Click here to read Part 1 ~ How the maternity care system (care for healthy childbearing women) in the US originally became illogical Part 2 ~ Obstetrical management of normal childbirth ~ 1910-1980 By 1910, the ‘standard of care’ for normal childbirth as defined by the new surgical discipline of obstetrics and gynecology was (no surprise!) an… Continue reading CCM Preamble to VBAC statement ~ Part 2: the obstetricalization of normal maternity care
Category: 21st Century Healthcare in US
CCM Preamble to VBAC Statement: Part 1 ~ High CS rate & 50% hospitals ban VBACs: symptoms of an irrational maternity care system
This is a preamble to the California College of Midwives’ formal statement on VBAC. The high-profile need for VBAC services is a direct result of the high CS rate in the United States. VBAC has become particularly controversial because 50% of California hospitals ban VBACs; a large proportion of obstetrical practices refuse to provide obstetrical care for a normal vaginal birth after a… Continue reading CCM Preamble to VBAC Statement: Part 1 ~ High CS rate & 50% hospitals ban VBACs: symptoms of an irrational maternity care system
The Social and Political History of Midwifery in California: 1850 to 2014
NOTE: This essay has become far too long for its previous title as a “Short” History of Midwifery. Since it covers more than 165 years of sociology, the politics of organized medicine, and legislative history of both non-nurse and nurse-midwifery, I still think its ‘short’ but many of my readers didn’t agree. I’m currently editing… Continue reading The Social and Political History of Midwifery in California: 1850 to 2014
Part 4: How the obstetrical profession can eliminate the “midwife problem” forever but will never do it
A possible win-win for mothers and midwives vs. business-as-usual Since the 1980s, most L&D units have ‘permitted’ unmedicated women to get out of bed, and fathers and family members are now ‘allowed’ to present for the birth, but this only returns us to the central theme for many contemporary women – the absence of an… Continue reading Part 4: How the obstetrical profession can eliminate the “midwife problem” forever but will never do it
Part 3: How the obstetrical profession can eliminate the “midwife problem” but will never do it
Part 3 ~ Turning a backlash into forward action ~ women’s groups plan to acknowledge and protect the human dignity of childbearing women As judged by worldwide standards, the historically poor performance of interventive obstetrics in the US represented an uncritical acceptance of an unscientific premise — a ‘one-size-fits-all’ obstetrical model that repeated and continually fails to distinguish between healthy… Continue reading Part 3: How the obstetrical profession can eliminate the “midwife problem” but will never do it
Part 2 ~ Historical Overview: How the obstetrical profession can eliminate the “midwife problem” forever but will never do it
Historical overview For centuries obstetrics was simply a general part of medicine. Since it did not include any advanced training in reproductive surgery, the skills of the average family practice doctor were not all that different from the typical practice of midwifery. In colonial American, childbirth services were split 50-50 between midwives and MDs. Before… Continue reading Part 2 ~ Historical Overview: How the obstetrical profession can eliminate the “midwife problem” forever but will never do it
Part 1: How the American obstetrical profession can easily eliminate the “midwife problem” but would never consider it
By faith Gibson, LM, CPM ~ former L&D nurse, mother, grandmother, childbirth educator, birth activist, professional community midwife, and a person who is never afraid to hope for a better future Healthy women with normal pregnancies living in developed countries generally have no reason to worry about the basic safety of normal childbirth. Since pregnancy is… Continue reading Part 1: How the American obstetrical profession can easily eliminate the “midwife problem” but would never consider it
Information for CaLMs ~ MBC’s Oct 15th “Interested Parties” meeting
Like most Ca LMs, I received a notice from the Medical Board for the Interested Parties meeting at the MBC’s state offices in Sacramento on Oct 15th (1-4pm) This event will set the tone for implementation of AB 1308 relative to: (i) Any preexisting maternal disease or condition likely to affect the pregnancy. (ii) Significant… Continue reading Information for CaLMs ~ MBC’s Oct 15th “Interested Parties” meeting
21st Century Healthcare ~ Community Midwives join as “up-streamists” in the new approach to preventative healthcare
This link takes you to a new and dynamic organization called HealthBegins.org. This topic is crucially important to Ca LMs in many ways, including our ability to ‘fix’ the ‘unintended consequences’ (i.e. problems) created by the AB 1308 amendment to the LMPA. The HealthBegings movement was started by a general practice physician from South LA… Continue reading 21st Century Healthcare ~ Community Midwives join as “up-streamists” in the new approach to preventative healthcare
AB 1896 ~ BACKGROUND PAPER: THE MIDWIFERY PRACTICE ACT OF 1978
Department of Consumer Affairs 1020 N Street, Sacramento, California 95814 The original 11-page document was defaced so pages 1 thru 4, and pages 7 thru 11 were re-typed into a WORD document. Specific details were not copied as AB 1896 was… Continue reading AB 1896 ~ BACKGROUND PAPER: THE MIDWIFERY PRACTICE ACT OF 1978