The Star and Tribune has run three articles lately all favorable to midwifery and childbirth. You wouldn’t think anyone would be opposed to childbirth, would you? Anyway,
these articles were glowing. Thank you to reporters Chen May Yee and Josephine Marcotty!

Where C-sections are few highlights the work of midwives and physicians at St. Joseph’s hospital with a walk down memory lane with St. Joe’s first midwife Deb Monson. Chen May Yee also highlighted a mother’s whose baby was posterior and the midwife, Melissa Hasler, helped her into a hands and knees position which allowed this baby to rotate quickly and be born vaginally. A long time ago, I was at a posterior birth with Deb Monson in which the mom was working hard but staying at 7 cm for 3 hours. Deb’s simple trick of 3 pushes against her fingers as they created a false pelvic floor quickly turned the baby and let the labor proceed. Doctors at St. Joe’s (Idon’t know if the Midwives do this) will also occasionally reach in and manually rotate the posterior baby’s head to anterior so the birth can finish vaginally. Not all posterior births need any of these interventions, but some do and I believe these skills are a big part of why St. Joe’s has a low rate of cesarean section. Plus, the community midwives and doulas have long referred to St. Joe’s for their quiet, kind nurses, and mother-centered birthing practices. Its not a birth center, there’s still hospital politics happening. The nurses should be paid well and not given multiple patients. That’s true for all hospital nurses everywhere.

I’ve written about Josephine Marcotty’s articles earlier. Birthing a new option is online.

Let’s keep the good news coming!

And hopefully these gals will come on down to St. Francis hospital in Shakopee Saturday June 5th to see me present Belly Mapping at 12:30 at the Baby Fair in Shakopee High School.