Debra Pascali-Bonaro

Awaken Your Inner Wisdom

Megan Stark

Childbirth Climax

While in Malaysia this past week speaking about respectful care, I always love the opportunity to open up the topic of pleasure, ecstasy and Orgasmic Birth. It is too often a forgotten aspect of childbirth, or the one aspect that is avoided, as to talk about pleasure and/or the sexuality of birth can make many people uncomfortable. Yet, for me it is an essential topic if we are to look at the ways to honor, respect and offer women the options and care that will make childbirth as safe and easy as possible. To only talk about birth in our current medical, technocratic paradigm of pain and fear is to miss key elements that can transform childbirth and a woman’s experience of pain into pleasure, bliss and joy.

At the closing panel for Women Deliver, Kavita N Ramdas (Ford Foundation representative in New Delhi serving India, Nepal and Sri Lanka) gave a wonderful presentation summing up all the topics 4500 people from 159 countries had come together to discuss and brought up how we need to talk about pleasure too. I smiled, as I could not agree more. In addition this week Science Direct published Childbirth Climax: The Revealing of Obstetrical Orgasm stating, “Some mothers report experiencing intense physical pleasure during childbirth, which conflicts with popular belief and cultural taboos.” The author surveyed midwives; “the survey showed that 85% of the midwives questioned knew that it was possible to experience physical pleasure during childbirth. Nevertheless, 31% of respondents never observed a case, while 99% of the cases reported were observed by only 50% of the midwives questioned.”

Sitting in my hotel lobby in Kuala Lumpur, I was interviewed by Stephanie Pappas for my comments on the new study. I shared how many women have told me they never told anyone, including their partners, that birth was pleasurable as they felt ashamed that something our culture tells us should be only painful can be pleasurable. So, when asking caregivers how often they see pleasurable birth, I am not sure they always know what the women are feeling. Would you feel you need to share with your doctor or midwife if you had a pleasurable or orgasmic birth?

I am so grateful to the author of the study T. Postel, who adds another layer of information to open up our minds to all that birth can hold. In the conclusion: “by producing proof that a mother can experience physical pleasure during childbirth, this study constitutes an additional element in the understanding of the already- polymorphous female orgasmic response, and calls the function of orgasm back into question (Reich, 1986). It sheds new light on birthing conditions, midwife education, and labor preparation (Van Der Schueren, 2003).”

It is time we acknowledge scientifically the ability to find pleasure in childbirth. In addition, as T. Postel suggest we must look at the birth environment or as I call birth ambiance, we must include training on the natural physiology and the hormones of childbirth that can lead to pleasure in education for our midwives, nurses and physicians. As well as, we must provide education and offer preparation for women and men so that we recognize the connection between pain and pleasure and help women find the path to a safe, satisfying and pleasurable birth. As the article states, and I could not agree more, Orgasmic Birth should not be a performance standard, yet we should honor the potential for birth to be pleasurable and offer the options, environment and respectful care that optimizes the possibilities. I believe we must address why many people feel more comfortable with birth as painful and the mention of birth with pleasure as controversial.

Please share your thoughts and comments with me on this blog, the study, and the follow up article. To read Stephanie’s follow up article please visit: http://www.livescience.com/37039-orgasmic-birth-real.html.

I continue to collect women’s stories and comment and as I am preparing a webinar series, article and more on pleasurable birth, I hope to hear from you!

Pleasurably Yours,

Debra

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Mary Alice Visits Rwanda Midwifery School

Submitted by Mary Alice Ackerman

Midwife Jane Arnold & Daughter Mary Alice
Midwife Jane Arnold & Daughter Mary Alice

I have had the pleasure of knowing Debra Pascali-Bonaro since I was a young child. She has been lifelong friends with my mother, Jane Arnold as well as co-author of their book, Nurturing Beginnings. Both of them have made it their life’s work to make a positive impact on pregnancy and the birthing process. Both Jane and Debra have worked with and around birthing mothers across the globe for many years. I will keep the sum total of those years to myself. I have reaped the benefits of being the daughter and friends with such passionate women. I followed in my mother’s footsteps in the nursing profession and although I work in a different segment of nursing (heart failure and heart transplant patients), I learned how passion and compassion can change the lives of each patient, family member, or person that comes into your life.

Bill Clinton greeting Sister Epiphanie Mukabaranga, the Headmistress of Rwamagana School of Nursing and Midwifery. Rwandan President Kagame and Chelsea Clinton look on.
Bill Clinton greeting Sister Epiphanie Mukabaranga, the Headmistress of Rwamagana School of Nursing and Midwifery. Rwandan President Kagame and Chelsea Clinton look on.

My mother is currently working for the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) in Rwanda at the Rwamagana School of Nursing and Midwifery, and has been there since August of 2012. On July 19th, 2012 the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, and Bill Clinton, the former US President, accompanied by his daughter Chelsea Clinton, visited the Rwamagana School of Nursing and Midwifery (RSNM) located in Rwamagana district. The vision behind CHAI is that each year 100 American faculty members spend one year in Rwanda working with medical personnel to transfer training capacity. The program aims to educate over 2,000 medical specialists, utilizing e-learning strategies to upgrade the skills of more than 5,000 nurses.

I recently visited Rwanda with my colleague, Gina Ferguson. This trip was initially booked as a vacation to visit my mom. My mom had told us so much about her experiences since arriving in Rwanda in August 2012, so we knew that we could not show up empty handed. “Paying it forward” became our drive behind turning this vacation into a random act of kindness. We put our efforts into raising funds, collecting donations and working through Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s partners to obtain much needed medical supplies. Due to the funds we raised, we were able to purchase educational and medical supplies for RSNM, as well as Kibogora Hospital.

Screen Shot 2013-05-28 at 9.49.47 PM
Jada Brown working with faculty on the kindle fire.

We also purchased four kindle fires and load each of them with 17 medical texts books. The colored pictures of anatomy seen on the kindles, as well as the updated text books, provide the students with a hands-on approach to reading and learning. The medical and educational supplies were welcomed with tears of joy, many hugs and overwhelming appreciation. The generosity of friends, family and the community turned this random act of kindness into a reality for the people of Rwanda. We are now looking forward to supporting funding for school supplies plus a September trip for the Principal of the Nursing School who will be spending the month in Chicago observing the healthcare system.

 

                            Ways you can give (AND RECEIVE!):

341074_2910285152853_1427791140_o> Make a contribution to the the RSNM GoFundMe Page. Donations will go to additional supplies and the educational trip this September.

> Make a purchase at 20 % off! RSNM will be the Global Birth Fair Featured Organization this quarter so please consider making purchase and know a percentage of the proceeds will go to RSNM. In addition to funding school supplies, the funds will support a September trip for the Principal of the Nursing School who will be spending the month in Chicago observing the healthcare system. Use Promo code: Rwanda and get 20% off!

 

Debra and Jane Arnold collaborated on Nurturing Beginnings, an updated, digital version of Nurturing Beginnings will be available later this year. If you’d like to receive announcements about this updated, electronic version of Nurturing Beginnings please sign up here.

“Nurturing Beginnings” Book Update

Nurturing BeginningsNurturing Beginnings: Guide to Postpartum Home Care for Doulas and Outreach Workers, Written by Debra Pascali-Bonaro, CD (DONA), LCCE, and Jane Arnold, CNM, MSN, with Marcia Ringel, takes you through the new mother’s journey and into your own as you explore what it means to be “in service of a postpartum woman and her family.” Nurturing Beginnings was one of the first comprehensive postpartum training manuals and is on the DONA Reading List for Post Partum Doulas.

Nurturing Beginnings contains 12 modules:

1.) The role of the doula
2.) Home visiting
3.) Providing care with caution:
Protecting health and safety in the home and car
4.) Honoring postpartum women and teaching self-care
5.) Easing postpartum adjustment
6.) Appreciating your client’s cultural diversity
7.) Supporting the breastfeeding mother
8.) Newborn basics: Appearance, behavior, and care
9.) Offering support to partners and siblings
10.) Unexpected outcomes: Caring for the family at a time of loss
11.) Nurturing yourself
12.) Pursuing professional development and building your practice

A revised e-version of Nurturing Beginnings will be available for order mid-November-  we will no longer be carrying the hard copy.  If you’d like to receive announcements about this updated, electronic version of Nurturing Beginnings please sign up here.

VBA2C: The Birth of Johanna Helena Marie

Introduction: Many expectant mothers experience unsolicited advice and hurtful words from friends, family, even colleagues and providers- words that are well-intended but often insensitive, ill-informed, or lacking support. This is the story of one woman who listened to her instinct and diligently took steps, thru changing her birth language and practice, to create a positive VBA2C experience for the birth of her third child, after previously experiencing two traumatic births.

Kristina Listens to her Inner Wisdom: The Birth of Johanna Helena Marie

Submitted by: Kristina Wierzba-Bloedorn, Germany
Translation by: Cathrine Mc Namara-Gaertig

DSC_7970When I became pregnant again in April 2012, I started intensely looking for a midwife. I held my pregnancy a secret until the fourth month. It was clear that to me this birth could only happen in the hospital. Despite my wish to deliver at home, after having had two cesarean sections, I wanted this birth to be closely monitored. During this time I spoke to a midwife who told me that my only chance to deliver this baby vaginally was to deliver at home. I could have also done an unassisted birth or labored at home long enough until I was fully dilated, this way no one could stand in my way of a vaginal birth. However, I listened to my gut feeling and I knew that delivering in my hospital would be a place where I would feel comfortable. I don’t hate the modern medicine. I liked the hospital very much where I wanted to birth my baby. It offers a special kind of medical environment. In any other hospital, my baby would have been delivered two weeks before my due date via cesarean.

I took my time finding a midwife and met with several of them from the list I had. One midwife I met with, told me that a vaginal birth after two cesareans hardly ever happens. I could feel her doubt in me and lack of support for my goal. And so I kept looking. One midwife told me she wasn’t comfortable with another part, a Doula, being present at the birth besides myself and my husband. It wasn’t important to her what was important to me at my birth. She did however have a lot of experience with vaginal birth after more than one cesarean. Several of my friends suggested to me that I shouldn’t focus on likeable while interviewing, but rather on the experience of a midwife in this area. I on the other hand focused my gut feeling and I till this day I have no regrets. After having already had two birth experiences, two of which taught me what would be important to me the next time, likeable and respect for my wishes were key requirements in choosing my midwife. Or rather better said: I knew, that loving, warm-hearted, attentive and sensitive care would be the key to a good birth. The support of my last midwife was cold and hostile. I found a new midwife, who really supported me. I received all of my prenatal care through my midwife and agreed to only one of the three routine ultrasounds suggested during pregnancy. I refused and stayed clear of all unnecessary procedures and tests that would bring any doubt to my mind, i.e. the estimated weight of the baby, etc. And I wonder if in the situation of High Fetal Station if the relationship of the head to the pelvis is the only factor that plays a role? Why is modern medicine then not able to find other causes for this this? One thing I knew for sure, was that my body had enough room to birth my baby vaginally.

My midwife mentioned to me that since my previous cesarean had been 6 years ago that my scar was well healed and that she had no fear of a rupture. That gave me so much strength. She told me later, the more the pregnancy advanced the more confident she was that I would deliver vaginally.

Bleeding…..

I had heavy bleeding until the end of the fourth month of the pregnancy. I was so scared during this time. Although my friends and family were just as concerned as I was and hoped just as much as we did, that the pregnancy would continue, what they said during this time was still quite hurtful. They told me that maybe I wasn’t sure if I want this child and that my body was subconsciously ending the pregnancy. My child and I wanted this pregnancy very much. We grew together and as I felt the first movements inside of me I was very happy! I have a doula friend from the USA, who helped me a lot with homeopathy medicine in this situation.

Inner Preparation…

I began to write a detailed birth plan as early as five months into the pregnancy and I shared with my midwife, my husband and my Doula. My midwife thought my birth plan was so great that she asked if she could show it to other midwives. Even the hospital welcomed a vaginal birth and the doctor who assisted my birth read my birth plan attentively and with respect.

I hung pictures up of pregnancy, birth and the postpartum and looked at these powerful pictures everyday. I painted uterus and vaginas ready to delivery with bright colors and glued felt pictures and garland to it.

In the 7th month I celebrated my Blessings Way ceremony with good friends. This art of the blessing was a special experience for me that gave me so much strength. A dance was done around me in a circle, pearls were threaded into necklaces, pictures and collages were made, and with good wishes, the women sang birth songs and prayed for me.

In the 7th month I also started undergoing hypnosis with a hypnotherapist who specializes in birth preparation. She was also a midwife and she always encouraged and believed in me. With hypnosis I could process and resolve other experiences. I listened to my hypnosis CD regularly on my own and occupied myself with stories concerning birth as much as possible. I must emphasize that it was the hypnosis that helped me on this journey. Creating pictures without using big words also helped very much.

My Doula massaged me regularly starting the 20th week of pregnancy and we talked about my fears and thoughts. She was always there for me.

Two months before the birth I took a childbirth education course, which was taught also by my midwife. It was a course specifically for mothers who had already had children. My sons were also allowed to be there. They would paint me pictures on my belly of a baby in an amniotic sack with an umbilical cord and placenta.

I was also lucky enough to have a friend, who was ready to come to my birth even though she lived very far away. She is also a fellow Doula. We spoke very often over the phone and exchanged thoughts. She also visited me twice. And even my hypnotherapist would have been ready to come to my birth. In the 7th month another doula friend who comes from the Ruhrgebiet came to my home and painted my belly with Henna. We sat in the livingroom and chatted. It was such a good feeling to have so many people involved in my pregnancy and for that I am very thankful.

I never told any one my due date. It was like a secret and it actually didn’t matter when I was due. Babies come when they want to. I actually felt safer and protected with this frame of mind. I dreamed again and again that I birthed my daughter vaginally. In the dream I saw her coming out of me and everything was quick and uncomplicated.

I asked friends of mine to pray for me. That was a very good feeling. I also prayed myself and would recite Psalm 23 over and over again. This became soon there after a steady ritual for me. These lines were my mantra and reciting them would send me into a meditative state. Whenever I was scared or unsure, these words would come easier fand easier over my lips.

Before my due date I wrote a letter to my little daughter in hopes of giving her encouragement.

Fears….

Two weeks before my due date I started to panic. I could hardly sleep anymore I was so worried and afraid, what this birth would bring. Will I have pain? Would it be a vaginal birth? Would they have to cut me open again?

My doula said, that my fears were normal, because I am taking a special path instead of taking the easy way out by scheduling a cesarean. This remark made me proud. I dreamed that I had a planned section and was there after very sad.

When I wanted to deliver my first son at a birthing center, not many people were very understanding. My decision was considered irresponsible. Years later I attended a Doula seminar where I described the epidurals I received for both of labors as being a blessing. In response to my confession my fellow doula colleagues just looked to the floor. Their response left me feeling misunderstood from both sides. I then began to speak to my husband, midwife and doula about the option of an epidural for this coming birth. I expressed to them that I wanted, at all costs, to avoid any further trauma through the experience of pain. I wanted an epidural immediately after I asked for it and I did not want to have to explain myself or be given any guilt about it. It wasn’t my goal to get the epidural no matter what. I know very well what side affects an epidural has. However I wanted it, WHEN I asked for it and I did not want to have to wait. As soon as I received the assurance that I would receive what I asked for, I would become calmer and could sleep again. The fear then stopped and I believe to this day, that the key to all this was solving all of my fears before the birth began. This left me feeling prepared and ready to open up.

Birth….

On January 22, 2013 I woke with contractions. I was however not sure if these were in fact labor contractions. I walked through the hallway and the bathroom for a while and then took a warm bath. However, the contractions continued. They felt relatively strong, but I still wasn’t sure if this was a false alarm, because the pain was not dominant. After about two hours I woke my huIMG_0091sband up. We decided to call the midwife. It was during our conversation that I had to lay the phone to the side at least twice, because the contractions were not allowing me to continue our conversation. My midwife then said that we should come straight to the hospital. I was very afraid of the ride there. Luckily I only had three contractions during the twenty-minute drive to the hospital. We arrived at 7 am at the entrance of the hospital. My midwife had already been waiting for me at the entrance. I was moaning loudly, but some how I was still not sure, if these were real labor contractions. In the birthing room my midwife examined me. She said that my cervix was very soft and that I was 7 cm dilated and that the head was engaged. I was stunned! Was it possible that the contractions I experienced with the last two births more painful at an earlier point than I had thought? I was so thankful that I had made it this far. I really didn’t have a lot of pain, but this unbelievably life-giving force was overwhelming. After a while the contractions became more intense.

I asked for the epidural. Not because I thought that it was so painful that I absolutely had to have it. I kept thinking (imprinted from my second birth experience), that the contractions are only going to get stronger and this is something you want to avoid. I know that I could have done it with out it. It was an epidural for my mind. I stand behind my decision and I am very happy with this decision.

My favorite doctor was there! He was planned for the walk in clinic, but switched his shift just for me. At this point I needed close body contact. My husband and Doula held my hands and told me positive things. I leaned against my midwife. She always smiled and was loving and friendly. I had very cold feet and my midwife brought me a hot water bottle and lit a fragrance burner. The smell created a wonderful atmosphere that was celebratory and peaceful. My husband and my doula massaged my feet and held them warm. Everyone gave me the feeling that I was the quefen. It was a great feeling. I felt special.

I had to think of my mother ape and her baby ape, my mantra and the colors that I imagined for a “good birth” while hypnotized. The mother ape and her child were sitting very close to me and were silently watching me. All the while I repeated quietly Psalm 23.

The cervix opened further very quickly. I could clearly feel the pressure of the head. My midwife examined me and asked my husband and I if we would like to feel the head. It was so motivating for me to feel the head with my fngers and to feel a “complete” cervix. I almost cried from the feeling of joy that went through me. My husband was fascinated. I stood next to the rope and rotated my pelvis. I squatted and hung over the ball on the bed. My husband stayed behind me the whole time massaging me. His touch grounded me and gave me strength. This warmth that I needed gave me strength to birth this child. My Doula told me to speak to my daughter and tell her to come deeper into my pelvis and that it was time to be born.

I spoke so deeply inside myself with her that she can come, come out of me, come into this world, you can come, we can do this together, I am looking forward to meeting you. My husband whispered into my ear that we can do this and we can make everything right. He caressed my neck and throat and kissed me. I purred like a cat. A low dose of Pitocin drip was given to me and the epidural was lightly topped off. Because I was afraid of this, the doctor held my hand and comforted me.

After the epidural started to take affect, I went back into the upright position. I could now feel the contractions much better, as well as the pressure of baby´s head in my pelvis. I could walk around and felt otherwise very good. The atmosphere in the birthing room was wonderful. I was in my favorite birthing room and my favorite doctor was on call. The contractions were now coming more often. I could feel them. However, it was not the pain that stood in the forefront, but rather the desire to birth this child vaginally. My midwife told me, that I could also push with the urge if I liked. And I wanted to. Soon the amniotic sack could be seen, bulging out of my vagina like a balloon.

My daughter was now in the middle of my pelvis. In order to see the progress of my pushing, I asked for a mirror. With this visual aid I could finally see some of my daughter coming closer and closer through my vagina. The doctor then mentioned, that we would no longer be going to the OP. I looked at him in disbelief! I could not believe it! The heart tones of the baby were reacting to the pushing. The doctor said, that maybe he would have to use a vacuum. Here and there the amniotic sack would leak. The water was warm and clear. I observed my midwife and the doctor as they sat on the floor. Their faces were so calm. From this point on I stood between the contractions, hung from the rope and sank deep in to a squat position when the contractions came. My husband sat behind me and held me under my arms. We were a team and I felt so close to him. I wanted to birth my daughter vaginally. I was not afraid of the vacuum, but I wanted to just keep going in order to realize a vaginal birth for the both of us.

Yes, come out of me!….

IMG_0109It was such a powerful feeling. Like a volcano, like a storm, a gigantic wave that pulled me and I was the surfer. I felt so useful and wild and strong all at the same time. I will never forget this feeling as long as I live. I was sweating and everything was so hot in the room. I wanted her to finally be born. “Pull her out,” I cried. My midwife laughed and said, “the head has already been born” and asked me if I would like to feel it. I touched her head with my hand and could hardly believe it. I was having a vaginal delivery! And then the rest of her body came out of me with the next contraction. I could feel her arms and legs sliding out of me.

And when I am old and grey I will still look back on this birth with feelings of joy and satisfaction that I gave my daughter life on this day. It was so wonderful to feel her coming deeper and to feel the feeling of birthing her. I was what gave birth to her! And then at 13:10 she was on the floor between my legs.

It was like time stood still. I had to check immediately if she was really a girl. I then picked up my little girl and hugged her tiny body. That was such a high! The hormones swirled between us and I cried loud, “my baby!” I was so proud and so happy. I was so thankful. I do not recall her birth being a series of minutes, but rather hours of pure joy, to be able to pick her up and hold her myself. It gave me the feeling as if I could do anything in this world!

 

Kristina Wierzba-BloedornKristina Wierzba-Bloedorn is a mother and doula in Germany.

 

 

 

 

 

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Breakfast in Bed Invitation with “Listening to Mothers III”

Screen Shot 2013-05-09 at 9.46.10 PMA Call for Birth Workers to have Breakfast in Bed with “Listening to Mothers III”

Submitted by Jill Wodnick, M.A., LCCE, ‘Giving Birth & Being Born’, Montclair State Univ. Center for Autism & Early Childhood Mental Health

It’s time for me to restock my Corn Flakes! Thanks to the support from the Kellogg Foundation, the Listening to Mothers III research was released May 9, 2013.  In no surprise to birth professionals, a national survey of new mothers reveal that risky procedures in healthy populations are overused and many beneficial practices are underused.  My hope is that the leverage of this report found in today’s Wall Street Journal and Consumers Reports is that the conversation will expand and permeate into the paradigm of optimal maternity care.

imageforOGblogLTM3In a tale of two labors, inductions had drastic birth outcome implications.  53% of women had inductions; whereas  47% had no induction. Looking at birth outcomes, the  woman who went into labor without an induction and without an epidural had a cesarean birth rate of 5%; the woman who had an induction and epidural had a cesarean birth rate at 31%. The value of the Listening to Mothers is that Childbirth Connection did just that: listened with clarity over the past decade to mothers from all over America making a real imprint in the buzz word of ‘patient centered care.’

Today’s webinar by Childbirth Connection to present the Listening to Mothers III featured a cross section of change makers.  In hearing Leah Binder, president of the Leap Frog Group focus on the employers and purchasers of health care, she was quick to point out that labor and delivery make-up 25% of hospital charges.  New Jersey’s own Dr. Thomas Westover, M.D., Co-Chair, New Jersey Hospital Association Perinatal Safety Collaborative, Assistant Professor, Maternal & Fetal Medicine & OB&GYN, Robert Wood Johnson Medical and Cooper Medical School detailed the need to engage payers so hospitals have the capacity offer consistent VBAC access.

Aligning incentives for higher quality care will go a long way to foster the gap that is in maternity care between protocols and best practices.  Only 2 out of 5 women walked around during labor.  More than two-thirds (68%) of women who gave birth vaginally reported that they lay on their backs while pushing their baby out and giving birth. The anonymous quotation of this woman tells the journey of what so many women experience:  “I was not allowed to get up and walk around, even go to the restroom, after I had been strapped with the fetal monitor.”

The fact that freedom of movement is not consistently accessible nor available begins the cascade of many interventions which drive up cost and can derail the treatment of women.  Issues of  equity, access and disparities all make this report critical to review.

Callers on the webinar about Listening to Mothers III asked about sharing this information with medical providers and the challenge for employers to support education and information for pregnant women.

Third times a charm.  The last two LTM surveys have been a much needed voice in patient centered care and narrative medicine.  Now, we have a decade worth of Listening to Mothers.  We can list out the need to improve care and the list of underused comfort measure and list over used procedures.  We can find that in the past decade, our lists may have gone on deaf ears when it comes to consistent implementation of best practices.

The root word of both list and listen is the Indo European word root of kleu.  They are together because listening involves tilting or leaning over to a side to hear something. So hear the direct words of LTM III:

‘Over the three Listening to Mothers surveys, respondents have increasingly supported the idea that birth processes should not be interfered with unless medically necessary. However, there was little indication that the maternity care system protects, promotes, and supports the intrinsic physiologic capacities of this largely healthy population of women and their fetuses/newborns.

Technology-intensive maternity care continues to predominate.

Our maternity care system is failing to provide care that many mothers told us they want and that is in the best interest of themselves and their babies. Moreover, this unnecessarily costly style of care places a considerable burden on governments, employers, and families who pay the bills for this major sector of the health care system.

The Institute of Medicine’s landmark Crossing the Quality Chasm report exposed the gulf between where our health care system is and where it should be with respect to safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity.’

As you take the time to read Listening to Mothers III, take a moment over your own breakfast cereal to read the research.  You will digest the research and resources of what maternity care can be in the United States and our role in the many dimensions of care.

 

Screen Shot 2013-05-09 at 10.00.46 PMJill Wodnick teaches didactic sessions to medical residents as well as Lamaze Childbirth Education through Montclair State University’s Center for Autism & Early Childhood Mental Health.  Speaking frequently about birth, she recently delivered a webinar for the NJ Hospital Association on sustaining NJ’s BabyFriendly Hospital Initiative through the use of doulas. She can be found singing and playing board games with the 3 boys and husband in Montclair, NJ. www.JillWodnick.com

“Birth Your Way” Healthy Birth Practices

Mother’s Advocate & Lamaze work to educate about the 6 Healthy Birth Practices. On April 28th Debra discussed “Birth Your Way” at HackensackUMC Mountainside for a special afternoon of images and stories of birthing around the world. Debra will incorporate these Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices in her teaching.

    • Healthy Birth Practice 1: Let labor begin on its own

      What question did you ask your Care Provider about Induction such as “Can we try more natural methods of induction before using drugs?

 

 

Help Bumi Sehat Build HIV Lab

Debra & Bidans
Debra and Midwife Katherine Bramhall with the Balinese Bidan’s/midwives of Bumi Sehat Bali.

What Bumi Sehat really needs now is a lab where they can do their own HIV testing. HIV is on the rise in Bali and Ibu Robin and Bidans (midwives) need their own lab. Testing for HIV and treatment can greatly reduce Mother to Child transmission of HIV. Help save mother’s and babies lives by donating to this vital lab.

The CDC writes, “HIV transmission from mother to child during pregnancy, labor and delivery, or breastfeeding is known as perinatal transmission and is the most common route of HIV infection in children. When HIV is diagnosed before or during pregnancy, perinatal transmission can be reduced to less than 1% if appropriate medical treatment is given.”

Read Every Mother Counts recent article to learn more: “Why National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Matters to Maternal Health.

Every Mother Counts recently posted an article sharing Ibu Robin’s direct experience with this issue and why it is more important than ever so support this cause. Touched by HIV/AIDS- When Healthcare Workers are Exposed:

On Valentine’s Day, our dear friend, midwife Robin Lim, founder of the Bumi Sehat Birth Center in Indonesia performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a newborn. He was premature and the oxygen masks she tried to use didn’t fit properly and wouldn’t deliver the air he desperately needed to his brand new lungs.  With only moments to spare before lack of oxygen damaged his brain and stopped his heart, Robin did what any midwife would do.  She breathed life into the boy over and over again, until he was able to do the job himself…. read more

There are several ways you can donate to Bumi Sehat, here are a few ways:

IMG BumiSehat– Donate directly to Bumi Sehat

Bumi Booties– Purchase a pair of GBF Bumi Booties, available in 6 unique patterns,and 100% of the proceeds will go to Bumi Sehat (thanks Salihah Kirby for donating the Bumi Booties so we can do this!)

– Purchase anything from Global Birth Fair this quarter, such as Bali birth jewelery or Birth Batiks, or Rebozos, or DVDs, or any birth gifts and tools, and a percentage of your proceeds will go to our Bumi Sehat, our spring featured organization.