A large Washington State study affirms that planning birth in a free-standing birth center or at home (community birth) can be as safe as planned hospital birth provided: Women are at low-risk for complications. Births are attended by a professional midwife. Midwives are integrated into the [...]

Anesthesiologists have long known that accidental puncture of the dural membrane during epidural administration causes severe postpartum headache. They believed, however, that once the woman recovered, that’s the end of it. It turns out that’s not true. Evidence is mounting that dural puncture [...]

Routine continuous electronic fetal monitoring, a.k.a., cardiotocography, during labor continues to be the norm in labor & delivery units despite being a colossal failure, and the obstetric community knows it. This is a shocking, but provable, statement. To do that, this post will: [...]

In a recent post, we discussed evidence-based practices that maximize your chances of avoiding an avoidable cesarean, but not all cesareans can or should be avoided. This post covers evidence-based practices that enhance cesarean recovery. They come from a set of guidelines issued by the [...]

Previously, we documented that first and repeat cesarean rates are much higher than they should be and focused on how to choose a care provider who would best promote avoiding a first cesarean and who would best promote avoiding a repeat cesarean. Now we turn to policies and practices that [...]

Technology does not enhance a natural process that is working. It can only mar or destroy it.— David Stewart The Five Standards for Safe Childbearing Immediate umbilical cord clamping perfectly exemplifies that truth. In this post, we’ll look at: What happens at the time of birth when the [...]

Maybe you’ve been told VBAC won’t be possible because of the pandemic. Or maybe you are wondering if VBAC is a good idea. Is the pandemic a legitimate reason for abandoning plans for VBAC? In a word: “No.” With proper management, your odds of cesarean should be about 25% or 1 in 4 and better [...]