• Created on 4/17/12 by Melanie Mayo

A TV news reporter called me today. She wants me to make an on-camera comment about a recent mix-up in a Virginia, MN hospital.  Despite the many safety procedures hospitals are required to have in place, a newborn baby was placed in the wrong mama’s arms for a few brief minutes, and perhaps nursed on a breast that did not belong to him. The families involved are understandably shook up. I’m sure the poor nurse is horrified, and probably in trouble. Hospital administrators instantly and publically abandoned one identification procedure in exchange for... read more

• Created on 4/16/12 by Melanie Mayo

“Being pregnant and giving birth are like crossing a narrow bridge. People can accompany you to the bridge. They can greet you on the other side, but you must walk that bridge alone.” ~African Proverb~ * * * * The word midwife literally means, “With woman” and that is what I am. I spend my days sitting with women at one of the most pivotal moments in their lives. Married or single, 17 or 35 years old, Balinese or Australian, Christian or Muslim, HIV positive or... read more

• Created on 4/16/12 by Mothering Editorial

By Amy Buringrud Web Exclusive I'm just about to cross over into the third trimester of my first pregnancy, and I'm not sure where the first two went. Juggling the demands of a home-based business, an active social calendar, volunteer obligations, and nearly every childbirth class under the sun, has left me in a tailspin without much time to really appreciate my changing body and the last few months before handing my independence over to a brand new soul. A wonderfully hedonistic friend offered the perfect solution to slow down the clock just enough to... read more

• Created on 4/16/12 by Mothering Editorial

Get your home ready for the new baby by preparing a simple altar as a powerful symbol for your birth. Choose a place on a dresser, a windowsill, or a low table. Cover the area with a beautiful cloth or leave it bare. Add some candles and incense. Look for some interesting rocks when you go for a walk. Maybe you have some seashells you’ve collected in the past. Select items that make you feel good and strong. Or choose objects that are meaningful to you in a religious or spiritual way. Include a small fountain, photos of beloved ancestors and... read more

• Created on 4/16/12 by Melanie Mayo

Thank you to Cynthia Overgard for sharing this blog post with us. It was originally published on Cynthia’s blog, HypnoBirthing of Connecticut.  No doubt about it: Deep breathing, visualization and relaxation tools are powerful when it comes to having a positive birth. HypnoBirthing not only helped me, but hundreds of my couples to have comfortable, natural births. But the tools alone aren’t enough, and they won’t serve anyone who walks into the hands of an obstetrician with a sky-high cesarean rate. Embracing Change To me, changing practitioners... read more

• Created on 4/15/12 by Melanie Mayo

Thank you to Jennifer Margulis for this update on last week’s coverage of Ireena Keeslar, the Indiana midwife who was arrested for practicing midwifery. Read the full post on Jennifer’s blog. (April 13, 2012) Ireena Keeslar, 49, a certified professional midwife (CPM) announced today that she will no longer attend homebirths in Indiana. In Indiana it is a felony for certified professional midwives, like Keeslar, to attend homebirths. “We have defined the delivery of babies as the practice of medicine,” said Representative Tim Brown, M.D.,... read more

• Created on 4/12/12 by Melanie Mayo

Lisa Barrett and Gloria Lemay I’m excited looking forward to Sarah Buckley’s keynote talk this morning here in Nashville, about oxytocin, or as she calls it, “Liquid Love.” It’s been fun getting here a little early (arrived Tuesday evening to teach my all-day pre-conference workshop yesterday based on my book Parenting for Peace)… and meeting lots of new and fabulous folks from the worldwide field of midwifery. Have already heard a few chilling tales worthy of Orwell of the harassment that can be visited upon birth attendants who actually trust... read more

• Created on 4/11/12 by Melanie Mayo

I’d like to introduce this blog by sharing with you a personal story, of how my son came into the world. Pregnancy and birth is where the amazing, life-changing journey of parenthood began for me. It also sowed the seeds of my writing. It is Ewan who continually reminds me to follow my instincts, who helps me to parent more naturally. My pregnancy and early labour were natural and gentle, with few medical interventions. Sadly, Ewan was eventually delivered by emergency caesarean section. As traumatic as this was, we were also relieved he was born a... read more

• Created on 4/11/12 by Melanie Mayo

ABC News reported yesterday that Michael Hawthorne, a New Jersey truck driver and the son/grandson of midwives, just helped deliver his third baby on the side of the road. With blaring car horns in the background, and frantic fathers desperately trying to reach 911, Hawthorne said he tries to remain calm for the births, just how his grandmother and mother taught him. Not only has Hawthorne helped three moms in emergency delivery situations–a random occurrence so common in his life that he now carries around a birth kit–he has also helped save a... read more

• Created on 4/9/12 by Melanie Mayo

She’s curled up on the couch, waiting, a ball of baby and emotions. A scrambled pile of books on pregnancy, labor, baby names, breastfeeding…not one more word can be absorbed. The birth supplies are loaded in a laundry basket, ready for action. The freezer is filled with meals, the car seat installed, the camera charged. It’s time to hurry up and wait. Not a comfortable place to be, but wholly necessary. The last days of pregnancy— sometimes stretching to agonizing weeks—are a distinct place, time, event, stage. It is a time of in between. Neither here nor... read more