April, 2010

Call To Action!! Help Homebirthers in New York...

ACTION ALERT:
Save Home Birth in New York
 
We need your help! 
At midnight tonight, April 30th, the majority of New York City's home birth midwives will no longer be able to practice legally.  Unless immediate action is taken by the Governor and the NYS Department of Health the women that these midwives serve will be denied access to a home birth with their chosen provider and these providers will no longer be able to practice legally in NYS.  
 
YOU MUST ACT NOW to save the home birth option for New York Women:Call:Wendy Saunders, Executive Deputy Commissioner for the NY State Department of Health, appointed by Governor Paterson. 518-474-8390
 
Larry Mokhiber, he Secretary of the Board of Midwifery (518-474-3817, extension 130)
And say....
With the closing of St. Vincent's Hospital, half of the licensed, highly trained home birth midwives serving NYC have lost their Written Practice Agreement (WPA).   St Vincent's was the only Hospital in the city supportive of a woman's right to choose a home birth and willing to sign a WPA.  In the weeks since it's announced closure, these midwives have reached out to hospitals and obstetricians all across the city looking for support, with no success.  Please help us to save the homebirth option in New York. 
 
People can also email the Governor at http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/GovernorContactForm.php.
 
Please Join us! We need your help.
 
We are in our final hours! Please forward this email and help us flood 311 and the Governor's office with calls supporting home birth. 

Twitter Party!!!

Join ICEA for a Twitter Chat on May 6, 2010, from 9-11 p.m. EDT

Follow #icea to join in! http://twitter.com/ICEAonline

Pregnancy and Birth Poetry Contest!!!

Pregnancy and Birth Poetry Contest

It’s time to get inspired and flex your creative muscle.  Poetry can come in many forms and the pregnancy and birth poetry contest is no different.  The rules are simple:

·               Write an original poem about pregnancy and/or birth.

·               Submit your poem by May 15, 2010 to editor@icea.org.

·               Come back to icea.org to vote for the top poems.

·               Watch the blog for more details. http://icea.org/blog/

Contractions. Water.

Love. Peace. Pain. Touch. Push. Finally.

Looking forward to reading all your beautiful poems! Good Luck!! 

ICEA Blog-Giveaway

ICEA Giveaway

Have you read the March edition of the ICEA journal? Its full of valuable information and I highly suggest checking it out.  Each issue I always make sure I read "The Way I Teach" first.  I find the column to be informative and inspiring.  So much so that I thought I would pose the same question in my blog to all of you- and the best part is - you could win a prize....

Tell me how you teach Third Stage Labor and you could win a great gift from ICEA...post a comment explaining your techniques and/or tips.  What works and what doesn't?  Perhaps you are not an educator yet but are working towards your certification- then share with us how you plan on teaching third stage. There are no right or wrong answers-just looking to hear about your creative techniques.  

Have fun and Good luck!!! 

Book Review-Fathers At Birth

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Fathers At Birth-Your Role in Bringing Your Child into the World
By Rose St. John

It wasn’t that long ago that men were not allowed in the delivery room-they were denied the experience of watching their children take their first breath, they were not permitted to be present with their partners or to witness the life altering process of childbirth.  These days men are not only encouraged to accompany their partners through this process they are also expected to take an active role as a coach or birth partner.  And rightfully so-but for some men this role can be a bit overwhelming. 

Fathers At Birth by Rose St. John is an excellent resource for those who are committed to working with a woman or women in labor.  This book is a great tool for not only fathers but also anyone working in the childbirth profession-doulas, midwives, nurses and doctors.  It is right up there with Penny Simkin’s Birth Partner.  In fact while reading Fathers At Birth I could not help but wish I had stumbled upon this book a year ago when I was pregnant and gathering books for my husband to read. 

Get Up! Stand Up!

Lamaze Healthy Birth Practice 
Avoid Giving Birth on your Back and Follow the Body's Urges to Push

I had watched it so many times over the past eight years.  The birth of my son-born in a hospital in NJ in 2001 and caught on tape.  I had viewed it with friends, family, and even my son had watched it more than once. This time however, I wasn’t so eager.  The idea of sitting down with my doula and watching my previous hospital birth as I prepared for my homebirth was not so appealing. 

“Push…Push…Push…1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10” The doctor’s high pitched, screeching voice-"Push Push Push"-the nurse counting in my face-the confusion and fear as I lay there on my back in the hospital bed.  I realized as I listened and watched why I had not wanted to experience the video again.   There is a point where you can hear me say “I don’t understand what to do-do I push-what do I do?” All the direction, all the shouting and commotion-I was not encouraged to listen to my own body and therefore I was lost.