Today is International Midwives Day (also variously called "International Day of the Midwife" or "International Midwifery Day"). Call or write you midwife and thank her!
It's a great day to host an event, such as a picnic, lecture, protest, etc. to help raise awareness of midwifery care. The International Confederation of Midwives has some more ideas (.pdf). So if you are part of a consumer, homebirth, or natural parenting group, you might want to start planning something for next year.
The Seattle Midwifery School has information on how you can help a library or bookstore create a display.
Wisconsin has reason to celebrate. Not only did the governor declare May 5th International Midwives' Day, but this week marked the first home delivery by a licenced midwife since that state's newly-enacted regulatory scheme went into effect. Congratulations to Wisconsin midwives and midwifery supporters for all their hard work.
Louisa at Mama (Mid)Wife Madness answers the question "Why does the world need midwives?".
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5 comments:
A good friend of mine had all 3 of her children, at home, with a midwife.
Just last year- I think- there was some legal things going on in her state to not allow midwifery or something like that.
Here is the link to her posts about it.
http://tinyurl.com/2odnyt
There are several posts- the most current are the birth of her 3rd little girl. If you scroll down to about the end of January, she has written all about the debacle.
Thought you may be interested. If you're not, sorry if I overstepped my boundaries.
Have a great day!
Thanks, lawbrat! I actually have read your friend's blog, and I linked to it here:
http://tinyurl.com/2f6kwh
Indiana really is a "hot spot" right now as far as midwifery is concerned.
I believe that each person should be able to decide for themselves how they want to deliver their children.
That said, I'm not sure I'd have the guts to do it. My first was an emergency c-section, second one was scheduled.
Who knows? Maybe if I'd had them with a midwife, things would have been different. Less stressful, not having 15 different people 'checking' my cervix. (it was a 'teaching' hospital). Finally, after about the 5th time of many people 'checking' my now ex-husband said enough. Doctor or nurse only.
It didn't bother me in terms of being checked, but the number of people was just nuts.
Thanks for your info. I was recently accepted into midwifery school in Ontario. I am finding all of the legal cases quite disturbing...
Midwifery is one of the oldest professions in history. It is an art that surpasses the medical knowledge needed and combines the medical aspects of birth with the intimate miracle that someone goes through while having their baby. Hospital births are sterile, but needed for some. It is a choice, but your choices end once you admit yourself to their care. If you bring a birth plan, be ready for a fight. I have had the experience of three very different births. One emergency, one at home, and one planned at the hospital. My home birth was hard, it was labor. But I felt comforted, someone was always with me to make sure I was ok. The hospital made me feel like I was on an assembly line. They even called CPS because of my refusal to vaccinate my son due to religious beliefs! Now with this "wonderful" new legislation that was passed, many lay midwives are not going to be able to continue practicing. It's an expensive test and midwifery is not a money making business. Many of the midwives have educations comparable to OBs. I would love for an OB to put their infant fatality record up against the record of a midwife's. It is a fact, not my opinion that hopsitals have more baby deaths on their hands and will not even reveal their statistics to soon-to-be parents. And then there are all then "routine" procedures you endure during labor because you've signed away your rights! To me, this legislation is a modern day witch hunt. It is interfering with a time old profession that is statistically safer than giving birth in a hospital. But I guess as Americans, we've just become use to giving up our rights!
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