Midwifery has been a registered and legalized profession in Alberta since the mid-90s. Unlike all other provinces in Canada with regulated midwifery, our province failed to carry through with supporting the fully funded integration of midwifery into the public health care system. To this day Alberta couples pay $2500-$3300 for midwifery care.
There have been many instances in the past when consumers and lobbyists have become excited at the suggestion that public funding would be forthcoming. So I hate to get my hopes up , yet again. However, this recent letter from the Executive Vice President of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, addressed to Alberta's health Minister is a powerful endorsement. I really hope it holds strong political sway.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Low Birth Weight Babies and Cesareans
More babies across the country are being born underweight, and our country's caesarean rate is approaching double of what the WHO recommends as safe.
Some of this can be attributed to more women putting off their childbearing years to later in their life. Some of this is yet another consequence of the obesity pandemic. Some of this can be attributed to an increase in multiple births as reproductive technologies are more widely used.
But a good deal of this can be attributed to the medicalized shift in obstetric care. Ask your mothers and your grandmothers. Who delivered their babies? Family doctors, General Practitioners, Midwives. Only a generation ago a woman in Edmonton would have paid out of her own pocket to see an OB for her normal pregnancy. Our healthcare system would not have paid for such a specialized professional to care for healthy, normal pregnancy.
We can't make light of the fact that the vast majority of Canadian women are cared for by a surgical specialist while she's pregnant; is it any wonder our surgical birth rates are climbing?
Trust yourself, trust your body, trust your baby, trust birth - avoid unnecessary obstetric intervention .... it has a price, it may be your baby's health.
Some of this can be attributed to more women putting off their childbearing years to later in their life. Some of this is yet another consequence of the obesity pandemic. Some of this can be attributed to an increase in multiple births as reproductive technologies are more widely used.
But a good deal of this can be attributed to the medicalized shift in obstetric care. Ask your mothers and your grandmothers. Who delivered their babies? Family doctors, General Practitioners, Midwives. Only a generation ago a woman in Edmonton would have paid out of her own pocket to see an OB for her normal pregnancy. Our healthcare system would not have paid for such a specialized professional to care for healthy, normal pregnancy.
We can't make light of the fact that the vast majority of Canadian women are cared for by a surgical specialist while she's pregnant; is it any wonder our surgical birth rates are climbing?
Trust yourself, trust your body, trust your baby, trust birth - avoid unnecessary obstetric intervention .... it has a price, it may be your baby's health.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Introducing "With Woman Birth Doula Care"
After lots of learning on the part of my "webmaster" (aka my husband) version2.0 of my Doula website is up and running!
Please check out With Woman Birth Doula Care and pass the link along to anyone you think might be interested.
Keep coming back to the site to learn about new services as I add them - prenatal classes, Mother's Blessings, and more.
Please check out With Woman Birth Doula Care and pass the link along to anyone you think might be interested.
Keep coming back to the site to learn about new services as I add them - prenatal classes, Mother's Blessings, and more.
Echinacea in Pregnancy
I've, personally, started using echinacea a lot more when I feel a cold or other symptoms of infection creeping into my body. Some mothers wonder at the safety of taking this herbal extract during their pregnancy.
Most main stream health care providers seem to err on the the side of caution. They'll point out that without controlled studies indicating a lack of negative side effects, it's safest to avoid such herbal preparations all together.
Hopefully this research will put more caregivers and mothers at ease in choosing echinacea as one possible line of defence against infections during pregnancy.
Most main stream health care providers seem to err on the the side of caution. They'll point out that without controlled studies indicating a lack of negative side effects, it's safest to avoid such herbal preparations all together.
Hopefully this research will put more caregivers and mothers at ease in choosing echinacea as one possible line of defence against infections during pregnancy.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Edmonton's Baby BOOM!
Edmonton is booming. Housing prices are through the roof. "Help wanted" ads front nearly every business. There are a lot of people in this city ..... so of course there's a LOT of babies on the way. With a shortage of staff and a surplus of patients, it's not surprising that Edmonton women are increasingly less satisfied with the care they are receiving at Edmonton hospitals during childbirth. Check out this recent CBC news story
I am looking forward to all the couples I will be able to support towards a joyous birth.
Doula business will be booming too!
"One of the nurses said that the level of education that they're able to give people isn't the same anymore, and they're basically just checking vital signs and just hoping that everything goes well."All the more reason to hire a doula for your birth. You will need a doula to rub your back, help you to the bathroom, find you an extra blanket, bring you ice chips, and ensure a satisfying birth. Every couple deserves a doula who will happily give her time providing education.
I am looking forward to all the couples I will be able to support towards a joyous birth.
Doula business will be booming too!
Welcome to my doula blog!
Bear with me as I grow accustomed to this new (for me) world of blogging. I want to be able to share with you my experiences as a doula; stories about births, interesting articles about pregnancy and childbirth and my thoughts about my life's passion ... BIRTH! I'm told - by my computer guru (aka husband) that this is the way to do it .... he's guided my technological growth pretty successfully up until now so I'm gonna trust him and go with it.
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