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Jacquie Munro's blog is called Vancouver Doula, and I was fascinated to learn about a midwife practice called "shaking the apples" in her most recent post, Apfel schütteln:
One of the many indigenous practices used for centuries to loosen the pelvic muscles and ease a baby's journey through the pelvis, "shaking the apples" works really well with first time mums in early labour, as well as multips as they approach birth.
I heard the term "Äpfel schütteln" used by an older German midwife about 15 years ago. We were in the attic of an old Kitsilano house, trying to fix the malposition of a baby late in labour. My client had hit a plateau at 8 cm, and, after a good half hour of vigourous hip shaking by the midwife, the woman said, "Did you hear that thunk?!" Then the labour took off, we all dashed to the hospital, and the baby was born.
Jacquie's blog says, "I help you to realize that you have the abilities, wisdom and courage to give birth. Birth is something that you know on a basic level. I just help you to access that knowledge." Inspired, I decided to look for more blog posts on midwifery.
Oneofhismoms declares, Midwife Gold, You’re My Only Hope….
Anywho, I called my insurance and asked them which midwives do take my insurance. There is one midwife, Midwife Gold, who does take my insurance, of whom I have actually heard before. My yoga teacher, who is also a doula, told me about her on Sunday. She said she’s a lot like Lo’s midwife at Little Fruit Midwifery, who I adore. The catch: the hospital where I wanted to deliver is like the Ritz. The one where midwife Gold delivers is more like Hojos. Maybe Hote1 6. I was reading about it on a local parenting site, and one woman said she had no hot water or clean towels in post-partum when she was still bloody from labor. Hote1 6. I don’t know what to do. Well, I don’t even know if I can use Midwife Gold, because I don’t know if she can do any more births in July. But if I can, should I? Also, I would have to convince my honey to make the switch from the Ritz to Mote1 6. That will not be easy. But to me, the person who helps me give birth is more important than the nurse who brings me my jello and asks me if I passed gas yet, afterward.
Wow, I am clueless - I had no idea that midwives were expensive. I think I thought that a midwife would cost *less*. Oneofhismoms is "already a mom of 'Cakie.' My partner, A, gave birth to him in August of 2005. Now I’m finally pregnant for the first time." Seems like an interesting time to start reading her blog, so check it out!
Sarah Stewart is a midwife in New Zealand. Her blog, Sarah's Musings, is a mix of tech and midwifery. In a recent post she talked about Blaming the midwife:
The lead maternity carer midwife carries a tremendous responsibility and when something goes wrong, she is the one who ultimately carries the can. The midwife in this case will be feeling sick because of the death of the baby and its effect on the family. But the midwife also knows she will be undergoing trial by media in the ensuing weeks as well as facing considerable pressure from the investigation that will now be carried out. This will impact on her personal and professional life; her health, her financial security and the peace of her family.
Sarah says of her blog, "Welcome to this blog which aims to discuss matters pertaining to education, research,mentoring, professional development, e-learning and Web 2.0, particularly pertaining to midwifery and health professions. Please feel free to comment on any of my musings and join in discussion whether you are a teacher, student, midwife or anyone else passing by." I have to admit, I love a blog with more than one focus, because it makes me feel better about my own personal blogging style.
If you've had a midwifery experience and blogged about it, please feel free to link it up in the comments. I'd love to read more!
Contributing editor Liz Rizzo also blogs at Everyday Goddess.
