In This Issue
CFM BOARD:
Willa Powell, CfM President
Nasima Pfaffl, CfM VP
Hillary Boucher, CfM Board Member
Jeanette McCulloch, CfM Board Member
Lauren Korfine, CfM Board Member
Susan Hodges, CfM Past President
Who Are We?
CITIZENS FOR MIDWIFERY, INC. is a non-profit, grassroots organization of midwifery advocates in North America, founded by seven mothers in 1996. CfM's purposes are to:
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Promote the Midwives Model of Care.
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Provide information about midwifery, the Midwives Model of Care, and related issues.
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Encourage and provide practical guidance for effective grassroots actions for midwifery.
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Represent consumer interests regarding midwifery and maternity care.
CfM facilitates networking and provides information and educational materials to midwifery advocates and groups. CfM supports the efforts of all who promote or put into practice this woman-centered, respectful way of being with women during childbirth, whatever their title.
If you have questions about the group, feel free to drop us a line: Citizens for Midwifery, Inc., PO Box 82227, Athens,GA 30608-2227. You can also reach us at (888) CfM-4880 (ET) (toll free), or e-mail info@cfmidwifery.org.
Be sure to check out our web site.
As always, we want to hear your comments and suggestions!
CfM News Credits:
Editors: Jeanette McCulloch and
Nasima Pfaffl
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Welcome
Summer 2011, Issue 1
Happy Labor Day!
CfM wishes you a happy holiday. We hope you enjoy our Summer e-news issue in honor of mothers' labors everywhere. This issue of the Citizens for Midwifery (CfM) e-news includes informative articles on social media and activism, an induction research wrap-up, SisterSong and the Reproductive Justice Framework, Maternal Health Accountability Act of 2011 H.R. 894, news about CfM and more. Scroll down to read more.
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New and Noteworthy
Home Birth Rate Up 20% in Four Years
By Hillary Boucher
Mothers are clearly calling for a variety of birth options. According to newly released data from the CDC, home birth rates have risen 20% in a four year period (2004-2008). This substantial increase has caught the interest of health care practitioners and policy makers, as well as the mainstream media.
MSNBC, ABC, and USA Today covered the news and Today Moms, the online parenting network of The Today Show, featured an article called "Why Women Shouldn't Fear Home Birth" by celebrity, Mayim Bialik, who birthed at home.
We are very happy to see this conversation reaching a wider audience and as always, we will continue to work towards ensuring women have access to well-trained midwives in the setting of their choice. You can help by using the CfM Tool Kit: Stand Up for Healthy Birth and Home Birth in your own local community. Please share your efforts with us and the Citizens for Midwifery community on our facebook page.
This clear demand for midwives in various settings is yet another reason why the federal legislation -- "Access to Certified Professional Midwives Act of 2011" (HR 1054) -- is an integral part of creating optimal health outcomes for mothers by securing better access to the high quality care of well-trained midwives.
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Goodbye and Hello!
After many years the faces of the CfM Board are starting to change. We are sad to be saying goodbye to long-term board member Carolyn Keefe; but we are thrilled to say hello to Lauren Korfine, Jeanette McCulloch, and Hillary Boucher, three new marvelous members of the CfM Board.
Carolyn has been on the CfM Board for 8 years. She has served as our Secretary for many years. She takes the most amazing notes, and can remember details many of us forget. She has brought important strategic planning and organizational skills to our board. She will be missed.
Our new board members are also settling into their roles. Lauren Korfine, chair of the Research and Writing Committee, brings years of academic experience, birth-related organizing, and doula work to CfM's advocacy efforts. Hillary Boucher, a self-taught techie and social media manager, is overseeing our Grassroots News Messages, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. She is co-chairing the Technology and Infrastucure Committee with Nasima Pfaffl and the Communications and Marketing Committee with our other new board member, Jeanette McCulloch. Jeanette is a maternal health activist, lacatation consultant, and non-profit communications specialist. CfM is stronger and getting better and better with the new blood and talent of these amazing ladies.
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LEARN, CONNECT, TAKE ACTION
Research: Elective Induction- Current Research and Resources
By Lauren Korfine
Have you been hearing more and more about women having their labors induced – sometimes even before their due dates and without substantial medical indications? A lot has changed in the world of labor induction over the last decade and the trends raise many questions: why are induction rates so high and continuing to climb? What is the impact of elective induction? Who is making the choice to induce women?
Educators, activists, doulas, mothers – click here to arm yourselves with the most recent research concerning elective induction. This article -- written by new board member Lauren Korfine, PhD and doula -- summarizes some of the current empirical findings in the area and invites all of us to participate in educating ourselves, our clients, and our communities.
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Social Media 101 and the Birth Activist
By Hillary Boucher
Where the Best of Traditional Organizing Meets Effective, Easy-to-use New Tools.
What if I told you about a new tool: low-cost, relatively simple and capable of reaching a broad base of women. This tool could help you arm women with good, evidence-based information, inspire them to take responsibility for their health and support them to make healthy choices.
Would you use this tool?
You probably already are. If you have a Facebook profile, read or write for a blog, or read digital newsletters (like this one!) you are using new digital tools with powerful possibilities for birth activists.
Women are online more than ever, seeking information about birth. Of the 74% of adults online, 80% have used the internet to search for health information and women are more likely than men to use the internet to search for health information.
Maternal health and birth activists have been working towards change in our maternal health care system for a long time and new social media tools give us the ability to accelerate our hard work and amplify important messages. In other words, social media can help us effect change--faster and more efficiently.
Take your traditional birth activism, add social media and stand back!
Social media is not a fad. These interactive communication tools and digital behaviors are being adopted culturally. The UN has proposed making internet access a human right , signifying the important role the internet plays (and will continue to play) in the sharing of information.
Social media gives us the ability to pass information and to support and activate large groups of people. Best of all there are low barriers to entry – its low cost and mobile technology (like smart phones) means more people than ever have access to the web.
While many people use social media for leisure, birth activists can implement focus and strategy making social media a tool for rapid outreach, communication and exponential growth. Social media can (and should) be used for social good!
Social media can play a vital role in revolutionary movements, both in and out of the birth world. Earlier this year, it gave velocity to Egypt’s revolution. Closer to home, New York citizens used social media to organize and activate a grassroots movement to secure passage of the Midwifery Modernization Act in 2010.
Citizens for Midwifery is convinced that we need to adopt these digital tools as we continue to evolve as an organization. We hope that you, too, will participate in the birth revolution . . . digitally!
At first social media can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are six tips for getting the most out of social media with your birth work:
1) Narrow your Vision
With new social media sites popping up all the time it is easy to get overwhelmed. Pick one or two platforms and keep it simple. Two great places to start: try Facebook or read and comment on birth-related blogs using Google Reader.
The web can feel infinite (because it is)! Be mindful of its ability to overwhelm and take a deep breath. Put on your blinders and focus on one thing at a time.
2) Make it Regular Practice
Just like yoga, it is better to jump in for 20 minutes a day than once a month.
Social media works best when you check in with it regularly, but it doesn’t have to take over your life! Find a time of day that works for your routine and set a time limit. With some simple strategy it is possible to manage a facebook page or twitter account in fifteen minutes a day.
3) Be Gentle with Your Learning Curve
Social media is BRAND NEW! While it may feel like everyone knows how to navigate this new online world, it is just not true. If you didn’t grow up with email and texting, you may have a steep learning curve. It is not unlike visiting a new country. There are new things to see, strange foods and unknown languages.
Give yourself the freedom to be a tourist and soon enough you’ll feel at home. We promise.
4) Use a Life Learner Mentality
Social Media is not only brand new – it is always evolving. This means that even savvy internet users are constantly learning anew. Find a friend or colleague who feels comfortable and ask them to get you started and show you the ropes. Social media enthusiasts like nothing better than talking social media!
Having someone show you how to navigate your facebook page in person is a lot easier than going it alone.
Also, many communities are offering classes for people just getting started. Look into your community college, community centers or even a small business resource center.
When I was first getting started I took social media classes geared towards small business and applied what I learned to my birth activism work.
5) Move at Your Own Pace
Digitally speaking, the world moves at a pretty quick pace. Find your own comfortable rhythm. Don’t worry about keeping up. Do your own thing, find ways to plug-in and maintain a comfortable pace that you can sustain in a healthy work/life balance.
6) Be Safe & Be Smart
Think before you hit share!
Use common sense. The internet is a permanent record that is out of our hands the moment you press publish. Do not share photos, words, documents or anything you wouldn’t want passed around and seen by your neighbors, your relatives, your co-workers or your minister.
Be mindful of the type of information you’re sharing. Is it something you can stand behind? Is it evidence based? If you are using social media for a birth organization or business representing more than yourself make sure there are clear lines about what is appropriate to share. Make sure there is a social media policy for your organization or business.
CfM embraces New Technology
Here at Citizens for Midwifery we are excited to evolve with the times and take our work into the digital realm! We see many opportunities to further connect birth professionals across the US, enabling us to learn and take action with powerful results.
You can look forward to seeing more of us in the digital world, as well as keeping you informed on ways you can use social media for your birth work.
Want to connect with us? Come on over to our Facebook page and post hello on our wall. Do you tweet? We’re just getting started (@cfmidwifery) and would love to connect on Twitter .
There is a birth revolution going on and yes, it will be shared on Facebook :-)
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The CFM Blog Highlight
"World Breastfeeding Week: Impact of Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding"
When it comes to breastfeeding, birth matters! La Leche League has a free podcast available with Linda Smith (author of Impact of Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding). During the podcast she mentions midwives and also talks about doulas. Last year, I wrote an article about the birth-breastfeeding continuum and also another post about birth practices and breastfeeding.
In the past I've also written about Diane Wiessinger and her wonderful presentations about mammals, birth, and breastfeeding. So, it is also exciting to me that LLL has a free podcast available from Diane! The podcast is called, "What other mammals can tell us about nursing."
There are many more wonderful podcasts available for free on the LLLI website. Click here to read more....
Policy Spotlight:
MAMA Campaign Update
The MAMA Campaign (including the CfM MAMA representatives) have been hard at work at the federal level. And that work has borne fruit: on March 17, 2011 the campaign anounced that Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01) introduced legislation designed to increase access to Certified Professional Midwives. Here is an excerpt from the announcement:
CPM Bill Introduced: A Milestone for Mothers and Midwives!
Join the Celebration for HR 1054
We are thrilled to announce that Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01) has introduced HR 1054, the “Access to Certified Professional Midwives Act of 2011” in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rep. Chellie Pingree
“I believe it’s important that women are able to have the birth experience they want, regardless of where they live and how much money they make. That is why it’s important that women with Medicaid coverage have the same access to high quality, safe, and cost-effective services,” Congresswoman Pingree said. The Congresswoman is known in Maine and Washington, DC as a sensitive, independent voice for social and health issues that affect families everywhere.
The Midwives and Mothers in Action (MAMA) Campaign expresses our sincerest appreciation to Congresswoman Pingree and celebrates this milestone in the history of direct-entry midwifery in the United States.
MAMA is also deeply grateful to Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI-4) and Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA-7) for their support and leadership in co-sponsoring HR 1054 with Representative Pingree.
Increasing women’s access to the care of CPMs will support better outcomes for mothers and babies, reduced disparities in outcomes for vulnerable populations, and provide significant cost savings for Medicaid and the health care system. We are most grateful to Representative Pingree for her vision and support for childbearing women and their families.
Since HR 1054 was introduced, additional gains have been made. Sign up to get MAMA's e-news updates or read MAMA's past e-blast updates to learn about new co-sponsors and other progress on the federal level.
What is MAMA?
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The MAMA Campaign is organized and directed by a formal partnership of six national midwifery and consumer organizations (including CfM) that represent and support Certified Professional Midwives, including over 1500 CPMs, and thousands of other midwives, consumers, midwifery educators, and midwifery advocates across the country.
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MAMA is working to get CPMs added to the list of federally mandated Medicaid providers! This is a key step for increasing access to CPMs and out-of-hospital birth for all women, and will help persuade more state governments to license these health-promoting, cost-saving maternity care providers.
Visit mamacampaign.org to get involved!
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Citizens for Midwifery Supports Key Legislation Designed to Reduce Maternal Mortality
This Spring, Citizens for Midwifery (CfM) provided important support to new federal legislation designed to address the desperately ignored issue of maternal mortality in the United States. CfM is one of several signatories, including MANA and NACPM, on a letter from Amnesty International supporting legislation introduced by Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich), the Maternal Health Accountability Act of 2011 H.R. 894.
This ground breaking legislation would provide grant funding for states to establish Maternal Mortality Review Committees to examine pregnancy-related deaths and to identify effective strategies to reduce maternal mortality as well as improve data collection and establish programs to eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes.
The legislation amends:
A. The Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states for:
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Mandatory reporting to the state department of health by health care providers and other entities of pregnancy-related deaths
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Establishment of a state maternal mortality review committee on pregnancy-related deaths occurring within such state
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Implementation and use of the comprehensive case abstraction form by such committee to preserve the uniformity of the information collected
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Annual public disclosure of committee findings.
B. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to:
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Organize a national workshop to identify definitions for severe maternal morbidity and make recommendations for a research plan to identify and monitor such morbidity in the United States
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Develop uniform definitions of severe maternal morbidity, a research plan, and possible data collection protocols to assist states in identifying and monitoring such cases.
C. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to carry out specified research and demonstration activities to eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes.
The critical need for the legislation was highlighted in Amnesty International’s comprehensive 2010 report Deadly Delivery. More recently, Ina May Gaskin brought panels of Safe Motherhood Quilt Project to Washington, DC to put a human face on the losses that comes from maternal mortality.
“I am very pleased to have partnered with Amnesty International and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in addressing the maternal health care crisis in the United States,” said Rep. Conyers in a recent press release by Amnesty International. “Improving maternal health care should be a key priority for our federal and local governments. In 2007, the national maternal mortality ratio was 12.7 deaths per 100,000 live births. This is unacceptable and we must all join together to reduce the occurrence of maternal deaths. It is our duty to protect the health of women and thus the overall health of our country.”
Citizens for Midwifery was, and is, concerned that CPMs are not included in this bill as a participating provider type; however, we feel that the legislation proposed in HR 894 does take important steps toward addressing the desperately ignored issue of maternal mortality and is a legislative effort worth supporting.
Great Connections
DONA FRIENDraiser
This July, two of our new board members went to Boston, MA to connect with a key community of educators and activists - doulas. Hillary and Jeanette exhibited for CfM at the Doulas of North America International (DONA) conference. They met long-time supporters of CfM and connected with a new generation of doulas, known for their key role as educators and birth activists in their communities. They also held a successful FRIENDraiser, connecting birth professionals from around the country to CfM on Facebook and Twitter. (See our article above on social media or this recent post at Science and Sensibility for more on why we are increasing our digital organizing efforts.) Next, we’re looking forward to connecting with midwives at the upcoming MANA conference in November!
Birth in Context
By Carolyn Keefe
I recently had the opportunity to attend a talk here in Albany, NY given by Loretta Ross, National Coordinator for SisterSong, the Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. Loretta spoke about both the history of SisterSong and about their Reproductive Justice Framework – both of which relate to birth advocacy work.
SisterSong is a collective of dozens of grassroots organizations relating to reproductive health and representing women of color – “Doing collectively what we cannot do individually.” (mission statement)
SisterSong is comprised of 80 local, regional and national grassroots organizations in the United States representing five primary ethnic populations/indigenous nations in the United States: Native American/Indigenous, Black/African American, Latina/Puerto Rican, Arab American/Middle Eastern, and Asian/Pacific Islander, as well as white allies and men. The Collective was formed in 1997 to fulfill a need for a national movement by women of color to organize our voices to represent ourselves and our communities.
As Loretta explained, Sistersong has “perfected the art of staying at the table” while maintaining incredible diversity of thought, opinion, and experience. SisterSong manages to support organizations focused on the full range of reproductive experience and rights from all perspectives – including contraception, fertility, pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, parenting, gay and straight, pro-choice and pro-life from birth through menopause. The fundamental requirement is that they all support women’s power and autonomy, respecting the fundamental human right to have control over our bodies and not be controlled by our reproductive capacity, but respecting and honoring that capacity.
With so many different organizations in which the histories, languages, and political perspectives can vary widely, SisterSong’s success and effectiveness relies on contextualizing the lived experiences of the women and organizations they represent – embracing both individual histories and the diversity inherent in the nature of the collective.
Loretta’s talk focused on SisterSong’s Reproductive Justice Framework, which asserts that “the right to have children, not have children, and to parent the children we have in safe and healthy environments -- is based on the human right to make personal decisions about one’s life.” This framework takes the discussion about reproductive rights beyond the narrow focus on privacy in the US Constitution, and ground them within the full scope of Human Rights, specifically the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Loretta explained that the UN Declaration currently has eight categories, though more can be added as needed. In some way or another, each of these categories can have an impact on reproductive health, including pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. The broad overall categories are: Political Human Rights, Social Human Rights, Civil Human Rights, Economic Human Rights, Cultural Human Rights, Environmental Human Rights, Sexual Human Rights, and Developmental Human Rights.
SisterSong uses the human rights framework to pull people together across all aspects of human rights advocacy to promote reproductive justice. Reproductive justice applies to everyone, though we as individuals may each need something different to achieve it. Those individual needs incorporate all the many different roles that make up our own complicated identities, how they connect, and the types of care needed by each aspect of our identities.
I saw that so much of what Loretta talked about connects to the work that we do as advocates for healthy birth, because birth does not happen in a vacuum – not for women and families, not for caregivers, and not for advocates. We also need to become more culturally competent – reaching out to many cultures outside our own. This relates not only to ethnic, racial, and religious diversity, but also to gender, sexuality, age, and profession – speaking as equals to doctors, hospital administrators, payers, and policy makers.
We need to be able to talk about birth in the whole context of who we are and how it happens, or we risk seeing women as vessels and boiling birth down to that “one day,” that is so often used to dismiss its impact. We need to look at the full lives of women up to pregnancy, during pregnancy, birth, and afterward into breastfeeding, parenting, and beyond.
Seeing birth in this wider context can also bring us outside the choir – even as it will sometimes bring us outside our own comfort zones in many respects. However, to linger in those comfort zones risks the continuing marginalization of birth and birth issues. We also need to find a way to articulate how birth connects to the full range of Human Rights, to the full scope of humanity, and to the lived experiences of all women, babies, and families, by tying what we know about what the research tells us to the lives of women, families, caregivers, and advocates through our stories and experiences.
Additional Information:
Loretta Ross is an inspiring speaker and visionary leader. You can see her speak in videos online at:
You can also learn more about the Reproductive Justice Framework at:
Learn more about Sistersong's Reproductive Justice Trainings.
Reflections on MANA's Racism Panel
By Susan Hodges
As more of us become aware of racial disparities in birth outcomes, it is useful and important to consider what each of us is or is not doing to help address this issue as we advocate for the Midwives Model of Care. A panel on racism at the MANA conference in 2007 was consciousness-raising for me. I wrote about my experience in the Spring 2008 issue of the CfM News and here is an excerpt:
“I think I always thought I was not “racist,” because I think I am not overtly or consciously racist, but these discussions made me realize that is not enough. Just by being white, I live as a privileged person in this society which, to a much greater extent than I would like to admit, is in many ways and on many levels inherently racist. Being unconscious of this just continues racism and injustice. I don’t think I ever really thought about that or understood that before. It is similar to when Marsden Wagner points out that “fish can’t see water,” referring to physicians not being able to see that there is anything other than the medical model that they practice.” Read more here.
Conference List
AABC, September 1-3, Denver, CO
Lamaze, September 15-18, Ft Worth, TX
APHA, October 29-Nov 1, Washington, DC
MANA, November 9-11, Niagara Falls, Canada
Off the Shelf Book Review
Home/Birth: a poemic
Reviewed by Molly Remer, MSW, ICCE, CCCE
http://talkbirth.wordpress.com
Home/Birth: a poemic
By Arielle Greenberg and Rachel Zucker
1913 Press, 2011
ISBN 978-0-9779351-7-8
208 pages, softcover, $11
http://www.1913press.org
Co-authored by a pair of long-time friends, the “poemic” book Home/Birth reads as if you are eavesdropping on a lengthy, juicy, engaging, thought-provoking conversation about homebirth, birth in America, maternity care, and feminism. The book has a lyric, narrative, stream of consciousness format linked together with segments of poetry.
The text does not differentiate between the two speakers/writers, though through the “call and response,” back-and-forth exchange between the two authors, you quickly begin to recognize two distinct voices (as well as other fragments from birth books, bumper stickers, midwives, etc.).
The book was written during Arielle’s second pregnancy, which ends in the stillbirth of her baby boy. Arielle had one prior homebirth and one subsequent homebirth. Rachel had two hospital births and a homebirth prior to the writing of the book.
While the style in which it is written takes some time to get used to, once you tune in to its rhythm, Home/Birth is a unique and fascinating journey. Because it is so distinctive, I find it difficult to describe in writing—you need to make sure to read it for yourself!
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Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.
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Product Highlight
What Does Good Maternity Care Look Like?
Educate your clients, community, and other providers on the ways that the Midwives Model of Care, the Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care (CIMS), and the Six Care Practices that Support Normal Birth (Lamaze) support each other to communicate holistic and mother-centered care. Newly updated to reflect Lamaze’s new Healthy Birth Practices. Perfect handout for baby fairs and other community outreach efforts. Available for purchase from CfM.
Visit the CfM E-store to order Midwives Model of Care Pocket folders, Midwives Model of Care Brochures, and more.
About CfM
Fond Farwell
By Carolyn Keefe
As some of you may know, I officially resigned as a Member of the CfM Board as of January 1, 2011. I have stayed around for six months participating in Board calls and helping our new Board Members get oriented. I had the privilege of working with Lauren, Hillary, and Jeanette here in New York, and am so thrilled they have agreed to work with CfM on national birth work. As I explained to them and to Willa, Nasima, and Susan, I’m not leaving birth advocacy work, but life is taking me on other paths right now and I need to follow those paths where they lead. I’ll still be working on issues closer to home through our local organization BirthNet.
I have loved my eight years on the CfM Board – most especially the opportunity to work with and learn from such amazing women – beginning of course with Susan Hodges, whose vision and love and generosity have been immeasurable. I also love working with Willa Powell and with Nasima Pfaffl, both of whom I adore. In the past, I had the great pleasure of working with Michelle Breen, Molly Remer, Arielle Greenberg Bywater, and Stephanie Hucker. We also still feel the loss of Paula Mandell who passed away in January of 2008.
Working with CfM has given me many opportunities to share my skills and experiences, stretch and learn, and meet so many of the incredible women and men who make up this beautiful movement to make pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding safer and healthier for women and babies. Most of all, working with CfM has given me wonderful memories of working with beloved friends toward shared goals, with laughter, love, and understanding. We supported each other and kept going through great times and difficult moments, when it seemed like we were shouting into the wind and no one was listening. We also shared the joyful and painful moments of our lives along the way, and I received tremendous support when life got in the way of my work for CfM.
I hope more of you have the chance to work with all of these amazing women. Their creativity, passion, and loving support are immeasurable. I will miss you ladies and look forward to keeping in touch. I will continue to give CfM what support I can from here and encourage everyone else to do so. The work is vital and CfM is one of the rare national birth organizations serving primarily as voice for women. The women who do that work do so tirelessly with no payment and too often not enough recognition or respect. Thank you Susan, Willa, Nasima, Lauren, Hillary, and Jeanette for keeping CfM strong and moving forward.
Farewell (for now) with Love and Respect,
Carolyn Keefe.
Note from the President
Dear Readers,
I'm often asked, "How can I support Citizens for Midwifery?"
Well here are several ways:
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Join today! Membership is free – stand up and be counted as a supporter of midwifery.
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Midwives – encourage your clients to join! Your clients will receive our newsletter, including action alerts and tips on how to support midwifery.
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Contribute today. Free membership means our work is exclusively supported by your tax deductible giving.
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Use CfM materials in your outreach efforts. By purchasing CfM materials, you are not only educating others on midwifery, but also providing much needed financial support for our work.
What’s new on the CfM Board?
After many months of more-than-fair warning, Carolyn Keefe has finally signed off her last Board conference call with us. We are going to miss her insights and advocacy so much. But she left a legacy bigger than herself. It was through her work with Birthnet in Albany that she put us in touch with the Free Our Midwives moms in Ithaca, who became critical to the grassroots efforts on the New York Midwifery Modernization Act. Hillary Boucher, Lauren Korfine, and Jeanette McCulloch are all now members of the CfM Board. They are working hard already, as evidenced by this newsletter and by the Grassroots News messages you receive. They are also making sure we have program ads in program books for conferences for birth professionals, such as CIMS and DONA.
Nasima Pfaffl, Carolyn Keefe, Hillary Boucher, Lauren Korfine (holding Hillary's daughter), Susan Hodges, Willa Powell. not pictured: Jeanette McCulloch
In March, we participated in the organizational member meetings at the CIMS Forum in Raleigh, NC. We look forward to continued collaboration and learning from other birth related organizations. This year we are also prioritizing outreach to doulas, who not only well-represented in our membership but also are pivotal players in reaching consumers interested in the Midwives Model of Care.
CfM would like to congratulate past CfM board member Arielle Greenberg Bywater on the publication of her book, Home/Birth: a poemic. (See above or the CfM blog for Molly Remer's review of Arielle's book.)
CfM would also like to wish MEAC a happy 20th anniversary. It's remarkable how much the midwifery profession has grown in the last 20 years. MEAC is also seeking a new executive director. If you or someone you know is interested in applying please visit the MEAC site for more information.
We are still trying to grow our board and are looking forward to hearing from interested candidates. We are especially looking for a volunteer coordinator. Please email nasima@cfmidwifery.org if you are interested in applying to serve on the board.
Respectfully,
Willa Powell
President, CfM
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Closing Notes
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