnows

Examples of how you can tell if your care provider is one of the good, the bad, or the ugly.

Short video on the 7 Symptoms every pregnant woman should know about Pre-eclampsia.

Wednesday Wrap Up September 2019 Read More »

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Wednesday Wrap Up June 2019

An interesting interview with a male midwife. I agree that ” There’s a great place for men in any profession they care deeply about.” and would love to see more men embracing the midwifery model and becoming midwives.

And here’s why we need more of the respect and collaboration that are a hallmark of the midwifery model: The Giving Voice to Mothers study, which aims a spotlight at the prevalence of mistreatment during birth.

Whenever I get asked which (product) is the best, I often reply something like this: The “rules” for choosing the right breast pump

And finally, I had to LOL a bit when I saw this: Baby Size by Week According to Milennials

Wednesday Wrap Up June 2019 Read More »

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Wednesday Wrap Up May 2019

What language do you use to refer to a cesarean? Please don’t call my cesarean a “cesarean birth” – thought provoking article!

One of my favorite birth blogs, Science and Sensibility, has a new name and a new look: Connecting The Dots: Research and Resources for Perinatal Professionals

I love the project to reach families that need it AND preserve community heritage: Nation’s First Native Birthing Facility Planned in New Mexico

A look at the causes of Maternal Mortality and Morbidity in the US. From the report: “Reducing pregnancy-related deaths requires reviewing and learning from each death, improving women’s health, and reducing social inequities across the life span, as well as ensuring quality care for pregnant and postpartum women.”

The FDA has released a draft of new guidelines on researching medications in pregnant and lactating people. They’re not yet final, and open for public comment for a while yet, but it’s interesting to see where they’re going with it.

Wednesday Wrap Up May 2019 Read More »

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Wednesday Wrap Up April 2019

What it was like giving birth in the 1960s. Very different. And not in a good way.

What’s inside the belly button? An interesting look at the remnants of fetal circulation.

One midwife’s approach to pushing for first time moms.

Yes, I am linking to one of my own posts! Understanding Racial Inequities in Birth is that important!

If you want a low intervention birth, here are six questions to ask your provider

Wednesday Wrap Up April 2019 Read More »

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Wednesday Wrap Up – March 2019

Getting Pushed Around in Second Stage – excellent article on the history and options for positions in pushing.

Stop Saying Breast Milk is Free – A thought provoking piece on the economics, cost and value of women’s labor. It’s been a few days and I am still thinking about it…

I’ve seen this play out so many, many times. Toxic Positivity Kept Me From Speaking Up About My Perinatal Mood Disorder. Please don’t perpetuate that among your friends and family.

Fantastic article spotlighting an intertribal network of women women using doula work to heal their communities in New Mexico.

Turns out there is another kind of twinning. Not Fraternal or Identical. Learn about semi-identical twins!

A new drug has been approved specifically for postpartum depression. Too bad it costs $34,000, plus the costs of a 2.5 day hospital stay and the physician fees….

Wednesday Wrap Up – March 2019 Read More »

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Wednesday Wrap Up

19 Beautiful Birth Photos featuring LGBTQ Parents – some of the images were taken by dear friends of mine!

How VR can help with pumping breastmilk – I can’t decide if this is creepy or cool, but it’s definitely an interesting application of technology!

Sticks and Stones and Birth Affirmations – if you believe that words and affirmations are powerful, you need to read and consider the important point in this article.

My Birth, by Carmen Winant – an interesting art piece on birth currently on display at the MOMA in NYC.

Do you know the epidural rate for your state? Here’s a handy map for (most) US states. Sorry, Connecticut.

5 Reasons to Avoid Saying “Birth Is Beautiful” – Amen to this! Birth can be beautiful. I’ve seen many, many beautiful moments at births in the 20 years I’ve been attending them. But I’ve also seen moments that were messy, frustrating, funny and terribly sad.

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