Home Birth

So the news is out a huge study which appears not to have been fully published yet appears to show that in Low risk pregnant women who are cared for by a trained midwife are as safe to birth at HOME as in hospital http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7998417.stm. So what as the ACOG going to say about this!

Are women in America going to be be given a true choice where to birth there babies is this choice going to be supported by the health care community - properly not- but progress is progress. What do I think should happen - I think that care of low risk women should be handed over to Certified Midwives - notice I missed out the word nurse I thing that there should be two points of entry in to midwifery in America one from nursing leading to certified midwife - and one from non nursing with longer training leading to the same qualification - this should be done over the next 10 years and every professional who intends to practise in the profession would have to be certified by the same certifying exam - the water would be grey for the next 10yrs but no grayer than it is now and at the end you would have a robust group of highly trained professional ready to take over the care of the family during low risk birth. This care would be cheaper, women and family focused.

Midwifery

How strange it is to live in a country when birth and midwifery do not go hand in hand. All my years of being a midwife in the UK the thousands of women I severed, births I attended and families I met I never once had to justify my role or explain how it is safe for me to care for you. USA the difference is over whelming we may speak the same language ( well some of the time) and be brothers in arms when it comes to war - but when it comes to birth we could not be further a part. Not a day goes past when I do not have to explain what a midwife is how we are trained and experts in normal low risk birth - its exhausting. I know people look at me expect me to grow a second head or have some herbal recipe for every minor pregnancy complication. I know I astonish my nursing colleagues with research, evidence and resent practise which involves safe birth.
So I think practising my beloved profession is going to be challenging in the land free and home of the brave - but I guess I am up for the challenge.

WOW

What happens to time - the older you get the quicker it flies by - End of March already another birthday approaching- I just want to shout stop now world let me catch my breath! I can hardly believe that I have a son who is nearly 12. I think the hardest job or task or emotion I have ever had to date is being a parent. You have no idea if what are doing is right or wrong everyone has an opinion none are the same its is the only job in the world that you can not to right for doing wrong. You can never imagine what being a parent is like - its mind blowing.
Amazingly I am keeping up with school and I do not want to put a curse on my self but it has not been to bad - just manage your time and keep on task. Well I managed three A and i work full time nights so basically if I can do it so can everyone else.
My favourite past time is face book what an amazing tool allowing the world to contact its past WOW.
I am enjoying frontier more that I thought I would it is a great school and if I had to retrain any where that is the best - well that's what I feel
Booked my flight to the Midwifery conference got to be honest very excited. So heading in to our third year state side and truthfully I love it here I feel I have lived here all my life I am waiting patiently for the homesickness to kick in!

Back

I have after many months returned to my Blog - just been so busy with work , school and family life just have not had the inclination to blog.
Well things are going well I am half way through my second term in Frontier and I am managing some how to keep up. Work is going well which we are very fortunate to say in these hard and depressing times - I live with hope that soon things will turn around and families will be secure. Although I do not think that will ever be as they were before people will remember hopefully that spending money that is not yours will finally catch up with you. But as always when bad things happen its the people who have worked hard good honest people that really suffer.
I can see a tiny flicker of light at the end of a dark tunnel that soon I will be returning to midwifery again and all that that will bring.

Yes We Can!

It is emotive times to be living in USA - To be living in this country at this time in my life has changed me almost soften me as a person. After living in the UK were health care and welfare of its population is every ones business then living in the USA where the same seems to be know ones business. Do not get me wrong I love the USA work ethic a population of hard workers and go getter's. But what happens when those same hard working people lose their jobs through no fault of there own - like now due to a faltering economy. Who cares about them who helps them. To night there are families worried about health care for their children as they no longer have a job. Can not make their house payment -can not sell their house due to loss in equity. These good honest hard working people are down on their luck who but cares for them. I do not have all the answers to these difficult problems all I know is a country and society is judge by how it treats in old, young and sick can America really say it treats them well. But there is hope there must be and from it will grow a stronger and softer America. Yes We Can!

Midwifery School and Mexico

So I started Midwifery school and also went on vacation to Mexico am I crazy - I must be but I have managed to catch up and also had an amazing time in Mexico. My children just adore the beach the weather was perfect and we had a wonderful couple of days.

So Midwifery School week one has gone OK - I think I am up to date apart from some reading but I am always selective at what I read to read and to absorb the whole reading list for me in unrealistic.

Children are well and seem happy and work is so busy so my plate is rather full at the moment but I am sure when I am back to my beloved midwifery it will all be worth it.

List of abbreviations

Here is a list of midwifery and obstetric abbreviations

AB abortion
AFP Alpha Fetoprotein
AMA advanced maternal age
AFI amniotic fluid index
AROM artificial rupture of membranes
BPP biophysical profile
CPD cephalopelvic disproportion
CVS chorionic villi sampling
D & C dilatation & curettage
EFM electronic fetal monitoring
FHR fetal heart rate
FSE fetal scalp electrode
GBS group B beta streptococcus
IUFD intrauterine fetal death
IUGR intrauterine growth retardation
IVF in vitro fertilization
LMP last menstrual period
PPH postpartum hemorrhage
TOL trial of Labor
VBAC vaginal birth after C-section