Oct 1-3, 2010

Learn more about pregnancy and how to support birthing women and their families at this 3-day hands-on training with experienced instructor, birth advocate and doula Therese Hak-Kuhn. The training will be held at Grailville in Loveland, just north of Cincinnati, Ohio on Oct 1-3. You will receive resources and information about birth options and choices, all necessary information to complete your full toLabor certification and begin your career as a doula. Attached is a detailed Brochure outlining the organization and the training. A registration form is included in the brochure and discounts are available for early registration and for doulas previously trained with other organizations.

Please feel free to forward this information to lists or individuals you think may be interested and help spread the word!

For further information or questions or if you are not able to view the
attachment, please contact Pam Bell at 513-313-2068 or
womenswisdom@gmail.com.

Meet the Doulas

June 17th
6:30 pm- 8 pm
Blue Manatee Bookstore
3054 Madison Road in Oakley

This is a great and informal evening for you to meet some great local doulas! There will be many doulas there for you to meet and have plenty of time to ask as many questions as you can!  Also a chance to support a great local bookstore and coffee shop!

May 21-23

Learn more about pregnancy and how to support birthing women and their families at this 3-day hands-on training with experienced instructor, birth advocate and doula Therese Hak-Kuhn. The training will be held at Grailville in Loveland, just north of Cincinnati, Ohio on May 21-23. You will receive resources and information about birth options and choices, all necessary information to complete your full toLabor certification and begin your career as a doula. Attached is a detailed Brochure outlining the organization and the training. A registration form is included in the brochure and discounts are available for early registration and for doulas previously trained with other organizations.

Please feel free to forward this information to lists or individuals you think may be interested and help spread the word!

For further information or questions or if you are not able to view the
attachment, please contact Pam Bell at 513-313-2068 or
womenswisdom@gmail.com.

“The baby’s getting too big.”

“I’m going out of town.”

“You have an old placenta.”

…

Many mom’s have heard them. There seem to be a hundred different reasons why your doctor may suggest an induction.

However, a lot of these reasons are given simply because they fit the doctor’s own standard of care, which may not agree with actual evidence based standards of care.

Desirre Andrews CLD, CCCE, LCCE, CLE has compiled a short list of the most common evidence based reasons why an induction may be medically necessary:

• Uterine infection
• Pre-eclampsia
• Prolonged rupture of membranes (longer than 48-72 hours)
• Labor dystocia
• Post dates past 42 weeks (partially mitigated by family history and menstruation cycle)

Some nervous mothers may inadvertently encourage their health care providers to find a reason for induction, and some providers have no problem finding a reason. So, be clear with your provider about your wishes. If your health care provider is suggesting an induction for other reasons, and an induction does not fit your birth plan, then it’s time to ask some serious questions.

Read Desirre’s full article “Labor Induction Myths” to view a long list of often cited induction reasons that are not medically proven.

“We need to get beyond doctor- or midwife-bashing and look at some of the structural failings that prevent us from clearly understanding why too many mothers and babies are dying in our country around the time of birth.”—Ina May Gaskin, in response to the Today Show’s negative and biased segment on home birth that aired on 9/11/09.

By popular demand the deadline for a chance to have dinner with Ina May Gaskin has been extended. If you make a donation of $25 or more by noon Friday, you will have the opportunity to host Ina May Gaskin in your home for dinner, all travel expenses included!

Just submit a word or phrase describing what having access to out-of-hospital maternity care and Certified Professional Midwives means to you, along with your contribution. If you prefer to contribute through Paypal, go to The Big Push for Midwives and scroll down on the home page to the PayPal button and click to donate.

The extended deadline is noon on Friday, September 18.

Please share this with midwives, homebirth families, doulas, childbirth educators, nurses, doctors, lactation consultants, nurses—anyone who knows and respects Ina May’s work and
would enjoy meeting her personally and talking about all issues birth-related with her!

The winning phrase will be chosen from the state with the highest number of donations. So the more people from your state who participate, the higher the chance that even if you don’t personally win dinner with Ina May, you will be able to meet her and hear her speak at a public event in your state!

As many of you are aware, in recent years Ina May has turned her focus towards raising awareness of the hidden problem of maternal mortality in the US. In true fashion, she is leading the way in exposing one of our maternity care system’s most shameful secrets. To read more about her recent work around maternal mortality, check out the September Harper’s Bazaar article that quotes her.

For more information, please contact Stephanie Beck Borden, Grassroots Organizer, at beckborden@gmail.com or 513-546-1015.

Eileen Ryan, who appeared in the film, was a special guest in the audience. Also present was the editor and two of the producers.

Some audience members asked why the film didn’t define what a doula was. Defining a “doula” was not the goal of the film. The film was created as an educational piece for the birth community. The target audience would most likely already know what a doula is, but would be seeking more information about the role of a doula during birth or would be considering doula as a career.

For those still wondering, doula is a Greek word that means “a woman who serves”. Doulas are trained, experienced, and often certified, professionals who provide continuous support for birth mothers.

The film’s producers are considering another film that might help answer the question “What is a Doula?”

You can view the shorter web version of the “Do You Doula?” documentary below:

If you would like a DVD copy of the complete thirteen minute film for educational purposes, please contact Julie Clevidence at myDoula.

“Nicely shot, simple and elegant, makes just enough points, well-structured too.” –Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein

“I loved the start, it really captured me and all the interviews were excellent. Thank you!” –Dr. Sarah Buckley

“Love the Q & A format!” “I really like how Eileen talks about how women need support even if they aren’t planning to ‘go natural’.”–the Birth Matters Virginia Judging Panel

"Do You Doula?"

The short documentary film “Do You Doula?” debuts at this summer’s Underneath Cincinnati Film Festival, which will be screening as part of the larger Oxford International Film Festival.

The thirteen minute documentary film, which explores the role of doulas in childbirth, was produced this spring by Rachel DesRochers, Jamison Bornemann, and Julie Clevidence, three Cincinnati area doulas.  It was a finalist in the Birth Matters Virginia Film Contest.

“Do You Doula?” will be projected onto the big screen at the prestigious Esquire Theatre, a well known art theater in Clifton, near the University of Cincinnati.

Please support the local birth community by attending. We look forward to meeting you there.

Showtime:

Date: Thursday, July 30th, 2009

Location: Esquire Theatre, Cincinnati, OH

Time: 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM EST

Cost: $10 per ticket