http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/2952

In March of this year, Nova Scotia became the first Atlantic province to legislate and regulate the profession of midwifery. While this move was celebrated by many as a step forward for women and families, activists with close ties to the midwifery movement feel their work is far from complete.

“All birthing women need a choice of where they birth and who their caregiver is—I think good midwife and family-led legislation could provide that,” remarks Halifax doula Lindsay Miller. “Yet here we are so tangled up in bureaucracy and old school policy that the potential benefits of legislation are not being seen by the people it is meant to serve.”

For many women in Nova Scotia, access to care based on the Canadian midwifery model—a model based on tenets of continuity of care and choice of birth place—has actually become more difficult since the introduction of legislation, rather than less.

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/10/15/opinion/doc4ad699e65861c085403314.txt

RECENT reports have focused on the rising trend of home births and, unfortunately, many stories have zeroed in on a few tragic situations.

Although we recognize there is a contentious, ongoing debate about the safety of home birth, and we offer our concern and condolences to any parents suffering tragic loss, we are disappointed in the media’s continued implication that all midwifery care is somehow perilous.

It is puzzling that these stories often do not cite well-documented evidence about outcomes of the practice of midwifery in the United States, nor invite representatives of the American College of Nurse-Midwives or the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives to comment.

Every time Ruth Lubic fusses over a healthy baby, the joy in her voice comes from eight long years of beating the odds. In Washington, D.C., where the infant mortality rate is almost double the national average, CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of infant deaths per 1,000 births in the United States is 6.8 – but in Washington, it’s 12.2.

Lubic and her team of midwives run a birthing clinic in one of the city’s poorest areas. After 800 babies in eight years, they have never lost a child in childbirth, and has cut the rate of premature births – the biggest risk factor for infant mortality – in half.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/08/eveningnews/main4428250.shtml

Peggy Garland, a certified nurse-midwife and Coordinator of the Massachusetts Coalition for Midwifery, says the state acts against the interests of women and mothers by limiting access to midwifery services:

Did you know that almost a quarter of all hospital discharges involves maternity care (mother and newborn)? That six out of fifteen of the most common hospital procedures involve maternity care? That Cesarean section is the most commonly performed surgery? Why are so many procedures being performed on essentially healthy people? It’s the same reason behind sky-rocketing costs in all other sectors of health care: reimbursement is procedure-driven.

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/guest-contributors/2009/09/midwives-a-safe-cost-saving-alternative/

http://www.wwaytv3.com/parents_still_concerned_about_lack_midwives/08/2009

Concerned parents continue to ask, where is my midwife? Only now, they are in a new spot.

Women upset about Carolina OB/GYN discontinuing its midwifery service, protested outside the office Tuesday. Some expecting mothers even painted their bellies to get their point across.

Carolina OB/GYN employed two of Wilmington’s three certified nurse midwives, and recently announced it is getting rid of their services.

http://ahmadladhani.wordpress.com/2009/08/22/afghanistan-midwives-defy-tradition/

The number of midwifery schools in the country has increased from six in 2002 to 31 in 2009, according to Pashtoon Azfar, director of the National Association of Midwives (NAM). Since 2002, more than 2,000 midwives have been trained and employed by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and NGOs in health centres across the country, Azfar told IRIN.

http://www.nursingtimes.net/whats-new-in-nursing/acute-care/regulators-set-up-european-midwives-network/5002527.article

Midwifery regulators from across the European Union are planning to set up an informal network.

This is intended to help them share fitness to practise information on midwives crossing borders, improve the exchange of best practice ideas and act together on EU legislation matters.

The network was suggested when midwifery regulators from 18 European countries met in London last month to discuss ways in which they could collaborate to enhance the safety of women and babies. The idea of the network was put forward by the French Order of Midwives and the NMC.

http://knittedinthewomb.com/wp/?p=376

A friend expecting her second baby this coming October recently lamented to me in an e-mail:

…most of the women who go to OBs do not know – or at least believe popular misconceptions – about what midwives do. Every woman would want midwifery care for herself and baby if they knew what it truly was…. All the women I know who used midwives were women who wanted individualized care and somebody to be there to support them through their whole birth experience. Somebody who knew them and who they trusted; rather than a practice where you rotate through providers and get whoever is on call. Some had natural births, some with epidurals, etc. but the most important aspect was that relationship and better care.

http://www.bionews.zampbioworld.org/index.php/2009/05/31/23907

Midwifery Regulators from eighteen European countries have met in London to discuss ways in which they can collaborate to enhance the safety of women and babies across the EU.

Hosted by the NMC on Friday 22 May, the event was the first of its kind to bring together regulators of midwives from across the continent.

Focused on the challenges posed by EU legislation on the freedom of movement of professionals across Europe, the summit was open and interactive, and saw a high level of participation by attendees.

Read more: http://www.bionews.zampbioworld.org/index.php/2009/05/31/23907#ixzz0HKsU9mWQ&B

http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/opinions/Support_midwives_in_curbing_maternal_deaths_84452.shtml

In Uganda, for every 100,000 live new borns, 435 mothers lose their lives, yet for every mother who dies, its estimated that about 30 more mothers come out with chronic ill health, and disability that will alter their life course and those of their families forever.

To achieve Millennium Goal 5 of improving maternal mortality by the year 2015, Uganda should “acceptably” lose 131 mothers for every 100,000 live births. Can we achieve this in the next six years?

Among the major factors contributing to this big loss of mothers is the lack of delivery assistance by a skilled birth attendant, who constitute mainly the midwives which currently stands at 42 per cent.

This implies that for every 100 deliveries 58 of them are delivered by either a friend, relative, traditional birth attendant or no one in the gardens, and bushes where they deliver.

With no assistance, some mothers bleed to death or get infections with sometimes disastrous effects. We have moved a long way, in comparison with the late 1980s and 1990s to date, but we have not moved enough, given what we need to achieve.

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico, May 6 (IPS) – Mexican communications specialist Marla Vargas had her baby in the bathtub at home, attended by a midwife, because, she says, ”I wanted a different experience, and a better way for my child to come into the world.”

http://globalgeopolitics.net/wordpress/2009/05/06/health-mexico-training-professional-village-midwives/

The practice of midwifery in Mexico goes back to the pre-Hispanic cultures of the people living in this land before the arrival of the conquistadors in the early 16th century. In many rural communities, midwives are the only option available for care during pregnancy and childbirth, as state health services are too far away.

But training for professional midwives is scarce in this country of 106 million people. The only officially accredited Mexican school of midwifery is run by the non-profit Centre for Adolescents of San Miguel de Allende (CASA) in this old colonial town 300 kilometres northwest of Mexico City.

http://www.undispatch.com/node/8201

The number of midwives worldwide would have to more than double to meet Millennium Development Goals of reducing maternal and infant deaths by 2015, according to the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and World Health Organization on International Day of the Midwife.

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/study-reveals-conflict-between-doctors-midwives-over-homebirth-20996.html

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Two Oregon State University researchers have uncovered a pattern of distrust – and sometimes outright antagonism – among physicians at hospitals and midwives who are transporting their home-birth clients to the hospital because of complications.

Oregon State University assistant professor Melissa Cheyney and doctoral student Courtney Everson said their work revealed an ongoing conflict between physicians and midwives that is reflective of discord across the country.

http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2009/05/midwives-are-womens-health-heroes.html

Out of nearly 100 nominees from 12 countries, the midwives of Fair Haven Community Health Center Midwifery Group won OBOS Pick for the 2009 Our Bodies, Ourselves Women’s Health Heroes Awards. These midwives have invested decades of dedication and care in the lives of countless women.

http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/ethiopia-unfpaicm-to-launch-new-midwifery-program/

A new programme to support midwifery in Ethiopia was launched Tuesday by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) to mark the International Day of Midwives. The UNFPA/ICM midwifery program will contribute to the achievement of two of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): improving maternal health and reducing neonatal mortality.

Ethiopia becomes one of the eleven countries hardest-hit by maternal, neonatal and child death to launch this global initiative, joining Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Ghana, Madagascar, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia and in beginning implementation. The three-year programme has a budget of 9 million dollars provided by Netherlands and Sweden and will eventually reach 30 countries.

http://onlineprofessionaldevelopment.wikispaces.com/International+Day+of+the+Midwife+2009

Here is the program of online events and activities that have been planned to celebrate International Day of the Midwife 2009 on May 5th. Some events are live presentations that you can attend. Other events are asynchronous which means you can visit them at any time. Recordings of the live events will be made and posted here for people who missed them.

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: Today, 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.

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) acknowledges and celebrates the midwives working in hospital and community settings around the New Zealand.

This year’s International Midwives Day theme is based on Millennium Development Goal 5 – to improve maternal health. The theme set by the International Confederation of Midwives is ‘The World Needs Midwives Now More Than Ever’.
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Skilled midwives improve the outcomes for mothers and babies and are fundamental to the ongoing health and well being of the nation. In New Zealand, as around the world, there is a shortage of skilled and qualified midwives. A recent survey of NZNO Midwife members (Kai Tiaki February 2009) indicates that many midwives around the country are working in situations where there are too few midwives.

“Staff shortages around the country are reported as moderate or severe and many midwives are experiencing the effects of this. Sadly, many are choosing to leave the profession altogether. Many midwives are reporting working in very stressful and unsafe staffing situations,” NZNO Professional Nursing Advisor Kate Weston said.

“Safe staffing continues as one of the major NZNO campaigns. NZNO continues to work through the NZNO/DHBNZ safe staffing healthy workplaces unit . There is a critical need to implement the recommendations from the committee of inquiry with urgency,” said Weston.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0905/S00034.htm