Golden State Midwifery & Birth Services

07/26/2025

Autonomy and informed choice are the foundation of good care.

What are the ethical implications of routine medical intervention in childbirth?
A new piece from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics explores the rising rates of cesarean sections and labor interventions in U.S. hospitals—and their impact on autonomy, informed consent, and maternal well-being.

The article examines:

📌 Trends in cesarean rates and outcomes
📌 Financial and emotional costs of intervention
📌 Ethical concerns around informed consent during labor
📌 The role of patient autonomy in decision-making
📌 Implications for marginalized and low-income communities

As author Madison Patrick writes, "Childbirth is not a problem to be solved, nor a liability to be managed. It is an intimate, human experience that demands the highest standard of ethical care."

🔗 Read the full article via the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. : https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/bioethics/resources/ethics-of-medical-intervention-in-childbirth/

For more News and Research visit: https://www.nacpm.org/researchandcurrentevents

07/04/2025

05/27/2025

04/11/2025

Contribute to move towards equity. There’s a long way to go! And every bit helps.

It’s and we’re calling on YOU to turn solidarity into action—and action into impact!

When you give to BMMA, you’re investing in Black-led solutions, advocacy, and care that centers Black Mamas, birthing people, and families. Your support powers our movement for birth justice, reproductive freedom, and health equity.

💸Put your money where the justice is.
📲 Text BMMA to 844-844-6844 or visit bit.ly/bmmagiving to donate today!

01/25/2025

Fox H, Topp SM, Lindsay D, et al. A cascade of interventions: A classification tree analysis of the determinants of primary cesareans in Australian public hospitals. Birth 2021;48(2):209-20.

https://bit.ly/4gKQVpw

12/31/2024

Fully

Going into 2025, remember with your friends with newborns:
“to hold the mother, not the baby.”

What that means is the baby’s being taken care of—
fed, snuggled, and given all the love in the world—
by not only the mother,
but her partner, grandparents, siblings, cousins, and friends.

But the mother,
may have gaps in her mind from lack of sleep,
may be mechanical in her motions as she’s healing,
may be sitting in bed, crying, feeling overwhelmed in her body and life,
may be full of mom guilt because, in her mind, "she's not good enough,
and she’s bleeding, wincing in pain, swollen and emotional.

And the mother's that baby's whole world and needs to be seen so she doesn't disappear into that postpartum fog.

So, hold the mother, not the baby.

A mother agrees that her baby matters more.
But she’s hurting, while she’s the person behind the baby,
in the background, making it all happen:
feeding her baby at all hours,
snuggling her baby close to comfort newborn cries,
and being that baby’s everything.

So, it’s the mother who needs your love.

And a mother will remember who held her up.

So instead of saying, “I’m coming to see the baby,”
try saying, “I’m coming to see you 𝘢𝘯𝘥 meet the baby, too.

It matters.

✍️: (Danielle Sherman-Lazar)

12/06/2024

This is an excellent and free birth class. It's taught by an excellent instructor who happens to be a community midwife.

10/07/2024

Family reading time is a joy- a wonderful way to share in imagination and adventure.

10/04/2024

Big news in infant feeding!

Celebrate with us! AB3059 is now LAW!

AB 3059 will expand access to medically necessary donor milk for all families, regardless of insurance. It will also remove barriers that will allow hospitals to distribute donor milk more easily.

Share with a friend who needs to know!

Press Release here:
https://ow.ly/6YYB50TzvWN

06/17/2024

Baby wearing is an excellent way to bond.

Some interesting research about changes to the amygdala in dads who used a soft sling with their baby (rather than the group who used seats)
The amygdala is part of the primitive brain that is involved in emotions and responses.
It was particularly significant in men who had experienced childhood trauma.

Slings are amazing. If your partner is concerned about bonding with the baby, get them involved in babywearing. Also, babies often settle for longer in a sling, so can give you a bit of time/space for jogging/bath/greys anatomy/baking/gym

*The research was just done on dads as opposed to any other non birthing parent or partner

05/06/2024

For this International Day of the Midwife, I'll share one of the influences that put me on the path to midwifery.

While planning my 2nd birth, my midwives recommended this book.

Born in the USA- How a broken maternity care system must be fixed to put women and children first.

Dr. Wagner, its author, was the Director of Women and Children's Health at the World Health Organization. He believed midwives to be the essential care provider for all birth givers (with some needing an Ob too) and community birth as a solution to the crisis of US maternity healthcare. He also saw that it was difficult for insiders to the system to see the issues. In his book, he laid out a clear need for revamping US reproductive health care.

He wrote that we could be more like countries with the best outcomes, where they rely on midwives to provide the bulk of care to all and some also receive OB care. The personalized and person centered care empowers and offers excellent outcomes. And midwifery integrated with the healthcare systems- so transfers of care are smooth and respectful of the birthing person and the transferring birth team - offers the best outcomes.

Before reading this, I hadn't actually decided on birthing with the midwives, but this book and a pile of research made the case so well, that I opted for birth in a community setting- my home- with midwives, to work to change and improve our systems, and eventually to become a midwife.

05/05/2024

VBAC Facts has the information so you can make informed decisions about birth after cesarean. There are so many myths and much misinformation. Jen gives solid evidence.

Pervasive myths about vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) make it impossible for parents to make informed decisions. Let's debunk 13 myths we've heard from readers.