Our BOLD Letter! And farewell, Red Tent...

This week, Friends of Iowa Midwives mails our BOLD Truth Initiative packages to relevant state figures as well as Oprah Winfrey to raise awareness of the need for better maternal-infant care in Iowa and the United States. Each person will receive a video featuring 30 minutes of our local Red Tent Event, a letter (see below!), and copies of the local press coverage on this topic. Hopefully this will add to the local, state, and national momentum that is building to promote homebirth and access to midwifery!

I've copied the basic text of the letters below.

We sent our letters to Tom Miller, Attorney General of Iowa (the AG's statement on the legal status of midwifery is a big obstacle to Iowa legalization) and Patty Judge, Lt. Governor of Iowa (she chaired a special committee on health in Iowa). The main BOLD folks asked everyone to mail Oprah a copy of this stuff as well, so who knows, maybe some Iowa women will be on the show someday!

All FOIM members deserve thanks for making Red Tent so special, but I especially want to thank Kristin Bergman, Tammy Bayer, Melanie Moore and her dancers, and Monica Brasile for contributing so much to the success not only of the event, but of the fulfillment of our contract with BOLD.

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As someone who is concerned about healthcare, you may be aware of some of the alarming problems we currently face in our country with regard to maternity care. The cesarean rate in the U.S. is currently 30.2 percent – over twice the rate recommended by the World Health Organization. The U.S. is one of the only wealthy countries where the maternal death rate is rising. Among developed countries, 29 have better infant mortality rates than the U.S., and 41 have better maternal mortality rates.

These disturbing trends affect women in Iowa. Friends of Iowa Midwives recently hosted a Red Tent event in Iowa City as part of the nationwide Birth On Labor Day (BOLD) movement to make childbirth more mother-friendly. The Red Tent is an opportunity for mothers to share their birth stories in a positive, supportive environment. By documenting these stories, we hope to capture the range of birth experiences in our community and raise awareness about the maternity care needs of women in Iowa.

Because you have demonstrated a concern about the health of women and children in our state, we are enclosing a 30-minute excerpt of this Red Tent event for you to view.

One of the most important needs we have identified in Iowa is for increased access to the midwives model of care. This woman-centered approach recognizes pregnancy and birth as normal processes, not illnesses, and has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.

An increasing number of families are seeking care by midwives, both within and outside the hospital setting. We recognize a woman’s right to choose home birth, and are aware that midwife-attended home births have been repeatedly shown to be equally as safe as hospital births, with far fewer interventions and infections, and greater client satisfaction. Women choosing home birth should have access to the best possible care. Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are the national standard for midwives serving the home birth community, and we agree that they should be licensed in Iowa, as they are in the vast majority of other states.

We hope these stories are informative, and that they help to put a human face on the statistics outlined above. Please feel free to contact Friends of Iowa Midwives for more information about the midwives model of care and our activities.

Thank you for your commitment to the health of Iowa’s women and children.

November Meeting!

Hope to see you this afternoon!

November FOIM meeting, this Sunday, November 11 @ 4pm. Please note this is a time change from previous meetings.

More great press on legalizing CPMS in Iowa!

What an amazing day -- an entire page in the Saturday edition of the Iowa City/Coralville Press-Citizen covering perspectives on midwifery and homebirth in Iowa. Featuring articles by our own lovely and amazing midwives, Kathy Deol and Melanie Moore, as well as an article by a home birthing Mom and a CNM who practices in an area hospital.

Go to these articles and sign up to show your support for this issue in Iowa!

Another op-ed advocating for licensure.

A guest opinion about the choice to have homebirth.

An article by our own area midwife Kathy Deol about her work.

An article by a local CNM who practices at a hospital about standards of care.

An article by our own area midwife, Melanie Moore, on her work as a DEM.

October Meeting this Sunday!

Time: Sunday, Oct. 14, 2 pm - 4 pm
Location: Lauren Whitehead's house, 530 Foster Rd. Iowa City IA
Ph: 354-6706

Directions:
from I-80: take exit 245 onto Dubuque St. Turn south on Dubuque, and look for the first traffic light (Foster Rd.). Turn right onto Foster and drive up the hill. Look for Louis Pl. on your right; our driveway is the second past that street. We live in a townhouse with a birdfeeder in front of the window.
from IC: drive north on Dubuque St. past Mayflower dorms. You'll come to a traffic light labeled B'Jaysville; turn left and this is now Foster Rd. Drive up the hill. Look for Louis Pl. on your right; our driveway is the second past that street. We live in a townhouse with a birdfeeder in front of the window.

Please email me with any agenda items you'd like to add. We have a LOT to discuss so I hope to see many of you here!

Great press from our legislative event!

This weekend's events were inspiring and incredibly productive. They also generated some positive press from our local newspapers.

The Press-Citizen, Iowa City's local community newspaper, printed this op-ed that advocates for the legalization and licensure of direct-entry midwives in Iowa. Friend of Iowa Midwives Erin Auer-Sears was also quoted in an earlier article before the workshop.

The Daily Iowan, newspaper for the University of Iowa, features an article about the workshop as well as a webcast with a brief interview with our guest speaker, the fabulous Ida Darragh. Lots of Friends members are featured, and lots of adorable babies!

What an outstanding start for our group!

Our next meeting

Our next Friends of Iowa Midwives meeting will be on Sunday. We have a full and exciting agenda as we prepare for events later this month. Please join us!

Date: Sunday, September 9
Time: 2:00 - 4:00
Place: BabyMatters in Cedar Rapids (address and map here)
Children welcome.

Main Agenda Items:
1. NARM legislative workshop and Red Tent event
2. Presentation and discussion: Nonprofit Status
3. Organization Building and Leadership
4. The Community Voice TV show

For more information, email info@friendsofiowamidwives.org

Upcoming Workshop and Red Tent Event

Midwifery is currently under attack in Iowa. Direct-Entry Midwives in our state face criminal investigation and prosecution for practicing medicine without a license – a felony charge that carries a sentence of up to five years in prison. Now is the time for supporters of childbirth options to come together to preserve the rights of Iowans to give birth where and with whom they choose!

Please join Friends of Iowa Midwives for a day of education and entertainment to learn how you can help ensure that Iowa's families have access to safe homebirth with legal midwives.

PREPARING FOR LEGISLATION WORKSHOP
Date: September 22, 2007
Time: 9:00-5:00
Place: Saddlebrook Clubhouse, 120 Paddock Blvd., Iowa City
Speaker: Ida Darragh, CPM and testing director for NARM
Registration fee: $15 (Scholarships available.)
Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided!

To register: Call Moira at (319) 484-4086 or email: register@friendsofiowamidwives.org.
Please include your name, phone number, and mailing address.

BOLD RED TENT
After the workshop, we will be hosting a BOLD Red Tent event, along with a special performance by the Rasket El-Nehri Bellydancing Troupe.

"A BOLD Red Tent is an opportunity for every community to find out about how local mothers are giving birth by hearing directly from mothers. It is also a healing 'tent,' where mothers who have had challenging births can heal through the telling of their stories."

We will be sharing our birth stories in a safe, supportive circle and video documenting our experiences of the birthing environment in Iowa. We want to hear your story! This event is free and intended for women. Nursing babies are welcome.

For more information on both of these events, visit the Friends of Iowa Midwives website.