Seeing Clearly Now

I’m home and just catching up. I’ve already expounded on the whole issue of prematurity as it relates to inductions and cesareans and about labor hormones from the DONA International Conference. But I thought I’d talk a bit more about some other things I did while at the conference.

Can I say how nice it is just to hang out at a conference and soak it all up? Everyone there had something interesting to say or share. I truly enjoyed it. I spent a weekend immersed in birth, with a small side track to go to a Harry Potter Party with my son (14) who was with me in St. Louis. I got to dance and sing and talk and learn. Some of the things I learned just made me drop my jaw with their beauty and simplicity.

One of the main things I saw was how important it is for women to make informed choices. Here’s the kicker - most women don’t feel like they have choices. That is really scary. We really need to start the conversation on how to get women to see that they have opportunities to make decisions for themselves and their babies. It’s not just about epidural or not, it’s about which place of birth and which practitioner - and why. That’s what transparency in maternity care is all about - women seeing clearly what they are being offered by whom.

New York Healthy Birth Fair

Hats off to Elan McAllister and her crew of Choices in Childbirth (CIC) volunteers for pulling off the most amazing birth fair on Saturday.

In addition to being the launching pad for the Transparency in Maternity Care project of CIMS, CIC was able to distribute their new second annual New York Guide to a Healthy Birth. This new guide is chock full of great information for pregnant families.

Karen Brody’s BOLD Red Tent was pretty incredible, too! The pregnant Moms seemed to love this sacred space where they could share birth stories, receive a massage, or do some yoga poses.

We all have so much work to do to improve maternity care! It was really inspirational to be able to participate in this step in the right direction.

One Last Post From Union Square

Getting ready to wrap up our fabulous launch of the CIMS Transparency in Maternity Care project, www.thebirthsurvey.com.

The women who live and birth in the five burroughs of NYC are among the luckiest of women in the USA!

I hope that you all will consider helping us make this project available in every community across the country. Email us at: cimsgrassroots@yahoo.com.

Thank you for tuning in today!

Blogging from the DONA International Conference

While Sandra and other birth activists are busy in NYC at the Healthy Birth Fair promoting the Transparency project, I’m sitting in sunny St. Louis at the 13th annual DONA International conference.

I’ve taken sessions on cesareans on demand, research updates, hormones in labor, Canadian Doulas, reclaiming the feminine, pain and suffering in labor and so much more! Even more importantly for me is the chance to be with like minded individuals. I don’t have to explain myself constantly and I can relax and know that I’m in good company.

When I see the men and women who work so hard to spread the word of how birth should be, that it’s really a normal, physiologic process - well, it’s just amazing. If you don’t believe me, try coming to one of these conferences. You’ll walk away a convert, or if you’re part of the choir - refreshed!

Making lots of connections…

Looks like we have given away over 2000 postcards about www.TheBirthSurvey.com in the last few hours. We’re getting really positive feedback about the idea of a “Consumer Reports” of birth providers.

This project is for everyone! A few interesting anecdotes:

A new Dad was out browsing the fair and he inquired about the birth survey.com. Concerned about some of the interventions that occurred during the birth of his now two-month old child, he wanted to know if he could sit and take the survey on behalf of his wife and baby (who were home napping). Hmmm…we hadn’t thought of that!

A newly-pregnant lesbian couple — deeply concerned about finding the right provider who would treat them with respect and dignity, stopped by our table. They were thrilled to learn about the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative and CIMS.

I met several young women out on a beautiful Saturday afternoon –and by chance learning about birth in a way that they had never imagined. (oh — and I’ll never forget the four little girls in fancy dresses watching the belly dancers under the red tent!)

I also met an older woman who was bummed out when I told her that she couldn’t take the survey because her babies were born more than two years ago! (her kids are in their 30s!)

What a day!

It’s almost 1:00 p.m.

Union Square is overrun with birth activists!! Unbelievable birth fair. Giant RED TENT beautifully furnished with couches, puffy chairs, and pillows all courtesy of ABC Carpets in NYC. We’ve had belly dancers filling the open space between the 40-plus exhibit tables. Women are now telling birth stories into a mic amplified throughout the park. Elan has thought of everything — we even have a 10 foot uterus for women and children to climb into!

We’ve given away hundreds of birth survey postcards…women are very enthusiastic about the project!

More later…

The sun is shining a bright light on transparency!

Michelle Kendell and I arrived this morning in NYC at 8:00 a.m. Perfect day! 70 degrees and sunny. One of the few variables that we had no control over and it worked just perfectly. Must be a good omen.

Union Square is already buzzing with activity for the weekly Farmer’s Market. Elan McAllister’s apartment is located right off Union Square, and we’re about to begin loading all the boxes with thousands of Birth Guides, fliers, cool t-shirts and all the stuff to create the Red Tent.

Check in later…

Three More Days Til’ Launch!

I am thrilled to say that we are three days away from launching one of the most exciting things to happen in maternity care activism in decades.

Thousands of volunteer hours have gone into the creation of what is now known as THE BIRTH SURVEY project. www.thebirthsurvey.com

Created by a committee of CIMS, the BIRTH SURVEY was designed to give mothers a loud and resounding voice - via the internet - about their experiences in childbirth. It connects new mothers to the experiences of those who have birthed before them, gives families their rightful access to local hospital practices and health outcomes, and offers providers and institutions the opportunity to improve care by being able to truly “listen to women.” This breakthrough grassroots project has the potential to shift the balance of power in maternity care back into the hands of the consumer - at a time when mothers and babies are experiencing some of the most significant barriers to accessing and receiving evidence-based care ever seen in the U.S.

Beginning on Saturday, women in New York City (only) will be able to take a survey about their birth experiences. Women will also be able to access local hospital and birth center maternity intervention statistics.

In as soon as three months, women will be able to get feedback (based on the completed surveys) about local maternity care providers by name.

Over the next two years, we will have a lot of work to do to make the BIRTH SURVEY available to women all over the country.

This is where you come in!

Please consider helping us in any number of ways:

1. Go to www.givemeaning.com/project/transparency and make a donation to support this project.
2. Email us at cimsgrassroots@yahoo.com and let us know if you are willing to help collect data from your state public health department.
3. Help spread the word! Blog! Tell your clients and friends about www.thebirthsurvey.com
4. Email us at cimsgrassroots@yahoo.com if you are willing to join our marketing/public relations team
5.Join your local Birth Network and help bring this project to their agenda

I will be blogging live from Union Square, NYC this Saturday. Tune in for details about the birth fair and our project.

Thanks for all you do to make mother-friendly care a reality!

NYC Birth Fair

Transparency in Maternity Care: Why You Should Care

I picked up a book the other day called “YOU: The Smart Patient”by Drs. Roizen and Oz. It was a really interesting look at how to get the best medical care there is, no matter what you are looking to have done. One of the things that they talked about was really knowing your doctor and other health care practitioners. It talked about not only what questions you need to ask them, but about how to get the answers you need to make the best decisions. In my doula and childbirth education practice, I often find that women are too afraid to ask the hard questions of their practitioners. Some may suffer from white coat syndrome, but others simply don’t like to talk to their practitioners.

There are other women who truly want to know the answers to their questions, but can’t seem to get the answer out of their doctor. This is frustrating for everyone. I mean, come on, these women are just looking for the healthiest, safest pregnancy and birth possible for their babies, right? What’s the problem with getting a few facts and statistics from the people who you are paying to help you make the best decisions?

The truth is that women often truly don’t know what they are getting in prenatal care or for their upcoming birth, even when they try. We also have to admit that some women and their families put more time into researching the new camera or car seat than they do their pregnancy and birth support team. It shouldn’t be this hard. I mean, would you be okay if you went into a restaurant and paid money for an order of spaghetti and the wait staff brought you a turkey sandwich?

Two states currently have laws stating that doctors and midwives have to provide you with the statistics on their practice. Statistics like how many mothers come in and have a first cesarean section? How many use pain reliving drugs at birth? What is the rate of episiotomy for first time moms? This is called transparency in medical care - knowing what you’re getting versus what you ordered. In an effort to help spur on the heart of transparency in maternity care, there is a team of women who are working hard to spread the word about transparency and about finding out at both a practitioner and a facility level what is going on - mother to mother.

On July 21st in the New York City Area will be home to a very lovely birth fair at Union Square. If you’re in the area, stop by to say hello! You can also stay tuned for a national mother to mother survey on birth practices. A chance for you to share your voice about your experiences or to read what other mothers have said about the doctors, midwives, birth centers and hospitals in your area.