Blog
July 01, 2011
Midwifery in Germany differs in many details from the situation as it is in the United States. Sure, on both sides of the ocean mothers and fathers wish nothing but the best for the newborn life, but the way to achieve this may be somewhat different. This article focuses on midwife education in Germany pointing out the importance of freelancers in this area.
Midwifery in Germany is a health care profession which takes care of women in pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum. There are circa 18,000 midwives in Germany who have passed their exam at one of the total of 58 schools of midwifery existing here. As for the foreign midwives from all over the world that wish to work in Germany, they may have to visit one of the German schools of midwifery so as to improve their theoretical knowledge and gain further practical experience. The training there consists of about 1,600 hours in theory and circa 3,000 hours in practice. In order to provide a deep insight into the variety of obstetrics,
July 01, 2011
Countless articles, reports and doctors assure us that “breast is best,” and in terms of a newborn’s nutritional needs, of course it is. Thankfully, there are alternatives in the rare cases where breastfeeding, or feeding breast milk, is not possible. Those instances are rare, and as The World Health Organization states, “Only under exceptional circumstances can a mother’s milk be considered unsuitable for her infant. For those few health situations where infants cannot, or should not, be breastfed, the choices of the best alternatives are–expressed breast milk from an infant’s own mother, breast milk from a healthy wet-nurse or a human-milk bank, or a breast-milk substitute fed with a cup, which is a safer method than a feeding bottle and teat–depends on individual circumstances.” [WHO 2003]
Breast milk contains
June 01, 2011
The five subthemes are : Globalisation, Listening to Women and their Partners, The Continuum of Care, Strengthening Midwives and Midwifery Practice, and Culture, Society and Traditions.
Globalization
This sub-theme covers opportunities for midwives from all over the world to support and encourage one another through collaboration and the sharing of experiences, both similar and different. This sub-theme will highlight human resource issues and migration of midwives, developing sustainable women and child health care programmes particularly in middle and low income settings, and explore the impact of HIV/AIDS on midwifery services.
Listening to women and their partners
This sub-theme focuses on the voices of women and their partners in reproductive health and learning from these perspectives and expectations. It includes issues of communication, emotional support and the role of support/network groups in maternity care. It also incorporates
June 01, 2011
Have you ever thought of giving birth at home?
Perhaps you have not chosen this option if you have given birth in the U.S., as so few women have – currently around 0.67%. Consequently, there is only a relatively small chance that you know someone who has personally had the experience of giving birth at home. For some, it may seem unfamiliar that a birth at home should give you a greater level of security and satisfaction with your birth. However, in this article, we will examine a variety of the aspects that differ between a home birth and a hospital-based birth. And although you may in fact never choose to deliver at home, some of the features of a home birth may be an inspiration for the way you choose to give birth in a hospital.
In the small, but relatively progressive country of Denmark in Northern Europe, with a population roughly equal to that of the state of Wisconsin, a group of midwives has been working over the past twenty years in close and mutually beneficial collaboration
June 01, 2011
Pregnant friends, couples and mothers all light up at the mention of what has become the classic book on home birth. It is refreshingly real and thorough in every respect, from touching and graphic birth stories to medical wisdom with drawings, illustrations, and photos to make the information readily useful and usable for all parents. This book is a journey down a comforting, well-worn path that illuminates the sacredness of birth and how each new baby’s birth offers a blessing and a Spiritual experience for everyone involved.
Ina May Gaskin reflects, “It is difficult for any human to express compassion who has not been on the receiving end of it. Being compassionate to the pregnant or birthing mother is not just an insignificant nicety of our practice – it lies at the very heart of our success. Kindness begets kindness that is passed on to nursing babies and to proud fathers, to brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles.”
The first section details the personal stories of parents
June 01, 2011
Adjusting pregnant mothers and their children is incredibly inspiring for me. Children truly are our future, and I believe that lifelong wellness care begins in the womb. Taking care of your body and developing a positive self-care relationship are exponentially valuable the earlier in life they begin.
Chiropractic care offered during pregnancy benefits mama and baby. Prenatal adjustments support your baby’s optimal development while allowing you to experience a naturally aligned pelvis. I also notice that well-adjusted mothers feel a greater sense of physical and heartfelt connection with the pregnancy process and their newborns-to-come.
I am thrilled to provide comprehensive specialty care for women in any stage of pregnancy. From week 1 to 42, women find that getting adjusted can not only relieve many of the aches and pains involved in pregnancy, but can also create shorter and easier labors and births, as well as a more comfortable post-partum experience. Our office has specialized
June 01, 2011
Start before you conceive: Women that start pregnancy in good health and at a normal weight are more likely to have better outcomes. If you are thinking of becoming pregnant, try to maintain a healthy weight and eat a balanced diet. Be sure to include a folic acid supplement, which is critical for fetal development. It is optimal to begin folic acid supplements even before you become pregnant.
Remember quality is better than quantity: It is easy to convince yourself that eating for two means that you can eat whatever you want. But, in reality, you only need a few hundred extra calories a day and a lot more nutrients than you normally do. Be sure that most of your food choices are nutrient dense and not just empty calories. For example, a half of veggie sandwich on whole wheat bread (nutrient dense) for a snack is a better choice than a donut (empty calories).
Avoid potentially dangerous foods: Some
June 01, 2011
What exactly is a doula? While there are people who have heard of doulas, there are just as many who will ask me to repeat myself as if I was speaking a foreign language. In a way, they are right. The word doula comes from the Ancient Greek word doulē meaning “woman’s servant.” Although at the time it was more of a servant position, the name has come to mean something very special. In the past 20 years doulas and midwives have reemerged to become a very important part of the birth process for many women. In fact, currently the use of Doulas has more than tripled in the U.S., as parents have seen how beneficial it is to have a Doula be a support system, most especially during labor.
A doula is a labor assistant, hired to give continuous care to the pregnant woman and her partner before, during and after childbirth. She is not a doctor or a nurse or even a midwife. A midwife is a medically trained person who has acquired the requisite qualifications to be registered and/or legally licensed
June 01, 2011
An ancient birthing practice is empowering families today
“Your body works as well as the bodies of your ancestors, almost none of whom had access to any sort of infant-feeding or birth technology.” ~ Ina May
The word “midwife” comes from the Anglosaxon, med-wyf, “wise woman,” as defined in Barbara G. Walker’s “Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets (Harper Collins © 1983). In France, a midwife is also known as a sage femme, or a "wise woman." The general thread in all of the references regarding ancient midwifery is that a midwife was there to support the woman in labor. Labor was perceived as a basically natural process. Proof of midwifery has been found in The Bible, Hindu records, and during Greek and Roman times. Midwives functioned as respected, autonomous care providers to women during their reproductive cycles. Historians have noted that midwifery has been characterized as a social role throughout recorded history regardless of culture
May 02, 2011
“Jet with Kids is an easy to read and highly informative guide to traveling by air with children. Ms. Clowers is an RN who has logged hundreds of thousands of miles on airplanes around the world, has moved through airports large and small, and has asked all the right questions wherever she has gone. Now the mother of a young child, Ms. Clowers has reviewed every aspect of flying with children and consolidated her best advice in this book. She demystifies the numerous rules and regulations surrounding travel in our post 9/11 era; provides practical advice for navigating the terrain of airports and airplanes that essentially are not child friendly territory; covers topics as far afield as how to breast feed on a plane and what documentation you need to take a grandchild with you to a foreign country; a section I have just benefited from.
The book reflects Anya's love of and comfort with flying and her desire to help others share this. She brings her wisdom as well as lots of great, practical