Birth Matters Virginia

Family Maternity Center of Northern Neck

A note from the Richmond Birth Community:

Hi, I just wanted to give everyone an update on the Family Maternity Center of the Northern Neck.  We hope to open in April 2010, and they are building the facility now at 11540 Mary Ball Road, Lancaster, Va., which is about an hour and a half from Richmond.

We will offer the midwifery model of care, and births for low risk women in our three birthing rooms.  We will also operate a clinic for women and children of all ages.  We will accept all insurances, Medicaid, and self-pay, and offer a sliding fee scale. We will have two nurse-midwives to begin with, and offer CenteringPregnancy, which is group prenatal care. We have already established mechanisms for transfer with area hospitals.

 

I am currently offering prenatal care in a temporary location at Dr. Hamilton's office in KIlmarnock, VA. I have been a nurse-midwife for fifteen years, and was doing hospital births for most of them.  Last year I worked at a birth center for several months, and now I am committed to out-of-hospital birth.  The Family Maternity Center of the Northern Neck will be a beautiful facility in an area where women have few choices in maternity care.

 

Our website is currently being updated, but it is at  www.fmcnn.org, or contact me directly. I am excited about the coming year!

 

Jessica

MANA Releases Homebirth Data

A note from Peggy Garland, Administrative Director - Division of Research:

I am pleased to announce the availability of data from the MANA Statistics Project. We have completed review of almost 13,000 records from late 2004 through the end of 2007. This data was collected through the online version of the data form (referred to as the 2.0 version) initially used for the CPM 2000 study, published in the BMJ in 2005.

The form was extensively revised with input from a distinguished panel of advisors.  The resulting 3.0 form version went online in May 2009. From that date, all new pregnancies were prospectively logged on the new form. Data on those pregnancies that were not completed by May will be completed on the 2.0 form, the last of which is expected by the spring of 2010. Once those records are completed by the midwives, we expect another 10,000 records will become available for research, spanning 2008-2009. Data is transferred to approved researchers as .sav files, but other formats are possible.

Applications will now be accepted for research access to 2004-2007 data. We are also accepting applications for access to 3.0 form data to be collected for prospective studies.  To view and download a Handbook describing the data, the data forms, data review procedures, the policies and procedures governing access, as well as application materials, please go to:
http://mana. org/statform. html

I would also like to inform you that I have resigned as the Administrative Director of the Midwives Alliance DIvision of Research after 5 years in that position. My place will be taken on an interim basis by Melissa Cheyney, LM, CPM, PhD. She can be reached at research@mana. org if you have any questions.
Best wishes,
Peggy

Animated Birth Video

This is a great, one minute animation of what your baby goes through during birth.  You can clearly see the uterus and maternal bone structure.  Pretty neat!

Journey to VBAC Webinars

A note from ICAN:

Presented by Gretchen Humphries and Rose St. John, Journey to VBAC: What You Need to Know is a must for women planning a VBAC and their partners. You will learn about the basic issues surrounding VBAC plus answers to common questions such as, "Am I a good candidate for a VBAC?" and "How can I maximize my chances of having a vaginal birth next time around?"  We will also discuss one of the most important but often overlooked issues while planning a VBAC: the father’s role in preventing a cesarean.

This webinar is FREE to ICAN subscribers (and only $30 for non-subscribers) and has been approved for 1.5 contact hours* from ICEA.  There is no additional charge for ICEA contact hours.

To become an ICAN subscriber and attend this webinar for free, join ICAN at the Supporting (Basic) Subscriber level or higher:

United States
Canada
International: please contact Lily Beck at international@ican-online.org for rates by country.

Part 1: Planning Your VBAC with Gretchen Humphries
Sunday, September 27 - 9:00 pm EDT (6:00 pm PDT)
90 minutes

• VBAC basics: history, risks, and success rates by birth setting
• Are you a good candidate for a VBAC?
• Cephalopelvic disproportion
• Vaginal birth after multiple cesareans
• How long should you wait between pregnancies?
• Single vs. double-layer sutures
• How to increase your chances of having a VBAC

Part 2: The Father’s Role in Preventing Cesareans with Rose St. John
Sunday, October 4 - 9:00 EDT (6 pm PDT)
90 minutes

• What the father provides to the laboring mother
• The quantifiable impact of a well-prepared father
• Intangible benefits of a well-prepared father
• Giving fathers the preparation they need
• The impact of the father’s adrenaline levels during labor
• Best practices for the laboring father

*To receive ICEA contact hours, participants must at least attend Part 2: The Father’s Role in Preventing Cesareans.

Click here to register

For more information, click here.


Warmly,

Desirre

Desirre Andrews, President
www.ican-online.org
Be THE change.  Ask me how!  

ICAN Fundraiser

Help support the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN)!  It's quick and easy!  Spread the word to help ICAN help women, babies, and families everywhere!

Raise Money for ICAN!

 

$1.50

Now you can help raise money for ICAN without buying or selling anything! Instead of writing a check, you can raise money by writing online reviews of local businesses you already use on insiderpages.com. Each review you write earns up to

 

$1.50. If you post the 2nd - 4th review of a business, Insider Pages will donate up to $0.50! Reviews of chain stores or chain restaurants do not count towards our Fundraiser.

Dates:

08/08/09 - 08/29/09.

How to Participate:

1.

Sign up at http://www.insiderpages.com/fundraisers/International-Cesarean-Awareness-Network

2.

Write reviews of any local businesses or services that you have used within the last 2 years. Just writing 20-30 reviews is a great step towards reaching our goal of $9,000.00

Check out this list of businesses to help you get started:

Health & Fitness Home & Garden

- Doctor - Plumber

- Dentist - Electrician

- Pediatrician - Contractor

- Gym - Cleaning Service

Financial Services Beauty & Spa

- Accountant - Day Spa

- Tax Attorney - Hair Salon

- Bank - Nail Salon

- Mortgage Company - Dermatologist

Child Care Pets & Animals

- Preschool - Animal Hospital

- Day Care - Pet Sitter

- Summer Camp - Groomer

- Tutor - Pet Store

3.

Recruit friends and family to participate. Just direct them to our fundraising page here.  Anybody over 18 can write reviews and help us reach our goal.

Questions?

Contact the Insider Pages Fundraiser team at [email protected]. Remember to put "International Cesarean Awareness Network" in the subject of the email.

We've got 3 weeks to raise as much as we can. Let's get started!!!!

Thanks!

Melody T.

InJoy and Lamaze Video Partnership

There is a new resource for mothers and childbirth advocates!  InJoy and Lamaze have partnered up to make childbirth videos available to mothers and childbirth educators on the web!  So far, there are 6 videos available as part of a series entitled Healthy Birth Your Way: Six Steps to a Safer Birth.  To see the videos, click here.

Informed Consent and Refusal in Maternity Care Webinar

Friday, June 19, 2009 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM EDT

Presented by Holly Goldberg, PhD-c, Tabare Depaep, Esq., and Cordelia Hanna-Cheruiyot, MPH, CHES, CCE, CBA

It’s time to put women back in the driver’s seat when it comes to their maternity care decisions.  CIMS’ experts have examined how current laws and professional practice guidelines affect patient decision-making in maternity care, and demonstrate in this FREE Webinar how patient access to evidence-based research is particularly important during a time when perinatal mortality and morbidity rates, interventions, and disparities are on the rise in the U.S.

Participants will learn:
* The legal and ethical responsibilities that health care professionals have to provide informed consent and refusal
* The components of informed consent and refusal and how to implement them fully during their interactions with patients
* The benefits of informed patient decision making and ways to utilize this knowledge to affect policy change within their institutions.

Need a continuing education certificate?  Processing fees apply: $20 CIMS Members / $25 Non-Members.  Pay online through the CIMS Continuing Education Payment Center at: http://www.motherfriendly.org/webinar.php

This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the Texas Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 15290, for 1.33 contact hours.

This program is approved by the International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) for 1 contact hour of continuing education.

Pitocin Linked to Autism

  Autism Today published an article quite a while back citing Pitocin and other labor induction and augmentation drugs as possible causes for autism.  We missed it, but we're getting around to it now! 

"Neither the cause of this disorder nor the reason for its exponential increase is well understood by researchers at this time. However there is data associating autistic disorders with the use of an artificial hormone (Pitocin) which is given to pregnant women to induce or speed up labor (1, 2). Pitocin is a synthetic exogenous source of the natural hormone oxytocin which stimulates the gravid uterus to contract. It was developed as a drug by the Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company in 1953 and put into general use in 1955. It comes from the pituitary glands of cattle and includes acetic acid for pH adjustment and .5 percent chloretone as a preservative. The lead story in the July 31, 2000 issue Newsweek magazine was devoted to exploring this growing health problem. The Newsweek reporter, Geoffrey Cowley, interviewed Dr Eric Hollander of New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine, a physician who specializes in treating autistic kids. Dr Hollander reported that several years ago he noticed that 60% of the autistic patients in his clinic had been exposed to this drug as a fetus. Material published by the World Health Organization also notes an association between the use of Pitocin and autistic disorders (2)."

You can read the full article here. 

From CIMS - Birth Survey Results now Available!!!

The CIMS Grassroots Advocates Committee is happy to announce that the overall results for The Birth Survey are now available for facilities and providers across the US here.  The official press release can also be seen here.  If you would like to help spread the word to your local press, please post to the discussion thread.  

The consumer reviews just launched include:

- Overall ratings and recommendations for birth facilities and care providers

- A seven-item set of questions on providers’ interpersonal and communication skills

- Facility intervention rates

- Information on finding good care.

- A national average of ratings is also displayed to provide comparison with individual ratings.

These "overall results" are just the beginning! Free-text comments will be coming soon. In 2010, we plan to add detailed feedback on women's prenatal, labor and birth care. Want more detailed data on local options to be available to women? Then please help make the detailed custom reports a reality with a donation to the project. Together we can achieve greater transparency in maternity care.

In 9 states (TX, AK, CA, FL, MA, NJ, NY, UT, VA), the overalls also contain links to facility-level intervention data, such as c-sections. Thank you to our ambassadors who have worked to make this data available to the public. We hope your continuing efforts will result in more and more states making this data available to expectant parents.

More than 17,500 ratings for providers and 6,500 ratings for facilities have been submitted since the national launch of the survey six months ago. The Puget Sound Birth Center in Kirkland Washington has the most reviews for a facility in the country. Which facility in your area has the most ratings? Need more reviews for facilities or providers in your area? Find printable postcards and web buttons and banners to help spread the word or order cards from CIMS.

The national averages of the consumer feedback collected indicate that midwives were rated more highly than the physicians. For example, 58 percent of respondents would recommend their doctors to family and friends, compared to 90 percent who would recommend their midwives. But individual provider's ratings varied greatly.

Overall the goals of the CIMS Transparency in Maternity Care: The Birth Survey are to

a. Encourage women to be more informed consumers of maternity care services

b. Foster evidenced- based quality maternity care consistent with the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative

c. Increase transparency and the public’s access to information on local birth providers and facilities

These overall results are an important first national step to meeting these goals. It’s an exciting day for us all. Thank you for all you do to make this project a reality.

Nasima Pfaffl

CIMS GAC

admin@thebirthsurvey.com

April is Cesarean Awareness Month

 

 

• What is cesarean awareness month? 

April marks an internationally month of awareness about the impact that cesarean births have on mothers, babies, and families around the world.  It's a great time to educate yourself and others abotu the pros and cons of this major abdominal surgery, the possibility of healthy birth(s) afterwards, and cesarean prevention.

 

• Who is cesarean awareness aimed toward?

Cesarean awareness is for everyone, but most importantly, women who are expecting, or might be in the future.  It's for daughters who don't realize that choices are being made for them - that they are losing options.  It's for scientists studying the effects of surgical birth and how it impacts lives.  It's for grandmothers who are beyond child bearing years, but are questioning the abdominal pains and adhesions that are still causing damage 30 years after their own cesareans.

What can you do right now?

Be aware. Read. Learn. Ask questions. Get informed consent. Be your own advocate for the information you need to know.

You can also support and join your local chapter at a reduced rate.

Childbearing Years Member: $25.00

Professional Member: $50.00

ICAN of Southwest Virginia

ICAN of Richmond

ICAN of Northern Virginia

 

To find a chapter in your area, click here.  To find an ICAN professional, click here.