Contents
Birth Currents contains the latest childbirth, pregnancy,
nutrition, postpartum, parenting and midwifery-related
events in California.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AND TRAININGS
|Breastfeeding Training| Volunteer Doulas Needed|
| 4th Annual Christian Midwives International Conference
Out of Hospital vs. Hospital Birth Workshop
Legislation Effecting Midwives |
Transforming Maternity Care
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF MIDWIVES 30TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
DOULA TRAINING |
Letter to College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists re: ban of Homebirth
"ORGASMIC BIRTH" FILM SCREENING - Purchase now
Letter from L.A.-based obstetrician, Stuart Fischbein to President of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists response to AMA & ACOG Ban of Homebirth
Letter to President of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists re: ban of Homebirth
Douglas H. Kirkpatrick, MD
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
PO Box 96920
Washington, DC 20090-2188
"ORGASMIC BIRTH"
FILM SCREENING AND PANEL DISCUSSION - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2008 4:30-7:30 PM, FULLERTON, CA
Wholistic Birth Resource Center of Southern California, California Nurse Midwives Association (www.cnma.org), and Doula Association of Southern California (www.dascdoulas.org) are sponsoring a film screening of ORGASMIC BIRTH, a documentary film by Debra Pascali-Bonaro, which challenges the cultural myths about birth by revealing the sensual, "emotional, spiritual and physical heights attainable through birth." According to "birthing experts who provide commentary in the film, a pleasurable birth...is an integral part of a woman's sexuality and a neglected human right." You will witness eleven women having their babies in unhurried, non-medicalized settings, including birth centers and hospitals, where they feel supported and safe. Witness the miracle of birth as it is meant to be.
DATE AND LOCATION AND ADMISSION FEES
The film will be shown on Saturday, September 27, 2008 from 4:30-6:00 pm at California State University Fullerton, in the Kinesiology Auditorium, room K199, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, CA 92834. Tickets are $20 at the door. Pregnant women may attend for $10. Students with valid ID are $15. There are limited advanced ticket sales.
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
An h'ors d'ouvres reception and birth photography exhibition by Anna Verwaal will precede the screening from 4:00-4:30 pm.
A panel discussion with doctors, midwives and childbirth educators will follow the film from 6:00-7:30 pm. A dessert reception and silent auction will follow the panel discussion from 7:30-8:00 pm.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Down Load PDF Flyer
Call 626-388-2191 or ticketsfororgasmicbirthLA@yahoo.com.
View a trailer of the film at www.orgasmicbirth.com
Purchase "ORGASMIC BIRTH"
FILM SCREENING Here!
Student Ticket $15.00
Pregnant Person $10.00
THE CIMS BIRTH SURVEY
THROUGHOUT THE U.S.A.
AUGUST 2008
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE QUALITY OF MATERNITY CARE IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
DID YOU KNOW THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS RECENTLY SEEN AN INCREASE IN INDUCTIONS, CESAREANS AND MATERNAL MORTALITY? NOW YOU CAN BE PART OF THE SOLUTION…
A voice for mother-friendly care.
…increase transparency in maternity care by helping doctors, midwives and birth facilities improve the quality of their care. You can’t make maternity care the best it can be if you don’t have the data women need.
Share. Connect. Learn.
SHARE your birth experience with others who are deciding where and with whom to
birth. We’ll listen to you!
CONNECT with a provider or birth setting that meets your needs and philosophies by
viewing consumer feedback on local hospitals, birth centers, doctors and midwives from other women in your community.
LEARN about and view information on hospitals and birth centers in your community that will help women make important birth care choices.
The Transparency in Maternity Care Project was started in February 2006 by the Grassroots Advocates Committee (GAC) of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) (www.motherfreindly.com), a volunteer group of leading maternity care providers, researchers, and organizations dedicated to ensuring public access to quality of care information specifically related to maternity care providers and institutions. CIMS believes that granting expectant parents access to information is a vital step in increasing transparency in maternity care. Now your clients can share their birth experience with other women in your community at www.thebirthsurvey.com. Help other women in your community find quality providers and birth settings that are compatible with their needs and philosophies. The Birth Survey at www.thebirthsurvey.com works by asking birthing women who have given birth in the US in the last three years to provide feedback about their doctor, midwife, and birth environment. Responses are made available online to other women in their community who are deciding where and with whom to birth.
Paired with this consumer feedback data will be official statistics from Health Departments, this will be an invaluable tool to help women make truly informed choices in childbirth and help maternity care providers provide evidence-based care.
The Birth Survey is…
FREE
Available to women who have given birth in the US in the last three years, beginning August 2008. Pilot project was in NYC and Philadelphia. You can view results at thebirthsurvey.com and sample the survey for yourself.
Accessible online 24/7
Visit www.thebirthsurvey.com.
Asks birthing women nationwide to provide feedback about their doctor, midwife, and birth environment. Responses are made Available online to other women in their community who are deciding where and with whom to birth. You will be able to look up a specific hospital and a specific doctor and get their rates of induction, c-section, VBAC, episiotomy, etc.
Giving women a voice about their pregnancy and birth care
A way to Connect: Its like a consumer reports for birth
For women who want a doctor or midwife or hospital who is compatible with their philosophies and needs .
For expectant parents looking for a hospital, birth center, or homebirth service that is highly rated by other women in your community
The Birth Survey at www.thebirthsurvey.com is an online resource for expectant parents, much like a “consumer reports” for quality of care for maternity care providers and institutions, so that parents can make informed choices for their pregnancy and birth care that are compatible with their own philosophies and needs.
The Birth Survey at www.thebirthsurvey.com works by asking birthing women nationwide to provide feedback about their doctor, midwife, and birth environment. Responses are made available online to other women in their community who are deciding where and with whom to birth.…find what other women have to say about specific doctors, midwives and birth options in your community.
Learn: Get the information you need about hospitals and birth centers in your community…
Want to know what the cesarean section rate is at your local hospital or birth center? Check out www.thebirthsurvey.com
You can’t make informed maternity care decision if you don’t know the numbers. Find the information you need at www.thebirthsurvey.com.
Information on hospital and birth center intervention rates, such as cesarean sections, inductions, pain medications, and breastfeeding initiation rates, are provided from official statistics from state departments of health. To view the rates for your community visit: www.thebirthsurvey.com.
The CIMS Transparency in Maternity Care Project is connecting expectant parents, doctors, midwives and birth facilities with the information they need to receive and give quality mother-friendly maternity care.
What you can do…
Help expectant parents find doctors, midwives, and birth settings that best match their needs and philosophies.
It can be easier to get consumer satisfaction and quality information about a car or even a blender than it is to get information about maternity services. The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) has developed The Birth Survey so families can share information, learn about the choices and birth experiences of other women in their community, and view data on hospital and birth center intervention rates and practices. Consumers have the right to compare the practices and attitudes of health care providers and institutions and health care experts agree that transparency is a priority for making the best health care decisions.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Help Women take the Survey:
The Survey will be available nationally August 1st, 2008. Thank you for taking the time to help other women in your community. Any woman who gave birth in the last 3 years is welcome to take the survey online.
Volunteer:
Send an email to info@thebirthsurvey.com to find out ways you can get involved, big or small. And it would be a tremendous help if you forward this email to your contacts or publish this in your newsletters.
Donate:
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at www.givemeaning.com/project/transparency, or getting involved with our fundraising team.
The Birth Survey at www.thebirthsurevy.com is an online resource for expectant parents, much like a “consumer reports” for quality of care for maternity care providers and institutions, so that parents can make informed choices for their pregnancy and birth care that are compatible with their own philosophies and needs.
…increasing transparency in maternity care and helping doctors, midwives and birth facilities improve the quality of their care. You can’t make your care the best it can be if you don’t have the data you need.
…Increasing transparency in maternity care.
A voice for birthing women. A voice for providers and facilities. A voice for mother-friendly care.
If you have further questions, contact admin@thebirthsurvey.com
California Breastfeeding Awareness activities
OCTOBER 15, 2008- GREATER LOS ANGELES. CA
Highlights:
- A Community Summit focusing on hospital breastfeeding outcomes will be sponsored by the Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles and held at the California Endowment in downtown Los Angeles. http://www.breastfeedingtaskforla.org/ Telephone: (213) 596-5776
- Statewide: the California Breastfeeding Coalition (CBC), the California WIC Association and the California Department of Public Health WIC Branch will all support activities on October 15. Local coalitions and agencies have the flexibility to participate on that date or on another day that week.
- Breastfeeding Awareness Walks will be encouraged, incentives worked for earlier than last year, lessons learned from last year going into the toolkit.
- CBC will honor 3 outstanding employers again this year and local coalitions are encouraged to celebrate their employer awards simultaneously.
- CWA will release a new brief that day on Low Wage Worksite Lactation Support.
- Media outreach will be an integral part of all of these activities
ONGOING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
OUT OF HOSPITAL VS. HOSPITAL BIRTH WORKSHOP – MONDAY EVENINGS – IRVINE, CA
Hosted by: South Coast Midwifery
Program Description:
This FREE workshop is offered to anyone pursuing an interest in an out-of-hospital birth. This workshop is also ideal for all you skeptics out there! Highlights will include benefits of birthing out of the hospital vs. in the hospital, midwifery vs. medical doctor care, research and statistical evidence supporting out-of-hospital and midwives and much more!
.
A complementary vegetarian dinner will be served, so please put in your reservation today! Workshops are held twice per month on Monday evenings. Call for our upcoming schedule.
Goals and Objectives:
You will leave this workshop with empowering information to enable your important decision about choosing a prenatal care provider.
Instructors: Given by the midwives of South Coast Midwifery
Target Audience: Expectant Parents or those who are planning on getting pregnant
Location and Time:
South Coast Midwifery & Women's Health Care
4650 Barranca Parkway
Irvine, CA 92604
949.654.2727
Registration information:
VOLUNTEER DOULAS NEEDED-SANTA MONICA, CA AREA:
Westside Women's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, a community clinic offering comprehensive ob/gyn and family-planning services by UCLA's Certified Nurse-Midwives, has a doula program for their Medi-Cal patients. Doulas will be matched with pregnant patients who deliver at UCLA Medical Center with Nurse-Midwives. If you are a Certified Doula or Birth Assistant and would like to volunteer, contact Anto Maria Honon, Perinatal Coordinator, at 310-450-2191 ext. 229.
VOLUNTEER DOULAS NEEDED-SAN DIEGO AREA:
"Hearts and Hands Doula Program" at UCSD Medical Center Hillcrest is looking for certified and/or experienced labor support providers, doulas or birth assistants. Also, those with personal experience helping families during labor may apply. This is a great opportunity to make a contribution to women and to gain valuable new experiences. Contact: Karen Lindquist, Director of Volunteer Services, UCSD Medical Center at 619-543-6370. "Heart and Hands Doula Program" is a cooperative effort between UCSD Medical Center and Athena Women's Health and The BirthPlace, a low-risk, in-hospital birthing center with care by Certified Nurse Midwives.
VOLUNTEER DOULAS NEEDED-PASADENA/ALTADENA,CA AREA:
The Pasadena Public Health Department Black Infant Health Program Caring Companions Doula Referral Service offers free doula services to women who receive prenatal care at Pasadena Public Health Department prenatal clinic, and to all women in Los Angeles County who have Medi-Cal or who are low-income.
Doulas seeking births needed for certification who would like to make a difference in the lives of African-American and Hispanic women and babies are invited to volunteer to do labor support. Most clients deliver at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. African-American Doulas and Spanish speaking doulas are encouraged to apply; but doulas of all backgrounds are welcome.
Postpartum doulas who speak Spanish are especially needed!
Application and TB testing are required before being put on a referral list that will be given to clients seeking Doulas.
The Black Infant Health Program is funded by The California Department of Health Services Maternal and Child Health Branch to address the issue of premature birth, low birth weight and infant mortality in the African-American community. The program utilizes a framework of social support and empowerment to reach these objectives.
To obtain an application and for further information, contact The Black Infant Health Program at 626-744-6093 or e-mail channa-cheruiyot@cityofpasadena.net
DOWNLOAD pdf FLYER HERE
(If you don't have acrobat Reader)
IMPORTANT ISSUES PERTAINING TO CALIFORNIA MIDWIFERY PRACTICE
Your right to give birth with a midwife in a birth center or your home is under threat! Your help is needed!
There are many barriers to midwifery practice in the state of California at this time. The issues of 1) Licensed Midwives obtaining Physican Supervision as required by law, 2) homebirth and birth center midwives being able to procure malpractice insurance, and 3) the difficulty in obtaining licenses for new midwives since the Seattle Midwifery School California Midwifery Licensing Challenge Process has been discontinued, present complex political challenges for midwives, aspiring midwives and parents who use their services.
All midwives, midwifery students, apprentices and parents who use midwifery services are urged to get involved and participate in the strategy to remove these crucial barriers to midwifery practice. Be sure that your midwife will be there when you (or your friend, daughter or neighbor) need her services!
We need to raise ten thousand dollars for legislative actions, legal services and community education to preserve California midwifery.
California Citizens for Health Freedom together with California Association of Midwives and Citizens Advocating Licensed Midwifery (CALM) are working on legislative and practical solutions to these problems. Your partcipation and financial support is essential!
Community meetings for all persons who want to preserve a parents right to give birth with midwives are forming to address these important issues and strategies. Frank Cuny, from California Citizens for Health Freedom along with California Licensed Midwives will be facilitating the meetings. For more information, please contact Faith Gibson at: 650-328-8491 or E-mail: goodnews@best.com to be placed on the meeting notification list, or to sign up to work on community organizing/education and fundraising projects.
IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND A MEETING, PLEASE MAKE A FINANCIAL DONATION OF ANY AMOUNT TO:
Citizens Adovating Licensed Midwifery
(CALM)
3542 Fruitvale Ave. #205
Oakland, CA 94602-2327
Renee Anker, Secretary
E-mail: renee@marcie.com
650-851-6833
www.calmidwifery.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO GET INVOLVED, CONTACT THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS:
Citizens Adovcating Licensed Midwifery (CALM)
3542 Fruitvale Ave. #205
Oakland, CA 94602-2327
Renee Anker, Secretary
E-mail: renee@marcie.com
650-851-6833
www.calmidwifery.org
California Citizens For Health Freedom (CCHF)
Frank Cuny, CEO
E-mail: frank@citizenshealth.org
California College of Midwives (CCM)
Faith Gibson, CPM, LM, President
650-328-8491
E-mail: goodnews@best.com
California Association of Midwives (CAM)
PO Box 460606
San Francisco, CA 94146
1-800-829-5791
Joined together with other citizens who support alternative health modalities, we will form a effective community-based alliance to preserve our right to choose to give birth with midwives. Please lend a hand to keep community-based midwifery and childbirth at home from becoming extinct! Be part of the action to right this historical wrong. Please join the The Health-Medical Freedom Movement and the be part plans to preserve homebirth and midwifery in California.
California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative
The California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC), an organization dedicated to ending preventable morbidity, mortality and racial disparities in California maternity care, recently launched a new Web site at www.cmqcc.org. CMQCC is a group of clinicians, maternity care leaders and birth advocates that works with organizations and individuals to bring resources, tools, measures and quality improvement techniques to providers, administrators and public health leaders in California. Their new site provides current information about California maternal outcomes, key links, as well as resources and tools to assist organizations in quality improvement in maternity care. For more information about CMQCC's initiatives, visit www.cmqcc.org.
Normal Birth Forum Offers Tips for Labor Assistants
In a recent post at the Lamaze Normal Birth Forum, moderator Henci Goer offers some quick and useful suggestions for doulas when assisting mothers in birth. Her tips, which also apply to anyone assisting a laboring woman, include:
- Bring healthy snacks. Keep up your energy, as it may not be possible to leave to eat. Avoid foods with a strong smell, such as coffee or garlic, for example, because smells can be a problem for laboring women. Carry breath mints or a toothbrush and toothpaste.
- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Dress in layers. It can be hot or cold at different times in the labor room. Don't wear anything that you would mind getting stained.
- Take breaks as appropriate. Use your judgment, but you don't need to be there every minute of the labor. In fact, it is good for most couples to have some alone time.
To read the rest of Henci's tips, as well as discussions on other informative birth topics, visit the Normal Birth Forum. Hosted by the Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth, the Forum is a free Web board where expectant parents, birth advocates, professionals and childbirth class students all can find honest, evidence-based answers to their questions about conception, pregnancy, birth and beyond.
Find the workshops and events that interest you most, and register online today! Don't see an event in your area? Learn how to host a workshop or bring a Lamaze Accredited Childbirth Educator Seminar to you.
Save the Date for the Lamaze International 2008 Annual Conference
Save the date and plan to attend the Lamaze International 2008 Annual Conference, "Off and Running for Normal Birth," in Louisville, KY, September 11-14. Challenge yourself to achieve your potential by sharing information and experiences with other childbirth educators, nurses, midwives, doulas, administrators, doctors, physical therapists, birth advocates, social workers, authors and researchers. Attendees at this year's conference will enjoy inspiring presentations from our plenary speakers, as well as thought-provoking educational sessions.
Now is the time to book your hotel room for The Galt House Hotel and Suites, located on the picturesque river front in downtown Louisville, offers the perfect location for exploring normal birth.
Registration for the Lamaze 2008 Annual Conference will open soon. As an e-News subscriber, you'll receive the latest conference-related updates and deadline information.
Available Lamaze Homestudies
Lamaze homestudies offer a convenient and affordable way for childbirth educators, nurses and other maternal-child health professionals to earn contact hours. Lamaze International is an approved provider of continuing education in nursing by the Virginia Nurses Association, which is accredited as an approver of continuing education in nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
The newest homestudies available are based on articles from The Journal of Perinatal Education (JPE):
- JPE 16.3: The Six Care Practices That Support Normal Birth – Position Paper: Promoting, Protecting, and Supporting Normal Birth; 1 contact hour; $15 for members; $20 for non-members
- JPE 16.4: A Changing Landscape: Implications of Pregnant Women's Internet Use for Childbirth Educators; 2 contact hours; $28 for members; $38 for non-members
View the Lamaze homestudies page for more information and to register for these and all available homestudies. Be sure to check back later in March for the new JPE 17.1 homestudy.
Motivate Your Community - Host a Lamaze Specialty Workshop
Looking for ways to motivate your community this spring? Bring together local childbirth educators, nurses, doulas, midwives, breastfeeding specialists and other maternal-child health professionals and help them gain confidence in their ability to educate women and families on pregnancy, labor, birth, breastfeeding and parenting by hosting a Lamaze Specialty Workshop.
Workshop attendees will:
- Learn creative teaching strategies to help build women's confidence in pregnancy, labor, birth, breastfeeding and parenting.
- Learn effective labor support skills to use with confidence the very next day.
- Develop practical hands-on skills for teaching and implementing comfort measures.
- Gain increased confidence in the work they do after evaluating current research.
- Feel more committed and motivated to provide high-quality education and care.
- Earn continuing education credits for a variety of licensure and certification programs.
New this year, Lamaze is offering all workshop hosts a $50 gift certificate to the Lamaze Bookstore & Media Center, along with new registration incentives. In addition to the one complimentary workshop registration, if 15 or more participants attend your public workshop, you will receive one additional free registration; two additional free registrations for 30-44 participants; and three additional registrations for 45 or more!
Visit the Lamaze Web site to learn more about hosting a specialty workshop, including the newly revised Creativity, Connection and Commitment: Supporting Teens During the Childbearing Year and Lamaze Evidence-Based Nursing Care: Labor Support Skills, or contact Faith O'Tool at fotool@lamaze.org. We look forward to supporting your workshop!
visit www.lamaze.org and click on "Sign Up for Free Newsletters" on the right-hand side.
If you would like your childbirth, breastfeeding, women's health, parenting or midwifery-related event in Southern California listed here, please e-mail the details to cordelia@socalbirth.com.
For answers to your childbirth related questions, email us at
info@socalbirth.com
Or call 626-388-2191
Copyright © 1997 Shelly Girard and Cordelia Hanna-Cheruiyot