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From David in Israel: Home Birth Report--Twin Mitzvahs

James
My wife just delivered twins--one boy one girl. Blessed is Hashem who is good and does good. They were delivered in our home by a very competent French doctor. (French medical school has a much wider scope in traditional medicine.) Both babies were breach position but were delivered by allowing the baby's to exit in a sitting position from a one leg out position (the assistant described it like a twisting motion), sadly I did not see exactly how this was accomplished and is beyond the scope of my [previous EMT] training.
Childbirth is hopefully the most common major medical "emergency" you will encounter but it requires serious
training to be done safely. For emergencies I suggest everyone attend a weekend PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) course yearly even if your are not a nurse, doctor, or paramedic.
Midwifery is an excellent supplemental or full time profession, there will always be a demand even if it is in a hospital setting.
Fortunately my wife was able to find this second opinion as the Israeli managed care system is very by the book not giving much freedom to doctors. She had been scheduled to have a Caesarean section tomorrow. (I suppose we should now call and cancel.) A C-section leaves a scar on the abdomen and uterus making later pregnancies difficult to deliver naturally. So we were very serious about avoiding this. The 10 kilometers of walking to get to the doctor's office in Jerusalem is likely the final inducement to labor. - David

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