New Bill Opens Opportunities for Local Midwives and Nurses
Last month House Bill 2186 was signed into law with flying colors, passed by the House of Representatives on a 95-0 vote, and the Senate on a 49-0 vote. This new law will allow nurses for the first time to coordinate with and work at the direction of licensed midwives in our state. Rep. Barbara Bailey, who [...]
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A Job Opportunity for Area Midwives
Denise Midstokke CPM, recently contacted Bloom to let us know of a job opening at her beautiful birth center in Sandpoint, ID. We don’t have a classified section on our website, perhaps this is something that we will develop in the future, but we still wanted to share this opportunity with our readers. Denise says: [...]
Review Your Maternity Care Provider Online
OCTOBER 29, 2010
Bloom Spokane believes that women of childbearing age must have access to information that will help them choose maternity care providers and institutions that are most compatible with their own philosophies and needs. This includes being able to access patient feedback on doctors, midwives, hospitals and birth centers.
If you’ve given birth in the United States in the past three years, you are eligible to participate in The Birth Survey. Thanks to The Birth Survey: Transparency in Maternity Care, “women can now give consumer reviews of doctors, midwives, hospitals, and birth centers, learn about the choices and birth experiences of others, and view data on hospital and birth center standard practices and intervention rates.” If enough women take this survey, it could have a serious impact on maternity care in the U.S. [...]
Deaconess Women’s Clinic: Part 2
In my recent interview with Catherine Shields, one of the certified nurse midwives at the Deaconess Women’s Clinic in Spokane, we talked about the things that make the clinic’s practice unique in our area—especially for women who wish to have a natural birth in the hospital. This article contains her answers to many of the questions that pregnant women should ask of their prenatal care providers. It also bears witness to the loving heart of a self-proclaimed “Old Midwife” who has seen it all and lives for the opportunity to guide mothers through the most important experience of their lives. [...]
Oprah.com Reports on Alternative Birth Options
I am always beyond excited to see a non-sensationalist article about natural birth appearing on any mainstream website, television program or other media outlet. Though natural birth at home has been the norm throughout history, in recent times it has become a radical, outsider and even legally-banned practice in the U.S. That’s why I’m giving Oprah.com a gold star for raising awareness about the subject and letting American families know that they have other options besides hospital birth attended by obstetricians!
A recent article appearing on Oprah.com, by Fritz Lenneman, begins “With Caesarean section surgeries occurring in nearly one in three pregnancies and traditional hospital births by obstetricians costing an average of $8,000 to $10,000, some pregnant women are exploring other options. And the future of childbirth in America might start looking more like the past.” He then describes the roles of midwives and doulas in the birth process and talks about the legal challenges faced by some home-birth midwives. “Though about half of states allow at-home birth, it remains uncommon in the United States—just 1 percent of births occur in nonhospital settings including home births and birthing centers.” He also discusses alternative methods for inducing labor such as acupuncture, acupressure, walking, eating spicy foods and sex. Yes SEX! [...]
Natural Birth in Hospitals
Even though it is a radical idea to many mainstream childbirth professionals, it is entirely possible to have a natural birth in a hospital—one without any medical interventions, pain medications or surgical procedures. It is even possible to have a beautiful, satisfying and empowering birth experience in a hospital, provided the parents have chosen the proper health care professionals and received thorough education about natural childbirth methods.
However, pregnant women must take matters into their own hands—your birth is your responsibility! If you believe that natural birth in a hospital setting is the best option for you, finding the right Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) who will support your vision of natural birth is key to achieving your goal. As well, you should prepare for the experience by taking natural childbirth classes (Lamaze, Bradley Method, HypnoBirthing) and make sure that you have proper labor support. First time mothers giving birth in a hospital can greatly benefit from, and are more likely to achieve a non-medicated birth, with the help of a doula. [...]
Top 100 Natural Birth Blogs
Top 100 Natural Birth Blogs
This list of the top 100 natural birth blogs, compiled by MRI Tech’s Health Blog, pulls together their favorite sites, resources, and tools that provide information about natural birth. The featured bloggers include midwives, doulas, moms, hypnosis experts, childbirth educators and other natural birth advocates. While I haven’t peeked at every blog on this list, I am familiar with several of them through my own research on the topic. Here are a few of my personal favorites, not listed elsewhere on Bloom, in case you don’t feel like perusing a list of 100 sites. [...]
Every Woman Should See This!
If you are pregnant or even planning to have a baby, I highly recommend watching this documentary. It will strip away any illusions you may have about the experience of giving birth in a hospital or at home.
After having her first child, actress Ricki Lake (of talk show fame) decided to explore and question the way most American women are having babies. “The Business of Being Born” is a controversial documentary that will open your eyes about the shocking state of our current maternity care system in the U.S. It presents intimate birth stories, juxtaposing standard hospital deliveries against the growing movement of women who are choosing to have natural births at home. [...]
The Birth Survey
How did you choose a caregiver for your prenatal care and birth? Most women I know rely on referrals from friends and often do their own research to find the doctor or midwife who will respect their wishes and support them in the birth experience they desire. In doing that research, women and their partners should have access to accurate and transparent information about the health professionals in their area as well as extensive personal feedback from other women about their birth experiences. [...]
Is Natural Birth Right for You?
There is probably no topic more hotly debated amongst mothers and healthcare professionals than the one of using pain medication versus natural childbirth. How a woman and her partner plan for the birth of their child is an extremely personal decision-making process. Every expectant mother has heard birth stories, whether positive or negative, which influence her thinking about labor and birth. Her hopes and expectations have been shaped by her own family history, television shows, pregnancy books and her friends’ birth experiences. [...]
