by Debby | Mar 22, 2013 | Research Updates
It is one thing for birth advocates to lament the state of maternity care in the U.S. (and many other countries around the world). It is another thing when health policy experts start questioning the status quo. In an article in the March 2013 edition of Health... by Debby | Feb 5, 2013 | Musings
Last night I watched the premiere on TV of a new medical drama, Monday Mornings. I have always been fascinated by any entertainment genre featuring medicine – books, movies, TV shows. While my husband fondly remembers watching Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke) and Wyatt Earp as... 
by Debby | Jan 22, 2013 | Book Review
It saddens me that this book needed to be written. In my ideal world, hospitals welcome and support laboring women who plan natural births to the same extent as they do women planning early epidurals. All labor rooms have large birthing tubs, birth balls, rocking... 
by Debby | Jan 17, 2013 | Book Review
My ultimate test for a book is whether I would recommend it to my daughter-in-law or to my sister. The answer for this book is, “Yes.” However, I would be recommending the book to my son or brother-in-law as this concise, little book is addressed specifically to the... by Debby | Apr 11, 2012 | Musings
The birds of Houston have mistaken our third floor balcony for a bird sanctuary. The former residents of our home did nothing to discourage this, but we have paraded several experts through our bedroom to study the small balcony and offer suggestions. Our efforts to... 
by Debby | Feb 18, 2012 | Book Review
Jena Pincott, the author of this delightful and informative book, says “yes.” Pincott, a science writer and former senior editor at Random House, has compiled a fascinating compendium of research-based facts and theories about pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding.... by Debby | Dec 7, 2011 | Musings
Although we in maternity care got “good” news last month when the CDC announced that the 2010 cesarean rate had declined ever so slightly from 32.9% in 2009 to 32.8% in 2010, there is no doubt that we still have a cesarean crisis in the U.S. (and in most other parts... by Debby | Aug 1, 2011 | Book Review
There is much that we do know about how people learn and much that we don’t know. When I first began in the field of childbirth education, learning styles were an important component of my education. Now they have been debunked. In search of something on... by Debby | Jul 29, 2011 | Research Updates
If the primary and overall cesarean rates continue to escalate at the same pace as in recent years, the cesarean rate will be over 56% by 2020, warns two prominent obstetricians in the August edition of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Although cesareans are safer than ever... by Debby | Jun 30, 2011 | Research Updates
Among many health care professionals, it is fashionable to attribute our skyrocketing cesarean rate to increasing numbers of “older” and obese women having babies. As women age, the rate of health complications such as hypertension and diabetes do increase. And...