The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) has a motion on the table to change its name to the American College of Midwives (ACM). There has been talk about this change happening for years, but there may finally be enough support to approve the motion at the upcoming annual meeting in San Antonio. There has been … Continue reading »
Filed under birth politics …
Moving beyond the ACOG PR faucet
My first response to ACOG’s press release for their newest “Committee Opinion” on homebirth was, like many of you, what’s new? Remember the last opinion statement in 2008, the one that accused women of caring more about their birth experience than the safe arrival of their child, and attacked homebirth as a trendy cause celebre? … Continue reading »
Can research convince obstetricians and ACOG that homebirth is safe and wise? I’m skeptical. (Part 2)
Last month we saw the pre-release of a homebirth meta-analysis piece that claimed worse outcomes for babies born at home than in the hospital. I wrote about it and the ensuing Lancet insult to women’s rights here. Decades of well-conducted research does in fact support the safety of planned homebirth for women and babies, although … Continue reading »
Is politically invented “risk” in homebirth defining the rights of childbearing women? (Part 1)
I’ve held off commenting on the now notorious, and as of yet unpublished, Wax homebirth meta-analysis and the ensuing hullabaloo because I had wanted to keep negative birth politics to a minimum here on my blog. Then, the viscerally disturbing Lancet editorial came out a few weeks ago and WHOA. We’re starting to see some … Continue reading »
ROAR by Woman in The Moon Films
Don’t miss this — A smart, powerful short look at the public politics of birth change, homebirth and midwifery. Featuring legislators, midwives, and mothers. Oh, and there’s a birth in there too! “[There is a] very large amount of institutional resistance to a women having a certain amount of autonomy over their birth…” Woman In … Continue reading »
