August 06, 2003

First anniversary

It is a year since I started this Diary. Hard to believe that a full twelve months has passed but life seems to flow on so fast these days. Over this year I have posted 227 entries and 167 comments have been added by readers.

I have commented on a whole range of topics, mostly arising from things that have come to my attention each day. Travelling as I do gives me many opportunities for reflection and discussion about the midwifery and birth scene and I trust you have enjoyed exploring the world along with me. Amongst the many and varied experiences that I am fortunate to encounter, one thing is clear: the birth process remains the same all over the world but the way it is handled differs considerably from place to place. Midwifery faces the same pressures everywhere as well, yet again, the management of these stresses and strains and the solutions being found to tackle the problems varyconsiderably.

Of all my Diary entries over this past year, the entry that I wrote on Doulas has attracted the most comment. This is a heated issue, and a complex development in maternity care that has either the potential to enhance birth for women, undermine midwifery practice or create another level of health “carer” that muddies the water in terms of the overall picture. I have left all the comments that have been posted to this entry intact, even though some of them are rather impolite and certainly don’t support my ideas. I think it is important to have debate and I am pleased that my entry has stimulated much needed discussion, especially amongst Americans, who have most openly embraced the whole concept of Doulas. If you want to read more about this, the original entry, “The ‘doula’ craze” and the comments, can be found in the entry for September 6, 2002, in the Midwifery collection.

The other issue that attracts many responses is the entry on Moxibustion to turn breech babies. There have been many requests for more information, which led me to writing a whole article on the issue with detailed instructions on the procedure, the research that supports its use and the alternatives that can also be considered. Click here if you want to go straight to this article.

I look forward to continuing to write these musings. I read recently that writing a page like this each day amounts to a whole book over a year - so now when I am asked how I manage to find time to write my books, I can now honestly say that much of the time is now taken up with writing my Diary. Writing each day is a wonderful discipline, however, and as long there are people who are willing to read them, I will continue to put fingers to keyboard to give you a daily dose of Diary. Your comments will always be welcome as well, so let’s hear from you too!

Posted by andrea at August 06, 2003 09:50 AM

Comments

You may find it interesting to visit the sites about poker card, casino no deposit, online casino casions, gambling cash, blackjack sites, roulette casions, gamble tip, internet casino web, slot machine odds, online casino bonus deposit, online gamble game, casino gambling strategies, casino game strategies, las vegas table, video poker casinos, roulette online card, slot rule, blackjack online deposit, blackjack betting 3d, poker 888, gambling 8888, blackjack tip, poker on net, casino casions, casino gaming, gambling no deposit. .

Posted by: blackjack on January 19, 2004 09:57 AM