Two books give insight into the practice of midwifery. Martha Ballard was a midwife in Maine in the late 1700s.
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Beating the Statistics: Praise God!
If a woman’s first childbirth was via cesarean section, usually the next birth will be by cesarean section. The CDC provides the statistics for repeat cesarean section. It is 85%. My daughter-in-law’s first baby was born by cesarean section, but she hoped to deliver her second baby normally (vaginally). She…
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Born for Life: A Midwife’s Story
The book, Born for Life; A Midwife's story reminded me of my own experiences.
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Book Review: The Resistance Girl
During WWII Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany. Like many occupied countries, there was a resistance movement. Mandy Robotham has written a historical fiction book, The Resistance Girl, based on events that took place during that time. The main character, Rumi, is a young woman who is the daughter of…
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A Research Trail: Finding the Finnish Midwife
The trip to Finland in 2017 had several purposes. We were meeting some relatives for the first time at a family reunion in northern Finland. After the reunion my husband I traveled south by train. When we arrived in Vaasa (western coast of Finland) we rented a car. The midwife…
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Herbs in a Nosegay
This summer I have had more time in the garden. The flowers and herbs are flourishing. I picked a nosegay including these herbs with their flowers: calendula, echinacea, feverfew, lavender, mint, lemon balm and marjoram. Some years ago, when I was working as maternity nurse and Lamaze instructor, I came…
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Strong Women: Midwives and Nurses
As we look back through history, we come across women who demonstrated faith and courage. Their actions were based on convictions. Some are midwives, and some are nurses. The first book of Exodus records the confrontation between Pharoah and two midwives. Shiprah and Puah did not carry out the Pharoah’s…
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Immigrant Women and Midwives
A couple of books have stirred my thoughts and emotions. I read a lot—sometimes three books in a week. I don’t review many. These two books have touched me. The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin is historical fiction based on a real event. In 1888 a blizzard came on suddenly in…
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She Asked Me to Pray
After working in hospital labor/delivery units for many years, I had the opportunity to join a home birth practice. I attended healthy women in labor at home. During the active phase of labor the doctor or midwife arrived. Approximately ten percent of the women were transferred to the hospital for…
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The Changing Ways of Birth
I was born in Michigan, and so was my mother. My grandmother was born in Finland. My grandmother gave birth to her children at home. My mother gave birth in the hospital during the obstetric practice of twilight sleep and delivery with forceps. I gave birth by cesarean section. As…