Midwifery is a practice and tradition that has been carried through many years. I suppose you could say that it’s the art of caring for a woman during her pregnancy. The midwife is responsible for helping birth the child and the aftercare. Midwives were typically women but male midwives weren’t unheard of. Many families still choose to have a home birth rather than to deliver in a hospital or a delivery room. Midwifery: Caring For Mothers Then And Now Long before Obstetricians and Gynecologists were being trained to deliver babies Midwifery was passed down from person to person in their own homes. Today in places like the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Japan midwives actually outnumber obstetricians. In colonial America between 1492 and late into the 1700’s a midwife was present for almost ALL births. A midwife studied and practiced from home handing down their knowledge and skills to the next midwife to be. There were no textbooks or worksheets used to study, you learned through experience. Granny Midwives West Africans brought over to the United States on slave ships became midwives all throughout the antebellum south. Once emancipation took place the practice of midwifery continued and the women continued to be a part of both black and white women’s deliveries. They helped birth many babies, mostly in poor rural areas in the south and were referred to as Granny-Midwives. Hospital Practice | Midwifery laws were on National levels in Europe and Britain whereas in the United States midwives practiced without laws concerning education until after the 1920’s. There are laws in place currently here in the U.S. but they vary according to state. Somewhere between the years 1910 and 1920 American Obstetricians aka OBGYN’s were found to be terribly trained. In order to provide “Proper” training, the OBGYN’s began recommending that ALL deliveries take place in hospitals. This was all just a part of the plan for the doctors to get practice. Twilight Sleep For all those years many babies were brought into this world without a hospital or doctor’s office. In 1914 obstetricians began using something called “Twilight Sleep” which was a concoction of morphine and Scopolamine. The morphine was said to be for the pain and the Scopolamine was for amnesia. Twilight sleep was administered to the mothers in order for them to feel nothing nor have any memories at all of their child’s birth. Infant deaths, as well as, the mother dying giving labor and delivery issues spiked. Founding Of The Frontier Nursing Service In 1925 Mary Breckinridge founded the Frontier Nursing Service. Mary was a public health nurse in France working for the Red Cross during the end of the first World War. Here is where she learned about midwifery from British nurse-midwives. A nurse-midwife had a combination of training and education from both the midwifery and the obstetrician aspects. She took the time to learn from the British nurse-midwives which sparked the idea for the foundation of FNS in order to help poor families in Kentucky. Baby Boom image via flickr It took a long time for this to catch on, seeing as it wasn’t until the mid to late 50’s that nurse-midwives began attending home births. It was around this time that obstetric professional leaders began developing midwifery services in order to help deal with all the babies being born during the famous Baby Boom. Midwives and nurse-midwives were a huge influence to the introduction of concepts such as family-centered maternity care, allowing the father into the room during birth (this was once a huge no-no), and encouraging breastfeeding. A Massive Comeback After the Baby Boom life went on as it did and midwifery was once again set on the back burner. The idea of having a midwife came to life again between 1960 and 1970. Midwifery has been fading in and out of history for many years and today in 2017 it is making a massive comeback. Today there are groups like The United States Midwifery Education, Regulations, and Association which makes it a little easier for one to learn the practice of being a midwife. I have several friends that have had home births and they loved it. The relationship between the midwife or a doula and the family is important which provide a growing experience for the whole family. The University of South Wales shows us a video on how to  deliver a baby – study of midwifery: Not all midwives deliver in the families homes. There are midwives who deliver in hospitals, birthing centers, and in an independent home practice. No matter where they work from they bring their own supplies and interestingly enough there are actually some insurance companies that will cover the medical coverage. I hope this time midwifery sticks around for good as I feel it is up to the patient to decide the place of child birthing. It is, however, a magical experience. Happy Throwback Thursday! Do you want to share anything about midwifery and how it has impacted our lives? Let us know in the comment section below. Here are 10 homemade baby products to make naturally! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook! Featured Image via flickr

They took in a cat with kittens and later noticed she began following other felines, gaining courage. MiaSaltyAnimalRescueMia, the cat, was found living with a colony of cats that needed help. Kind-hearted people started feeding them and sought help for them.Natasha, a local animal rescuer, set out to find placement and assistance for the cats. When she noticed Mia was pregnant, she immediately searched for a rescue to take her in."Mia is young and looks quite far along. She will have her last litter ever safe inside," Karly Saltarski, cofounder of Salty Animal Rescue, shared. SaltyAnimalRescueMia was rescued and brought to the all-volunteer organization with Karly. Though initially frightened, she began to relax in her quiet space and appreciate the endless supply of food and comfort.Her swats and hisses began to wane, replaced by gentle purrs. SaltyAnimalRescue"Few things are more rewarding than those first purrs from a very scared kitty who originally lunged at you with a vengeance."Mia was still very shy but slowly warmed up to the comforts of indoor life. A few days later, she went into labor. Unsure of what to do when her first kitten was born, she looked at Karly with pleading eyes. Mia gave birth to six kittensSaltyAnimalRescueAfter Karly guided her through cleaning and caring for the kitten, Mia handled the next three well on her own but needed assistance with the rest of the litter. Thankfully, the kittens were born safely indoors, spared from the harsh fate they would have faced outside."Mia was exhausted but cozied up to her (six) babies. She's not the most attentive mom, but she's trying her best." SaltyAnimalRescueIn a loving foster home, the kittens flourished into bundles of energy. By four weeks old, they were running around, play-wrestling, mastering the litter box, and showing interest in their mom's food.The family of seven needed more care than anticipated due to an infection. Karly provided the necessary treatment, helping them heal and ensuring steady gains for all the kittens. SaltyAnimalRescueAs the little ones grew more independent, Mia started sneaking away to rest atop her box. She clearly craved human affection but remained a bit hesitant, purring one minute and hissing the next.The kittens were fearless and social, while Mia needed more time and understanding to find her courage. "She is so loving once she trusts you." SaltyAnimalRescueAs the kittens were ready to spread their wings and fly, Mia happily retired from motherhood. She moved into a new foster home (with Elaine), where she could socialize with the resident cats.Mia's eyes lit up at the sight of her new feline companions, and she eagerly followed them around. With their encouragement, she grew more confident, discovering that trying new things and trusting humans could be rewarding. Mia befriended the resident cats in her foster homeSaltyAnimalRescue"It has taken time to gain her trust, but under that scared shell, she is such a sweet girl. Recently, she's been allowing lots of petting and even purring and head bunts. she's happy with us being in the room and has made a ton of progress."When Elaine came home with another mother cat and two kittens, Mia was eager to help. Morticia and her kittens, Pugsley and OpheliaSaltyAnimalRescue"Morticia is one happy girl to finally get out of the shelter kennel after a month and a half. She has had some help raising her babies from Mia."With permission from the mom, Mia took the kittens, Pugsley and Ophelia, under her wing. She kitten-sat when Morticia needed a break, guiding the little ones and teaching them the ways of a cat. Mia watches the kittens when Morticia needs a break SaltyAnimalRescueMia has truly blossomed and gained confidence with the help of other cats, and she's ready to find a place of her own."She's continuing to understand humans mean extra love and care. She just needs a little time to become the more social kitty in her new home. As long as she has a cat tree or a bed in front of a window to snuggle up in, she's a happy girl." SaltyAnimalRescueShare this story with your friends. More on Mia and her feline friends and Salty Animal Rescue on Instagram and Facebook.Related story: Cat Follows His New Family from Room to Room, Guarding Them After Many Lonely Years Outside

RIP, Jazz Shaw (1959-2024)

If Vice President Kamala Harris truly wishes to address the “root causes” of illegal immigration, she should look at the massive left-wing influence campaign I call the Woketopus.The left’s vast dark money funding apparatus not only helped the anti-Israel protesters on college campuses but also bankrolled the pressure groups that helped set open-borders policy in the Biden-Harris administration.Activist groups behind the scenes want to transform America into a 'sanctuary country' that puts legal immigrants at the back of the line.A network of left-wing foundations — including the George Soros-founded Open Society Foundations, the nonprofits founded by Arabella Advisors, the Tides Foundation, and others — bankroll woke nonprofits that have deep ties to the administrative state. Bureaucrats go from government to these nonprofits and back, and these nonprofits often draft policies that agencies go on to implement.At least three nonprofits helped shape policy at the Department of Homeland Security, aiming to transform the DHS’ mission. This transformation enabled at least 10 million illegal aliens to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.The Center for American Progress — which Politico dubbed “the most influential think tank of the Biden era” — urged a “reorientation of cultural norms at DHS.”The CAP called for the DHS to shift “toward a more service-driven department that treats immigration as an asset to be managed rather than a crime to be enforced against.”Similarly, the American Civil Liberties Union urged the DHS to “reject our existing immigration system’s reliance on the punitive, enforcement-based approach driven by mass detention and mass deportation” and instead create a system “focused on helping people navigate a byzantine immigration system and on a pathway to citizenship.”Finally, the nonprofit America’s Voice claimed that “undocumented immigrants” are “essential to our economy and essential to our democracy.”When Biden put together his transition team for the DHS, he tapped America’s Voice’s Ur Jaddou and the ACLU’s Andrea Flores. Jaddou currently leads U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The CAP’s former vice president for immigration policy, Tom Jawetz, became general counsel at the DHS in March 2021.These groups’ influence did not begin with Biden, nor will it end with him. But the Biden-Harris administration’s extreme record on immigration highlights their impact.Not only has the Biden-Harris administration loosened border enforcement, halting wall construction, pausing deportations, and eliminating Trump-era policies that required asylum seekers to “Remain in Mexico” while their cases worked through U.S. courts, but it has also directed more funding to what I call the “immigration industrial complex.”Many non-governmental organizations — most of them faith-based — receive hefty grants from the U.S. government to house and resettle illegal aliens throughout America. According to an analysis from the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, immigrants who went through these resettlement agencies have found their way to 431 of America’s 435 congressional districts.Let that sink in.The Biden-Harris administration is using your tax dollars to resettle illegal aliens throughout the country, after working with groups that call illegal aliens “essential to our democracy.”Americans believe in helping the less fortunate and in providing a home to refugees who really need it, but the activist groups pulling the strings behind the scenes want to transform America into a “sanctuary country” that puts legal immigrants at the back of the line.These activist groups shouldn’t be dictating policy in Washington.

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