Comments on: Calls for Support of Birth-Related Legislation at State and Federal Levels

By: Chris Allen

Chris Allen — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:30:45 +0000

I’m so impressed and touched by the experience we had with our CPM. I would recommend it to anyone who is deciding to have a child at home.

Chris
Triple Beam Scales

By: Dr. Edie

Dr. Edie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:03:09 +0000

I’m not sure what part of “specialist” Dr. Tuteur has an issue with, but the fact is that certified pprofessional midwives are the only maternity care providers in the United States who are required to receive clinical training in out-of-hospital settings.

Anyone with any experience in delivering babies knows there’s a world of difference in the skills required to manage a birth that takes place outside of the hospital vs. a hospital birth.

Nurse-midwives, family practice physicians and obstetricians do not have the required training to anticipate and manage potential emergencies that can develop in home and birth center births and to know when to refer when necessary.

Given these facts, it makes no sense whatsoever for states to outlaw certified professional midwives. I smell a turf battle.

By: SaanenMomma

SaanenMomma — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:24:26 +0000

Some quick fact checking is in order here:
In NY there is legislation being considered (I use that term loosely) that would stop physician agreements with CNMs. I hope it does not go through. When I looked on behalf of a friend for an HB midwife in Manhattan- I found the physician’s agreement is mostly “wallpaper” so- I hope that legislation never passes. The bottom line- consumers would be unprotected.
Anyone, and I do mean anyone, can join MANA- so although one may not share the data at least one can have access to it. Most professional trade organizations represent the interest of their members. One cannot join ACOG unless licensed and their more salacious pages under professional iability are impossible for the lay person to access so it goes both ways. BTW if it did not put $$ in MANA’s pocket- I would join under the names of women from the local graveyard just to prove a point. Not everyone should be allowed to call themselves a midwife.
IMO, consistent legislation coupled with rigorous educational standards, a bachelor’s in midwifery, plus what equals a master’s degree in training for “low risk” birth attendance, plus a lengthy internship based on hours and years not number of births and all midwives required to carry malpractice insurance is the only way to go. Without it consumers again- are on the chopping block. I know it sounds like heresy- to some but this is akin to the Canadian model- so if we are going to try to point at their success then we need to follow their model.
Lastly, I see the criticism of HB data all the time but I honestly feel like we have forgotten the obvious- in states where home birth midwifery remains- illegal – or “underground”- there is aboslutely no way to track and keep real stats. I feel like we cannot say that home birth in undoubetly safe- or unsafe- because there are no real accurate, current and relevant stats. in all the states. By the time we can get access to data it is almost past its shelf life. If we really want to find out about outcomes we would insist that a system be in place to collect this data.
I think we need to put the focus on the safety of women who are childbearing- providing transparency in the field of home birth is the way. I can’t see any other way but all midwives delivering babies at home (CPMs, or CNMs in some states) being regulated and required to step up professionally.
The MS bill will hopefully die on the vine. It is imperative that all midwives attending births be regulated. I don’t see how else we can be assured that the right people are calling themselves midwives. This will just create a more underground and dangerous home birth culture for MS women because it opens the door for egregious practice in the care of women. Families will still choose home birth and will be subject to little more than an interview, and due diligence in order to glean what credentials their practitioner has. (not okay.)

By: Monday

Monday — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:10:25 +0000

A better solution for most states is to make legal that CNM attend home births.
In New York the CNM attends home births, and they have backup physicians in hospitals if needed and the the ability to create hospital privileges for emergencies. As well the CNM is well trained clinically to attend low risk births, and carries oxygen and medication to stop hemorrhages.

From responses I’ve read by Amy elsewhere, she trolls the web looking to comment aganist homebirth, she is clearly aganist any birth that is not directed by a MD in a hospital.

By: Elizabeth Allemann, MD

Elizabeth Allemann, MD — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:56:52 +0000

My reading of the scientific literature supports home birth attended by Certified Professional midwives for healthy women expecting healthy babies. A recent study in Canada (where Certified Professional Midwives attend births at home and in hospitals) indicates that women and babies actually do BETTER at home than in the hospital. The World Health Organization, and the American Public Health Association agree. I am a family physician in private practice who has had the honor of working with Certified Nurse Midwives and Certified Professional Midwives in birth centers and at home. Midwives are well-trained, capable, and professional. I wish more of my physician colleagues would stop the silly turf battles and be willing to work with a learn from midwives as physicians do in Canada and Great Britain. I have learned so much from my work with midwives. Women in the United States deserve only the best. We need physicians and midwives who are willing and able to work together and learn from each other.

In my state of Missouri, we have recently allowed the legal practice of Certified Professional Midwives. I can tell you that a system where CPM’s are legal is much better for women and babies than a situation where CPM’s are considered to be breaking the law.

By: mrs spock

mrs spock — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:44:32 +0000

I also would love to see a comparison of educational requirements of CPMs and other homebirth midwives worldwide. I chose not to have a homebirth because I considered the local direct entry midwives to be insufficiently trained and educated to handle emergencies. There will likely always be women who wish to have a homebirth ( including the large Amish communities here in Ohio), and they deserve to have attendants who are educated and equipped for the best possible outcome within the limits of that setting.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:00:03 +0000

Stephanie, NARM has some info on standards for CPMs if you care to peruse them – http://www.narm.org/htb.htm

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:24:10 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by midwifeamy: RT @JudyOBOS: New post: Calls for Support of Birth-Related Legislation at State and Federal Levels http://bit.ly/bzzMxs...

By: Stephanie Jewett, RN, MBA

Stephanie Jewett, RN, MBA — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:40:00 +0000

I agree – let’s see the statistics – I happen to be a nurse (for 30+ years) – what exactly are the educational requirements for this field? Stephanie

By: Amy Tuteur, MD

Amy Tuteur, MD — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:52:13 +0000

I think we could both agree that safety statistics are crucial for making an informed decision. So how can any woman make an informed decision if MANA refuses to let the public see their safety statistics? These statistics exist and it would be a tremendous public service if you could obtain them and share them with women.