The relaxation and pain-relieving benefits of water are well-known; many women who have had babies in and out of water will attest to this.

Thirty-six million minority women in this country have more health problems but access fewer health services than white women.  During no time is this difference more pronounced or more important than during pregnancy and childbirth. 

For midwives and families preparing for an out-of-hospital birth, gathering the necessary equipment and supplies is crucial.

In July 2006, in The New Yorker magazine, Jerome Groopman wrote a fascinating article about preeclampsia* and a young researcher who appears to have found the cause.  This is huge.

A new study published in the online advance issue of the American Journal of Public Health states that obesity raises preterm delivery risk in nulliparous women (first-time moms).  What is interesting is that the risk of spontaneous preterm delivery is actually decreased - it is elective preterm delivery (induced labor) that is increased. 

ACOG just published an important and interesting study asking practicing obstetricians about their knowledge, beliefs, and practices regarding the risks and benefits of elective (not medically indicated) and non-elective cesarean delivery, as well as their counseling practices and department policies regarding elective cesarean.  (Click on title to continue reading and to see the news release.)