In 1895, Adolphe Pinard (1844–1934) a French obstetrician, designed an elegant, trumpet-shaped instrument for listening to babies in utero. This trumpet was made of wood and featured a single diameter opening drilled through the center. Using this simple tool, sound made by the fetal heart was efficiently transmitted to the listener’s ear. Aptly named after its creator, the Pinard
By Ginger Breedlove After finishing the most recent Freakonomics podcast on Nurse Practitioners (NPs) filling the workforce shortage in primary health care, I was disheartened by the negative sentiment prevalent in the comments. If you haven’t heard the episode yet, you can listen to it here. As a nurse and Midwife with nearly 40 years of experience, I have worked
By Ginger Breedlove Is the maternal mortality rate in the United States really higher than every other developed country in the world? Yes, and it’s getting worse. Considering the magnitude of this public health crisis, it’s astounding how few seem to be aware that thousands of mothers are dying every year for reasons that are largely avoidable. Due to this
