March with Midwives in the Palisades 4th of July Parade

Join your midwives and friends at the Palisades Parade and Picnic. March together to celebrate and spread the word about midwifery in DC.

When: Wednesday, July 4th
Line up at 10 am, Parade begins promptly at 11 am

Where: Line up on Whitehaven Parkway NW between Our Lady of Victory School and the fire station

Our theme is “Midwifery is Catching.” Get festive! Bring your bellies, your babies, your tricycles and your wagons and come find us at the pick-up truck decorated with pregnant bellies! Bring a drum to beat along the way!

Next "Meet the Midwife" session, July 25th at 6:45 pm

What: Meet the Midwife sessions are for couples who are considering GW Midwifery and want to learn more about us. 

When: Wednesday, July 25th at 6:45 pm
Please arrive by 6:30 to allow time to go through hospital security.

Where:  George Washington University Hospital
900 23rd Street, NW, Washington DC  20037
In the Basement Auditorium

Parking/Metro: There is a parking lot at the Academic Center at 22nd and I Streets, NW. Or take Metro--the Foggy Bottom-GWU stop is located at the entrance of the hospital.

RSVP: Send an email to midwife@mfa.gwu.edu if you plan to attend.

This is an informal group session where you can meet us and get your questions answered. In lieu of a charge for this session, we request that you make a donation to The Medical Faculty Associates, Inc., a not for profit organization. 

C-section may boost child obesity risk, study finds

"Babies born by C-section may be more likely than those delivered vaginally to become obese children," the Washington Post reports on a new study.

Read the article: C-section may boost child obesity risk, study finds

"What to reject when you're expecting" -- 10 overused procedures and 10 things you should do during pregnancy

In this on-target article, What to reject when you're expecting: 10 procedures to think twice about during your pregnancy, Consumer Reports offers top reasons for rising numbers of maternal deaths and of premature and low-birth-weight babies in the United States. One reason is that mothers are less healthy -- but another key reason, Consumer Reports says, is the "health-care system that has developed into a highly profitable labor-and-delivery machine, operating according to its own timetable rather than the less predictable schedule of mothers and babies."

The article discusses C-Sections and other overused procedures. It also offers "10 things you should do during your pregnancy." #3 is Consider a midwife.

Read the article: What to reject when you're expecting: 10 procedures to think twice about during your pregnancy

Current research: Nutrition in pregnancy impacts outcomes

We believe that you can get all the nutrients you need to have a healthy pregnancy by eating healthy food. Our dietary guidelines are designed to keep your blood sugar at an even level throughout the day (and minimize nausea and dizziness) and expand your blood volume properly so that you can circulate for both yourself and the baby. Following our guidelines will also help you grow a baby that is appropriately sized for your body and pelvis.

Here is a current research article about how dietary and lifestyle interventions in pregnancy can reduce pregnant women's weight gain and improve outcomes for both mother and baby: "Effects of interventions in pregnancy on maternal weight and obstetric outcomes"

Thought for the day

If you think you've had your fill of weeds, think again...

photo by Barbara Damrosch

In today's Washington Post article, "Foraging for dandelions, that edible weed," writer Barbara Damrosch tells us about "dandelions, that edible weed." She writes that dandelion weeds are full of vitamins and minerals and delicious tossed with a light vinaigrette, coarse salt, cracked pepper, and herbs - and topped with a fresh soft-boiled egg.

Free online cooking series on natural sweeteners

Join WISDOM mom, Cameron Laurent, for Naturally Sweet, a free, online cooking series on how to use natural sweeteners to help with sugar cravings. This program is perfect for pregnant moms -- and anyone else --  looking to reduce sugar in their diets.

Naturally Sweet
When: March 26-April 8, 2012
Where: Your computer (it's a virtual program)
Cost: Free

Practicing with The Pearls: Primary Cesarean Prevention at The George Washington University

Whitney Pinger was selected to present Practicing with The Pearls: Primary Cesarean Prevention at The George Washington University at the 2012 conference of the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

WISDOM Midwifery at The George Washington University is demonstrating that, when applied to clinical practice, and faithfully followed, The Pearls optimize a woman’s chances of having a normal vaginal delivery.

The Pearls have led to what Pinger calls Primary Cesarean Prevention. When The Pearls are our clinical guides – and we are supported by practice laws that make midwives independent providers and OB Departments that consider midwives Attending Providers and Clinical Professors – a Cesarean Section Rate of less then 5% can be achieved.

Video: What babies learn before they're born

Watch this fascinating video of a talk by science writer Annie Murphy Paul about her work on what a fetus learns before birth: What babies learn before they're born

Murphy Paul is author of Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives and writes a weekly column at Time.com called Brilliant: The Science of Smart.