EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The story of a Eugene woman who lost her baby while giving birth at home has renewed state Rep. Mitch Greenlick’s effort to require that midwives be licensed in the state.
KVAL reports (http://bit.ly/tIIKT5) Oregon is one of just two states that don’t regulate midwives. Of about 50,000 births each year in the state, about 1,000 are planned at home.
The Oregon Midwifery Council says voluntarily licensing is working.
But Margarita Sheikh says she made a mistake last summer after she ran into trouble while trying to deliver a baby at home with the help of two unlicensed midwives. Her husband was out of the country at the time.
She endured eight days of labor, and her son lived only a few minutes.
___
Information from: KVAL-TV, http://www.kval.com/
