What does it take to go against the current trends in our culture? Curiosity? Critical thinking skills? Perseverance? Sometimes circumstances give an extra push. For most of my nursing career I have worked in the hospital. I worked in hospital labor/delivery units, caring for women during childbirth. I took time…
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…
The Lamaze method of birth has been known for breathing patterns that help a woman to relax and keep pace with labor contractions. I taught breathing patterns to my students. Some women reported that they used the technique during labor. Others said the hospital procedures interfered with their ability to…
One of the women I admire provided care to childbearing women in their homes. For four years I worked in a home birth practice that followed the principles of care taught by Dr. Beatrice Tucker. Dr. Beatrice Tucker was the remarkable woman who directed the Chicago Maternity Center from 1931…
Why would a woman decide to give birth in a hotel? Yesterday WGN News reported 0n a birth that took place in a hotel. The midwife called 911 because the mother needed additional treatment after the baby was born (the baby was healthy). The police were wondering why and how…
When I am planning to travel I usually find a couple of books for my kindle. I prefer hard copy books most of the time, but when traveling e-books are a great option. I saw the title online, Born for Life: A Midwifes’s Story, and was immediately drawn to…
The Five Minute Friday writing community looks forward to the prompt that Kate Motaung gives each week. We pause to think about the word and then write as ideas begin to flow. This week the prompt is: LOYAL The dictionary offers this, as a definition of loyal: faithful to a…
Childbirth practices had changed since I began my career as a labor and delivery nurse. The use of pitocin to hasten birth had become common. The rate of cesarean section had risen from 15% to 30%. I saw a full term infant die after inappropriate use of pitocin. I didn’t…
I am joining the writing community, Five Minute Friday, today. We write for five minutes (or sometimes a little more). The prompt today is: ADAPT It was a decision I came to after much thought, choosing to work with physicians and midwives that attended home birth. I had worked…
Women today have more rights than our ancestors. As we have made progress it is odd that the loudest voice in the current women’s movement is for abortion. I would rather support the right of women to give birth in the setting that they choose. Across the world there is…