If there’s one pelvic care procedure people seem to universally dread, it’s an IUD insertion. The most common words I hear when describing an IUD insertion are excruciating and traumatic. It does not need to be this way! With careful and respectful handling of the body, and knowledge of the natural mechanisms of the cervix, an IUD insertion can be as gentle as possible.
PPE has significantly impacted by ability to connect with newborns. They can’t tell where my voice is coming from when my mask covers my mouth. Glare and reflection off my face shield makes them look away, and already blurry vision through a face shield makes it hard for them to make eye contact with me. When I try to bring my face closer to them to facilitate communication I often awkwardly bonk them with my shield.
One of the more important developments in research around medication abortion protocols is that misoprostol works well to induce an abortion all on its own. Sound, scientific studies have shown that even without Mifepristone, misoprostol alone is safe, effective, and (unlike Mifepristone) much more accessible and affordable.
Slowly but surely, there is a growing body of literature and medical practice around administering medication protocols for early pregnancy loss. The delay in the uptake of medications for miscarriage management is often tied to the stigma of these medications and research around them being typically used for abortion … despite the physiology between an early abortion and an early miscarriage being nearly identical.
To say this process has been, is, painful would be a gross understatement. The coupling of being a midwife and being unwillingly infertile is a brutal existence. While I can easily compartmentalize my individual clients’ joys, fears, and experiences from my own, the simple juxtaposition of spending all day around pregnancy and babies feel ironic at best coming home to a quiet house.
