tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895Fri, 16 Jan 2026 08:17:17 +0000advocacyresearchhealth reformmediamidwiferysocial mediabirthhomebirthprematurityacoglabor inductionnational midwifery weekpregnancystatisticsVBACannual meetingcesarean sectionseventsevidenceglobal healthlobby daypublic outreachwomen's healthMOMS21Science and Sensibilitybirth centersbreastfeedingclinical newsflulegislationmaternal healthmaternity caremidwivestechnologyvaginal birthAmy RomanoHaitiIDM2009LamazeMedicarebecome a midwifebreast cancercesarean birthcurrent eventsevidence-based practicehome birthinfant mortalityinfluenzalaborlabor painloss in pregnancymen in midwiferymidwifery stampsnewsnitrous oxidenursingpainpatient educationpostpartum depressionprisonquality improvementreal midwiferysafetyvideoswhere's my midwife?9/11AJOGB.I.R.T.H FairDeliverMyBabyGACGovernment Affairs CommitteeH1N1IDM2010JMWHMemorial DayNew YorkPOPPublic CitizenShopACNM.comTerre HauteThe LancetVBAC ConferenceWabash Valley Midwiferyacnmafghanistanalcoholawardbirth birth storyblack Fridayblogsbrandingcaffeinecertified midwifecervical cancerchildbirth educationchoicechoose a midwifecollaborationcommunityconceptionconsumerscontraceptiondepressiondisaster preparednessdiversityepisiotomyethicsfish oilflu influenzahealth insuranceholidayshpvincarcerationinfant healthinfant-mother bondinginternational healthkegelslactationlanguagelate pretermlawsuitsmaternal child healthmaternal mortalitymaternal-infant healthmedicationsmidwifery advocacy monthmidwifery professionmidwifery weekmoviesmyths vs factsnational nurses weeknutritionomega-3soral healthpelvic floor musclespelvic organ prolapsepractice closurespreconceptionprematurity awareness monthprimary careprofessional liabilitypublic healthskin-to-skin contactsonogramsstate lawsstudentssupplementsteenstolactrendsunnecesareanvaccinationwhite ribbon alliancewhooping coughwidowhoodwidowswmm?wordsBridging the gap between the health care we have and the health care we want...because every woman deserves a midwifehttp://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)Blogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-6723878439380335962Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:24:00 +00002011-04-04T15:48:33.163-04:00by Cassie Moore, ACNM Writer and Editor We hope you’ve seen our fabulous new Web site—and hope you love it as much as we do! We’re also taking this blog to the next level, and we need your help. First, we’re moving the blog from Blogger to the new Web site. To find it from midwife.org, go to “News and Events,” then select “ACNM Blog.”Content Hand-Picked for You Previously, Midwife Connection was http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-direction-for-midwife-connection.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-1675251127205965283Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:43:00 +00002011-02-03T16:01:47.645-05:00acoghome birthby Melissa Garvey, ACNM Communications ManagerJust this morning, ACNM released an Issue Brief in response to the ACOG Committee Opinion on Planned Home Birth published in the February 2011 issue of Obstetrics &amp; Gynecology.At just over two pages, the Issue Brief is worth the read. While acknowledging that much of the ACOG Committee Opinion relies on a widely-criticized, flawed 2010 http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2011/02/acog-committee-opinion-on-planned-home.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Melissa Garvey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-6288608699266486737Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:16:00 +00002011-01-28T10:22:19.591-05:00evidence-based practicelabor inductionresearchby Amy Romano, CNMThis post was originally published on Science and Sensibility for Lamaze International.It’s not hard for women to find advice and recommendations to avoid induction of labor “except when medically necessary.” But what do those words mean and who decides when an induction is medically necessary? Lamaze’s Healthy Birth Practice Paper cites ACOG Guidelines that define medical http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2011/01/except-when-medically-necessary-making.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-5684389290850619272Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:50:00 +00002011-01-21T16:00:54.717-05:00fluinfluenzaDid you know that flu season normally peaks in February or even March? If you’re a midwife, make sure your patients know that it’s not too late to get a flu shot. And whether you’re a health care professional or not, the CDC offers free materials to help you make informed decisions about how to best protect yourself this season.Flu Shot Factsheet for Pregnant WomenPosters to promote flu http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2011/01/protect-yourself-from-flu-season-peak.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-6081271933691059154Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:18:00 +00002011-01-11T12:26:44.037-05:00cervical cancerhpvby Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorDid you know that cervical cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer death for women? Unlike breast cancer, cervical cancer is preventable. The cause is a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV), which can be detected and prevented from developing into cancer. Not all types of HPV lead to cancer, but we now know which types are responsible for up to 70%http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2011/01/disease-that-every-woman-who-has-ever.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Melissa Garvey)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-1892780867516115803Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:48:00 +00002011-01-04T16:55:22.421-05:00home birthby Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorThose of you who are tuned into ACNM on Facebook know that we promised to announce some exciting news this month about efforts to improve conditions for women who want to give birth at home. While ACNM supports a woman’s right to choose home birth, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists remains opposed to home birth. So many stakeholders http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2011/01/improving-conditions-for-women-who-want.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Melissa Garvey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-6269659620928538830Thu, 23 Dec 2010 16:53:00 +00002010-12-23T11:55:20.323-05:00Midwife Connection is taking a holiday break. We will return to our regularly scheduled postings on January 4, 2011. Season’s Greetings and best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year from your friends at the American College of Nurse-Midwives.http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/12/midwife-connection-goes-on-vacation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-7401821548400962449Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:26:00 +00002010-12-15T14:41:09.636-05:00midwiferyprimary carepublic outreachresearchby Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorOur friends at Science and Sensibility have an interesting post that should be generating more discussion. The post explores certified nurse-midwife Mary Ellen Doherty’s study in the Journal of Perinatal Education called “Midwifery Care: Reflections of Midwifery Clients.”Doherty conducted her study to describe the experiences of women who chose midwives ashttp://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/12/midwifery-care-from-clients-perspective.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Melissa Garvey)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-3023686664674193593Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:19:00 +00002010-12-09T11:31:38.096-05:00holidaysmidwiferyShopACNM.comby Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorLooking for the perfect gift for that special student, midwife, or parent in your life? Visit ShopACNM.com for unique gifts that promote and support midwives.Now through December 15, all ACNM logo wear and ACNM and midwife branded products are marked down 15% for ACNM members. Log in with your ID and password; then enter promotional code HOL1 at checkout http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/12/hit-holiday-sales-at-shopacnmcom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Melissa Garvey)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-5802982078319194706Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:45:00 +00002010-12-07T10:06:25.689-05:00kegelsmyths vs factspelvic floor musclespelvic organ prolapsePOPby Alyce Adams, RN, BSN, "the Kegel Queen"Midwives are experts at applying low-tech, low-cost health care strategies that promote self-care and help women avoid the dangers of unnecessary interventions. Every midwife is familiar with the cesarean epidemic and with the safe, simple approaches that can keep birthing women out of the operating room.But many health care providers and consumers don't http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/12/do-you-really-know-kegels.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-581590391040671478Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:12:00 +00002010-12-01T11:05:00.081-05:00by Jan Kriebs, CNM, MSN, FACNM, Assistant Professor and Director of Midwifery, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Maryland School of MedicineToday is World AIDS Day – a reminder that HIV and AIDS are part of life for 33.3 million people around the world. Women are 15.9 million of those infected.I have worked with woman who are pregnant and HIV-positive http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/12/when-it-comes-to-hiv-every-woman-is-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-6410200288428773010Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:35:00 +00002010-11-23T10:14:24.788-05:00advocacyblack Fridaymidwifery stampsby Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorMake Black Friday 2010 count by doing more than bargain hunting at o’-dark-thirty. Use these tips to spend your time and money updating your professional skills and making a difference for midwives.1. Connect with other midwives and midwifery supporters via Facebook (both the ACNM page and the ACNM Student Midwives group) and on Twitter (@acnmmidwives and http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/11/10-midwifery-friendly-ways-to-spend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Melissa Garvey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-1149803274773059292Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:04:00 +00002010-11-18T10:12:40.123-05:00health insurancehealth reformmaternity careby Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorAs of 2014, maternity care coverage in the United States will take a step up. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, health insurance plans will no longer be able to turn away applicants based on the “preexisting condition” of pregnancy. Maternity care coverage will also be mandatory for individual and small-group insurance plans as http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-insurers-are-still-pulling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Melissa Garvey)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-1313004888597093729Tue, 16 Nov 2010 17:44:00 +00002010-11-16T12:46:46.964-05:00labor inductionby Amy Romano, CNMThis post was originally published on Science and Sensibility for Lamaze International.There is a growing movement, backed up by evidence, practice guidelines, and efforts by agencies including the March of Dimes, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the Joint Commission, to reduce elective inductions, especially those occurring before 39 completed weeks of gestation. http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/11/rigging-election-when-it-comes-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-4246231172850545721Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:49:00 +00002010-11-11T10:03:26.831-05:00fish oilinfant healthloss in pregnancymaternal healthomega-3sresearchsupplementsby Robin Jordan, CNM, PhDWhat pregnant woman wouldn’t want to grow a smart baby, one that has every last genetically programmed fully functioning brain cell, is ahead of the preschool pack, becomes the straight-A class president, and attends an Ivy League university?That might be a stretch. But research indicates that women who eat adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids—specifically DHA and EPA http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/11/truth-about-omega-3s-during-pregnancy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-6915029261947488854Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:23:00 +00002010-11-09T13:32:35.160-05:00evidence-based practiceprisonstate lawsby Donna Jackson-Köhlin, CNMOne reality of midwifery practice in these times is that all of us will—if we haven’t already—care for women who are affected by the criminal justice system, whether they are incarcerated themselves, or the child, parent, or partner of someone who has been in the U.S. prison system. Thanks to the relationship between the community health centers where I practice with http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/11/evidence-based-policies-needed-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-2183327533981438428Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:44:00 +00002010-11-04T14:01:03.414-04:00late pretermprematurityprematurity awareness monthby Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorDid you know that November is Prematurity Awareness Month? More than half a million babies are born prematurely in the United States each year. More than 70% of those half a million premature babies—which translates to more than 350,000—are born late preterm, between 34 and 36 weeks gestation.Often, late-preterm births occur as a result of pregnancy http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/11/facts-about-late-prematurity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Melissa Garvey)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-2532522912827474060Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:20:00 +00002010-11-02T14:20:35.579-04:00incarcerationinfant-mother bondingmaternal-infant healthprisonby Cheryl Hanna-Truscott, CNM<!--[if !mso]> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/11/empowering-incarcerated-women-during.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-4482620743555785705Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:49:00 +00002010-10-28T13:53:03.871-04:00by Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorOctober is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and one Facebook campaign has already gone viral. It’s not a campaign imploring people to donate to breast cancer research. Instead, women are using their Facebook status updates to reveal where they like to put their purse.As you can imagine, this leads to all sorts of sexual connotations–for example, “I http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/10/do-flashy-campaigns-make-difference-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-558626585321663853Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:17:00 +00002010-10-26T15:39:04.424-04:00B.I.R.T.H Fairby Lynneece Rooney, CNMTexas Representative Gene Green (D-TX) was honored at the 9th Annual Bringing Birth Information and Resources to Houston (B.I.R.T.H.) Fair earlier this month. An award honoring his support of women’s health was presented to him by certified nurse-midwives Melanie Dossey, Jackie Griggs, and Pat Jones, with hundreds of advocates in attendance. Representative Green is the http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/10/houston-midwives-honor-rep-green-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-6533020085604777758Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:12:00 +00002010-10-21T10:19:02.757-04:00brandingmidwiferypublic outreachby Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorThis week I came across an interesting post by Sam Ford about the problem many midwives and their supporters struggle with every day. How do you clearly communicate what a midwife is? It’s a loaded term with all sorts of cultural baggage and preconceptions, which typically triggers associations like home birth and no pain control.Ford’s post didn’t grab myhttp://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-brand-midwifery.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Melissa Garvey)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-1472625366421827929Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:27:00 +00002010-10-19T09:36:13.773-04:00afghanistanglobal healthinfant mortalityinternational healthmaternal mortalityby Annie Clark, CNM, MPHThe majority of women in Afghanistan are constricted by traditional customs forbidding them to travel without a male companion.Last month, NPR’s Morning Edition posted a story about midwifery in Afghanistan with Renee Montagne reporting from the remote region of Badakshan along Afghanistan’s northern border. The story provides a snapshot of the situation in Afghanistan http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/10/overcoming-barriers-to-safe-maternity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-3899544808851240194Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:52:00 +00002010-10-15T11:56:48.355-04:00advocacyevidencemidwiferyby Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorThis week we launched an exciting project that has been in development for more than a year. Evidence-Based Practice: Pearls of Midwifery is a professionally developed presentation featuring nearly 100 fully referenced slides to assist midwives and their advocates (expectant moms, active dads, other health care providers, everyone!) in explaining the http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-present-evidence-based-midwifery.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Melissa Garvey)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-4137616286116025260Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:38:00 +00002010-10-12T13:44:29.769-04:00by Elaine Germano, CNM, DrPH, FACNM, ACNM Senior Education Policy Analyst2010 marks the 75th anniversary of Title V of the Social Security Act, the only national program that focuses solely on improving the health of all mothers and children. To celebrate, the Health Resources and Service Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) is hosting a commemorative event next week—http://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/10/title-v-turns-75.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (American College of Nurse-Midwives)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360671328875772895.post-732377985622137696Fri, 08 Oct 2010 15:08:00 +00002010-10-08T11:26:31.655-04:00by Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorWe’ve been thrilled with the updates rolling in about how midwives and their supporters are celebrating National Midwifery Week across the country. Check out these highlights and make a comment to tell us how you’ve been celebrating.On Sunday, October 10, Andrea Bendewald will give a unique “Blessing the Hands” to the remarkable midwives of Los Angeles whohttp://acnm-midwives.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-are-you-celebrating-national.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Melissa Garvey)1