Commentaries: Expanding the Conversation
New Largest Ever Waterbirth Study
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Of Missing Voices and the Obstetric Imaginary
Abstract In this commentary, I respond to an ethical analysis of a case study, reported by Jankowski and Burcher, in which a woman gives birth to an infant with a known heart anomaly of unknown severity, at home, attended by a midwife. Jankowski and Burcher argue that the midwife who…
Read MoreThe Creation of a Consensus Statement by the ACNM, MAMA, and the NACPM: A Modified-Delphi Study on Normal Physiologic Birth
Abstract INTRODUCTION This article describes the process of developing consensus on a definition of, and best practices for, normal physiologic birth in the United States. Evidence supports the use of physiologic birth practices, yet a working definition of this term has been elusive. METHODS We began by convening a task…
Read MoreNavigating Social and Institutional Obstacles: Women’s Experiences Seeking Abortion Care in Western Oregon
Abstract Nearly half of all women in the United States will have at least one abortion during their lifetime, and many will encounter economic, logistical, and/or social obstacles while attempting to undergo the procedure. The purpose of this project was to examine the abortion-seeking experiences of a volunteer sample of…
Read MoreHomebirth Transfers in the United States: Narratives of Risk, Fear and Mutual Accommodation
Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the contested space of home-to-hospital transfers that occur during labor or in the immediate postpartum period, as a means of identifying the mechanisms that maintain philosophical and practice divides between homebirth midwives and hospital-based clinicians in the United States. Using data…
Read MoreThe Crusade Against Home Birth
Abstract A recent study by Grunebaum et al examined the relationship between place of birth and adverse neonatal outcomes (Apgar of 0 at 5 minutes, and neonatal seizures or serious neurologic dysfunction—hereafter referred to as neonatal seizures) as reported in birth certificate data from 2007 to 2010 for term newborns (n = 13,891,274)…
Read MoreBreastfeeding and Childhood Obesity: Where Do We Go From Here?
Abstract Breast is best. Both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics agree that Baby needs no other foods or drinks, even water, for 6 months.1,2 Mother should then continue to nurse him (throughout this article, we refer to the child as “he” to distinguish him from his…
Read MoreSupporting Healthy and Normal Physiologic Childbirth: A Consensus Statement by the American College of Nurse-Midwives, Midwives Alliance of North America, and the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives
Introduction In 1996, the World Health Organization called for the elimination of unnecessary intervention in childbirth, yet currently there are few resources to assist maternity care providers in achieving this goal. The purpose of this consensus statement is to explicitly identify key benchmarks of safe, healthy, and normal physiologic childbirth.…
Read MoreReinscribing the Birthing Body: Homebirth as Ritual Performance
Abstract In this article, I examine the clinical practices engaged in by U.S. homebirth midwives and their clients from the beginning of pregnancy through to the immediate postpartum period, deconstructing them for their symbolic and ritual content. Using data collected from open‐ended, semistructured interviews and intensive participant‐observation, I describe the…
Read MoreRethinking Dr. Spock
Abstract I read with interest the “Voices From the Past” article that reprinted part of Dr. Spock’s book, Decent and Indecent: Our Personal and Political Behavior.1 The accompanying brief biography of Dr. Spock was intriguing as well—we should all aspire to speak so vocally and publicly about issues pertaining to health and…
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