Birth Articles

In this moving and thought-provoking book Rev. Vicki Marriner recounts the events that led to the premature birth of her twin girls, the loss of one and her life afterwards. Taking us on the journey that led her to enlightenment, Rev. Vicki explores the questions that plague the minds of most parents who have lost a child. Will I see my baby again? Do they know I loved them? How can I go on? How can I ever be

Tina Cassidy, a former Boston Globe reporter and editor, has taken a refreshingly new approach to an old and much-written story – the history of childbirth. From pre-history to modern-day times, this book is an amazing read. Tina Cassidy combines sociology, anthropology, archeology, evolution and history together in a delightfully informative concoction. Cassidy became interested in the topic of childbirth after discovering that three generations of women in her family had very different expectations about what childbirth should be

By Hannah Dahlen Book Review On a cold wet day on the Isle of Skye in 2008, I picked up the book, Call the Midwife. A woman browsing the shelves nearby, saw it in my hands and said, “oh no! Not that book.” She proceeded to tell me how her sister-in-law did not talk to her family for an entire week. This happened while reading Call the midwife, as she found it so gripping. With a title like Call

For months you’ve felt her inside you. Hiccups that made you smile, kicks that made you wince, somersaults that took your breath away … but every movement bringing her closer to your heart. Soon she will be in your arms and your heart will be hers forever. The day you welcome your baby into the world is the most important day of her life … and one that will change you forever. This is what birth photography is all

While hospitals make claim to state-of-the-art facilities and the highest standards of patient care, many women leave these same facilities feeling broken and violated, the victims of birth trauma. While a relatively new term, rejected by many in the medical community, birth trauma has been linked to postnatal depression, anxiety, and feeding and bonding issues. Bashi Hazard, like many Australian women, has experienced firsthand the effects of birth trauma and the pressure that can be placed upon labouring women

Giving birth is about a lot more than having a baby — it's about making mothers and growing families. The right support people can help enormously in making sure that the ingredients are there for a wonderful start to life. Some women are turning to doulas for this support. What is a doula? Doulas are women trained in giving other women professional birth support — they essentially mother the mother. These women have reawakened the ancient tradition of having

If you were to ask a woman who is scared about giving birth why she feels that way, she’d probably tell you that she is simply worried things will go wrong and birth will be an unpleasant event and pain. This is despite the very high standards of care we have access to and the wealth and health of our country, being amongst the highest in the world. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the lack of support and exposure

Midwives are the specialists in normal childbirth. Ninety per cent of women are able to birth without intervention, therefore I find very little if any intervention is required at home. Do I still need to book into a hospital? I generally advise that you book into a hospital of your choice. Private midwives usually have a discussion (lots of discussions as you can see), about what each hospital in your area has to offer, and where you'd like to

The lengths to which a woman will go to protect an unborn child have been well documented by the media over the years. In 2000, having experienced the death of her last child during birth, Inés Ramírez Pérez, a peasant living in rural Mexico and far from medical assistance, performed a successful Caesarean section on herself in order to save her baby. During the attack on the World Trade Centre in 2001, approximately 1,700 pregnant women fled the scene,

What the NSW Mothers and Babies Report 2010 is really telling us... For fourteen years NSW Health has been producing the New South Wales Mothers and Babies Report. The goal of this report is to provide information on recent trends in the health of mothers and babies in NSW, maternity services provided by hospitals, the health of Aboriginal mothers and babies, the health of mothers born overseas and their babies, and congenital conditions in babies. The report draws on

The headlines told a dramatic story. “Public hospital births double risk for mother and baby, says report,” said the Age. “Babies die less often in private hospitals,” said the Australian. “Private hospital births safer than the public: study,” reported ABC News Online. The study they were referring to, was carried out by Associate Professor Stephen Robson and his colleagues. Published in the Medical Journal of Australia in mid-February. Using Australian national data for 789,240 full-term births from 2001 to