The Art of Opening
Holistic Midwifery Services – Serving San Diego County
Category: Uncategorized
Running Start Position for Shoulder Dystocia (Vertex and Breech)
I learned to use this for shoulder dystocia and breech from Gail Tully of Spinning Babies® fame who teaches Flip FLOP. Flip FLOP is an acronym that leads a midwife step by step to remember various ways to help release a stuck…
Read MoreAbove the Brim: Looking to the Whole Body of the Baby
Save the Date: June 11, 2022 Resolving Shoulder Dystocia full day and June 12, 2022 Breech Basics Full Day. San Diego, CA 2022. After Tema Mercado’s 1 Day Spinning Babies Course on June 10th. If we look at the whole instead of the hole,…
Read MoreOutlet Shoulder Dystocia with an Arm Swept Behind the Back
If we have a mid-pelvis or outlet shoulder dystocia wouldn’t we start timing the actual length of the dystocia separate than head to body? In an inlet shoulder dystocia the impact has started to happen with the neck stretching and…
Read MoreOn My Miscarriage: 1995
Thinking of that place where one is forever changed in pregnancy. Just found this photograph that David took of me after I miscarried on the bed and then got into the tub to deliver the placenta. Here I am probably 23…
Read MoreShoulder Dystocia Debrief
It’s not just about the mechanics, it’s also about the nervous system. Today I was thinking about what resources we have as midwives to work through difficult birth experiences. Some of these difficult experiences may be where everything turned out…
Read MoreCharting the Course of Midwifery: Rethinking Translation of the Soul World for Medical Systems
When I had prenatal care in the 1990s, I was given my prenatal chart to bring home with me. It was my responsibility to bring it back and forth. Today, I can only imagine how many people would possibly leave…
Read MoreExternal Cephalic Version (ECV): Should I do one? The Difficulties of Answering this Question.
An ECV can look like turning a baby with two fingers while supporting the baby with some follow-through, or it can look like 2 providers with their full weight of their bodies pushing on the belly. These two experiences are…
Read MoreIrregular Labor Patterns: What can be done?
A few blogs back, I wrote about the importance of listening to labor patterns, but I also felt the need to give a tangible map now that we have recognized that the labor pattern is talking to us as far…
Read More“How to know if someone is fully dilated?” : The Limitations of this Question
Let’s shift that question as many people trying to reduce vaginal exams are already thinking outside of the box. The cervix-centered approach can sometimes be helpful, but honestly, it usually isn’t about the cervix, it is about the baby. Let’s…
Read MoreLabor Pattern Variations: Don’t Shoot the Messenger
To focus on production, we are working with a standardized system rather than recognizing the need for individualized care. On a production line all of the same things can go into making a product. One can even have some different molds…
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