Midwives and the assault on scientific evidence
The new mantra of midwives and their advocates is “evidence based practice.” Lamaze, the childbirth education organization has changed the name of their blog to “Science and Sensibility” emphasizing the importance of science and promising: Lamaze education and practices are based on the best, most current medical evidence available, and can help reduce the overuse of unnecessary interventions while improving overall outcomes...
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December 10, 2009
A critique of the leading study of American homebirth
Its authors boast that it is one of the ten most downloaded papers from the British Medical Journal (BMJ). That makes it even more unfortunate that the conclusions of the paper are directly at odds with the findings of the paper. Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America by Kenneth Johnson and Bettye Ann...
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December 3, 2009
Does C-section increase the rate of neonatal death?
It is a potentially devastating indictment of the rising C-section rate. Most midwifery and “natural” childbirth websites claim that elective C-section triples the rate of neonatal mortality. Mainstream web sites like Feministing.com, and newspapers like The New York Times have repeated the claim. There’s just one problem. It’s not true. The claim originated with the paper Infant and Neonatal Mortality for Primary...
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November 24, 2009
What’s in the water at waterbirth?
Water birth is dangerous, unnatural, has no benefits, and unlikely, but serious risks. So of course someone is selling it.
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November 19, 2009
“The mother is the factory”
Who said: “the mother is the factory, and by education and care she can be made more efficient in the art of motherhood”? That was written in 1942 by Grantly Dick-Read, widely considered to be the father of modern natural childbirth. Most people don’t realize that natural childbirth was invented by a man to convince middle and upper class women that childbirth...
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November 12, 2009
What’s the right C-section rate? Higher than you think.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Mark Crislip has been kidnapped by anti-vaccinationists. Fortunately, we have sent our black Illuminati, pharma-funded, vaccine-wielding helicopters to rescue him, but unfortunately, as a result of his trauma, his usual Friday post is likely to be delayed either until this afternoon or Saturday. In any case, fortunately for us our latest addition to the SBM crew, Dr. Tuteur, was...
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November 6, 2009
The Tragic Death Toll of Homebirth
More than 10,000 American women each year choose planned homebirth with a homebirth midwife in the mistaken belief that it is a safe choice. In fact, homebirth with a homebirth midwife is the most dangerous form of planned birth in the US. In 2003 the US standard birth certificate form was revised to include place of birth and attendant at birth. In...
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November 5, 2009