Girls Not Brides, a new campaign against child marriage
From the press release: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Dr Gro Brundtland and Mary Robinson will draw global attention to the neglected issue of child marriage during the United Nations General Assembly week in New York, 19-23 September. [...] Each year, an estimated 10 million girls are married worldwide before the age of 18. That’s more than [...]
That Homebirth Study in South Australia
Planned home and hospital births in South Australia, 1991-2006: differences in outcomes Robyn Kennare, Marc Keirse, Graeme Tucker and Annabelle Chan, MJA 192(2), 18 January 2009 You’re going to be hearing a lot from the Australian Medical Association about That Homebirth Study In South Australia, so here are a few actual facts to be getting [...]
Things that are not our business, Duggar edition.
I don’t suppose anyone has a cite for this? “Every time you have a pregnancy, the placenta implants in the uterus and that implantation site cannot be used again because it’s scarred,” said Dr. Diane Harper of the University of Missouri in Kansas City. [source] There’s also a bizarre statement about how the “weakened” pelvic [...]
OBs denying doula access: Where’s the SCIENCE!!!1!?
Can someone show me again the SCIENCE!!!1! behind denying access to a doula during maternity care? Here are a few excerpts of papers I found, mixed in type (quantitative research, qualitative research, meta-analysis, review), on doula care. Emphases are mine. The effect of a supportive companion on perinatal problems, length of labor, and mother-infant interaction. [...]
Utah OB practice declares its misogyny up front
The Birth Whisperer (and just about everyplace else in the birthosphere) has published a sign posted in the Aspen Women’s Center in Utah, USA. Description: A teal sign on an office wall, reading: Because the physicians at Aspen Women’s Center care about the quality of their patient’s[sic] deliveries and are very concerned about the welfare [...]
Hutton’s Ontario Homebirth/Hospital Birth Study
The latest homebirth study is out. The last was from British Columbia; this one’s from Ontario. “Outcomes Associated with Planned Home and Planned Hospital Births in Low-Risk Women Attended by Midwives in Ontario, Canada, 2003–2006: A Retrospective Cohort Study” Eileen K. Hutton, Angela H. Reitsma, and Karyn Kaufman. Birth Volume 36 Issue 3, Pages 180 [...]
Independent midwife clients granted a brief reprieve – or are they?
The West this afternoon tells us: “Homebirth mothers win reprieve”: Pregnant women wanting to give birth at home have won a reprieve after Federal Government and the States cut a deal today to allow midwives to continue practising without insurance. Health Minister Nicola Roxon announced privately practising midwives would have a two year exemption from [...]
Canadian study finds mothers & babies much less likely to be injured in homebirth
Via Science and Sensibility, this new homebirth study out of British Columbia should be required reading for our Health Department and policy-makers: “Outcomes of planned home birth with registered midwife versus planned hospital birth with midwife or physician”[1]. This high-quality study compared equivalent-risk homebirths (HB), midwife-attended hospital births (Midwife-in-Hospital, MiH), and doctor-attended hospital births (Doctor-in-Hospital, [...]
Quickhit: “Pit to distress”
Unnecesarean, Nursing Birth, and other bloggers are talking about an unofficial protocol used by some obstetricians, “Pit to distress”. Check it out at these links, which explain the background and the reality on the ground. “Pit to Distress”: Your Ticket to an “Emergency” Cesarean? “Pit to Distress”: A Disturbing Reality “Pit To Distress” PART 2: [...]
Rally in Canberra September 7: Homebirth: What’s the Crime? Guest post by Janet Fraser
This is a guest post by Janet Fraser, National Convenor of Joyous Birth, the Australian homebirth network, also blogging at Looking Glass Alice. It is cross-posted here. With a background in academia and feminist activism, Janet brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to running the world’s only forums solely devoted to homebirth. HOMEBIRTH: WHAT’S [...]
Homebirth to become illegal in a year.
I’ve been meaning to write a big post on this, but it just hasn’t happened. So here’s a little one. Read some background at “Homebirth Ban” “Maternity Services Review: Medicare payments to OBs up from $77m to $211m since 2004.” “Quickhit: Maternity Services Review and Homebirth” Then hop on over to Lisa Barrett’s blog (caution [...]
First the good news
A Netherlands study showing that midwife-assisted homebirths are at least as safe for low-risk mothers as midwife-led hospital deliveries and Did you know that defence lawyers in NSW and other Australian states can subpoena counsellor records of rape victims on behalf of the alleged rapist? Without the victim’s knowledge?
Feminism and birth in Australia: moving from stat-wrangling towards a reproductive choice perspective
I’ve been looking for the most recent official stats on homebirth and hospital birth mortality in Australia. I can’t find 2007 or 2008 figures, but there are 2006 figures available. Australia’s mothers and babies 2006 The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Perinatal Statistics Unit, Published December 2008. Most births in Australia occur in hospitals, [...]
More confected fat-baby epidemic panic? The “increasing trend” that isn’t.
This supposed ongoing upward trend in birthweight has been used as an excuse for absurd levels of inductions of labour and skyrocketing C sections, and a springboard for blaming lazy, old, fat, neglectful mothers for the “obesity epidemic”, childhood cancer, asthma, diabetes, cats and dogs living together – you name it, someone screams “Inflating babies!”, [...]
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