Archived Tidbits
The gentlebirth.org website is provided
courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao,
LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
This is an archive of tidbits that have appeared as inset boxes
in other web pages.
Header B1 and Header B2 - Jan. 17, 2016
to
Header B1 and Header B2 - Dec. 14, 2015
to Jan. 17, 2016
Header B1 and Header B2 - Mar. 29, 2015
to Dec. 14, 2015
Header B1 - Feb. 1, 2015 to Mar.
29, 2015
Header B2 - Feb. 1, 2015 to Mar.
29, 2015
After
the Birth, what a family needs
Great tips for helping a family with a new baby.
Note that visiting time should be very limited -
five minutes may be too long.
Focus your time on doing dishes and the laundry.
|
Header B1 - Nov. 17, 2014 to
Feb. 1, 2015
Header B2 - Nov. 17, 2014 to Feb.
1, 2015
Practice
Variation in Cesarean Rates: Not Due to
Maternal Complications
This brief but well-referenced post analyzes
cesarean rates relative to differences in maternal
diagnoses or pregnancy complexity. On average, the
likelihood of cesarean delivery for an individual
woman varied between 19 and 48 percent across
hospitals.”
Birth attendants often claim that their high
cesarean rate is due to their clientele - that
they provide care for a lot of high-risk
clients. This analysis shows that:
Among lower risk women,
likelihood of cesarean delivery varied between 8
and 32 percent across hospitals.
Among higher risk women,
likelihood of cesarean delivery varied between 56
and 92 percent across hospitals.
Hospital variability did not
decrease after adjusting for patient diagnoses,
socio-demographics, and hospital characteristics.
This shows that practice variation in cesarean
rates is real, substantive, and not just a
reflection of the mother’s risk level.
Tips
for Choosing a Care Provider - great
overview! from Henci Goer
|
Header B1 - Mar. 29, 2014 to Nov.
17, 2014
Header B2 - Mar. 29, 2014 to Nov.
17, 2014
Mom's
Gum Chewing Can Help Baby's Teeth
When mom chews xylitol gum from 3 months
postpartum to baby's second birthday, baby's
cavities are reduced up to 70% by the time the
child was 5 years old.
Giving baby the gift of dental health is
tremendous!
|
Header B1 - Jan. 6, 2014 to Mar.
29, 2014
Header B2 - Jan. 6, 2014 to Mar.
29, 2014
Header B2 - Dec. 5, 2013 to Jan.
6, 2014
Header B1 - Oct. 1, 2013 to Dec. 5,
2013
Childbirth
U
Because There WILL Be a
Test
Do you have questions about
pregnancy and childbirth? Henci
Goer is a master in her knowledge and
analysis of the available research.
Now she's planning a way to make
information easily available in online
slide shows and handouts.
The Childbirth U website will teach
pregnant women best care practices by
putting the obstetric research at
their fingertips--founded by author
Henci Goer.
|
Header B2 - Oct. 1, 2013 to Dec.
5, 2013
Header B1 - Jan. 8, 2013 to Oct. 1, 2013
Better pregnancy nutrition can
grow a healthier baby, keep perineal
tissues intact and support VBAC
In my experience, there are significant
things a pregnant woman can do to improve
the integrity of the tissues and thus help
to reduce complications.
My primary recommendations for this are
the Collageena
protein supplement and a good-quality
vitamin C supplement with
bioflavonoids. These are especially
important in the last trimester, when the
perineum and uterus are growing lots of
new tissue. You can learn more about
these supplements and the research behind
these recommendations at:
The
Better Baby Book: Use nutrition,
your environment, and your mind to create
the healthiest, smartest, autism-free baby
possible by Lana Asprey, MD, and Dave
Asprey, "To help parents gift their
children with better health and higher
intelligence for life." It's available
either on Kindle or paperback.
This book was written by a couple who
know more about pregnancy nutrition than
anyone I've ever heard, met or read about.
The
book is finally out as of Jan. 1, 2013.
You can also read their Better
Baby Blog.
|
Header B2 - Nov. 21, 2012 to Oct.
1, 2013
What is
Baby's Golden Minute?
It gives babies the oxygen they need immediately at
birth and the iron
they need for growth.
It gives babies the red, white and stem cells they
need for optimal health.
It's leaving the umbilical cord connected and
unclamped for 90 seconds.
"At the moment of birth, about 2/3 of the baby’s
blood (the fetal circulation) is in the baby. The
remaining third is still in the umbilical cord and
placenta. During the third stage of labor, which
lasts from the delivery of the baby to the delivery
of the placenta, the cord actively pumps iron-rich,
oxygen-rich, stem-cell-rich blood into the baby. "
"Immediate cord clamping is an active medical
intervention with unproven benefit. The WHO no
longer recommend immediate cord clamping. "
TICC TOCC
-- Transitioning Immediate Cord Clamping To
Optimal Cord Clamping
Video
of Alan Greene at TEDxBrussels [11/18/12]
|
Header B1 - Nov. 18, 2012 to Jan. 8, 2013
Header B1 - Oct. 26, 2012 to Nov. 18,
2012
Header B1 - Oct. 6, 2012 to Oct. 26, 2012
Epidural
Drugs Responsible for Meningitis - RECALL!
The Food and Drug Administration released a list of
34
different drugs this morning that included
steroids, epidural
anesthetics used to block pain during childbirth,
and surgery and saline solutions that are compounded
to make different medications.
Anyone who has
received epidural injections since July 1 should
watch for symptoms of meningitis. Health
officials say the most common symptoms are worsening
headache, fever, stiff neck, trouble walking or
falling and progressing back pain.
|
Header B2 - Aug. 23, 2012 to Nov.
21, 2012
Great explanatory section: What accounts for
the worse outcomes of low risk women in
hospital and better outcomes at home?
|
Header B1 -Aug. 23, 2012 to Oct. 6, 2012
Header B1 -May 28,
2012 to Aug. 23, 2012
Header B2 - May 28,
2012 to Aug. 23, 2012
Header B1 -Mar 22,
2012 to May
28, 2012
Header B1 - Feb. 16, 2012 to Mar 22, 2012
Delayed
Cord Clamping Grand Rounds
If you know any birth attendants who are still
practicing premature clamping and cutting of the
cord, encourage them to watch this video of a grand
rounds with Dr. Nicholas Fogelson at USC. It's
got lots of research and an open-minded perspective.
|
Header B2 - Feb. 16, 2012 to May 28, 2012
Header B2 - Jan. 24, 2012 to Feb. 16, 2012
Now Available as an
eBook for only $1.99
The
Smart Mama's Guide to Childbirth Choices
[Kindle Edition]
by Barb Wade and Lynn Dickinson
with contributions by Ronnie
Falcao, owner/editor of these web pages
[You don’t need a Kindle to read the book. You
can download a free Kindle app to most
computers.]
|
Header B1 - Jan. 24, 2012 to
Feb. 16, 2012
Header B1 - Dec. 21, 2011 to Jan.
21, 2012
Great
Year-End Donation Opportunity
Help Transform
Maternity Care!
For the past 90 years, Childbirth
Connection has been dedicated to improving the
quality of maternity care for all women and their
families through research, education, advocacy and
policy. Join our continuing efforts to make quality
maternity care a top priority for policymakers,
public and private purchasers, health care
providers, and women themselves.
These folks are doing a fabulous job of advocacy and
education, and they deserve our support!
|
Header B2 - Dec. 21, 2011 to Jan.
21, 2012
Header B1 - Nov. 19, 2011 to
Dec. 21, 2011
Great
Video Clips with Birth Experts
One World
Birth is a free online video resource for
birth professionals, activists and parents who want
to keep their finger on the pulse of birth around
the globe today. The world's birth experts discuss
the latest thinking & research in short,
bite-sized video clips that are based around a
central theme each month.
|
Header B2 - Nov. 19, 2011 to Dec.
21, 2011
Header B1 - Oct. 19, 2011 to Nov.
19, 2011
Breastfeeding Action Guides from the CDC
and the Surgeon General
In the United States, most mothers want – and try –
to breastfeed. Unfortunately, one mother's interest
alone is not always enough to make breastfeeding
possible. Rates of breastfeeding in the United
States vary widely because of the multiple and
complex barriers mothers face when starting and
continuing to breastfeed.
These Action Guides provide concrete steps to make it possible for
every mother who wishes to breastfeed to be able
to do so by shifting how we as a nation
think and talk about breastfeeding.
Doctors
In Action (PDF-667k)
Nurses
In Action (PDF-699k)
Health
Care Leaders In Action (PDF-787k)
|
Header B2 - Sept. 28, 2011 to
Nov. 19, 2011
Header B1 - Sept. 28, 2011 to
Oct. 19, 2011
Landmark
Book by America's Leading Midwife
In Birth
Matters, Ina May Gaskin, reminds us that the
ways in which women experience birth have
implications for us all. Renewing confidence in a
woman's natural ability to birth provides
transformative possibilities for individual families
and for society at large. A woman who gives birth in
the US today is more likely to die in childbirth
than her mother was. With one in three babies
born via cesarean, the US ranks behind thirty-three
other nations in neonatal mortality rates.
Confidence in women's bodies and women's choices has
been lost. Known around the world for her birthing
practices' exemplary low rates of intervention,
morbidity and mortality, Ina May Gaskin has gained
an international reputation in obstetrics for
demonstrating the magic key to safe birth: respect
for the natural process. Birth Matters is a spirited
manifesta showing us how to trust women, value
birth, nurture families, and reconcile modern life
with a process as old as our species"
|
Header B1 - Apr. 6, 2011 to ?????
Header B1 - June 17, 2011 the moved to
HeaderB2 July 13, 2011 to Sept. 28, 2011
Laid-Back
Breastfeeding / Biological Nurturing
We used to teach breastfeeding mamas to do most of
the work and try to get babies to co-operate with
mom's plan.
It turns out that it's much easier to let the
babies instincts do the work, and mom can just
happily play along!
|
Header B1 - July 13, 2011 to Sept.
28, 2011
"We're definitely seeing well-educated and
well-informed people who want to give birth at
home." . . .
"Women who are truly educated in evidence-based
maternity care understand the safety and the
multiple benefits of home birth."
The OB comments are reliably amusing. They
seem to have abandoned the assertion that women
are choosing homebirth for "a spa experience" and
are now teasing us with talk of a mysterious
"feminist machoism". Some day they will get
that women choose homebirth because it is often
safer than hospital birth and has a much higher
rate of satisfaction, along with the higher rate
of breastfeeding and lower rate of episiotomy and
c-section.
[NOTE - The bit about inductions' being motivated
by a "too posh to push" attitude simply doesn't
make sense. You might do best to ignore it.]
|
Header B1 - Apr. 6, 2011 to ?????
[moved to Header B2 and Home Birth Summit notice here June
17, 2011 to July 13, 2011]
Scientists Say: ACOG's Opposition to Homebirth
is Based on Garbage Research
Planned
Home vs Hospital Birth: A Meta-Analysis Gone Wrong
Medscape showed their intellectual honesty and
professional integrity by publishing this critique:
"I is incomprehensible that medical society
opinion can be formulated on research that does
not hold to the most basic standards of
methodological rigor." [More]
Planned
Home
vs Hospital Birth: A “Flawed Study” - This
blog has a nice summary of the dense article.
Home
Birth
Summit
Finally! Midwives from different tracks will
be joined by conscientious OBs, pediatricians,
nurses and academics
The Home Birth Consensus Summit will be a two- to
three-day multidisciplinary summit with
the goal of developing areas of consensus on the
provision of home birth services in the United
States.
|
Header B1 - Mar. 29, 2011, moved to HeaderB2 Apr. 6, 2011 to
June 17, 2011
Home
Birth
Summit
Finally! Midwives from different tracks will
be joined by conscientious OBs, pediatricians,
nurses and academics
The Home Birth Consensus Summit will be a two- to
three-day multidisciplinary summit with
the goal of developing areas of consensus on the
provision of home birth services in the United
States.
|
Header B2 - Mar. 29, 2011 to Apr. 6, 2011
Free MP3
Lullabies from Andy Peyton [select Lullabies]
These are lovely lullabies you can carry with you to
help soothe yourself during pregnancy
and to provide a calm atmosphere for breastfeeding and
soothing baby.
|
Header B2 - Mar. 9, 2011 to Mar. 29, 2011
Header B1 - Mar. 9, 2011 to Mar. 29, 2011
Header B2 - Feb. 1, 2011 to Mar. 9, 2011
Header B1 and Header B2 - Nov. 29, 2010 to Feb. 1, 2011
Header B2 - Aug. 24, 2010 to Nov. 29, 2010
Header B1 and Header B2 - July 9, 2010 to Aug. 24, 2010
then just Header B1 to Nov. 29, 2010 then reinstated Jan. 5,
2011
Header B2 - June 25, 2010 to July 9, 2010
Header B1 - June 25, 2010 to July 9, 2010
Header B1 and B2 - May 3, 2010 to June 25, 2010
Header B1 and B2 - Apr. 29, 2010 to May 3, 2010
Help Save Midwifery in New York
City before April 30 deadline
Take just a minute or two to send
an
e-mail to Gov. Paterson's office.
Write your own message or just write "Keep midwives
legal for homebirth in New York."
with the Subject Line "Save midwives" or "Save
homebirth" and a topic "Health Care".
For extra credit, please also sign
the
petition from Choices in Childbirth. THANK
YOU!
If you want to be an Angel of Birthing Families, use
a few cell phone minutes to call: Wendy Saunders,
Executive Deputy Commissioner for the NY State
Department of Health, appointed by Governor Paterson.
518-474-8390
Larry Mokhiber, the Secretary of the Board of
Midwifery (518-474-3817, extension 130)
You can just say, "Please keep homebirth and midwives
as legal options in New York.", or,
you can say something longer, "With the closing of St.
Vincent's Hospital, half of the licensed, highly
trained home birth midwives serving NYC have lost
their Written Practice Agreement (WPA). St
Vincent's was the only Hospital in the city supportive
of a woman's right to choose a home birth and willing
to sign a WPA. In the weeks since its announced
closure, these midwives have reached out to hospitals
and obstetricians all across the city looking for
support, with no success. Please help us to save
the homebirth option in New York."
|
Header B2 - Mar. 18, 2010 to Apr. 29, 2010
|
Why Is Blue Cross raising rates in
California by 39%? Perhaps it's because Blue
Cross is a very bad business manager when it comes to
paying for births. Blue Cross could cover homebirth
midwives at in-network rates and pay about $6000. Or
they could insist that in-network rates only apply to
hospital births, where they pay $15,000 to $40,000 for a
birth. Call Lilian at 303-831-2088 to encourage Anthem
Blue Cross to upgrade their policy for better business
and better birth.
|
Header B1 or B2? - Mar. 5, 2010 to Mar. 18, 2010
Header B1 or B2? - Feb. 18, 2010 to Mar. 18, 2010
|
Mothers and Babies Need Our Help!
Babies are coming into this world
pre-polluted with toxic chemicals.
When EWG tested
the umbilical cord blood of 10 Americans, we found
nearly 300 chemicals, including BPA, perchlorate, fire
retardants, lead, mercury, and PCBs.
Midwives demand global birth reform
Midwifery Today’s Birth
Is a Human Rights Issue
Strasbourg, France, Sept. 29, 2010 – Oct. 3, 2010
According to the World Health Organization, 1,500
women die from complications related to pregnancy or
childbirth every single day. Most of these deaths are
avoidable.
|
Header B2 - Jan. 19, 2010 to Feb. 18, 2010
Header B2 - Dec. 30, 2009 to Feb. 18, 2010
Header B2 - Oct. 28, 2009 to Oct. 30, 2009 - reinstate in
future
|
Do you believe in Midwifery
Solidarity?
Join
the
Bridgeclub
This is where midwives have unity and
are able to work together for the good of midwifery
- all midwives.
|
Header B1 - Dec. 30, 2009 to Jan. 19, 2010
Header B2 - Oct. 30, 2009 to Dec. 30, 2009
Header B1 - Oct. 28, 2009 to Dec. 30, 2009
Support
prenatal
care and birth support for rural and under-served
women!
Support the inclusion of Certified
Professional Midwives in Medicaid and health care
reform.
Where's
the
Birth Plan? by Jennifer Block - Midwifery-style
care saves money and provides excellence for the new
family--a great two for one proposal! She
clearly points out how the more humane style of care
provided by midwives not only saves money, but also
saves lives. A new economic
analysis forecasts savings of $9.1 billion per
year if 10 percent of women planned to deliver out of
hospital with midwives.
The
Debate
on Healthcare Policy Reform by Faith Gibson, a
healthcare historian and policy theoretician
Learn about Health Care 2.0 and why "The problem with
obstetrics is that it is all about obstetricians"
|
Headers B1 and B2 - Sept. 24, 2009 to Oct. 28, 2009
Header B1 - July 7, 2009 to Sept. 24, 2009
Support
prenatal
care and birth support for rural and under-served
women!
Support the inclusion of Certified
Professional Midwives in Medicaid and health care
reform.
Where's
the
Birth Plan? by Jennifer Block - Midwifery-style
care saves money and provides excellence for the new
family--a great two for one proposal! She
clearly points out how the more humane style of care
provided by midwives not only saves money, but also
saves lives. A new economic
analysis forecasts savings of $9.1 billion per
year if 10 percent of women planned to deliver out of
hospital with midwives.
The
Debate
on Healthcare Policy Reform by Faith Gibson, a
healthcare historian and policy theoretician
Learn about Health Care 2.0 and why "The problem with
obstetrics is that it is all about obstetricians"
|
Header B2 - July 13, 2009 to Sept. 24, 2009
Header B1 - July 7, 2009 to July 13, 2009
|
Cesarean
delivery can alter DNA
Researchers in Sweden believe they have discovered
the DNA mutations explaining why children delivered by
planned Cesarean section run a higher than average
risk of contracting immunological diseases. [6/29/09]
|
Header B1 - May 29,, 2009, moved to HeaderB2 June 26 to July
7, 2009
International
Committee
Confirms that Midwifery Care Has Best Outcomes
Women who had midwife-led models of care were less
likely to experience antenatal hospitalisation, the use
of regional analgesia,episiotomy, and instrumental
delivery and were more likely to experience no
intrapartum analgesia/anaesthesia, spontaneous vaginal
birth, to feel in control during labour and childbirth,
and initiate breastfeeding.
Authors' conclusions
All women should be offered midwife-led models of care
and women should be encouraged to ask for this option.
|
Header B2 - May 31, , 2009 to July 13, 2009
Header B1 - Apr. 30, , 2009, moved to HeaderB2 to May
29, 2009
Ricki Lake is coming to San
Francisco on May 15
Join in the fun!
Support your local midwife and have fun too!
Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein will be in San Francisco
on May 15th to celebrate their new book, Your
Best
Birth. We will have a book-signing and kick-off
party at the amazing art studio of Patrick Stull. See
his show, Evolve, at www.stullimages.com.
All proceeds will benefit the Foundation for the
Advancement of Midwifery and the Business of Being
Born Educational events. Live entertainment, organic
wines and light fare included. Go to www.yourbestbirth.eventbrite.com
to purchase your tickets, space is limited. You will
not want to miss this fun opportunity to support
midwifery!
|
Header B2 - Apr. 2, , 2009 to May 31, 2009
|
Consumers Union (publishers of
Consumer Reports) Leads Safe
Patient
Project
Most medical errors are still kept secret. Ten years
ago, the Institute of Medicine called for immediate
action to end errors like this but very little
progress has been made since then. Every year our
leaders ignore these errors, another 100,000 Americans
needlessly die and $17 billion is spent treating them.
Sign
our
petition to stop the secrecy and prevent medical
errors. Help us push for less talk and more
action!
|
Header B1 - Apr. 2, , 2009 to Apr. 30, 2009
Header B1 - Mar. 21, 2009 to Apr. 2, 2009
Controversies in
Childbirth Conference
Dallas/Fort Worth
March 27-29, 2009
The Only Conference Bringing Together:
Obstetricians, Pediatricians, Family Physicians,
Certified Nurse Midwives, Certified Professional
Midwives, Certified Midwives, Nurses, Doulas, Educators,
Lactation Professionals, Hospital Administrators, Health
Insurers, Regulators, Advocates, Legislators and
Insurers to address the major contemporary controversies
in childbirth.
The Only Conference that Discusses the Real Financial
Issues
An ideal setting for intelligent progress!
|
Header B1 - Feb. 21, 2009 to Mar. 11, 2009, then
HeaderB2 to Apr. 2, 2009
BirthLove
is back!
This site has the best collection of
articles and birth stories.
|
Header B1 - Feb. 21, 2009 to Mar. 21, 2009
Header B1 and B2 - Jan. 3, 2009 to Feb. 21, 2009, then
Header B2 to Mar. 11, 2009
If you missed the segment about Orgasmic Birth,
aired on ABC's 20-20 on Jan. 2,
you can still catch the mini-segments:
Birth
Orgasms:
Women Speak Out - Is it possible to have an
orgasm during childbirth?
Women
Who
Prefer Home Birth - For some, delivering a
healthy child doesn't involve a trip to the
hospital. [Note - the
associated
article says, "Modern medicine means not
having to go through childbirth alone." It's
more accurate to say "Responsible modern medicine
means reserving risky interventions for when the
benefits outweigh the risks." I know lots of
responsible women who give birth at home with the
perfect birth team . . . their partner, their
midwife and their doula. They are definitely
not alone, and they have all the medical assistance
they need, just like a woman giving birth with a
midwife in a hospital! Savvy people know the
difference between midwife-assisted
homebirth and unassisted
birth.]
The Orgasmic
Birth web site also has a lot of great
information about birth in general:
Birth
by the Numbers
The
Director's Blog
Birth
Stories
|
Header B2 - Dec. 6, 2008 , to Jan. 3, 2009
Sing Along
with the Nutcracker Suite
My Holiday Gift to the World
When I was growing up, we listened to this recording
of Captain Kangaroo narrating the Nutcracker Suite,
along with descriptive songs.
Yes, there are WORDS to the Nutcracker Suite, although
they might not have been written by Tchaikovsky.
This inspirational story is particularly appropriate
at this season of good cheer and good will.
As Clara proclaims in the closing song, "Why don't we
all devote our hours to making other people happy,
too? "
These words were part of my motivation in creating
The Midwife Archives, and I imagine they also inspired
my sister, Linda Falcao,
to write the book, America
Serves
(TM), an excellent guidebook for student-focused
service projects.
What a great idea for a holiday gift! A gift
that focuses on GIVING!
Her book has already had such an impact that the
slogan America
Serves has been picked up by the Obama campaign.
See what a little fun music can do! :-)
[In case there's any confusion about the origin of
the phrase "America Serves", you can check the
copyright
office records.]
|
Header B2 - Nov. 19, 2008 , to modified Dec. 6, 2008,
to Jan. 3, 2009
Header B2 - Sept. 5, 2008 , to Dec. 6,, 2008
|
Have you given birth in the last
three years?
If so, take The Birth Survey and
provide feedback on your experience, your doctor,
midwife, birth center, or hospital at www.TheBirthSurvey.com
Women providing women with insight
into maternity care practices in their communities.
It has been easier to get consumer satisfaction
information about a camera than about maternity care
services – but no longer. The Coalition
for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) has
developed www.TheBirthSurvey.com a consumer feedback
website where women provide information about the
maternity care they received - with specific doctors,
midwives, hospitals, and birth centers. Families
choosing where and with whom to birth can utilize this
consumer feedback, along with data on hospital and
birth center intervention rates and practices, to make
informed health care choices.
|
Header B2 - Aug. 19, 2008 , to Nov. 19, 2008
|
The Best Thing You Can Do for
Mothers, Babies, Birth and Families is to Become Net
Savvy!
I just had my mind expanded this morning by Laureen
Hudson's hour long online session on how to use the
internet to get a message out. Laureen's session
“Creating an Online Presence," gave me a wealth of
information in a short time and impressed me with how
many people are out there who completely rely on the
internet for their information. I needed that, and
maybe you do, too.
- Ina May Gaskin
I just hung up the phone from doing the hour
long session with Laureen Hudson on “Creating an
Online Presence”. Laureen’s know-how and
expertise were enough to wake up even the birth
oldtimers like me and Ina May to the many unused
opportunities of the internet. Laureen’s
engaging and easygoing teaching style made even those
scary (to me) terms like “hypertext, streaming,
wordpress, technorati, feedreader and trackback” start
to make sense. Her passion is to reach the
generation of young women who have not yet given birth
BEFORE they fall into the black hole of aggressive
obstetrics. I came away from the class today
with lots of ways to improve my website and make it
more modern, usable and interesting for readers.
This class will run again this coming Friday (August
22) and I heartily recommend it.
- Gloria Lemay
REGISTER NOW! SPACE IS LIMITED!
Cost: $35 per session
Each session will be 60 minutes in length
Creating An Online Presence
Friday,
August
22 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific / 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Create Your Blog
Sunday,
September
7 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific / 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Friday,
September
19 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific / 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Monday,
September
22 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific / 12:00 p.m. Eastern
Search!
This session will include a case study of Dr. Amy and
how we shoot ourselves in the collective feet by
visiting and commenting on her website. (PS Hope
you enjoyed the Gotcha! page from our last email!)
Sunday,
October
5 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific / 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Friday,
October
24 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific / 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Monday,
October
27 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific / 12:00 p.m. Eastern
|
Header B1 - June 19, 2008 to Sept. 5, 2008
Header B2 - May. 22, 2008, to ??, 2008
Blissful
Birth is my favorite program for pregnancy
relaxation and birth preparation because they use
Hemi-Sync technology along with more traditional
techniques. Rob Woodgate's slight British accent
and tenor voice are very pleasant and relaxing.
This is the guided imagery relaxation method that I'm
using for myself now.
You can download a free sample.
|
Header B1 - June 5, 2008 to June 19, 2008
|
HomebirthDads.com
- The Dad's Perspective on Homebirthing on DVD
This excellent DVD has some wonderfully honest
discussions of homebirth from the dad's point of view.
This would be a great addition to any midwife's
library, and curious families would get more of the
information they need to know whether homebirth is
right for them or not.
|
Header B1 - May 22, 2008 to June 5, 2008
Children on the autism disorder
spectrum can recover!
Read this
inspiring
story written by a mom who managed the recovery of
her two sons.
And, yes, I'm bragging here, but this
amazing mom is also my niece and goddaughter.
Go, Kath!
And, yes, vaccines are mostly safe, but if your
child is one of the vulnerable ones, the next
vaccination could ruin their health.
It's your responsibility to protect your children by
educating yourself about this critical issue.
Don't let your pediatrician cow you into docile
acceptance of a damaging vaccination schedule.
If you're near Chicago, you can attend the Autism One Conference,
May 21-25
|
Header B1 - April 27, 2008 to May 22, 2008
|
Orgasmic Birth
-- the documentary!
ABC's 20/20 will be airing a segment about
Orgasmic Birth on May 16th for their special
Mother's Day show.
Now THERE's a gift that mothers will really
appreciate!
Interviews with Christiane Northrup, MD, Ina May
Gaskin, MA, CPM, Sarah J Buckley, MD, Marsden Wagner,
MD
Joyous, sensuous and revolutionary, this pioneering
film will compel many to reexamine their perceptions
about childbirth. Viewers will understand how the use
of normal, undisturbed birthing methods can aid the
health and well-being of future generations.
|
Header B2 - Mar. 22, 2008, to May 22, 2008
Header B1 - April 1, 2008 to Apr. 27, 2008
Header B1 - Mar. 22, 2008, to April 1, 2008
|
The Big
Push for Midwives
. . . was launched Jan. 24, 2008. It's a
nationally coordinated campaign to advocate for
regulation and licensure of Certified Professional
Midwives (CPMs) in all 50 states, the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico, and to push back against
the attempts of the American Medical Association
Scope of Practice Partnership to deny American
families access to legal midwifery care.
You can read what
Ricki
Lake says and check out her new movie, The
Business of Being Born.
|
Header B1 - Feb. 25, 2008, to Mar. 22, 2008
Header B2 - Feb. 25, 2008, to Mar. 22, 2008
Header B1 - Feb. 6, 2008 to Feb. 25,, 2008
Header B1 and B2 - Jan. 8, 2008 to Feb. 6, 2008, then just
Header B2 to Feb. 25,, 2008
|
Waterbirth
International desperately needs Your
financial support.!
The best way to donate is to send a check to
Waterbirth International
PO Box 1400 Wilsonville, OR
97070 USA
or
Donate
online today so they can continue to advocate
for safe, gentle birth for mothers and babies
everywhere.
~DONATE any amount you can
~Become a MEMBER of Waterbirth International
~Buy a birth pool for your local midwives
~Buy a birth pool for yourself
~Buy a birth video and donate it to your local
library
THANK YOU! from all those lucky waterbirth moms and
babies, past, present and future.
|
Header B1 - Dec. 29, 2007 to Jan. 8, 2008
Header B2 - Dec. 29, 2007 to Jan. 8, 2008
Header B1 - Oct. 15, 2007 to Dec. 29, 2007
Header B2 - Oct. 9, 2007 to Dec. 29, 2007
|
Worried About
Antibiotic-Resistant Infections (MRSA) and
Hospital-Acquired Infections?
Tell
your
U.S. Representative to support Healthy Hospitals
Act!
Consumers
Union
/ Consumer Reports is spearheading this campaign
to Stop Hospital Infections!
About 100,000 people die each year from
hospital-acquired infections, more than deaths from
auto accidents and homicides combined. You may not
know much about this deadly public health threat
because hospital infection rates are secret in most of
the country.
Rep. Tim Murphy (PA) is sponsoring the "Healthy
Hospitals Act of 2007" (HR1174). The bill will make
you safer during a hospital stay by requiring public
disclosure of hospital-acquired infection rates. If
hospitals must tell you about their infections, they
will work harder to reduce them. Please
ask
your representative to co-sponsor this bill!
This is a public-service
announcement, not a paid advertisement.
|
Header B1 - Oct. 9, 2007 to Oct. 15, 2007
Header B2 - Oct. 9, 2007 to Oct. 25, 2007
Header B1 - July 16, 2007 to Oct. 9, 2007
|
RCM
and
RCOG Support Homebirth
There is no reason why home birth should not be
offered to women at low risk of complications and
it
may confer considerable benefits for them and their
families. There is ample evidence showing that
labouring at home increases a woman’s likelihood of a
birth that is both satisfying and safe, with
implications for her health and that of her baby.
|
Header B2 - July 16, 2007to Oct. 9, 2007
|
Nurturing Your Newborn is a
Learned Skill
CALMS
-
A Guide to Soothing Your Baby
The title, CALMS, is an acronym standing for an
indispensable 5-step process which parents can use to
maintain composure
during the inevitable stresses and strains encountered
in the first weeks of parenting after the birth.
This easy-to-read book is a companion to What Babies
Want, the award-winning documentary film that
explores the profoundly important and sacred
opportunity we have in bringing children into the
world.
This is a public-service
announcement, not a paid advertisement.
|
Header B1 - May 29, 2007 to July 16, 2007
|
Nurturing Your Newborn is a
Learned Skill
CALMS
-
A Guide to Soothing Your Baby
The title, CALMS, is an acronym standing for an
indispensable 5-step process which parents can use to
maintain composure
during the inevitable stresses and strains encountered
in the first weeks of parenting after the birth.
This easy-to-read book is a companion to What Babies
Want, the award-winning documentary film that
explores the profoundly important and sacred
opportunity we have in bringing children into the
world.
This is a public-service
announcement, not a paid advertisement.
|
Header B2 - June 7, 2007 to July 16, 2007
Mothering Magazine Goes Digital
They've done a better job than I could have thought
possible, and it feels good to spare the trees.
Check out their sample
online
issue or subscribe.
This is a public-service
announcement, not a paid advertisement.
|
Header B2 - May 15, 2007 to June 7, 2007
Does your local hospital permit
VBAC?
If not, then they're probably not prepared to handle
other obstetric emergencies,
such as cord prolapse or placental abruption.
|
Header B1 - May 15, 2007 to May 29, 2007
|
Insurance
Companies
Win Big with Homebirth
In New Hampshire, a low-risk hospital birth costs:
$24,315.
Same low-risk birth at home with a certified midwife:
$3,000
The feeling for a new mom cuddling her new baby in her
own bed: PRICELESS!
Mandating insurance coverage for
homebirth is good for everyone.
|
HeaderB1 AND B2 - Apr. 24, 2007 to May 15, 2007
HeaderB1 - Apr. 14, 2007 to Apr. 24, 2007
HeaderB1 - Apr. 4, 2007 to Apr. 14, 2007
HeaderB1 - Mar. 1, 2007 to Apr. 4, 2007
BIRTH - a one-hour radio
special documentary
about the practices and perceptions of
birth in America.
Where can you hear BIRTH?
BIRTH can be streamed live from the following stations
(unless marked by an *)
NHPR-Concord, New
Hampshire Saturday March 3rd at 8 a.m. (EST)
KUNM-Albuquerque, New
Mexico Sunday March 4th at 11 a.m. (MST)
WBOI-Fort Wayne,
Indiana Sunday March 4th at 6 p.m. (CST)
WBEZ-Chicago, Illinois
Sunday March 4th at 9 p.m. (CST)
WSKG-Binghamton, New
York Thursday March 8th at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.*
(EST)
WVPE-Elkhart, Indiana
Friday March 9th at 7 p.m.*(CST)
KUMR-Rolla, Missouri
Friday March 23rd at 8 a.m. (CST)
KQED-San Francisco,
California Wednesday April 4th at 8 p.m. and Saturday
April 7th at 1 p.m. (PST)
This is a public-service
announcement, not a paid advertisement.
|
Header B2 - Mar. 1, 2007 to Apr. 24, 2007
HeaderB1 - Jan. 28, 2007 to Mar. 1, 2007
|
Birth
As
We Know It is finally available on amazon.com
A Must-Watch for Obstetricians and
Midwives
This video will present a perspective of birth
unlike anything you have ever seen! You need to watch
this to see what birth can be. Then imagine adding the
minimal level of medical observation and only
NECESSARY intervention, and you'll have a new vision
of birth that will be a gift to birthing women and
babies.
Making
Birth
Safe in the US. (aka Hospital Birth Debate)
|
Header B2 - Jan.22, 2007 to Mar. 1, 2007
|
Do you live in Marion County,
Indiana?
Did you know that 14 babies died in Marion County
just last year from hospital-acquired infection?
Do you know a family in Marion County or anywhere in
central Indiana whose
baby died or became ill from a hospital-acquired
infection?
Please send e-mail to khensel@wishtv.com
to help make Marion County safer for newborns!
|
HeaderB2 - Jan. 18, 2007 to Jan. 28, 2007
Header B1 - Jan. 12, 2007 to Jan. 28, 2007
|
Do you live in Marion County,
Indiana?
Did you know that 14 babies died in Marion County
just last year from hospital-acquired infection?
Do you know a family in Marion County or anywhere in
central Indiana whose
baby died or became ill from a hospital-acquired
infection?
Please send e-mail to khensel@wishtv.com
to help make Marion County safer for newborns!
|
HeaderB1 - Jan. 8, 2007 to Jan. 12, 2007, then HeaderB2 -
Jan. 12, 2007 to Jan. 18, 2007
Header B2 - Jan. 1, 2007 to 12, 2007
HeaderB1 - Jan. 1, 2007 to Jan. 8, 2007
HeaderB1 - Nov. 15, 2006 to Jan. 1, 2007
Header B2 - Oct. 28, 2006 to Jan. 1, 2007
|
Do you need some birth
inspiration?
Jacquie Munro is a doula in
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Her
birth blog will remind you of everything
that's right about birth!
|
HeaderB1 - Oct. 28, 2006 to Nov. 15, 2006
Did you have a fabulous natural
birth with a midwife?
Do you want YOUR TRUTH to be heard?
Did you have a previous bad birth
experience with the obstetric model of birth?
Then send
e-mail
to the editor of the New Yorker Magazine, and
tell them you want your truth about
normal birth to be included in a future article.
If you've already got your birth story written up,
this
will take you just a minute or two.
They're up to their old tricks again!
The New Yorker Magazine's article, "The
Score" once again tries to sell us on the lie
that if the mother and baby are alive,
then it was a great birth.
This article starts with a birth story where the OBs
fail to facilitate the baby's proper positioning, and
then hold themselves out as heroes for cutting out the
baby. It boggles the mind that this is presented
as a success story, rather than the abject failure it
is.
American obstetrics is failing to support women in
having the birth experience that will best prepare
them for motherhood,
and they are failing to help babies to have the best
possible start in life.
After recounting the horrible evolution of obstetrics,
with its increase in maternal and newborn deaths as
birth
was moved into the hospital, this article tries to
convince us that everything is fine because their
statistics got better again,
once antibiotics and anti-hemorrhagic pharmaceuticals
became more readily available to bail out their
failures.
They lie in implying that a cesarean birth is safer
for the baby than a vaginal birth.
They forget to compare American statistics with those
of other countries, which have better outcomes.
Those countries use the model of maternity care that
has proven the safest ever - routine midwifery care
with appropriate use of obstetricians when necessary
for surgical intervention.
Critique
of New Yorker article on the Industrialization of
Childbirth
by Faith Gibson, LM CPM, one of the pre-eminent
midwifery experts in the U.S.
[and if you like a good mystery, don't miss Faith's
scholarly treatise, "The
Official
Plan to Eliminate the Midwife: 1900 -- 1930"
|
Header B2 - Sept. 30, 2006 to Oct. 28, 2006
|
Best Book of 2006!
Gentle Birth,
Gentle Mothering by Sarah J. Buckley, MD
The wisdom and science of gentle choices in pregnancy,
birth, and parenting
We all deserve the best possible start!
This book provides a scientific basis for sound
recommendations for the best care for mothers and
babies.
|
HeaderB1 - Sept. 30, 2006 to Oct. 28, 2006, (had run Sept. 3
to Sept. 30, 2006 less embellished)
|
Orgasmic Birth
Have you had an orgasmic birth? Did you
experience sexual arousal during birth?
Danielle Harel, a Childbirth Educator and a PhD
candidate in the Institute for Advanced Study of Human
Sexuality
in San Francisco, is conducting a PhD dissertation
research where she aims to learn and understand in
depth
the phenomenon of women who experienced sexual arousal
and/or orgasm during childbirth.
To volunteer to be interviewed by phone from anywhere
in the world,
please contact Danielle via email at Danielle@DanielleHarel.com
or call her at 1-408-469-1989.
Have you had an orgasmic birth? Did you film
your birth?
The filmmakers of the documentary "Orgasmic Birth"
are looking for video of ecstatic/orgasmic birth.
Please contact Debra Pascali-Bonaro at info@orgasmicbirth.com.
Would you like to have an orgasmic birth?
Women are birthing safely and ecstatically in their
own homes, without the interference of hospital
protocols.
Read about homebirth safety or overall
homebirth benefits.
Orgasmic
Birth is a documentary that examines the sexual
and intimate nature of birth
and the powerful role it plays in women's lives when
they are permitted to experience it.
You
can donate now to support production
|
HeaderB1 - Sept. 5, 2006 to Sept. 30, 2006, then embellished
|
Orgasmic Birth
Have you had an orgasmic birth? Did you film
your birth?
The filmmakers of the documentary "Orgasmic Birth"
are looking for video of ecstatic/orgasmic birth.
Please contact Debra Pascali-Bonaro at info@orgasmicbirth.com.
Would you like to have an orgasmic birth?
Women are birthing safely and ecstatically in their
own homes, without the interference of hospital
protocols.
Read about homebirth safety or overall
homebirth benefits.
Orgasmic
Birth is a documentary that examines the sexual
and intimate nature of birth
and the powerful role it plays in women's lives when
they are permitted to experience it.
You
can donate now to support production
|
Header B2 - Sept. 5, 2006 to Sept. 30, 2006
NOTE - This needed some hand tuning to work!
HeaderB1 and Header B2 - August 1, 2006 to Sept. 5, 2006
|
Dr. Manny praises reforms
legalizing
homebirth with direct-entry midwives
This article discusses the recent BMJ article
concluding that homebirth
is
superior to hospital birth.
"Asked to provide any statistical evidence
contradicting such studies, for the sake of this
story, ACOG sent none but e-mailed two policy
statements further explaining the organization’s
position on the certification of midwives."
[Interpretation - OB/GYNs have no basis for their
opposition to midwives and homebirth.]
|
HeaderB1 - July 13, 2006 to August 1, 2006
HeaderB1 - June 10, 2006 to July 13, 2006
HeaderB1 - May 22, 2006 to June 10, 2006 - moved to HeaderB2
June 10, 2006 to August 1, 2006
HeaderB2 - May 22, 2006 to June 10, 2006
|
New DVD - I Watched
My Brother Being Born!
This special story is about two siblings, at the time
ages five and seven, as they witness and participate
in the birth of their brother.
It chronicles a gentle home water birth that focuses
on the children.
This DVD will be a tremendous resource to
families planning to include children in their birth.
|
HeaderB2 - May 11, 2006 to May 22, 2006
HeaderB1 - May 9, 2006 to May 22, 2006
HeaderB2 - Apr. 24, 2006 to May 11, 2006
|
Birth As
We Know It - Enchanting new birth film
This video is stunningly beautiful - thoroughly
mesmerizing.
From Elena,
one of the Russian waterbirth midwives
|
HeaderB1 - April 24, 2006 to May 9, 2006
|
CYTOTEC AWARENESS RALLY
May
6-8
in Washington, DC
outside the ACOG Annual Convention.
organized by WECAN
- WOMEN EDUCATING CYTOTEC AWARENESS NATIONWIDE
|
HeaderB2 - Apr. 4, 2006 to April 24, 2006
HeaderB1 - April 3, 2006 to April 24, 2006
HeaderB2 - Apr. 3, 2006 to Apr. 4, 2006
HeaderB1 - Mar. 30, 2006 to April 3,2006
Approximately Nov. 15, 2005 to Mar. 30, 2006
Thank you for your support of Licensed Midwifery!
On November 4th, 2005, the Medical Board of
California, Division of Licensing (DOL) voted
7 to 0 to accept regulations defining the
"appropriate" standard of care to be the Labor Day
Consensus document supported by Licensed Midwives.
The Medical Board received 350 letters of support,
including support from ACOG District IX, and only about
6 in opposition to either the regulation or planned home
birth (PHB) in general.
This document acknowledges and preserves the
right of self-determination for healthy, mentally
competent childbearing women, even those with 'special
circumstances', including breech, twin and previous
Cesarean mothers planning a VBAC.
See Faith
Gibson's
web pages for more information
Thank you!!!
|
Sometime in Nov. 1, 2005 to Mar. 30, 2006 on selected pages.
The monetary damage from Hurricane
Katrina could be paid off in 15 years
just by eliminating unnecessary
c-sections in the United States.
According to the World Health Organization, the optimal
c-section rate is between 5-10%. Yet, here in the
United States in 2005, it is over 25%. Obviously,
over half of the c-sections done are unnecessary . . .
often done because of lack of patience or fear of
liability on the doctor's part. These unnecessary
c-sections account for over $15 billion annually in
patient charges.
|
SEARCH gentlebirth.org
Contact Ronnie Falcao, LM MS
Permission to link to these pages is hereby granted.
