"Licensure is not something that should be forced on recalcitrant midwives by a paternalistic government. It is something that should be created by midwives; it is the next step in self-actualization." -- Ida Darragh
Birth Fest is only one week away!! Tell all your friends and come on down to the Brava Theater Center in the Mission at 2781 24th St near York. August 31, 2008 from 11am to 9pm with:
Or at least the training part! Misty May-Treanor and Kerry Walsh defended their gold medal last night in Beach Volleyball. Their coach told them to follow the 3 B's: Battling, Believing and Breathing! Now that sounds familiar. I have recently had a number of clients take on birth like an athletic event and be incredibly successful. They reframed the work of labor into an athletic feat that they knew they could accomplish. With great determination and strength, their babies were born into the world. The Battling is symbolic of our fight against the American (obstetrical) way of birth, as women reclaim their power and triumphantly succeed.
Marcello listens in during the pregnancy, then knows just what to do when his mom, Mia, is in labor. Children who are taught about birth are not afraid. They will welcome their siblings with joy and celebration.August 5, 2008
We are pleased to announce the release of an Issue Brief: Certified Professional Midwives in the United States. The Midwives Alliance of North American (MANA) collaborated with the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC), and the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM) to create this issue brief. These four national organizations—MANA, NARM, MEAC and NACPM—have played essential roles in the conception, formation, promotion and maintenance of the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credential.
This issue brief was composed to provide the background necessary to understand the genesis of the CPM and its implementation in 1994 as well as address issues related to the professionalization of direct-entry midwifery in the United States.
These are tough times for mothers and infants in the United States. Our current maternity care system is seriously deficient in meeting the maternity care needs of women in terms of quality, accessibility, cost, and satisfaction. As you know midwives are perfectly poised to be a significant solution to the current crisis in maternal and child healthcare. Certified Professional Midwives are a fast growing segment of the midwifery profession in the United States and are trained and credentialed to provide expert care, education, counseling and support for women and their newborns.
We hope that this document will provide support for your midwifery practice. It presents concise and accurate information about CPMs for clients, consumers, health professionals, healthcare insurers, legislators, midwifery advocates and maternal and child health policy makers.
You can access an Issue Brief: Certified Professional Midwives in the United States here.
For mothers and babies,
Geradine Simkins
president@mana.org
A beautiful Pearl graced us with her arrival on June 9, 2008 at 9:50am. Born at home and weighing in at 8 pounds, 13 ounces. She is truly a joy and a delight. Congratulations to Clare and Mark on the birth of Pearl Helena Watson!
Xavier Porter Malizia was born June 18th at 8:43 PM, after a unbelievably speedy, easy home labor. The birth story to mention, in comparison, is really that of his sister's, born 4 1/2 years earlier, into the loving arms of Maria, after an arduous 36 hours of labor, only to end in the glorious triumph of having her at home in the water, both her and Mama perfectly healthy! Xavier decided to make his entrance easier on us all, and was born so fast into his Papa's and Maria's hands there was no time for the tub or a video or even for his sister to watch. We all got into the water afterwards for some lovely bonding time together as a family. Thank you to Maria for once again making this an unforgettably precious experience, and for living
