You Are What You Eat or How You Were Born?

 Could the way you were born REALLY influence your BMI?

A Convenient Cesarean?

Scheduling your cesarean

Today I came across a question that had been posted on a website for birth doulas to answer 'yes or no' to, and it struck me (as it always does when I see maternal request cesareans being discussed in this context) how irrelevant and uninformed it is:

"Should women be able to choose elective cesarean for convenience?"

Of course they shouldn't.

BMJ letter printed: Midwife led care may not be appropriate or cost-effective

Following on from the publication of The King's Fund report in March, my letter to the British Medical Journal: "Positive birth experience: Midwife led care may not be appropriate or cost-effective" has been published in this week's print edition (April 18, 2011) and also online.

This was my original (longer version) letter,

Concern Over "The Big Push" in Liverpool

The Liverpool Echo has reported on "a £10m vision to transform maternity care on Merseyside", with Liverpool Women’s Hospital in Toxteth calling it “The Big Push”.

According to the report, "Trish Dunmore, general manager for maternity at the Women’s, said: “The Big Push is about reviewing our model of maternity care to make the best use of our resources and to give a better quality of service to mum’s”."

My Concern

Cesarean Rates Up, Stillbirth and Neonatality Mortality Rates Down

And that's a headline you're unlikely to read anywhere else today...

CMACE (Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries) has published its latest report: Perinatal Mortality 2009, and reported that since 2000, stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates in the United Kingdom have shown a downward trend.

I have more confidence in doctors and machines than in midwives

My son's birth in 2009

The statement above is undoubtedly controversial, but speaking personally, it is nevertheless true.
Many midwives do a great job, and if I had no access to hospitals or medical intervention, then absolutely, I would not have wanted to give birth alone, and would have been eternally grateful for the knowledge and expertise of a midwife by my side.

But in the 21st Century, with all its medical advances,