Tree of Life Midwifery

Boy
Born: November 26, 2006 @ 3:41pm
Weight: 6lbs 6oz

Boy.
Born: November 21, 2006 @ 2:08 am
Weight: 7lbs 4oz

Boy
Born: November 6, 2006 @ 1:12pm
Weight: 6lbs

Boy
Born: November 4, 2006 @ 7:07am
Weight: 8lbs 14oz

Boy
Born: August 14, 2006@ 7:15am, Ernest Jackson Sweetland IV
Weight: 7lbs 7oz

Boy
Born: July 13, 2006@ 12:48AM
Weight: 5lbs 6oz
Notes: Yes, that’s three births I attended in ten hours!

Boy
Born: July 12, 2006 @ 10:40pm
Weight: 8lbs

A 2000 study of home births in the US and Canada concluded that planned home births attended by certified professional midwives resulted in lower rates of medical intervention than their low risk counterparts at hospitals. For example, in the hospital 33% of the women received episiotomies compared to 2.1% of the women who began their labor at home. The caesarean rate was 19% of the low risk births in the hospital. For intended home births in the study, the caesarean rate was 3.7%.

No maternal deaths occured. Neonatal and intrapartum mortality rates were about the same at home or the hospital.

The study followed 5418 women who planned to deliver at home, of which 12% were transferred to the hospital during labor (more than half for failure to progress, pain relief, or exhaustion). Transfer rates were highest for women giving birth for the first time.

In the United States, where birth has become “an economic, medical, and industrial enterprise” costs for an uncomplicated vaginal birth in a hospital are about three times those of home births.

“Our study of certified professional midwives suggests that they achieve good outcomes among low risk women without routine use of expensive hospital interventions. Our results are consistent with the weight of previous research on safety of home birth with midwives internationally. This evidence supports the American Public Health Association’s recommendation to increase access to out of hospital maternity care services with direct entry midwives in the United States. We recommend that these findings be taken into account when insurers and governing bodies make decisions about home birth and hospital privileges with respect to certified professional midwives.”

Girl
Born: July 12, 2006 @ 3:01pm
Weight: 8lbs 8oz

Introductory Maternity and Pediatric Nursing
N. Jayne Klossner, RN and Nancy T Hatfield
Published 2006 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

This is a great reference book for aspiring midwives to give them a better understanding of maternity nursing. It has a user-friendly, colorful format and a family-centered approach to care. It includes an interactive CD-ROM.

Check out the section on Pain Management and you’ll see an unmedicated water birth at home. That’s me, in all my glory! The photo is credited to Kaye Bullock, CPM. Every day in every way, we’re doing our part to make midwifery mainstream.