• Last updated 11/3/12 by Cynthia Mosher

Thank you to Sarah Kraft, President of Midwife International, for this guest post.   Even in the 21st century, a woman might still find herself walking alone in the dark left to deliver her baby unassisted on the side of a road. It is difficult to fathom, and yet it happens frequently. For every 31 mothers in sub-Saharan Africa, 1 will die from a pregnancy-related cause, compared with 1 in every 4,300 mothers in developed regions. But there is a solution to these horrific realities and statistics–midwives. A recent study by the United... read more

• Last updated 11/3/12 by Cynthia Mosher

A new plan to reduce postpartum depression in the UK will grant every pregnant woman a midwife, The Guardian reported yesterday. …the government has pledged to improve maternity care by ensuring women have one named midwife to oversee their care during pregnancy and after they have their baby, making sure every women has one-to-one midwife care and giving parents-to-be the choice over where and how they give birth. The NHS will also be judged on how well it looks after parents who have miscarried, suffered a stillbirth or cot death, with... read more

• Last updated 11/3/12 by Cynthia Mosher

In Midwives Know Birth Matters twelve different midwives, practicing in all settings, speak about the importance of birth for babies, mothers and birth partners.  The quality care midwives provide can make all the difference in facilitating a safe, supportive and satisfying experience.  Midwives know how we are born and how a woman becomes a mother matters! I am a Midwife is a new online video series about midwives and what they do.  A new video will be released weekly throughout May and June.  Subscribe to I am a Midwife on Youtube From the... read more

• Last updated 11/3/12 by Cynthia Mosher

The "Woman" in Woman in the Moon Films I’m a filmmaker, educator, activist and mother.  My work with Woman in the Moon Films centers on social change around birth options–from “the local” and my own backyard to the national and global.  I am passionate about birth, women, mothers and midwives. Here’s why I do what I do: In December of 2004 I had a homebirth with my son in an antique farmhouse in a rural community in mid-coast Maine.   My professional midwives, Donna Broderick and Ellie Daniels, both CPMs with Morningstar Midwifery lived... read more

• Last updated 11/3/12 by Cynthia Mosher

Either you like pushing, or you don’t. Not too many women who feel so-so on this topic. Personally, I hated it. Three kids, and each one I would have coped with contractions for another calendar day before I would have willingly pushed. So when I have a mother who is a fierce non-pusher, I get it. I recently attended a lovely birth for an almost-mother-of-three, who I watched paddle around her birth tub like a dog caught in a swimming pool, looking for a way out. She spun circles, flipped from front to back, moaned and groaned, cried, and... read more

• Last updated 5/10/12 by Cynthia Mosher

A Mothering Pregnancy   A slideshow of beautifully pregnant Mothering community mamas     Watch the Mothering Pregnancy Slideshow   read more

• Last updated 11/3/12 by Cynthia Mosher

It is inexplicable that women in our society are left alone with their newborns at the time they need family support the most. Feeling utterly exhausted, overwhelmed and traumatised with a tiny new being to care for, I needed my husband with me. He was told to leave. I felt totally alone, confused as to why he had gone. A busy hospital ward My stomach started to distend instead of decrease in size. I threw up all morsels of food and drink I tried in vain to get down. I was suffering from post-operative ileus; my bowels weren’t functioning... read more

• Last updated 12/5/12 by Melanie Mayo

  Anyone who has suffered from any form of postpartum depression knows that it is nothing to be taken lightly.   Knowing you are not alone, and that your feelings are not your fault, are important things to remember when trying to find a way to tackle your pain. Many mothers go through what you are experiencing now and want to help you make it through. It is OK to be honest about your feelings and seek help.    Here are some suggestions to help you find support and gain information in your journey. Many are simple and will only be helpful in mild cases.... read more

• Last updated 5/9/12 by Mothering Editorial

By Sheila Kitzinger Web Exclusive Doctors used to claim that newborn babies could neither see nor hear, and that they could not feel much. They were simply bundles of flesh, and the more they screamed, the better, because it "opened their lungs". Even some midwives believed this. I remember Margaret Myles, author of the highly respected textbook of midwifery, telling me that it was ridiculous to dim the lights at birth because a baby could not see anyway. Babies were blind. Even mothers believed that their babies couldn't see until they were six weeks old.... read more

• Last updated 11/3/12 by Cynthia Mosher

The debut video from I am a Midwife, the new free online video series from Midwives Alliance of North America all about midwives and what they do! In Midwifery Care:  What’s in it for Women? eight different “real life” midwives describe the safe, supportive and satisfying care that midwives in all settings–home, hospital and birth center–provide to women and their families. To see more videos in this free series, subscribe to IAAM on Youtube And show some “Like” at Midwives Alliance Facebook Co-produced by MANA and Woman in the Moon... read more