February, 2009

Midwifery Memoirs

I recently finished reading and reviewing a great new midwifery memoir, The Blue Cotton Gown by Patsy Harman. This book was written by a CNM who no longer attends births, so it was about the rest of midwifery--the well woman care side. It was very good and I really recommend it.

A few months ago, I also read the very excellent Lady's Hands, Lion's Heart, another new midwifery memoir (this one had lots of births and also lots of drama!). It is was extremely good and I really loved it. The author, Carol Leonard, was also one of the founding members of MANA, so the book chronicles the birth of MANA as well as her journey as a midwife. Interestingly, her husband was a doctor as is Patsy Harman's in the book above. Perhaps that pairing is more common than what I might expect! See www.badbeaverfarm.com for more information (my full review is reprinted there as well).

Also newly released in 2009 is Labor of Love, written by the CNM who was shadowed in the film The Business of Being Born.

If you get the opportunity to read any of these books, I think you'll enjoy them!

--Molly Remer

Perpetuating incorrect information

I was a little embarrassed to learn this week that, "People do NOT remember 10 percent of what they read, 20 percent of what they see, 30 percent of what they hear, and so on. That information, and similar pronouncements, are fraudulent. Moreover, general statements on the effectiveness of learning methods are not credible—-learning results depend on too many variables to enable such precision."

I have read this information in quite a few training manuals and books and have shared such information myself more than once (I think even in an article!) So, it was surprising to discover that this information on retention is an urban legend. Now that I think about it, I'm positive that I heard it for the first time in graduate school (one of the 30% of things I heard that I remembered...;-)

The article explaining the origins of this myth can be found here: http://www.bobpikegroup.com/articles_view.asp?columnid=3618&articleid=53796

And I learned about it from the Passion for Birth blog: http://childbirtheducation.blogspot.com.

--Molly Remer

The Future

I enjoyed reading an article called "The Future of Midwifery" by Judith Rooks and Kitty Ernst in the December 1999 edition of the IJCE (I'm still working my way through the big binder of old issues and still enjoying every one!). The conclusion of the article was as follows:

"It is said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. Creative forces come from our souls, our beliefs, our values, our moral and spiritual strength, and from the scientific evidence available to us at any given time. If we are to meet the challenges ahead, each of us must weigh authoritative pronouncements and popular opinions against the available scientific evidence, temper it with our own beliefs and values, and chart a course drawing on our collective moral and spiritual strengths. Change is often shaped not only by what we do but by what we do not do. The future of midwifery and our children's care in childbirth is in our hands today. To be silent is to speak. To do nothing is to take action." (emphasis mine)

Sometimes it seems as if I am saying the same things over and over and trying to reach people who may or may not want to be reached. I found the above quote a good reminder that continuing to pursue change in birth practices is a worthwhile endeavor.

--Molly Remer

Managing Pregnancy Stress

Quick Tips helping women cope with the stress of life and the changes of pregnancy.

Childbirth Educator as "Midwife"

I've been enjoying a true treasure this week--a big binder full of back issues of the International Journal of Childbirth Education. The issues start with the late 90's and continue through 2004.

I wanted to share two of the many things I found engaging about these issues. From the Sept. 1999 issue in an article called The Challenge of Change: Making Mother-Friendly Care a Reality in Childbirth Education by Mayri Sagady comes a discussion of educator as "banker" or "midwife":

"[the concept of]..traditional education as 'banking.' This is where the role of the teacher is to 'make deposits of information' into the student's mind. The student's job is simply to 'store the deposits'...the teacher as midwife [is explained as] 'Midwife-teachers are the opposite of banker teachers. While the bankers deposit knowledge in the learner's head, the midwives draw it out. They assist the students in giving birth to their own ideas, in making their own tacit knowledge explicit and elaborating it'...Within the field of childbirth education today, there are surely both 'bankers' and 'midwife-teachers'"

Then in the December 1999 issue in an article by Celeste Phillips called Family-Centered Maternity Care: Past, Present, & Future, she offers three challenges for 21st century birthing educators:

+"Help men and women understand that birth itself has the potential to change lives for the better."

+"Give women a sense of fulfillment and tremendous accomplishment."

+"Give new parents a strong connection to the very essence of life."

These are formidable--and exciting--tasks! I think it is important to examine our own birth education programs to see how well we are meeting these challenges and also to strive to serve our clients as midwife-teachers rather than as of bankers of information.

--Molly Remer