The latest research, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics, focused on the Netherlands, where around 30 per cent of births take place at home.

Of all births in England and Wales in 2006, 2.7 per cent took place at home, the most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed. A total of 18,100 were at home, out of a total of 662,915.

The number of home births has been on the rise from an all-time low of 0.9 per cent in 1988 and a major study is currently being carried out into the safety of giving birth in different settings in England and will report by the end of 2010.

http://www.euronews24.org/united-kingdom/home-births-as-safe-as-hospital-1/

WHO: Midwives, Families, Doulas, Childbirth Educators, the Birth Community, and anyone interested in supporting midwives and learning more about the Midwifery Model of Care

WHAT: A Celebration of Midwives, including a potluck (bring a dish to share!), raffle with prizes, kids area, maternity and children’s clothing exchange (bring your stuff!), and informational booths

WHERE: Papago Park, 625 North Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85008, Ramadas 9 and 10 (Please park in Phoenix Zoo Parking Lot.) ftp://www.phoenix.gov/pub/PARKS/papamap3.pdf

WHEN: Tuesday, May 5th From 10a.m. To 2p.m.

WHY: Midwives provide the highest level of healthcare to the pregnant women and families they serve. Let’s get the word out and celebrate these amazing women!

MORE: For more information about this event, to assist with planning, or to represent your organization at the celebration, Please contact the Planning Committee at internationalmidwivesdayofaz@yahoo.com or call Alison Haasch at 602-663-0631

Alison Haasch owns LifeSpring Midwifery, LLC and is a licensed midwife in the state of Arizona. LifeSpring Midwifery is located in Queen Creek, Arizona and provides midwifery and well women services to Pinal County and the Phoenix metro area in the East Valley of Maricopa County.

Alison Haasch provides midwifery services in Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Fountain Hills, Maricopa, Casa Grande, San Tan Valley, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, and Florence.

Birth Matters Virginia is soliciting 4-7 minute educational videos about birth in the hopes of reducing the incidence of medically unnecessary c-sections, infant and maternal morbidity, and skyrocketing health care costs. The first-place winner will receive a prize of $1,000. Second place $500 and an “honorable mention” prize of $100 will also be awarded. The deadline for entering the contest is Mother’s Day, May 10, 2009.

Guest judges include: Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, acclaimed producers of the Business of Being Born and Sarah J. Buckley., MD, international birth expert and author of Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering. Ricki, Abby, and Sarah will join a consumer-based panel of judges who will be evaluating the tone, educational content, creativity and more. You don’t have to be a professional to enter and you don’t have to be from Virginia. We’d love to get videos from mothers, fathers, filmmakers, film students, birth advocates, and anyone else who is interested in birth or film or wants to win $1000.

Birth Matters Virginia advocates “evidence-based” maternity care, which simply means using the best available research on the safety and effectiveness of specific practices to help guide maternity care decisions and to facilitate optimal outcomes in mothers and newborns. There are a lot of ways to approach that topic and lots of opinions on what that means, and we’re looking forward to the variety of entries.

For rules, how to enter, or to sign up for updates, please visit http://www.birthmattersva.org/videocontest.html
You can also join our Facebook group to get updates about the contest and exchange ideas with other participants at
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=73753459808
And if you have questions, email Sarah at Richmond@birthmattersva.org

Even if you don’t plan to make a video or submit an entry, please pass this email on to everyone you can think of, post it on your blog, your Facebook page, Twitter, whatever you can think of! The more people submit videos, the more will be out there on YouTube and we could use all the help we can get spreading the word.

On Twitter @benjamingeiger asked me what are the benefits of home birth over hospital birth. I’ll admit that it was a question that made me stop and stare for a few minutes. When you’re as obsessed about birth as I am asking if there are benefits of having a home birth is a bit like asking if there are benefits to breathing. I have to remind myself that not everyone can list the benefits off the top of their head like most in the birth community can.

Because Twitter has a 140 character limit I decided to put together a short list of the benefits of home birth over hospital birth. I know I have several readers who are birth junkies like me, so please jump in the comments and add your own benefits.

http://wiredfornoise.com/the-benefits-of-home-birth

This morning in Babble Wrap we linked to a story about the tragic deaths of four babies in the last nine months during homebirths. The article in the Telegraph painted a picture of women undergoing ‘risky’ homebirths as they are ‘refugees’ of an interventionist hospital system which does not provide continuity of care towards pregnant women.

At least one of these births, however, was unattended by a medical professional. Janet Fraser, national convener of the Joyous Birth organisation, is mourning the death of her own baby during a water birth at her Croydon Park home, attended by her partner and a female friend. She is yet to make a statement.

There is a massive difference between midwife-attended homebirths, which have been proven in other countries to have a similar level of safety to hospital births, and what is known as ‘freebirthing’, where no qualified medical attendant is present. The difference was unclear in the original report.

http://www.babble.com.au/2009/04/06/homebirthing-vs-freebirthing-there-is-a-difference/

Yesterday in New York City, Julie Finefrock appeared before the health fund subcommittee of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) as part of her appeal of their denial of her homebirth coverage. Ms. Finefrock, who is six months pregnant, is married to an SEIU employee. Their insurance plan excludes homebirth coverage, despite New York State regulations that require that private insurance cover out-of-hospital birth with a licensed practitioner. Ms. Finefrock’s situation is just one example of a larger fight to increase access to homebirth nationally, and it’s a fight that has ramped up due to new media attention to the issue.

One mother laboring with her midwife on the roof of her Cobble Hill penthouse, gorgeous Manhattan skyline in the background. Another holding her newborn on her living room couch, exposed brick and high ceilings behind her. These are just two of the scenes from the November New York Times article and slideshow about the growing interest among New York City women in birthing at home. These images paint a very specific picture of homebirth–all the women were pictured in spacious, nicely decorated apartments and, with the exception of one African-American woman, all were white. Watch the popular Ricki Lake documentary The Business of Being Born, released last year, and you get a similar story: Lake and her interviewees were all financially well off and could afford to choose to birth at home. Neither the Times article nor Lake’s film touched on one thing that all these women seemed to have in common–money.

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/03/19/the-cost-being-born-at-home

Serious, intelligent women are saying “no” to maternity care that, contrary to what obstetricians and hospitals would lead us to believe, actually increases risk and danger for mother and baby.  Women who choose to give birth at home are making their decisions based on best evidence. If you need to be convinced visit the Cochrane Library, or read A Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth, or read our book. The Childbirth Connection response to the 2006 ACOG policy statement on home birth is also important  reading.

The Cochrane review has not been updated since 1998. At that time there was only one study reviewed and that had a small sample. In spite of that, the recommendation was, and continues to be, that healthy women should not be advised against home birth. That recommendation is based on two realities: there is no evidence (and there never has been) that hospital birth is safer than planned home birth; and, there is no evidence that planned home birth is not as safe as hospital birth.  In 2005 a large study of home birth was published in the British Medical Journal. The study meets all the standards for scientific rigor. The research findings? For a healthy woman having a normal pregnancy, a planned, midwife attended home birth is as safe as a hospital birth and with far lower rates of medical interventions (that bring their own short and long term dangers).

http://www.givingbirthwithconfidence.org/?p=189

Now that I’m living in the Netherlands, chances are high that the next baby will be born at home. Currently, one in three babies are born at home here! To compare: in the UK, only about 2% of the babies are born at home, in the US, it is about 0.5%. I couldn’t find any percentages for France or Italy; I’m not sure it’s even legal there!

http://babyccinoblog.com/2008/03/18/the-dutch-way-homebirth-and-at-home-maternity-care/

A recent review of the country’s maternity services recommended the Federal Government overhaul the power given to midwives.

If accepted by Health Minister Nicola Roxon’s department, some midwives could be given access to many benefits doctors have – like Medicare, drug prescribing rights and even professional indemnity insurance.

But the review made clear that those midwives who assist in homebirths should not be supported as a mainstream birth option.

http://cfd.net.au/home/20090402/article/mothers-defend-right-to-home-birth

After a woman has given birth, there will be extra pounds that are left on her body that had been accumulated during the pregnancy. Many wish to return to their pre-baby weight and shape, as soon as possible, but if you are a breastfeeding mom, you will need to think about what is best for you and for your newborn.

But there is good news for breastfeeding mothers. According to the LLLI?s Breastfeeding Answer Book, 3rd Edition, 2003, it states that breastfeeding mothers tend to lose more weight when their babies are three to six months old than mothers who have formula-fed their babies. Another study stated that breastfeeding mothers at one month postpartum had slimmer hips and weighed less than women whose babies received only formula.

http://www.thaimarathon.com/2009/04/08/healthy-dieting-for-breastfeeding-mothers/

A midwife friend posted this on facebook this morning:

Wrong Mom Breastfeeds Baby in Hospital Mix-up

Take a look at it. When I finished reading it, I wasn’t quite sure whether to laugh or throw things at the computer screen.

The main gist of the story is the fury of the baby’s father, who calls the incident (in which another woman breastfed his infant by mistake), “every parent’s worst nightmare.” He rants throughout the entire article about the “tragedy” – “‘We’re, ahhh,” the father said, his voice trembling, “I can’t even put it into words. My wife has been physically sick. I’m trying to support her. I think it’s every parent’s nightmare.’”

Okay, a few points….

http://birthingathome.blogspot.com/2009/04/breastfeeding-mix-up-article-why-why.html

This has been a terrible few days for homebirth midwives here in Australia, the articles so bad and lacking in information.
This is a particularly bad one so you can all see what is happening. I have no idea whether 4 babies have died in the past 9 months but I don’t think they have either, it was something said by an Obstetrician and then taken on a role.

It is so unfair that journalists who knows nothing about birth and can’t be bothered to research it properly can get this garbage published.

I wonder how many babies died in hospital during the same period? How many women were needlessly opened up and their baby’s dragged out and will spend the next few years dealing with the aftermath and trauma every day of their lives? How many babies will suffer long term effects of entering into the world a way that in absolutely not the normal process.

http://www.homebirth.net.au/2009/04/free-for-all-to-attack-homebirth.html

Question from N. E.: I gave birth to my daughter in February at home with a certified nurse midwife. The midwife made me believe an episiotomy was necessary due to a long labor and fatigue. It was devastating to have to go through this after many months of preparing for a normal birth for both my baby and my body. Unfortunately, the CNM didn’t assess or repair my perineum or my rectal muscles correctly. I had to have another surgical procedure to have my body put back together.

http://www.glorialemay.com/blog/?p=108

Lt. Cmdr. Ronald Fancher is currently the officer-in-charge of the Troop Medical Clinic, Life Support Area. This active duty Navy veteran has a unique claim to fame. He is currently one of the only two male midwives in the U.S. Navy.

Midwifery is a health care profession that provides prenatal care to expecting mothers. They attend the birth of the infant, and provide postpartum care to the mother and her infant.

According to Fancher, there have only been three male midwives who have served in the U.S. Navy. Although Fancher has only been a male nurse midwife for a year and a half, he is credited with delivering 72 babies. He has delivered a total of 10 Navy births, but most of his patients were Mexican farm workers during his off duty volunteer work with the Health Department in Plant City, Fla.

http://northshorejournal.org/male-midwifery-in-the-us-navy

While more and more women choose to undergo Cesarean section births despite a national push by the federal government to decrease the number, the local rate has declined and is well below the state average.

North Adams Regional Hospital performs significantly fewer c-sections than other hospitals around the state — an average of 18 percent of all births at the hospital compared to the state average of 34 percent, according to reports released by the state Department of Public Health.

The hospital also has a better prenatal care record, according to the reports: 94 percent of women giving birth have had nine or more prenatal care visits versus the state average of 87 percent having that many visits.

“I think what is being reflected in our numbers is that we are taking a more ‘midwifery’ approach with our practice then before,” Robin Rivinus, a certified nurse midwife with Northern Berkshire Obstetrics & Gynecology at the hospital, said last week. “It means that we do fewer unnecessary interventions — inductions, Cesarean sections, episiotomies. We treat childbirth as the normal, natural thing that it is. We only step in when it’s medically necessary, which is much better for both the mother and the baby.”

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_11982902

f I had my way, I’d be working as a midwife right now. The problem is that I only realized by passion and fascination for midwifery a few years ago, when I went through my own pregnancies. I am now 36 (37 later this year), I have 2 young children and I live in a country where midwives are fairly uncommon. Had I still been living in the UK, I’d had undoubtedly started the schooling by now and would hopefully be well on my way to caring for mothers and babies.

My son was born in England, where women are delivered by midwives. Just over two years ago, my daughter was born in Canada. Right here in Cornwall, in fact. In Canada, it is very rare for a woman to use a midwife over an OB/GYN. When deciding who to seek out for my prenatal care, I had no hesitation in contacting a midwife, having experienced midwife care for my first pregnancy. Lucky for me, midwife care is covered by our provincial health coverage here in Ontario.

http://www.woothie.com/2009/04/05/midwifery-in-canada-midwifery-in-ontario/

Last year, a widely distributed report from the group Save the Children, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, tied the United States with Malta and Slovakia for the second-worst infant-mortality rate among developed nations (at about six per 1,000 live births). “I’m always amazed to see where the United States is,” a Rand researcher said of the list. “We are the wealthiest country in the world,” a Save the Children spokesperson agreed, yet many “are not getting the health care they need.”

http://www.slate.com/id/2161899/

April is

The Cesarean Awareness Ribbon debuted in April of 2004 for Cesarean Awareness Month. The burgundy color of the ribbons represents birth and the wearing of the ribbon upside down symbolizes the state of distress many pregnant women find themselves in when their birthing choices are limited. The loop of the inverted ribbon represents a pregnant belly and the tails are the arms of a woman outstretched in a cry for help.

http://ican-online.org/

Small business owners can easily get too involved in the day-to-day operations of their retail stores to spend any time brainstorming marketing ideas or promotional events. Some retailers worry that marketing is too expensive, others may find it too time consuming. Without announcing who you are and what you sell, how will anyone know? Here are 50 marketing ideas for retailers…

http://retail.about.com/od/marketingsalespromotion/a/marketing_ideas.htm