September 15, 2008
About
News and views from childbirth activist Gloria Lemay. 
Some of my passions are:
*holistic education of midwives and doulas
*keeping baby boys intact
*homebirth
*breastfeeding
*health & wellness
I am a contributing editor of Midwifery Today Magazine. I am an Advisory Board member of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN).
I am a keynote speaker at childbirth conferences and have travelled throughout N. America teaching midwifery. I live in Vancouver, B.C., Canada
hi gloria
I am enjoying reading your posts
I am in upstate NY and in my community we have a 37% c section rate
I was a doula back in 1998, and the hospital enviroment left me feeling sick and disgusted. I could not be of service to women there, so I began other interests.
I have 2 beautiful children 5 and 11 born in a bithing center in cooperstown ny-2 awesome and empowering births that fueled my passion further to educated others on the sacredness of birth.
any way…I am looking for a video done by a pre&perinatal educator called from Behind the Glass?
Do you know about this…it’s new and may not be released yet?
Blessings
linda PS our breastfeeding group is having suzanne arms come here on oct 3o to speak !! I am so excited.
Yes, there’s a 10 min Youtube preview of “Behind the Glass”. You can watch it here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVf4rzam0Xo
You’ll love having Suzanne Arms in your town. She was here in Vancouver recently for the DONA conference and she’s full of amazing ideas. A real doll.
Hi Gloria, Yolande posted a link to your site, and I just want to tell you, after going right through it, that it is wonderful. Sharlene
Thanks for reading, Sharlene.
I am so proud to live in the same city as such an amazing, and truly inspirational woman!
Your stand against male circumcision is SO important in these days! I hope that you can continue to make your voice heard on the topic, in ANY way possible! They are children who cannot make their voice heard until its too late, and lies and myths are spread to keep them pushing it onto their own children! We have to find some way to break the cycle and let people see all the facts before they commit!
But im not just proud of you for your intactivism, I am also proud of you for all the other wonderful things you stand up for. Don’t stop! Don’t ever stop!
Hi Gloria:
I came across your letter to the President about midwifery. As a long-time friend of midwives, and wanting to see midwifery honored in the US, I am eager to see the new Health Team in Washington be aware of midwifery – especially its safety and relatively low cost. Did you send the letter? Did you get a response? Are you or others involved in any strategic effort to take the current opportunity for change?
Regards,
Dr. Michael Schwab
Santa Fe
Hi Gloria
I met you in Adelaide at retreat.
can you email me with photo if possible (Im a visual) of your fetascope.(I have a hearing aid and need to look at alternatives available.
was great meeting you keep on keeping on
rosey smart-vaher
Hi Gloria,
I was reading one of your posts about episiotomies and had a question. Other than pain or sexual problems, how can you tell(or can you) that an episiotomy healed really well? I am just wondering since no one ever talks about what the scar looks like. I had a second degree episiotomy and used natural ointments on it. You can barely see the scar(just barely a thin white line). I am hopeful for a better birth next time.
On that note, I also wanted to comment on your thoughts about the tough first birth and that the midwife may not be at fault. In my case, I had wanted homebirth, but live in a state where it is not only illegal for CPMs to practice, but it is also OB ruled. When I went looking for providers that were natural minded, I found a CNM that only delivered at the hospital that told me I could have the natural birth I wanted with her. What she didn’t tell me is that she is pushed by the doctors that back her and the hospital to follow their protocols. As soon as my water broke before my contractions started, she was pushing me to labor at the hospital, use pitocin, sit on my butt to deliver(she would not help me with upright positions),held pushing etc. She didn’t even labor with us. She sat at the nurses station. My son had a cord issue (wrapped several times), so I understand that some time limits come into play for safety reasons(but what time limits would a midwife use?). However, why would she not support natural methods up to the point where interventions were needed? Why would she not talk to me about problems, but talk around me like I wasn’t present? I have found out from many other women in the community that she has behaved this way before. I still managed to have an unmedicated(no pitocin or epidural), assisted(vacuum) vaginal birth, but truly believe that she made me so leary that she stalled out my labor in the beginning(by not being what she said she was). To make matters worse, I spoke with her after the birth to relay my angry feelings, and at one point she said that she never stopped me from doing anything like upright pushing (she didn’t support it either) and perhaps I would have just birthed him on my own at home! Yikes! My son’s apgar score was a seven when he was born. When he was resting on my perineum, she asked to do a “small epis”. She performed a standard second degree cut and I also had a second degree tear up the side. I was really upset about the episiotomy. Did I really need it or just a litle more time to stretch? Should you tear and receive an episiotomy? She asked my permission, so could I have refused(I told her at the office that I did not want an epis)? I really thought she did it because he was in distress, but I now feel like I fell victim to a CNM who needed to birth my baby by protocol. What do you think? Any insight would be helpful, because she was told not to talk with me since her providers know that I was unhappy with her services. To me, that seems really terrible. All I ever wanted was evidence based care.
I know I asked a lot of questions, so I truly appreciate any help you can give me.
Sincerely,
Karen
I want to give you a medal for all the great work you do in promoting normal birth! E-mail me so I know where to send your medal!
Hi Gloria a few weeks ago you posted on my birth montage that you would like to use my montage in you blog. I would love for you to use it.
I was a little hesitant at first to share my birth with the world but now understand what an inspiration this montage could be for so many. It can now be seen on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQVDChbfSRY
Happy birthing
Melissa