"Old" vs. "New" Midwifery Books

nsjbm2 · Jul 24, 2008

I think that all midwives have a duty to use the most current evidence based practice and references out there. Your sister could seriously injury somebody or worse.

epiphany · Jul 24, 2008

I am most likely being very petty here, but that is how my relationship with my sister works. I am graduating in August ( YAY!!) with my RN and plan on going onto my CNM. My sister, on the otherhand, claims she wants to become a lay midwife and has since bought numerous books on the subject. Now, don't get me wrong, I have all the respect in the world for midwives of all types and the magical work they do. My issue is with the books she bought. MOST of the books are from the 1960's to 1980's. I know that the good old basics never change and there could be some valuable info in there, but what drives me crazy is the hospital/Dr. bashing. It's not that I am naive here. I realize that there are currently "interventions" being done in hospitals that could be modified or done away with, but give me a break! Some of the stuff written in these books is so outdated it is just ludicrous. I really don't need her (or anyone else for that matter) spouting off a bunch of crap that hasn't existed or been an issue since 1982. It turns me off to the point that I can't even get through one of the books without getting annoyed and not reading anymore of it. Am I being ridiculous or what? (Yes) Can anyone point me to some titles/authors of some more recent books on midwifery that may be useful and informational? Maybe there are books which aren't so much "bashing" as they are helpful to try and integrate medical with natural birth? It would be great not having to buy a bunch of books o' crap and end up wasting money.
Thanks so much for your input!:tku:

Anatomy and Physiology for Midwives by Jane Coad is a very easy read with super clarity.

In what state will your sister practice? Will she be legal? just curious.

Jolie, BSN · Jul 24, 2008

By "lay" midwife, does your sister mean a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), a non-nurse who has completed an approved course of study, apprenticeship and passed a certification exam qualifying her for legal practice in some states? Or does she intend to simply self-study and hang out a shingle, making her illegal everywhere?

If she intends to become a CPM, don't worry. Her course of study will be based on current texts and practices. If she intends to practice her own brand of midwifery, stay far, far away!

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Jul 24, 2008

What books are you referring to, just curious. Is she reading books that are just old editions that have new prints or ones that are totally out of print? I have "Immaculate Deception" which is out of print, and rightfully so; It bashes things that are no longer in practice (like tying women down in labor). However there is "Immaculate Deception 2" which is more up dated. I know some very good "lay" midwives and they know that they need to keep up to date...heck, even Ina May keeps "Spiritual Midwifery" up to date, there are several editions out!

okchug · Jul 24, 2008

By "lay" midwife, does your sister mean a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), a non-nurse who has completed an approved course of study, apprenticeship and passed a certification exam qualifying her for legal practice in some states? Or does she intend to simply self-study and hang out a shingle, making her illegal everywhere?
Sorry- she could practice in OKLAHOMA. We have no laws governing midwives, no regulations, no prohibitions. She would not be illegal here.
The "lay" midwives we have are certified and members of the Oklahoma Midwives Alliance by choice. And the OMA itself has strict requirements for membership, but membership is voluntary. All these women are professional and have many affliations with midwifery organizations. Hopefully, no "self-trained" uncertified midwife is out there actually getting business-eek. BUT it could happen.

lugnutz · Jul 24, 2008

Thanks everyone.... Sorry this is so long, but this has been bothering me for a long time...

We live in Connecticut and I believe she wants to train as a CPM. Here in CT, if I'm not mistaken, CPM's are not legal or illegal. It is kind of strange. They can practice and even get paid through insurance companies, but they are not sanctioned either. The books my sister has include titles I know have been updated. It's funny you mentioned Immaculate Deception HeartsOpenWide, because that is one of the books she has! Also, no offense to anyone out there, but I don't care if Open Season is updated from Silent Knife, it was written in 1991, almost 20 years ago! (Scary I know). My issue is not with the good ol' basic knowledge in these books, but the hospital bashing and outdated hospital practices and statistics. My sister is one of those types who likes to back up her arguments with statistics. One of our arguments came from her spouting off statistics regarding her midwives (she had two births at home) birth/death ratio compared to a hospital. She feels like that is a reason to promote homebirths. Doesn't she realize how skewed those statistics are based on the fact that most midwives won't birth high-risk babies at home? High-risk women usually have to give birth in a hospital. That will cause the number of deaths in hospitals to go up. My sister is SOOOOOOOO against hospitals that she takes every opportunity to mention how awesome it was to have her kids at home and you must be a fool to have your child in a hospital. As I mentioned, I am not a hospital advocate by any means. I am a woman's advocate. As a CNM, I hope to give those women who choose a hospital birth, a "home-like" birth as possible. If hospitals are so bad then it's my job to be an advocate and help those women have better hospital experiences, not try to turn everyone against hospitals and convince them to birth at home. I think it drives me crazy because I have spent ( and will spend) many many hours researching and studying to become an RN and then a CNM and she feels like she can just take the easy road with the same outcome. I realize CPMs get extensive training, but what am I in school for if the outcome is the same????

okchug · Jul 25, 2008

I agree totally- in my work as a doula I try to help the mom have the experience she wants/needs in whatever environment. I know some that are so one-sided for homebirth that they can't accept any other way.

I was high risk and had no choice than to be in the hospital. I had pre-term labor with both kiddos, without medical intervention, I would be childless today:( Not everyone can or wants to have a homebirth.

I'm sorry you are having a hard time. I understand because some doulas act like I'm a traitor because I help clients that don't plan to home birth, want to be in hospital, and want epidurals. Everyone can benefit from support, not just those that follow one agenda!

I have witnessed first hand how CNMs can provide a near home-away-from-home environment, it can be done!

Keep your head up. You will be making a difference in many lives!

Good Luck!

AOX4RN, MSN, RN, NP · Jul 25, 2008

Can anyone point me to some titles/authors of some more recent books on midwifery that may be useful and informational?

Direct your sister to NARM.org for the CPM program information, whether or not she can get a license. Getting the CPM credential means she has met the minimum educational standards for a direct-entry midwife (DEM) and legitimizes her pathway (sorry but as a CPM, seeing "lay midwife" makes my skin fall off). Chances are when Connecticut revisits licensing, and they will, the CPM credential will likely be the measurement used for educational competency.

You can also look at MEAC Schools for DEM which will likely list their book requirements, none of wich will be older than 3-5 years depending on the subject and text.

On a side note, maybe as a future CNM and your sister a future CPM (hopefully) the two of you can work together in your community, not tear each other apart. It's hard enough as midwives in the real world without having to battle your sister.

lugnutz · Jul 25, 2008

Apgar10-

I didn't mean to offend you by using "lay-midwife" and CPM synonymously (sp?).

I would love to work together with my sister, but she gives off the impression that she will only work with a certain group of women- the ones who are fortunate to be low-risk and are comfortable enough with themselves and the birth-process to be able to have a birth at home.

I, on the other hand, feel it is MORE important to help those who are not-so-comfortable. I agree with okchug all the way...

beckinben, CNM · Jul 25, 2008

Holistic Midwifery by Anne Frye is probably the most comprehensive text for out of hospital birth. There are two volumes - prenatal care and intrapartum care. Volume 1 is getting older (1998), but I've heard it's good. I have volume 2, it came out in 2004. It is very comprehensive, and I actually refer to it for some things because it is more indepth than Varney's Midwifery, which was the text I used in school. Anne Frye also has a new edition out of her book on diagnostic testing in pregnancy, which is also a good resource.

The other text that many CPM-type programs use is Elizabeth Davis's Heart and Hands, which also came out with a new edition in 2004. I have that one, it is not very indepth and I think not sufficient by itself.

Henci Goer's Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth is a very good resource for evidence relating to pregnancy and birth. It is written for the pregnant woman, but is very valuable for health professionals as well, because of the emphasis on research and evidence. It's getting fairly old as well (1999), but I know she is in the process of updating, and I would expect the new edition is coming in the next year. Another recent release that talks a lot about evidence in childbirth is Marsden Wagner's Born in the USA. Either of those would be much more up to date than Immaculate Deception.

There is a new book that as a hospital CNM I am excited to see - I found it on Amazon. I am hoping it will have some good evidence in it as well. http://www.amazon.com/Homebirth-Hospital-Integrating-Childbirth-Medicine/dp/1591810779/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2V3CSZAJ5B0RG&colid=3RXIATWQJWRAE

I'm wondering if money is her issue? I know old books are cheap, but if she wants to be serious about midwifery, she is going to have to prepare to shell out some money for books.

okchug · Jul 26, 2008

Sorry to offend anyone by using the term "lay" but not all homebirth midwives are Certified Professional Midwives. We have some that use the designation CM, or DEM. I just used it to refer to non-CNM. Sorry:o