FOIM 2010 Calendar - Photos Needed!

We're very excited about a new calendar project we are starting for 2010 and we need your help. We need photos of Iowa home birth families! If you would like your homeborn Iowa baby and/or your beautiful family included as one of our calendar images, please send us your photo(s) in a digital attachment to: foimcalendar@yahoo.com by MONDAY, NOV. 23rd.

Once we've made selections we will be in touch with those families to gather further info, obtain permissions and finalize the calendar design.

It is our goal to have the calendars available for the new year, so the sooner you submit, the sooner our beautiful calendar of Iowa homebirth families will be available!

Any questions you have about the calendar can be directed to the foimcalendar@yahoo.com email. Please forward to anyone you think may be interested in participating.

Thanks!

How You Can Help Foim, #4

In honor of fall, and going back to school - I'd like to ask you to help FOIM today by becoming more educated, yourself, about the positive benefits of homebirth attended by a midwife. We can say it again and again, that birth is normal, and that a healthy pregnancy and birth can easily happen at home -- but it helps to know your facts! Here are some documents that you should check out this week, as a way to help FOIM legalize and regulate midwifery practice in our state:

1. The Milbank Report -- this one is long, but good

2. The Washington State Midwifery Cost and Benefit Study

3. Our FOIM Factsheets on the Yahoo page!

Happy Studying!

-Renee

Amazing Supporters Come Through for Us!

We have been overwhelmed by the response we have had from individuals and businesses who have donated their skills, items, and talent for our fundraiser. With their help we have compiled a diverse Silent Auction for our Labor Day event! We wanted to give you a sneak peek of the auction catalog so you can plan ahead and see what will be available for your bids! We are so grateful for your donations and support. We'll see you on Labor Day!

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Friends of Iowa Midwives Silent Auction Items 2009!!

1) Prairieland Herbs gift basket
2) Moby D baby carrier from The Stork Wearhouse
3) Red Avocado restaurant $50 gift certificate, Dinner for 2
4) One Placenta Encapsulation from Sabbath Davies of Ganesa Birth Services
5) Natural Parenting Fiber Artists knitting gift basket
6) Des Moines Social Club T-shirt and $25 gift certificate
7) Gourmet Wine and Champagne Basket with Truffles and Stemware
8) Blown Glass jewelry pendent from artist Derek Akers $25 value
9) Size 24 mo. tie dyed one piece romper and newborn tie dye set from Foursquare Fibre
10) Infant cloth shoes from Wallypop
11) Children’s Board Book Basket with Homebirth Books
12) Cloth Snack Bag and reusable Sandwich Wrap from Wallypop
13) Glass Magnet Sets from Sarah Nevins
14) 7 Kenneth Huff prints from Amanda McGuire
15) One 60 minute Massage from Zachary Hoover of The Family Tree
16) Gift certificates for one month of adult classes and one month of children’s classes from Roots Capoiera Wellness Center
17) Gift certificate for four beginner guitar, bass or drum lessons from Central Iowa Music Lab-James Biehn $75 value
18) 3 packages of Soap Nuts natural laundry soap from The Stork Wearhouse
19) One pair of earrings from MC Ginsberg
20) Reiki Session by Mia Countryman
21) One handpainted bag from Cover Art by Mia Countryman
22) One glass sunflower picture frame from Amanda McGuire
23) One Japanese Maple or plantings of equal value; including labor to install and a landscaping consultation of the property. By Earth Designs - Beth and Rob Jackson valued at $200, opening bid is $50
24) Two glass candle holders from Amanda McGuire
25) Cross Pen Set and Blank Notecards from Syracuse Cultural Workers from Amanda McGuire and Jessica Bottenfield-Biehn
26) Satchel Paige Wooden Picture Frame from Simply for Giggles
27) Painted Wooden toy Rabbit from Simply for Giggles
28) One hardcover copy of the book “Pushed” from Diane Tinker of Birth Companion Doula Services
29) 6 pewter birth jewelry pieces
30) One piece of framed Birth Art/Kanji from Sabbath Davies
31) One piece of framed Goddess Art from Sabbath Davies
32) ICAN of Central Iowa gift pack including one ICAN 2010 Calendar, and books “Giving Birth” and “Cesarean Voices”
33) Gift Basket from The Possibilities Room
34) CD from singer/songwriter Mary McAdams
35)30 minute Imagine Peace Massage gift certificate- Maggie McGinnis
36) SMASH gift certificate
37) Diaper Dudee Diaper Service gift certificate from Andrea Foley
38) One comprehensive Well Woman Exam including Pap smear from Cosette Boone, CNM $150 value
39) Wildflower Massage gift certificate
40) Gift Certificate for belly dance classes from unda Belly Dance
41) Breastfeeding Basket for New Moms from Lauren Whitehead
42) Handmade hair bows from Sarah Nevins
43) Oasis gift basket w/ 2 t-shirts and $25 gift certificate
44) Oasis gift basket w/ 2 t-shirts and $25 gift certificate
45) Prenatal Massage gift certificate from Inner Balance $80 value
46) Family photograph package from Shuva Rahim of Accent Photographics
47) HUGS Selendang baby sling
48) HUGS Selendang baby sling
49)Size S long sleeve Breastmilk t-shirt & Size 2T shortsleeve Breastmilk t-shirt from The Stork Wearhouse
50)Two 6 month infant tie dyed short sleeve shirts from Wallypop
51) Instant Fiesta Basket with margarita mix, homemade salsa and 4 margarita glasses
52) Kid’s Craft and Snack Basket with Art supplies and workbooks from Jessica Bottenfield-Biehn
53) Belly Cast kit from The Stork Wearhouse
54) Red Avocado restaurant T-shirt
55) WAHM mai tai baby carrier with pink/tan dragonflies from Jenn Bowen
56) Women’s hair cut and 2 products from Blondies Hair Salon
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Central Iowa gets some Press!

The Des Moines Register did a brief piece today on natural birth options in the Central part of our state! It mentions our Potluck and Silent Auction coming up on Labor Day. Friends of Iowa Midwives Steering Committee member Sabbath Davies is quoted.

Day(s) Late and A Dollar Short....

That's the FOIM blog this (last!) week -- I'm getting it to you a few days late, to suggest that one of the ways you can best help FOIM is by making a financial contribution to the cause.

Now, if you're coming to the Labor Day Picnic -- a week from today! -- ignore this plea. You'll be bringing a $5.00 per family donation that will help us fund our activities for the year. You'll also have the chance to bid on awesome silent auction items, donated from local and statewide businesses.

But, if you aren't going to make it to the picnic - consider sending a 5 - 10 dollar donation to FOIM.

That's the way, this week, I'd most like to see people helping make midwifery legal in Iowa.

Check out This Blog!

Do you want to see a terrific blog chronicling an activist family in South Dakota, working for midwifery care??

Of course you do!

Check it out here.

Hmm.... Iowa .... what could we do that is similar? Eat chocolate-covered bacon for midwives??? The Hy-Vee Triathalon Hombirth Team??

Thing to Do, #2

This is a fun one. Follow this link to a great short film on infant mortality and out-of-hospital birth. Then, send the link to your state legislators with a personal note.

Yes, I stole this thing to do from the Friends of Iowa Midwives Facebook fan page -- which leads me to Thing To Do 2.5 - if you're not already a fan of us on facebook, well, you know ....

We've got 395 fans right now -- lets make it 400 by the end of August!

URGENT ACTION NEEDED

Usually, I'd wait a week before posting another way to help FOIM - but we've received a message from the MAMA campaign that is time sensitive, and Iowa specific. Please consider whether you can spend an hour in the next few days to help with this important request.

Here it is:

******************************************************************************************************************************* The MAMA Campaign now needs people who live in Iowa to write special letters to Senator Grassley. This is so critical and only Iowans can help. The Midwives and Mothers in Action (MAMA) Campaign is working all out to call for federal recognition of Certified Professional Midwives in the health care proposals being worked on in Congress this summer. Congress members are, for the most part, on August recess and many are visiting their home states. We must get a batch of letters IN THE NEXT 10 DAYS (by August 21st) to the state offices of Senator Grassley who sits on a key Congressional committee currently playing a central role in drafting health care reform legislation. So, I am asking you to write a personal letter asking Senator Grassley, who is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, to weigh in with support for our amendment with the Senate Finance Committee chairman Senator Max Baucus. These personal letters from constituents are critical and make a huge impact. Please write and mail or fax a short letter TODAY! You will find letter writing instructions and talking points for your letter below. MAMA CAMPAIGN INSTRUCTIONS AND TALKING POINTS FOR MAILED OR FAXED LETTERS TO YOUR SENATOR'S LOCAL OFFICE 1. Handwritten letters are ideal, but a typed and signed letter would be great also. 2. Please fax or mail this letter to one of Senator Grassley's local offices. One of these local offices is listed below. Other local offices can be located on the Senator's website at http://grassley.senate.gov/iowa/grassley_state_offices.cfm . Cedar Rapids 150 1st Avenue NE Suite 325 Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 (319) 363-6832 Fax: (319) 363-7179 3. Please include the following language in the first paragraph of your letter: "I am a constituent and I am writing to ask if Senator Grassley would be willing to speak with Chairman Baucus to ensure that the amendment that would secure federal Medicaid recognition of the services provided by Certified Professional Midwives is included in the health care bill that will go forward in the Senate Finance Committee." 4. To help you write your letter I have provided some talking points to help you explain why Senator Grassley should weigh in with Chairman Baucus in support of this amendment. You do not need to use them all. Please make this letter a personal letter from you. We do not want these to look like form letters. Important tip: ALWAYS say “Certified Professional Midwife”; do not use “CPM” (which is frequently misinterpreted with the more familiar “CNM”). Talking Points: • Certified Professional Midwives are highly-trained, credentialed clinicians who provide effective, evidence-based maternity care. They are the only maternity care providers specifically trained in attending births outside the hospital and, by assisting in births at home and in birthing centers, offer women an important choice in how their babies are delivered. • Adding Certified Professional Midwives to the Medicaid list would cost nothing, but would start reducing health care costs immediately; each mother on Medicaid who chooses an out-of-hospital birth with a Certified Professional Midwife would lower Medicaid costs, since Medicaid would otherwise be paying for a hospital birth at greater cost and with much greater likelihood of an expensive cesarean section. The Washington State cost/benefits study commissioned by the Department of Health, demonstrates an overall cost savings of 3.1 million dollars to the state over a two-year period with midwives doing just under 2% of the births. • Several studies, including those commissioned by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), demonstrate that midwives who attend births outside the hospital (at home or in a birth center) have much lower rates of unnecessary and potentially dangerous medical interventions such as inductions and cesarean-sections with at least as good outcomes in terms of maternal and infant mortality, at substantially lower costs. • Because Certified Professional Midwives provide thorough individualized care that promotes healthy pregnancies, the babies are healthier – more are full term and full weight, avoiding costly health problems. • Of the twenty-five states that now provide a path to licensure for Certified Professional Midwives, only eleven include CPMs in their state Medicaid programs, so low-income women on Medicaid have difficulty obtaining services. This falls short of genuine and consistent patient choice and access. Certified Professional Midwives and women who want access to them are seeking federal Medicaid reimbursement for their services as one important step to increase access to this kind of maternity care. • All women deserve to have access to quality, comprehensive maternity care, in the communities where they live, with a choice of qualified provider and services that are fully recognized and reimbursed by both private and public payers. • Maternity care is the #1 reason for hospitalization in the United States, and yet we have declining quality outcomes for women and infants; it is essential for health care reform to include safe, high quality and cost-effective choices for women and families, such as Certified Professional Midwives. 5. Share a brief personal detail if possible and relevant—example: “Two of my children were born at home attended by Certified Professional Midwives. I believe all women regardless of their income should have access to the safe, high-quality, cost-effective care provided by Certified Professional Midwives.” 6. Sign off with your name, address, and contact information. 7. For more information: If Senator Grassley’s office would like more information about our efforts to pursue this important Medicaid improvement, please contact Mary Lawlor with the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives at president@nacpm.org or on her cell phone at 917-453-6780. She and other Campaign members will be in D.C. the week of August 17th and may be available to meet with the Senator or his/her staff. 8. Please send the MAMA Campaign a copy of your letter. Email it to info@mamacampaign.org or FAX to 802-536-4142. Email Renee.cramer@drake.edu, too, so FOIM knows you're helping the national movement for midwifery's recognition!

************************************************************************************************************************** Thank you, FOIM members, for taking the time to help out the MAMA campaign - having federal recognition for Certified Professional Midwives will help Iowa achieve legal status! -Renee

Way to Help #1

OK -- this one is easy. I promise.

Just get out your scheduler, day planner, blackberry, Quo Vadis, or whatever else you use to organize your life.

Turn to September 7th.

Write down:

FRIENDS OF IOWA MIDWIVES LABOR DAY PICNIC

Coneflower C Shelter at Raccoon River Park

West Des Moines, Iowa

4 - 8 pm

Then, start thinking about the yummy food you want to bring. About all the friends you'll see and meet at this statewide picnic in support of out-of-hospital birth, and about the great music and cool entertainment you'll see. I mean, really, have you ever seen a live Capoeira demonstration?

Start thinking about where you might want to camp if you're coming from out of town (Jester Park and Yellow Banks are both about a half an hour away from Raccoon River - both are great options for families traveling to Des Moines). Or, if you're from Des Moines and have a big back yard (like mine, pictured below!), maybe think about whether you're willing to host a family driving to be here.

Oh, and start saving a bit of money for the $5.00 per family donation and the awesome silent auction. We've got products from Praireland Herbs, professional photography sittings, a gift certificate to the Des Moines Social Club, and lots of slings, baby wraps, and nursing friendly products. Oh, and gift certificates to salons and yoga classes!

BONUS THING TO DO:

Do you have a talent you could share through the silent auction? Maybe you'd like to donate a craft, a skill, hard labor? Maybe you have a favorite store or farm or restaurant that you go to, and you'd like to ask the manager to donate to our auction? Or maybe you've just read the best book in the world, and want to buy a copy to put on auction in support of FOIM? We seek a diverse range of donations to interest our diverse range of families!

SECOND BONUS THING TO DO:

Wanna help flyer, paint the town red, and let everyone in Iowa know that we're having a picnic?Contact us and we'll hook you up!

Until next week -- be well,

Renee

How Can I Help Friends of Iowa Midwives??

What a great question – and its one we get from potential supporters, every week. I am inaugurating here, a weekly blog posting featuring 50 great ways you can support midwifery in the state of Iowa.

Sometimes, the action will require bravery, other times it will require spunk; sometimes, a supporter will need to use a special skill that maybe you and only you have, other times it is so simple anyone can do it.

Check back weekly for a suggestion about how you – yes you! – can help make out-of-hospital birth more accessible for more Iowa families.

--Renee

Leaving Birmingham, Planning to PUSH at Home!

I'm waiting to get on my flight from Birmingham to Memphis/Memphis to Des Moines (and hoping for time for one more bbq sandwich in the Memphis airport!) - thinking about all we have to do as a pro-midwifery movement, in Iowa and the US as a whole!

Its one of those days when I'm brimming with ideas, and wondering where I'll get the energy!

I've learned from so many amazing women (and Russ from North Carolina, representing well for the men in our movement!) - and been awed by their energy. I hold in my mind's eye, and in my heart, the midwife from Idaho who had to drive 10 hours (or take an airplane!) just to get to her state capitol to lobby for a pro-CPM bill; and the activist from Missouri who seems to know everyone, and has a brilliant way of connecting with each of her contacts.

Its clear what we need to do in Iowa: continue what we've started! We've got to build our grassroots, reach out to and educate legislators, support the federal push for medicaid reimbursement, raise funds, market and message ourselves to each constituency and the media, AND build a viable birth and parenting culture so that once we have a good law, midwives in the states have clients, and clients will have friends supportive of their parenting choices.

WOW. That sounds like no small task!

But it is a set of tasks made easier by the energy of Friends of Iowa Midwives members, and by alliances we've made and coalitions we can build with advocates and midwives and moms and dads in other states.

We are not reinventing the wheel here, even when it feels like it. There is so much wisdom to draw from in our region and beyond - and a chance to contribute to others' fights as well!

So, I'm bringing the Big Push home to Iowa ... looking forward to our Central FOIM Chapter Leadership meeting, our FOIM Steering Committee meeting, and a general membership Family Picnic at Raccoon River Park in Des Moines on Labor Day!

Heck, today, I'm even looking forward to the start of the legislative session.

We learn about social networking, marketing, grassroots mobilizing ....

Photos of Midwives and their Advocates Hard at Work!

Look at these great T-shirts!

Best One Liner from Big Push, so far!

"I'm a child of the 60s. I always thought I'd get busted for pot, not pit!"

States Report on their Progress

So far this morning, we've heard reports from Idaho and Missouri -- two states that recently got legislation legalizing Certified Professional Midwives!! -- as well as state still struggling with the process: Iowa, South Dakota, Alabama, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, and Georgia.

Its amazing how many of our strategies are the same, as are the challenges we face! But I am learning some innovative ideas and am interested in getting home and implementing them!

Here I am, getting ready to get on the airplane to Birmingham, Alabama – sitting in the Des Moines airport, wondering what I will learn in the next 2 days, and excited about the progress I have to report in our own state.

The purpose of The Big Push National Birth Summit is to help organize activists and advocates from every state where direct entry or Certified Professional Midwife attended homebirth is still illegal or unlicensed. We’ll spend all day Monday and Tuesday meeting with each other, as well as organizers from the national Big Push campaign, to talk strategy, success, and failure. We’ll gain nuts and bolts knowledge, as well as mutual support and solidarity!

We’ll learn what is going on at the grassroots in places like Florida and Ohio, and talk about the huge diversity of interests we have in making out-of-hospital birth an accessible option for families.

And, at the same time, we’ll have a lot of fun! Sunday night we are all meeting up at The Bottle Tree , a Birmingham venue, for a night of music provided by Vulture Whale , 13 ghosts ,Duquette Johnston , John Jeremiah Sullivan , and Kate Taylor in benefit of the Alabama Birthing Coalition. And, academic dork that I am, I am looking forward to the “fun” of hearing a lunchtime presentation on African American midwifery in the Deep South, by Shafia Monroe ofThe International Center for Traditional Childbearing .

I imagine a bit of fun and information sharing during informal times, too – especially with my roommate Debbie Pease, an amazing organizer for South Dakota Safe Childbirth Options .

I’ll keep everyone posted on what I learn, do, and see this week – and I can’t wait to share with members of Friends of Iowa Midwives when we have a general membership meeting and picnic this fall!

Benefit Dinner at Red Avocado

Please join us on Wednesday, May 27 for our 3rd annual benefit dinner at the Red Avocado in Iowa City! The Red Avocado is Iowa City's only all organic vegan restaurant, featuring local and seasonal ingredients, with an extensive wine and drinks list. Located at 521 E. Washington St. in Iowa City. 50% of the evening's proceeds go to FOIM.

Hope to see you there!

Moving Forward

It’s been a busy week for midwifery in Iowa!

Thanks to you, our active members, and your outpouring of letters and emails to key representatives, we have made some very good progress this week.

On Thursday, the State Government committee voted 20-1 in favor of setting up a Scope of Practice Review (SOPR) Committee to make recommendations on our midwife licensure bill. SOPR establishes a review board made up of interested parties -- midwives, nurses, homebirth parents, doctors, FOIM members -- to discuss the bill and make recommendations.

We did not have enough votes to pass the licensure bill itself out of committee, but setting up a Scope of Practice Review means that our bill and our issue will be kept alive through regular meetings at the state house between now and January, and that we will be in good place to pass a law licensing direct-entry midwives in the next legislative session, beginning in January 2010. We see this as a great opportunity to educate a lot of legislators before the next session.

A bit of history: In the year 2000, the Iowa Midwives Association brought a similar licensure bill to the Iowa legislature. That bill was also assigned to a Scope of Practice Review committee, and after the review process, the committee did recommend licensure. However, although the activists and midwives at work at that time were a very dedicated group, Iowa did not have the statewide grassroots support network that we have now, and the bill was not re-introduced the following session.

Ten years ago, there were only a handful of legal states. Now there are 25 states with licensure and a lot of studies backing our position, so we have confidence that the Scope of Practice Review committee will support a model of care that has been proven to be both health-promoting and cost-effective in other states.

And because of our incredible momentum and ever-growing membership base, we know that this struggle will not be over until we have reached our goal: accessible home birth with legal midwives for Iowa families!

Please stay tuned for more upcoming information on events and actions that are in the planning stages. As always, please contact us if you'd like to be more involved by starting a local chapter, meeting with your legislators, or hosting an event or fundraiser. And as always, thank you for your dedication to expanding birth options in Iowa! Your participation makes this all possible!

Last but not least, please take a moment to thank the following members of the House State Government committee for their support:

Rep. Mary Mascher, Rep. Jeff Kauffman, and Rep. Nate Willems have been unwaveringly supportive, and are truly dedicated to our cause. They have gone above and beyond, spreading the word to other representatives about why Iowa needs midwives, and encouraging us in our efforts. Please send them an email, or better yet, a thank you card to express your gratitude!

The rest of the members of the State Government Committee also deserve thank you emails for voting in favor of scope of practice review for HSB 229 (with the exception of Rep. Wendt, who was the only vote against it.) You can find links to contact info for all the members of the State Government Committee here.

Thanks again for all you do!

Lobby Day @ Capitol WED MAR 11!!

Did you miss our first lobby day? Are you interested in talking to your legislators, but not sure how to do it?

In anticipation of a possible committee vote this Thursday, we are holding our second lobby day on Wed. March 11, from 9:30-2:30. Please join us in Des Moines!

We will be congregating near the state capitol cafeteria on the ground floor. Steering committee members will be present throughout the day, and will accompany you upstairs to help you find your representatives and talk with them about why Iowa needs licensed midwives!

You are welcome to come any time between 9:30-2:30. Please dress as nicely as possible. Business casual is fine, suits are great. No t-shirts or overtly political clothing, please. Babies in arms and well-behaved children are welcome.

RSVP to Sabbath Davies: SabbathD@gmail.com

Meeting with your representatives in person makes a powerful statement -- we hope to see you Wednesday!

Follow FOIM on twitter!!

http://twitter.com/iowamidwives

Subcommittee Update

Big things are happening in Iowa!!

SUBCOMMITTEE MEETINGS
We had our first subcommittee meeting yesterday (Monday). Representatives Mascher (our sponsor), Willems (Mt Vernon – a supporter) and Kaufmann (Wilton – a supporter) are on the subcommittee.

The meetings work like this: everyone interested in the bill sits around the table. The bill is introduced and then everyone with interest gets to make a statement/ask questions. The room was packed! We had members from Iowa City and Des Moines there to support midwifery licensure, including a nurse, midwives, and homebirth parents. While the medical lobby emphatically stated is opposition to our cause, they didn’t have much in the way of facts or data to back up their opinions. We did! Overall, the feedback of our performance at Monday’s meeting was that it went amazingly well and that FOIM has a very professional and convincing presence. THANK YOU TO THE FOIM MEMBERS WHO REPRESENTED US ON MONDAY!

Because so many people were there, a second meeting to continue the discussion has been scheduled for TOMORROW MORNING!

MEDICAL OPPOSITION
The IMS was spooked by our amazing performance and now has doctors flooding legislators with anti-midwifery phone calls and emails. We need to continue showering our reps with advocacy and information.

Although the Iowa Nurses Association initially declared they were against our bill, they have changed their position to Undecided. This is a huge victory for us! It shows that the medical community is not united in their opposition and gives hope that other medical groups will be open to if not supporting us, remaining neutral on our bill.

“SCOPE OF PRACTICE REVIEW”
Our sponsor is beginning to get strong pressure from the medical lobby to slow down the progress of our bill. This afternoon, she gave us the option of holding a Scope of Practice Review Committee instead of proceeding with the bill.

She is thinking that although things look positive with the subcommittee, she will probably not be able to get the bill out of committee by next week, with so little time to educate people on the committee, and with so much "poisoning" as she put it by the doctors. The committee would be made up of stakeholders (a doc, a cnm, someone from public health, a member of our group, etc.) and that they would be charged with studying the issue and making a recommendation to the entire legislature at the beginning of the next session.

This is what happened a decade ago, the first time a licensure bill went to the capitol. What happened last time is that the bill never got picked up again in the following session after the SOPR committee recommended that the IA legislature license CPMs.

Her perspective is that with a SOPR, we would be able to keep the issue alive and have info and education going on continuously throughout the interim time between now and January, and that we would be on a stronger footing come January to advance our bill all the way through. She's thinking that if it were to go to committee and then die, we'd have a harder time coming back to it in January.

However, there are significant drawbacks to SOPR. First, we couldn’t assure that midwifery advocacy would have equal representation on the board. It could likely be that the board would have all medical people and one lone midwifery advocate. We could be outnumbered and end up with a recommendation AGAINST licensure. Additionally, SOPR would take the wind out of our sails in terms of momentum. Right now we are making great progress and are very strong. This is clear from the reaction we are getting from the medical community. They’re scared. This would give them time to organize and advance a campaign against us. This would remove the sense of urgency felt by legislators having to focus their attention on lots of issues. Plus, we have shown how strong our grassroots support is: we won’t have any trouble keeping the issue “alive” if it doesn’t make it out of committee this session because our supporters are so great!

Therefore, this evening the Steering Committee agreed unanimously to reject SOPR and keep the bill going. We are attending the subcommittee meeting tomorrow morning so that our bill will be PASSED by the subcom. TOMORROW! (We hope!) Once it gets to committee (a much larger group with some undecided and opposing reps), we will see where we stand in terms of support. If we can get it passed out of committee, WE WILL!! If we can’t, we can let the bill simply lie dormant and then tackle it again next January. In the meantime, we can develop our membership and get our message out!

THE NEXT WEEK IS CRUCIAL. If we go to committee, we need to match and EXCEED the medical anti-midwifery lobby in terms of emails and phone calls to legislators. WE (the steering comm.) are COUNTING ON EVERYONE to make that happen! More specific information will come after the subcommittee meeting.

RALLY DAY UPDATE
We’re getting a lot of questions about a rally day at the capitol. We hope to hold one later in the session. The reason we can’t pin down a day is that (as you can see) these meetings are scheduled at a moment’s notice. We don’t yet know if or when our bill will be heard in committee. We may not know until the day before it happens. It’s tricky to coordinate a large event with such short notice. But be assured that this is a goal and we want to show legislators in person the enthusiasm of our group!! In the meantime, take that rally energy and call your legislators with it! They’re very easy to talk to and a phone call makes a huge impression.

OVERALL
We have a ton to celebrate!! This may be the busiest week of our year in terms of legislative activity, so the list will be extra active with updates on what’s happened and what you can do. Please consider each call to action. The only reason we are where we are is because members are getting legislators interested and informed. Let’s keep it up!!

QUESTIONS, ETC
Email Lauren (laurendoula@yahoo.com) or your chapter leaders with questions, concerns, ideas, etc.

House Study Bill 229!!!

Our bill officially has a number! HSB 229. Read it here.

CORRECTION:
Representative Mascher is our sponsor. AT THIS TIME WE HAVE NO OTHER SPONSORS. We are still working on getting a bill introduced in the senate.

We have our first subcommittee meeting scheduled at the capitol at 4:00 on Monday.

Our lobbying day at the capitol was an amazing success. Not only did we secure support from many legislators across the state, we:

- made contact with the Dept of Health, who will house our licensing board, to learn how we can work with them
- made contact with several supportive lobbyists in the areas of maternal and child health
- found out that the Iowa Hospital Association will NOT be blocking our bill (yay!)
- found out (unsurprisingly) that the Iowa Medical Associate will actively fight our bill (boo!)

As a first-timer to the capitol I was intimidated, but it was actually pretty easy. Legislators are eager to hear from constituents and want to learn more about our cause. The face-to-face time made a huge impact and gave all attendees a huge boost!

The #1 thing I learned is this: our legislators know NOTHING about midwifery. We are educating from the ground up. And even more significantly, the medical lobby has NOT YET started spreading misinformation against us. This is the ONLY TIME we will EVER have total control of our message. We MUST take advantage of this. WE NEED A FLOOD OF LETTERS TO THE CAPITOL to follow up this great event. ASK THEM TO SUPPORT HSB 229!!

Handwritten is best, snail mail is best!
Be sure to mention HSB 229.

You can always refer them to the FOIM website for more information.

We are planning another rally day in March (an all-hands, bring your kids type thing). We will get a date to you ASAP.

Questions or concerns? Email me! laurendoula@yahoo.com

Lauren

Red Envelope Parties & Consumer Report on Maternity Care

It's Red Envelope Party weekend!! So far there are parties in Urbandale, Iowa City, Marion, Altoona, and Bettendorf!

Consumer Reports just released a great summary of the Millbank Report (2008) that chides hospitals for the overuse of risky interventions and promotes the use of midwives for maternity care. Also check out this informative quiz on maternity care that debunks myths about maternity health care. A great little thing to forward to doubting friends, family, or legislators!

Op-ed supporting licensure runs in Press-Citizen

Here's an op-ed that ran this weekend in the Iowa City Press-Citizen advocating for licensure from the perspective of a homebirth mom. An excerpt:

Unfortunately, in this rather faceless age of technology and science, the medically trained are taught that birth is inherently dangerous. Life threatening at that. On the other hand, midwives view pregnancy not as a cause for alarm and concern, but as a normal, historical, organic, physiological event. A certified professional midwife's practice includes careful screening for any evidence of high risk factors and will only accept healthy pregnant women.

Occasionally non-emergent transports are called for. However, certified professional midwives have the skill and training to stabilize a woman until additional care is obtained. Additionally, they are professionally trained, like nurses, in skills such as neonatal resuscitation, treatment of excessive bleeding, etc.

Since certified professional midwives have only one focused specialty, the licensing of these professionals will provide an additional support for the medical establishment. A 21st century, mutually supportive, collaborative relationship with medical professionals will insure a much higher quality of safe birthing experiences merging science, the letter of the law, with spirit.

What a beautifully written argument for licensure!!

"Bravery" has nothing to do with it

This is a repost of a commentary Morgan McFarland wrote on her blog. It captures the reasons many women chose home birth.

When hearing the news that I had my last baby at home and am planning to have this one at home as well, the first response from most people is, "You're so brave."

This has to be one of the most irritating things that people say to homebirthers. The implication is that birth is dangerous and that we are willing to take on a tremendous risk to do it anywhere but a hospital. It negates the research and planning that we've done to come to this decision. It makes the choice about balls, not brains. After all, homebirth is "dangerous." Hospital birth is "safe." Therefore, it must be bravado alone that would lead a woman to choosing such an option. Right?

In 2003, over 20% of women had their labors induced, with a rate closer to 40% in many hospitals, while that rate should not exceed 10% (and has remained at 10% in most industrialized nations). Inductions are approximately 5 times more likely among planned hospital births than planned homebirths. An 1999 American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology "Green Journal" review of 7000 inductions found that 3 out of 4 of the inductions were not medically necessary. Inductions are performed unnecessarily for estimated size of the baby (too large or too small), going past the estimated due date, amniotic fluid levels that are low but not critically low (correctable in nearly all cases by rehydration of the mother), rupture of membranes without immediate start of labor, the mother being dilated/effaced but not in active labor, or scheduling reasons on the part of the mother or care provider. Approximately 40-50% of inductions fail (depending on the induction method used and the mother's Bishop score), and most failed inductions end in cesarean section. Inductions increase labor pain and length, and create, among other problems, an increased risk of fetal distress, uterine rupture, and cesarean section.

But homebirth is "dangerous." Hospital birth is "safe."

Over 30% of women in the US have cesarean sections, while overwhelming research has led the World Health Organization to set an ideal standard rate of cesarean sections at 10-12%, with 15% being the rate where more harm is being done instead of good. Cesareans are performed at a similar rate across all risk groups, low to high. The cesarean rate for planned births at home or in an independent birthing center is approximately 4%. Cesarean sections increase the likelihood of maternal death by as much as 4 times, and have other immediate and long-term heath risks for mothers that include, but are not limited to, infection, bowel or bladder perforation, hysterectomy, future infertility, and increased risk of uterine rupture for future pregnancies. Risks for the baby include respiratory distress, fetal injury, prematurity (if result of schedule section or failed induction), and breastfeeding difficulties. Four of the greatest causes for the increase in cesarean section are overuse of interventions during labor, concern for malpractice/liability on the part of care providers, failed labor inductions, and "failure to progress" (labor not progressing fast enough or regularly enough for care providers).

But homebirth is "dangerous" and hospital birth is "safe."

The ACOG and AMA have both come out against homebirthing, calling it a dangerous trend and referring to it as a "fashionable, trendy, [...] the latest cause célèbre," and they paint a horrible picture of complications arising in low-risk pregnancies with no warning that cannot be handled anywhere but the hospital. Despite that, the most thorough study ever done on homebirth safety, Kenneth C Johnson and Betty-Anne Daviss's Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America, BMJ 2005;330:1416 (18 June), found that the outcomes of planned homebirths for low risk mothers were the same as the outcomes of planned hospital births for low risk mothers, with a significantly lower incident of interventions in the homebirth group. The Lewis Mehl Study of home and hospital births, which matched couples in each group for age, parity, education, race, and pregnancy/birth risk factors, found the hospital group had 9 times the rate of episiotomies and tearing, 3 times the cesarean rate, 6 times the fetal distress, 2 times the use of oxytocin for induction/augmentation, 9 times the use of analgesia/anesthesia, 5 times the rate of maternal blood pressure increase, 3 times the rate of maternal hemorrhage, 4 times the rate of infection, 20 times the rate of forceps use, and 30 times teh rate of birth injuries (including skull fractures and nerve damage). Breastfeeding success rates are higher and postpartum depression rates are lower for planned homebirths.

But homebirth is "dangerous" and hospital birth is "safe."

The United States spends more per pregnancy/birth than any other country, the vast majority of women in the US give birth in hospitals, and yet the US's maternal death rate is the worst among 28 industrialized nations and the neonatal mortality rate is the second worst. The Netherlands, where 36% of babies are born at home, has lower maternal and neonatal mortality rates than the US. Denmark, where all women have access to the option for a safe and legal home birth, has one of the lowest maternal and neonatal mortality rates.

But homebirth is "dangerous," hospital birth is "safe," and Brutus is an honorable man.

I didn't choose a homebirth because I am brave. Bravery has little to do with it. If anything, I believe women who choose to give birth in US hospitals are the brave ones, because knowing what I know about our technocratic obstetrical system, I can't imagine voluntarily choosing an obstetrician and a hospital for anything but absolute medical necessity. My decision to homebirth wasn't made in a void, but based upon years of research. I wonder how much research the average woman puts into her hospital birth? Considering how many times I've heard someone say "I'm glad I was in the hospital because..." and then given as her reason a non-emergent situation (such as fetal size or nuchal cords), I'd say not that much.

Call me stubborn, because I wasn't willing to accept out of hand the culturally held belief that hospitals are safer. Call me an idealist, because I believe that birth can be a positive, safe, and empowering experience for child and mother. Call me a nonconformist, because I choose to birth at home in defiance of a powerful technocratic system. Call me outspoken, because I can't keep my mouth shut when I hear about yet another iatrogenic birth calamity. Call me a "birth nazi," because I believe it's the right and responsibility of every woman to educate herself about birth and take ownership of her birth experience.

But brave? Don't call me brave. "Brave" has nothing to do with it.

AP article on Big Push

The AP just published an article about the Big Push for Midwives, of which Iowa is a part! Read it here and forward everywhere! A key excerpt:

The states are now evenly split on legal recognition of certified professional midwives (CPMs) — those who lack nursing degrees and who account for most midwife-assisted home births.

Half the states have procedures allowing CPMs to practice legally — including five which have taken such steps since 2005. The other 25 states lack such procedures and CPMs are subject to prosecution for practicing medicine without a license.

Depending on legislative decisions, the balance could shift this year. Among the battlegrounds:

_In North Carolina, a House study committee recommended in December that the legislature develop licensing standards for CPMs. The committee said the current system doesn't meet the needs of women who chose non-hospital births because of the "extremely limited supply" of obstetricians and nurse-midwives offering to handle such births.

_In Idaho, advocates who failed previously to get a voluntary licensing bill through the legislature are back with a mandatory licensing bill. State Rep. Janice McGeachin, R-Idaho Falls, says the changes helped persuade the state boards of nursing and pharmacy to drop their opposition. The Idaho Medical Association, which fought the earlier version, has expressed respect for the changes in the bill and is deliberating on whether further changes might produce a version it could accept.

_In Illinois, advocates also are back with a new version of a licensing bill that failed in 2007. Rep. Julie Hamos, D-Evanston, says it toughens qualification standards for CPMs — changes that prompted the Illinois Nurses Association to drop its opposition. The Illinois State Medical Society remains opposed.

The challenges are real but the momentum is in our favor. Let's make Iowa the tipping state!

Quad Cities Chapter!

The Quad Cities chapter of FOIM is official! Please join their yahoogroup!

New Year, New News!

Although the blog has been quiet lately, there has been a flurry of activity within FOIM. We have an energetic and promising start to 2009!

First and most exciting, FOIM leaders and members met with Rep. Mary Mascher from Iowa City to discuss our cause. The room was filled with parents and babies and everyone eloquently argued for their stake in making out-of-hospital birth accessible to all Iowans. Mary was warm and supportive and gave us a ton of great ideas for making this a reality.

Second, it looks like a Quad Cities chapter of FOIM is in the making! If you are a Quad Cities member and want to be in on the action, please contact me and I'll put you in touch with its organizers. Hopefully we will have FOIM in all corners of the state soon.

We have a lot of amazing plans for the next few months as the legislative session opens. The bill committee is working on a draft to shop around and we are scheduling meetings with representatives.

What can you do?

First, write a letter. Please! You would be amazed at the difference these letters make. We need FOIM to be in the hearts and minds of our legislators and the only way to do that is for them to hear directly from constituents. Our website has a great section all about writing letters.

Second, schedule a meeting with your representative. As a consumer who cares about this issue, a face to face meeting -- even for a few minutes -- will make a great impact. Bring your babies/kids! Legislators are home on weekends and are happy to meet with constituents at that time. Gather a few friends from your area and go together. Bring handouts and talking points to share!

Looking forward to a GREAT YEAR!