Women's Wisdom Cincinnati, Home Birth Midwives

04/30/2025

What does the evidence say about how long labor "should" take? Longer than the medical model used to think! But we midwives have been saying this forever 😊

04/23/2025

What a great summary of what we do and why!

I just bought this handful of meds for our midwifery practice. And you know what? I am honestly expecting to throw most of it away in a few months. In the hospital it’s used nearly every birth, but in reality our practice will probably use one, maybe two vials a year (for excess bleeding). We always work from least interventive to more, so when we have excess bleeding after birth, our first steps are physiological, deliver placenta +baby to breast+calm environment, then herbal, and then if we have to, meds. Even though we don’t use them often, it’s vital to me that we carry these meds because it’s possible we will have a bleed we can’t stop with our normal measures-I would be irresponsible not carry this tiny, easy lifesaving measure. Carrying Pit (&other meds) can also prevent us needing to Transfer into a less friendly environment, possibly preserving a peaceful and tranquil postpartum for the families we work with. Did my ancestors have these interventions? Nope. Do I think that they approve whole heartedly with us adding them to our medicine bundle? Yes I do. Our people have always been scientists and avid learners. My matriarchal line is cheering for every new tool we learn, and for the discerning spirit that we use them in. Does every birth need pharmaceuticals? Not hardly. But I’ll keep buying it and training midwives in it for the small percent that does. That doesn’t make me a med-wife, doesn’t harm the families I am working with and definitely doesn’t dishonor my heritage and ancestors. That makes me prepared for emergencies. Most of the time we are just a glorified cleaning crew, making breakfast and tidying up the birth pool, but sometimes we are called to step in and safeguard someone through a difficult transition. Midwives are here to do that. 💕 *this is pitocin, synthetic made oxytocin, our first line of pharmaceuticals when dealing with a postpartum hemorrhage.

04/02/2025

This is so important! Having a person whose sole job it is to support the laboring mom and her partner can make all the difference! I've definitely seen that, along with good birth preparation, make the difference between a long labor with a transfer and a long labor at home. Doulas rock!

⚠️Unpopular opinion⚠️
Midwives, YOU ARE NOT DOULAS!
…
Midwives assess the big picture, the (w)holistic perspective, the environment, the ebbs and flows of energy within every body in the room, the readiness of equipment and tools, the status of the waters, all of the moving parts and more. Midwives are aware of the intricacy of the fetal heart tones over time, around baselines and in relation to the contraction pattern.
…
Midwives are a lifeguard in this ocean of birth. If you are too close to the swimmer, you cannot see what is a mile out or if they are swimming towards a rip current.
The birthers comfort can never consume your focus like it does for a doula. (So make sure your client gets a doula!)
This may take new midwives time to achieve, but our advanced practice fetal heart tones course can help you get started.
…
What was the moment that you realized midwives are not doulas in your practice?

📸

03/09/2025

Do you know the signs of pelvic floor dysfunction?

We've known about this in the midwifery world for a long time, glad to see it's gaining traction in the OB world.

"Whether we can improve maternal pelvic floor relaxation with consequent improvement in labor outcomes remains a matter of debate. Maternal education, physiotherapy, and visual feedback are promising interventions."

We absolutely CAN improve pelvic floor relaxation and pelvic floor dysfunction should be routinely screened for and addressed prenatally. So many cesareans could be avoided.

AJOG Expert Review in Labor: Soft-tissue dystocia due to paradoxical contraction of the levator ani as a cause of prolonged second stage: concept, diagnosis, and potential treatment - Illustration and ultrasound reconstruction of the levator ani muscle
A, Graphic illustration of the levator ani muscle. B, A 3-dimensional ultrasound reconstruction of the levator ani muscle. The levator ani muscle is indicated by arrows, and its hiatus is the area included inside the muscle. The identified structures include the urethra (U), va**na (V), and re**um (R). https://ow.ly/7VKb50R5iaS

03/07/2025

EBB is a great resource for research based information