HELP Improve Birth for Women

Posted on May 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

Below are the words from my personal fundraising campaign through Indiegogo. I am VERY Commited to making this happen and I pray that you will be so moved to endorse this project and share it with others.

The campaign launched a couple of days ago. We are on our way and have already rasied over $100 thanks to the contributions of Nilajah Brown, Shannon Mackey, Tiffany Bright, and Amy Romano. We have also recieved a donation from an Anonymous donor :-)   I am happy about our success and look forward to reaching our fundraising goal.  You can help by donating through Indiegogo directly or by sending a donations via paypal to Nicole at sistamidwife dot com.  You can also help by sharing and recommending our campaign to others. THANK YOU for your support
Nicole

If we can inspire women to fight for better birth experiences, they will become inspired to fight for better communities. Doulas inspire that fight. We need more doulas in New Orleans and we need more doulas throughout the state of Louisiana.

The perinatal outcomes in Louisiana are deplorable. We have the highest c/s rate, we have the second highest maternal mortality rate and the third highest infant mortality rate in the country. Research shows that the availability of community doulas can improve birth outcomes. Women who use doulas report feeling more knowledgeable, they have fewer c/sections, they breast feed more often and for longer periods of time; they report increased satisfaction with their birth experiences and less post partum depression. That being said, IMO, all women should have an equal opportunity to hire a doula. Unfortunately all women don’t. In many places across the country, Louisiana included, women can’t find or can’t afford to hire a doula.

When I moved home to New Orleans in 2010, I knew I wanted to work to make birth better in my city. I was not exactly sure what role I would play, but I knew I needed to do something. As the Louisiana State Rep for ICTC, I have been reminded that there is a LOT of work to be done all over my state. I have received multiple calls from many women who are starting or want to start their birth work journey. Earlier this year, it came to me…. “I need to create a community doula program/network.” Once I made the decision women literally began to show up; women who genuinely want this information; women who are; ready to work.

We need YOU!

This June, Sista Midwife Productions will hold the first of many doula trainings using the Full Circle Doula model created by Shafia Monroe, Midwife and Founder of the International Center for Traditional Childbearing. Our goal is to train at least 30 women over the course of three training dates before the end of this year. Specifically, we will be looking to train women from various parts of the state who are committed to becoming a part of a community doula network. This community doula network will provide community outreach and education, free neighborhood-based pregnancy celebration events, free doula services, and ongoing education and support for the doulas within the network.

Our initial goal is to raise enough funds to give each doula student a scholarship, to purchase necessary training supplies, and to support our early community outreach efforts. Any funds raised above this initial goal will go toward providing free and discounted doula services and to hosting our monthly neighborhood pregnancy celebrations.

We already have women from across the state interested in participating in this training, and are committed to working as a part of a community doula network. While deposits have been made, many have limited income and are struggling to pay the full registration. I don’t want to deny them the opportunity to do the work they are called to do because of finances. The donations you make will help make sure that doesn’t happen. Please donate today!!! http://igg.me/at/CommunityDoulas4Louisiana/x/3224090

Unable to give personally?? Spread the Word!!!

I understand. I have been there. You may really want to help but you are unable to send your donation today. No problem. Please help us by spreading the word about this Indiegogo campaign. There may be people in your network who know doulas, who are doulas, who have used a doula… people who understand the value of community doulas who may be able to make a contribution.

Remember… Improving birth outcomes is a collective effort. Each positive change for a mother in LA is a change for mothers everywhere. Thank you for your support!! Together we can help women everywhere Birth Something Beautiful

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Pregnancy & Birth

Tagged , , , , , ,

Memories & Motivations from Trinidad

Posted on May 15, 2013 | Leave a comment

I am always excited after attending an event with the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC).  Last week I returned home after a 7 night stay in Maraval Trinidad.  While there, I was working, bonding, eating, sleeping, sharing, growing and learning with a group of phenomenal women.   The women who attended are doulas, nurses, midwives, and mothers… sisters, daughters, American and Trinidadian.

Healing Hands

Healing Hands

As I sat to write this blog post, I thought back to February.  I wrote an article titled “Black Motherhood” that was published in the online publication Oya Nsoro. Below are some excerpts from that article.

Often times, when we use the word midwife in the black community it conjures up images of elderly women walking from house to house, dressed in all white catching babies by moonlight and kerosene oil.  For many, the idea of midwifery also brings up images of dirty old women who are uneducated, undertrained and unskilled.  These negative beliefs about midwives were shaped in our communities systematically as the government, the American Medical Association, and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology worked together to rid America of its “midwife problem.”  A war was waged on black so-called granny midwives and they were slowly eliminated from our communities.  This systematic elimination that started with the Sheppard Towner act in 1921 continues today.  The Sheppard Towner Act, created “training programs” for midwives and forced many of them to abandon the historical knowledge and practices that had been passed down for generations.  Integration and the introduction of Medicaid brought poor, rural, and black women out of the homes and into hospitals to birth.  Maternity care become a VERY profitable business… there was then, and continues to be, money to be made regardless of the birth outcomes. 

While midwifery in the black community traditionally was an honored profession, today many hold to the false beliefs that midwifery care is second rate, something for the poor and the underprivileged. Or in some minds, midwifery is for “them” i.e. the rich, the granola crunchy types, the natural hair wearers and the vegans. 

Fortunately, in spite of these false beliefs, the practice of midwifery carries on today and is gaining momentum.   To those of us practicing “modern day midwifery” there is honor and respect in this profession.  We understand the shoulders upon which we stand and we carry on the legacy of the so-called “granny midwife” with passion and reverence. 

Midwives are, and have always been spiritual people.  Most midwives will tell you they were “called” into this business and no other profession is more directly linked with both life and death. They took care of the community. They had to because no one else would. They succeeded because they had no choice.  Today, we “modern day midwives” work with this passion and pray we can do the same.

I came into midwifery knowing that women in my community were NOT being treated the way they should be during labor and birth.  I was moved to become a midwife so that I could be a part the solution.  At that time, I had no knowledge of granny midwives and during my midwifery education; I don’t remember learning much about the legacy of black midwives.  In 2001 I was introduced to Rhonda Haynes the award winning producer of Bringin in Da Spirit, a wonderful documentary that not only celebrates but tells the truth about the legacy of Black midwives.  It was through meeting her that I began my slow and continual journey to learn more.  Through Rhonda, I learned of ICTC and met Shafia Monore, the midwife and visionary behind ICTC, The International Black Midwives and Healers Conference, and The Full Circle Doula Training.  It has been my involvement with ICTC, especially over the past 3 years, that has accelerated my learning curve and given me a bigger passion not just for helping birthing women but also to learn about the legacy of black midwives and healers.

It was with much excitement that I registered to attend the recently held combo doula training in Trinidad with ICTC.  While there, I started down the path to become a Certified Full Circle Doula Trainer.  Have you taken the ICTC FCD training? If not, no matter what your previous birth work training is, I definitely recommend it.  You can take it this July in Chicago :-) This training, is like no other training.  It is an international training that celebrates the legacy of the black midwife and brings to light our full and rich history.  It educates, informs, and inspires.  It allows us to learn, to grow and to bond.  New friendships are forged and new passions are ignited. This is the ICTC way.  Today, as I work to improve birth outcomes in my community, I salute all of the midwives and doulas working to create better births for women. Extra Hugs… Love… and Light to those of you working in the trenches, taking care of black and brown families regardless of ability to pay.  You do not walk alone.  We are the ones we have been waiting for.

Mamatoto Birth Center

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Black Birth, Pregnancy & Birth

Tagged , , , , ,

Infant Mortality – Its Far Too Early to Celebrate

Posted on April 25, 2013 | 4 Comments

Last week, I got an email that made me really pause and take a deep breath.  It started like this…

“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 AMCHP Celebrates 12 Percent Decline in U.S. Infant Mortality Rate Since 2005 – Calls for Continued Funding to Accelerate a Promising Trend

Washington, DC, April 17, 2013 – Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data showing that following a plateau from 2000 through 2005, the U.S. infant mortality rate declined 12 percent from 2005 through 2011. A copy of the data brief entitled Recent Declines in Infant Mortality in the United States, 2005–2011 is available here. 

Michael Fraser, PhD, CAE, Chief Executive Officer for the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, highlighted this progress with the following statement:”

Now… Before I get to the statement… In case you don’t know, AMCHP is the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs.  Their mission “is to support state maternal and child health programs and provide national leadership on issues affecting women and children.” You can learn more about them and what they do by visiting their website.

Below is the statement from Michael Fraser.  I have included the statement here in its entirety along with some commentary from yours truly… My comments are in green :-)

“The recent decline in infant mortality is a public health success story deserving national recognition and celebration. In short, we are helping more babies reach their first birthday than ever before and this is great news. (Sure its good news that the rates are declining but is this REALLY a time for celebration? I believe it’s far too early to celebrate.  Our Infant mortality rate remains high and our international standing remains embarrassingly low. This may be a time for reflection on what is working so progress can continue but celebration… I think it’s too soon for that.) The decline is also a strong indication that public health efforts supported by the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant – along with other critical programs including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, WIC, Healthy Start, Community Health Centers, and critical efforts of the CDC and the National Institutes of Health are making a difference in saving babies lives.  The work of dedicated public practitioners and health care providers is definitely paying off and, for that, AMCHP and its members are extremely thankful. (Interesting how this statement speaks to “critical programs” that nationwide are currently facing budget cuts. In Louisiana, where I live as an example, Healthy Start recently received a huge budget reduction (a  near 50% reduction from what I have been told) and the monies going to our state’s Nurse Family Partnership program were also cut.  Healthy Start across the country is facing budget cuts and many programs may not even continue to receive funding.  What’s going to happen as these programs are reduced further or cut out entirely? What will the numbers say in a few more years? I bet they will be begin to creep up especially if we take time to celebrate instead of continuing the fight.)  Perhaps most encouraging is that the infant mortality rate declined the most (16 percent) for non-Hispanic black women. This may be an indication that deliberate efforts to promote health equity are beginning to create progress in reducing the alarming disparities between whites and blacks, but despite improvement these gaps are still unacceptable and need heightened attention and investment to accelerate progress.   (Not only are the gaps still unacceptable, the disparity remains virtually unchanged. The infant mortality rate for black babies continues to be TWICE the rate of white babies… Are we celebrating too soon? I think so.) Furthermore, improvements realized in the last five years reflect investments policymakers made years and even decades before. While this improvement is welcome news, budget cuts coinciding with the economic downturn and the current sequestration cuts will undoubtedly create major challenges to sustain this success. (EXACTLY. That’s what I’m saying.  These budget cuts he speaks of will reduce this “progress”  so ummmmm riiiight…. Like I said… its far too early to celebrate.)  Accordingly, AMCHP calls on the administration and Congress to reverse years of eroded public health funding, agree on a balanced approach to deficit reduction, and sustain critical investments in the health of women, children, and families.”  (End of Statement)

And they do. In fact last month, Dr Christopher A. Kus, MD, MPH, testified on behalf of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) before the House of Representatives about stopping budget cuts and allocating $640 million to 2014 funding budge for the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant. But the reality is, the budgets are getting cut and programs are being lost all across the country.  So as far as I’m concerned… Its definitely to early to celebrate. 

I will celebrate when the rates of infant mortality in ALL communities is at a minimum and there are no longer racial disparities.  I will celebrate when we have equal distribution of health services and resources across all boundaries. When access is not tied to race or socio-economic status and when all women have equal access and ability to create and nurture a healthy pregnancy.  I will celebrate when women, without fear or coercion, without jumping through managed care hoops, and regardless of her insurance carrier can easily choose the provider and location for HER birth.  Then and only then will I celebrate. When I see this reality, I will happily pop a bottle, light a candle, hire a second line band, shout from the roof tops and I might even “Drop it like its hot!!” Until then… The fight continues. #FistUP… Do you think its too early to celebrate?

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Perinatal Disparities, Pregnancy & Birth

Tagged , , , ,

The Birth Plan Myth

Posted on April 15, 2013 | Leave a comment

Are you pregnant or trying to conceive?
Are you a doula or childbirth educator?
Hare you heard of the infamous birth plan?
Are you planning to prepare a birth plan?
Do you advise your clients to prepare birth plans?
Have you googled “Birth Plan” recently?
I did… Wanna know what I found???
147,000,000 results!!

Unfortunately… most of them by and large give women the false belief that writing a Birth Plan will have a significant impact on their birth experience.  The reality is, in hospitals where birth plans are respected, they are hardly needed and in hospitals where they don’t respect them…… weeelllll  it may have LITTLE impact on what happens!

Join me THURSDAY on my next FREE tele-class as I share The Birth Plan Myth.  Learn more and register for this free call HERE

After this call you will …

  • Understand how to avoid the most common mistakes women make when creating a birth plan and have insights that will help you create the birth experience you want with or without a Birth Plan
  • Know the phrases that immediately diminish the power of a Birth Plan and the language you need to feel more confident when discussing your birth with your provider.

I hope you can make it!!
Thursday, April 18th ~ 8PM CST / 9PM EST
Join us live and participate in our Q & A portion.
Can’t make the call?
Register so you can get access to the recording.

 Don’t take a birth plan to the hospital until you listen to this call!

Register HERE

I look forward to working with you to Birth Something Beautiful!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Lessons from BIRTH, Pregnancy & Birth

Tagged , , , ,

A few nuggets from the “First Food” Forum

Posted on March 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend “The First Food Forum: Growing a movement so all children thrive” sponsored by the WK Kellog Foundation.  It was a wonderful conference.  One of my primary goals during the event was to make sure everyone I spoke with understood that there IS a connection between a mother’s pregnancy and birth experience, and her infant feeding choices.  Too often the breastfeeding world, the birth world, the reproductive rights/reproductive justice worlds are separated. The reality is we are all fighting the same fight. We are fighting so that women… and no one else… have control over their personal bodies.  It doesn’t matter if your voice is around procreation, birth, or infant feeding choices, we have the same bottom line.  It’s a shame we don’t connect collectively more often.

Over the past year, I have learned a lot about breastfeeding that I never knew or didn’t completely understand.  Things about the culture and politics of breastfeeding,  the racism in breastfeeding certifications, the racism in breastfeeding politics and culture, the laws and payment structures of lactation and lactation support etc.  At each turn of lactation education, I was reminded that we really need to connect more.  One of my midwife mentors Shafia Monroe often talks about the Community Model of Care.  She reminds us that the Black Midwife and the tradition of Black Midwifery in this country included care of mother before, during, and after birth. AND it included care for the infant, and the family as a unit. Today we are so separate and fragmented we often work in silos.  It’s this fact that I believe is intricately linked erinatal disparities and the USA’s poor outcomes as a whole… but I digress.

Below, in no particular order, I share a few nuggets of wisdom and ideas that  I brought home with me from this breastfeeding forum.  I hope at least one of them can help you as you care for families during their childbearing years.

Nugget:   Above I mentioned the need for the breastfeeding, birth, and reproductive justice movements to work more collectively.  There is also a space to align ourselves with the pink ribbon and red dress movements.  As an aside… I am not particularly a fan of “pink washing” however I do understand that women who breastfeed are less like to get breast cancer.  That being said, as folks are sporting their pink ribbons and red dresses, as interviews are given, PSAs sent out, and articles are written, information should be shared not only about the breast cancer or heart disease, but included should be information about the link between breastfeeding and reduced risks of both.

Nugget: Have you heard about the mPINC survey? From the CDC website:  “Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) is a national survey of maternity care practices and policies that is conducted by the CDC every 2 years beginning in 2007. The survey is mailed to all facilities with registered maternity beds in the United States and Territories.”  These surveys create reports based on state and facility data.  They are not the same as actual report cards for a facility on breastfeeding but they certainly might be the catalyst for some facilities to change their practice. Let’s hope so.  Read more about the mPINC here.

Nugget:  Let’s talk about WIC.  Did you know WIC is the is the number one distributor of formula in our country?!?!  SERIOUSLY?? And the government pays for this formula that is doled out like candy to children on Halloween. And that’s a perfect way to describe it cause this is indeed scary.  There is so much to be said about the BILLION dollar formula industry that I will save it for anohter post but his revelation was like a slap in the face. And since were on the topic of WIC… what’s in a name?? We all know WIC stands for Women Infants and Children right?  Have you ever really thought about that name? Its mission talks about the health and well-being of women, infants, and children and yet it neglects to mention a KEY component to healthy babies and families is partner involvement.  In most families that partner is a Man. Men are excluded from the picture literally and figuratively.  The WIC office basically has a sign that says “women only.” In order to heal the family we have to include EVERY member of the family. Clearly there is some work to be done in this arena.

Nugget:  Speaking of men… One of the best break out sessions I attended was the session about including fathers in the conversations and advocacy work around breastfeeding. There is a model program in the Dallas area where men are encouraged to be breastfeeding champions… breastfeeding ambassadors.  Getting fathers on board with breastfeeding is an important factor in creating healthy breastfeeding communities.  The program in Dallas in run by Muswamba Mwamba who is a father of four, an MPH, CLC, and IBCLC just list a few of his credentials.  Are you interested in creating a successful male support program for breastfeeding in your community? Give him a call, he is knowledgeable, passionate, and personable. And most importantly, from what I learned during this session… he is a HE.

Nugget:  I posted this one on my facebook page the other day.  We have all heard the conversation about providing women with private, clean places to nurse their infants while they are out and about. The idea is that these places will help support mothers who want to breast feed “in public.” The question raised during a conversation at the form…… Does this help or hurt?? If we provide private spaces for moms does that put breastfeeding “in the closet”? If it’s in the closet, breastfeeding is still not “normalized” in our society. We certainly want to provide these spaces for moms who feel most comfortable there. But how do we walk the fine line. We don’t want these spaces to become the REQUIRED place where ALL moms HAVE to go to breastfeed. What do you think?

Nugget:  My favorite presentation of the event was without a doubt the closing session key note with Kimberly Seals-Allers founder and creator of The Mocha Manual as well as Black Breastfeeding 360. If you don’t’ know about her… you should. Her presentation was passionate, personal and right on! Two of my favorites points from her  ONE:  Never let the circumstances or the conditions in a Black woman’s life determine what you believe about her character.  TWO:  As we discuss African American women and breastfeeding, let’s not romanticize wet nursing. It was NOT a romantic event and we cannot comment on wet nursing without also recognizing the historical trauma that continues to affect Black families as a result of this practice.  I’m not giving you direct quotes.  I was too engaged while she spoke to take actual notes. What I can certainly say is this.  If anyone left the room uninspired after hearing Kimberly speak… they clearly were not awake.

Welp that’s it for now. I wish these Nuggets were real gold for you. But alas they are not. They are simply ideas, concepts and conversation starters about mother’s milk ~ That life giving substance that some call Liquid Gold.  Will any of these Nuggets help you in your work? Did any of them make you say “hmmmmm?”  If so… tell me about it!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Breastfeeding, Pregnancy & Birth

Tagged , , , , ,

Video

Returning Power to Birth ~ The 2012 Black Midwives & Healers Conference

Back in October 2012, I had the pleasure to attend the ICTC 8th International Black Midwives and Healers Conference.  If you were there… WHAT??!! You already know :-)

If you weren’t there… well… as is often the case with my blogging, I had plans to blog about the conference as we went along and blog again once I got home. Welp… that never happend. Ya just get kinda caught up in the moment of things.  Fortunately for me/for us… My Sista Midwife Walidah Muhammad is expanding her skill set beyond the birthing bed to documentary creation. I LOVE it!!! Soooo with that said… take a look at the videos below. There is no way these clips can bring you the full energy of what we shared, did, learned, and felt during this conference. But perhaps they will give you a glimpse and help you understand what a gem the International Center for Traditional Childbearing is for all of us!

We… who believe in freedom cannot rest

→ Leave a comment

Posted on March 8, 2013 in Black Birth, Perinatal Disparities, Pregnancy & Birth

Tagged , , , , ,

Medication in Pregnancy: Doing Without Knowing

Posted on March 6, 2013 | 10 Comments

I just finished reading a short article about the use of Odansetron (Zofran), a medication often given to pregnant women to help them when they have nausea and vomiting. While this medication has been WIDELY prescribed for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy it is NOT approved for this purpose. 

Zofran (Odansetron) IS approved by the FDA for the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy and for the prevention/treatment of nausea and vomiting after surgery.  What this means is using Zofran for pregnant women is an “off label” use.  Off label usage of medication is nothing new and it happens all the time. While I do understand this, I believe that we need to be MUCH more cautious and careful when working with pregnant women.  We need to do better about understanding the risks profile of a medication before putting it widely into practice.  Doing without knowing is NOT okay.

From the article “Although most often used as an antiemetic following chemotherapy, ondansetron frequently is used off-label to treat nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. However, few studies have assessed the safety of ondansetron when used for this indication. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine [1] used Danish national data to determine the impact of ondansetron on risk for spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, major birth defects, and other perinatal outcomes.”

After reading this article, I couldn’t help but think about the horrors of thalidomide.  Sold in the late 50’s/early 60’s, thalidomide was given to pregnant women in off label use for morning sickness. It was untested and after a few YEARS of use and massive birth defects were noted, it was pulled from the market. This was all in the name of stopping nausea and vomiting, which BTW is a NORMAL part of early pregnancy and can even be normal throughout pregnancy if weight gain and fetal growth are appropriate.  But I digress and that’s a topic for another post. My point today… Doing without knowing is NOT okay.

We introduced the electronic fetal monitor (EFM) in the 1960’s in the name of preventing birth defects. The use of the fetal monitor quickly became widely used nation wide without research. It is the number one intervention on labor and delivery units today even though it is common knowledge among birth professionals that EFM has not and does not create better birth outcomes. And in the face of research that shows continuous EFM increases c/sections and intermittent monitoring is safe and effective at detecting fetal distress we continue to use electronic fetal monitors nation wide! In this case we initially did without knowing. Now we know better but since EFM has become such a part of our maternity culture that we still do even though we shouldn’t.

Honestly, this is really is just a little rant. Reading the first part of the article irritated me.  I’m continuously like… SERIUOSLY?!?!  When will we stop experimenting with women and our unborn children.  This article goes on to say that the researchers found no increase in birth defects, miscarriage or still birth. This article highlights however that we still casually do without knowing and this is NOT okay. Doctors and midwives prescribe medications and procedures all the time either without full knowledge of the risks or without full disclosure of the risks. It’s not fair to women and its NOT okay.

The take home message:  Please remember ALL substances that you take, whether it’s a vitamin or hard drugs and everything in between… ALL of them DO in some way, and in some amount, cross the placenta and get to your baby.  Whenever you are prescribed a medication… ask a question. Find out if there is a better/different option. Ask about waiting until later in pregnancy. Ask. Ask. ASK.  Don’t assume everything they give you is necessarily safe, or that it is even necessary.  What medications did you take during pregnancy? Would you take it again?  Share your experiences…

In Birth and Love
Nicole (Dont forget to follow me on twitter @SistaMidwife)

→ 10 Comments

Posted in Medications/Epidurals, Pregnancy & Birth

Tagged , , , ,