New Study into Skin-to-Skin Contact

This post by Science and Sensibility really says it all, but I will highlight something that I have thought of a lot:
The second lesson is that we most likely don’t know the extent of the harm the current package of newborn care causes because we haven’t measured it. When researchers observe “normal” newborn transition and mother-infant bonding behavior [...]

New Study on Breech Pregnancy and Birth

From Dr. Rixa Freeze of Stand and Deliver…
If you gave birth to a breech baby, or if your baby was breech at some point during pregnancy, we would like to invite you to participate in a research study. Please share this announcement with others who might be interested in participating.
Research goals:
Breech research is often aimed [...]

The road to attachment parenting, etc.

One of the blogs I read has almost nothing to do with birth, except the woman has given birth to four children (twin girls followed by two boys). I came across it when I first started blogging, and it appealed to me on a few different levels, so I’ve continued to read “Parenting by Trial [...]

“Optimal Time of Delivery”

This was an interesting abstract, which makes me want to read the full article. The objective was, “To estimate the gestational age ranges that result in optimal birth outcomes for each of four risk-defined groups.” What was most intriguing to me is that this is the first time I’ve seen an attempt made to look [...]

More is not always better

This is a thoroughly interesting article (to me, anyway!) — The Cost Conundrum. It is pretty long, and doesn’t talk about birth at all, but is still pertinent to the subject, because it talks about the cost of health care, and why “more” is not always “better”. The author compares one county in Texas with [...]

If intact, don’t retract

Click here to read the entire article and discussion from Doctors Opposing Circumcision.

Miscarriage Post

I’ve never had a miscarriage, but it is a fairly common event — the estimate is that 15-20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage (losing the baby prior to 20 weeks and/or 400 grams), with even more pregnancies ending in miscarriage unknown and unnoticed by the woman, appearing like a late and/or heavy period. This [...]

Interesting Pilot Study

Click here to read the whole report from Science & Sensibility, but in a nutshell, researchers did a small study on a “modified” labor room — the main difference in the rooms was taking out the standard bed with a double-mattress on the floor in the corner. Women randomly assigned to these rooms reported less [...]

Interview with Ina May Gaskin

Click here for the blog post on Nursing Birth, with the video.

The Big Push for Midwives Video