Save Homebirth in New York City

Posted by doularama | Filed under News, Recommendations

At midnight tomorrow, April 30th, the majority of New York City’s home birth midwives will no longer be able to practice legally.  Unless immediate action is taken by the Governor and the NYS Department of Health the women that these midwives serve will be denied access to a home birth with their chosen provider and these providers will no longer be able to practice legally in NYS.

YOU MUST ACT NOW to save the home birth option for New York Women:

Call:

*311

*Wendy Saunders, Executive Deputy Commissioner for the NY State Department of Health,                                 appointed by Governor Paterson.  518-474-8390

*Larry Mokhiber, the Secretary of the Board of Midwifery (518-474-3817, extension 130)

With the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital, half of the licensed, highly trained home birth midwives serving NYC have lost their Written Practice Agreement (WPA).   St Vincent’s was the only Hospital in the city supportive of a woman’s right to choose a home birth and willing to sign a WPA.  In the weeks since it’s announced closure, these midwives have reached out to hospitals and obstetricians all across the city looking for support, with no success.  Please help us to save the homebirth option in New York.

People can also email the Governor at http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/GovernorContactForm.php.

Tags: , , ,

Read more | Comments (0) | April 29th, 2010

Face of Birth- Homebirth Documentary

Posted by doularama | Filed under News, Recommendations

This preview was a tear-jerker.  I’m sure that watching the film will make me angry.  I hope it makes many, many people angry!

Face of Birth

Where the personal Gets Political

Homebirth Australia


Tags: , , ,

Read more | Comments (0) | April 16th, 2010

Birth Bracelet

Posted by doularama | Filed under Recommendations

I am thrilled to share this idea.  I’m sorry to say it’s not mine originally, but I think it’s great so I’ve adopted it.  It’s a bracelet made with memory wire and a bead for each birth I’ve been a part of.  At my postpartum visits, I ask each woman to choose a bead to add which represents her birth.

Tags: , ,

Read more | Comments (1) | April 16th, 2010

The Power of Latching On

Posted by doularama | Filed under Recommendations

I have way too many blog posts floating around in my head, wanting to come out, but I just don’t know when they actually will.  Luckily, I’ve just discovered Latching On The Politics of Breastfeeding in America and here’s a couple of cents on that.  Sometimes it seems foreign to me to hear that women don’t want to breastfeed in public (or at all) because there is no way on any level that I can relate.  Then I teach a class or give a talk and talk to the real women, pregnant, not planning to breastfeed or undecided.  I know I help to make up some minds just by answering questions. What’s wrong with us that our women have these questions in the first place?

Tags: , ,

Read more | Comments (0) | April 5th, 2010