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It’s a multi-million dollar start-up backed by Chelsea Clinton and Glamour magazine which claims to be “redesigning” how women give birth. Oula operates from two clinics designed to look like interiors associated with Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop brand, where it offers midwife-led care which it says dramatically cuts the rates of Cesarean sections and premature births. Its star-studded events have featured CBS News anchor Gayle King, ballerina Misty Copeland and Seagram’s heiress Hannah Bronfman, while its polished social media includes motivational quotes for “birthing people.” But now the health company has been hit by a lawsuit which claims its negligence led...

When I was a registered midwife in Australia (for just over 3 decades, interspersed with time in Indonesia), I learnt many interesting things. Attitudes to the presence of a male in the profession were open and warmer in Catholic hospitals than in public hospitals. Generally speaking Catholic hospitals had a touch of warmth in most things compared to the secular places. Vietnamese people were also very open to a male presence in midwifery compared with any other ethnic group. The Vietnamese men were the ones least likely to be uncomfortable if the midwife was a male. It was probably a...

The decision by the Royal College of Midwives to withdraw its decade-long campaign for “normal birth” has come much too late for my own son, Joshua, who sadly died nine days after being born, but is a welcome step. The approach for too long influenced a style of care in maternity wards that put lives at risk. These were the words spoken by Cumbria coroner Ian Smith, as he began summing up the inquest into the death of Joshua, on 6 June 2011: “With advances in medical science and techniques, childbirth has become safer and safer, to the point where...

1/5/2010 - KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- The Kunar provincial governor national and provincial government leaders, and the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team dedicated the province's first midwifery training center to decrease Afghan maternal and infant mortality rates Dec. 22 in Asadabad, Afghanistan. Fazlullah Wahidi, the Kunar provincial governor, Dr. Najilla, ministry of public health's health strengthening system deputy, Pashtoon Azfar, the Afghan midwifery association and Ghazanfer Institute of Health director, tribal elders, and Kunar medical professionals gathered to dedicate the province's first midwifery facility. Along with the ribbon cutting, there was a ceremony recognizing 24 women from around the province...

Lately Ben and I have been playing alot of Monopoly. He loves it and we have both enjoyed the leisure hours spent playing this fun Capitalistic board game. These past few days I have been pondering the recent document TMZ published from the American Medical Association. The OB's currently enjoy a near monopoly with birth in America. And the usual suspects are claiming that AMA resolution 205 on Home Deliveries statement is NOT a step towards criminalizing home birth. It says: "RESOLVED, That our AMA develop model legislation in support of the concept that the safest setting for labor, delivery,...

Missouri state senator’s language in midwifery bill is seen as too broad JEFFERSON CITY | Sen. John Loudon may have outsmarted himself with his move last week to slip a provision into legislation that authorizes professional midwives in Missouri.The provision, included in a health insurance measure known as House Bill 818, would do more than allow midwives to receive compensation. It appears to allow any certified health professional — including doctors, nurses and midwives with Internet certifications — to perform abortions in Missouri.The irony is that Loudon, a St. Louis County Republican, is one of the leading opponents of abortion...

Americans are living in a time when access to obstetrical care is an important topic in politics. Obstetricians are leaving practice in high numbers because of insurance rates which reflect the high number of lawsuits families are filing. This is a sign that the time has come for fellow Americans and politicians to recognize that Professional Midwifery Care has the potential to help resolve many of the concerns American mothers have in maternity care. How can midwives help the current state of maternity care and cost in the US? The cost benefits are evident of many levels: Beginning with prenatal...