They didn't think their audience would be interested.
Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America -- Johnson and Daviss 330 (7505): 1416 -- BMJ
Planned home births with skilled attendants are safe for the majority of women and their babies. For women who are healthy and motivated, they may be safer than hospital birth.
The CPM (certified professional midwife) credential is based upon book learning assessed by a standardized test, practical learning under supervision, and a set of standardized assessments of various manual skills. Many states in the USA have elected to use this credential as the entry point for licensure as a direct entry (non-nurse) midwife. Virginia is the latest state to join the movement.
Midwifery: June 2005 Archives
Fertility: Support Reproductive "Choice" in Birthing!
I would appreciate anyone who feels like so doing to write an email or letter to your legislative representative in favor of this. As long as we have this kind of system of paying for health care, I think it is only just that those who perform the same work receive the same compensation.
blogging briefly from a way overpriced hotel in washington dc
4 middle aged midwives sharing a very compact hotel room, two to a bed.
I brought an airbed along but there doesn't seem to be floor space for it. Oh well, at least there is high speed internet access - even if the price is a little steep.
One thing I really like about these conferences is the chance to reconnect with old friends in the birth biz. One of these is Robbie Davis-Floyd. Now, I don't know how many of you have heard of her work, but she is an anthropologist who started studying birth in America (especially the USA) in the early 1980s. I met her for the first time in 1985 at an ICEA conference in Chicago. At that time, she was working on her book Birth as an American Rite of Passage. She and I got into a conversation after that conference, and for the last 19 years we have been reconnecting at this or that conference. I learned today that she has a new book in the works, Mainstreaming Midwives: The Politics Of Change. I guess I know where some of my Mother's Day amazon gift certificate will go!
I was looking around to see if Ina May Gaskin was here. So far, I haven't seen her, but there are a couple of the Farm folk here. Just saw them across the room, but haven't had a chance to say hi. However, tomorrow night will be the MANA reception, and if she is at the conference she will be at that event.
Other old friends encountered included Barbara Harper, who told me that she has a new edition of her book Gentle Birth Choices available. This one includes a DVD, I think. I have to stop by her booth on the exhibit floor tomorrow and check it out.
On a somewhat disappointing note, I observed once again how much of nurse-midwifery is connected to the contraception industry. The name badge holders we are given (really neat little pouches with zipper compartments for cash and cards) are all sponsored by NuvaRing. The swipe card for the exhibits is also an ad for the ParaGuard IUD. The fabric bag given out with all the registration paper in it is an advertisement for all the Ortho contraceptive products.
On the exhibit floor, there is one booth for NFP - it is the Georgetown University's Cyclebeads being promoted (along with the 'two day' method). I would estimate that close to half the available floor space for exhibits was devoted to various other methods of contraception, including an experimental form of female sterilization using a caustic chemical (quinacrine) as well as a booth promoting an office based hand held uterine aspiration device (usable for both 'cleaning up' after a miscarriage and for performing first trimester abortions).
It is ACNM's 50th anniversary this year, and to celebrate they held a gala party at the opening Saturday night. Of course, this was also a fundraiser, but the ticket prices were reasonable. I had been planning to attend until I learned that the honored speaker was going to be Faye Wattleman, and after I had protested to ACNM (without even getting the courtesy of a reply) I elected to boycott the event. If you read her bio, you will understand why.
Tonight's fundraising event was a lot more fun, anyhow. The Capitol Steps is political humour that skewers idiocies on both the left and the right. Equal opportunity satire, often harsh but extremely funny. My favorites were "Super California Recall Freak Show Was Atrocious"
("Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious") and "Help Rwanda" ("Help Me Rhonda"). I was ROTFLMAO - actually I was laughing so hard that I started wheezing and realized that I had left my inhaler back in the hotel room.
Lest you think that I am having entirely too much fun, I have already collected 4 hours of continuing education and on Tuesday, I will join some of my colleagues on Capitol Hill as we lobby our federal representatives for equity in reimbursement, affordable malpractice insurance, and other boring but important issues. Erik, don't laugh! I know that you would prefer a dictatorship, but I have to work within the sytem we currently have.
Home Delivery Is Available - New York Times
Dawn should have written the headline - pizzas are delivered - babies are born!
HMS blog has had a great thread on childbirth.
do read
will comment more later when I'm home (I hope)
Did I ever say how glad I am that hotels have started including high speed access as an amenity?
Midwifery is being attacked from every angle (as always).
Hospital midwives’ hours are being cut.
A birth center is closing.
A licensed midwife practicing at home is losing her license.
We need to unite, as supporters of midwifery in LA, to protect a woman’s right to birth as she chooses and to embrace the amazing men and women who serve as midwives. Have you always wanted to support midwifery or your local midwife but you just weren’t sure how? Now is the time and your time, energy, and talents are sorely needed!
What are we doing?
Forming a non-profit, like a local version of citizens for midwifery, that would serve to:
§ fund a Los Angeles Area Midwives web site and brochure that would list every midwife who practices in Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange Counties.
§ Offer scholarships to families who want to hire a midwife but can’t afford to pay out of pocket
§ Disseminate information to the greater Los Angeles community about the benefits of midwifery care
§ Help keep the greater Los Angeles childbirth community networked so that “the right hand knows what the left is doing”
§ Host a fair centrally located in Los Angeles focused on midwives and better birth
Planning a “better birth” or “with woman” fair to honor midwives that will occur sometime in 2006
How do you get involved?
Join us at Diane West’s home (1820 Glenwood Rd Glendale, CA 91201) on June 11, 2005 from 11 am – 4 pm??? to get to know other “movers & shakers” in the childbirth community and to direct your time, energy and talents in a more specific direction. Drinks and snacks will be provided but please feel free to bring a bag lunch to more fully sustain yourself! We will be meeting in her backyard so dress appropriately (she has trees and we’ll set up a canopy for some shade). For directions, see the end of this message.
What is needed?
Non-profit:
General: People to get the non-profit off the ground. One lawyer has offered to incorporate the non-profit and pay for all the appropriate filings for incorporation. Another lawyer has offered to help us file our 501(c)3. But we still need to develop a mission statement and strategic plan. We also need to create a board of directors and figure out how to begin soliciting donations. And of course, develop a budget!
Networking: the majority of doulas are networked through DASC; many homebirthers are networked through HAMS; we need to figure out how to network the childbirth educators and how to make sure that everyone who births with a midwife knows how to support us and how to join HAMS if they want to stay active in the childbirth community
Develop the website and brochure
Fair:
Facilities: Reserve a date and space at Griffith Park or another centrally located park for a Saturday in 2006 either near Mother’s day or in October (midwifery month). Develop a site plan for the fair and work with parks & rec, fire dept., health dept., police dept, etc.
Sponsorship Development: Begin thinking about and talking to potential sponsors for the fair. Identify potential vendors and create a vendor application, research and apply for grants
Marketing & Outreach Conceptualize how to market such an event, create news releases, etc.
Budget & Finances Work out a budget and assign money to each of the other teams, monitor spending, etc.
Programming Secure speakers, plan seminars and activities, decide if we need an area for kids, etc.
for more info contact:
Please forward this message to anyone who might be interested in helping
