Be a Presenter: 2012 ICTC Black Midwives & Healers Conference

Posted on May 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

“The 8th International Black Midwives and Healers Conference (BMHC) will take place October 19-21, 2012 at the Newport Beachside Resort in Miami Beach, Florida. For the eighth time, the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC) will convene midwives, doulas, birth workers and healers from around the globe to explore cultural traditions and best practices in the care of pregnant, birthing and postpartum mothers.”

  EYE!!!   CAN’T!!!    WAIT!!!

Are you familiar with ICTC?  Click the link and find out more. If you follow me on twitter you may know that since Thursday I have been playing hostess and participating in the New Orleans ICTC Full Circle Doula Training. It has been a wonderful experience and it has gotten me all excited about going to Miami.  In addition to the doula training, I am also working on my submission/proposal to be a speaker at the 2012 conference and that has me excited as well.

In 2010 I had the pleasure of not only attending, but actually being a presenter during the 7th BMHC, in Long Beach California.  Now THAT was a great experience. Here are a few nuggets from the 2010 conference.

 Have YOU ever wanted to be a presenter at a conference? Are you thinking of attending the ICTC BMHC in October? Do you have some information you want to share with others that you know will help women and babies?  If you answered yes to any of those questions… you should answer the Call for Papers to speak at the 2012 Conference.  Time is of the essence. Submissions are due June 1st.  Take a look at the Call for Proposals and be a speaker at the 8th International Black Midwives and Healers Conference: Returning Power to Birth:  Reclaiming Our Culture. 

Don’t want to be a presenter. Just join in the fun, culture, learning and experience ICTC up close and personal.  I look forward to seeing you in Miami!!

In Birth and Love
Nicole (Follow me on Twitter @SistaMidwife)

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Posted in Pregnancy & Birth

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Mothers are STRONG & Everyday is Mother’s Day

Posted on May 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

Today is the day… determined by some legal decision of another date and time… that we celebrate Mother’s Day. I don’t know the origins of this day and honestly it doesn’t matter to me at this point. But if you want details about the history and origins of Mother’s Day… check out www.mothersdaycentral.com ;-)

In general, I feel about Mothers Day the same way I feel about other holidays… Often started with good intentions today they are so commercialized the real meaning is lost in the material bullshit.  Now I’m not saying I’m all bah humbug but I will admit my favorite holiday character is the Grinch LOL but I digress….

The bottom line is I believe people, love, faith, relationships and yes MOTHERS should be celebrated everyday not just once a year.  There was a time when I refused to celebrate mother’s day under the premise that I love my mother 365 days a year and a Hallmark card wasnt needed to make it so.  I think that time period kinda hurt my mothers feelings :-/

Today I gave my mother a card.  It was a basic card with an appropriate message and then of course I included my own little personal note.  I gave her this card and previous cards, not because I started believing mothers day really mattered but rather to remind myself how much SHE really mattered to me.

As I continue to watch my mother deal with the side affects of multiple myeloma, and its varying treatments, I am constantly reminded how precious each day is. I am amazed at my mother’s strength and at her continued commitment to excellence in life. My mother is a STRONG woman.  IMO… ALL mothers are strong. Even the ones society may deem weak or the ones considered “bad.” Becoming a mother is a miracle and Mothering is no easy task. Yes… ALL mothers are strong.

In my line of work, you really have a chance to get up close and personal with the strength of women. The strength of mothers.  In this work, you really understand the reality that everyday is indeed a great day to Birth Something Beautiful™. And as a result everyday is Mothers Day.

Today I salute my mother and the strong mothers everywhere.  Without you my passion would be nonexistent. Thank you for all that you are and all that you do. I pray that when I am blessed to become a mother I will be at least half as strong.

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Posted in Lessons from BIRTH, Random Rants

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#BlackBirth Blog Carnival Call for Submissions… Not Without Our Fathers

Posted on May 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

#BlackBirth… It is indeed a beautiful thing. And here with the Black Birth Blog Carnival we want to continue to celebrate it. The Black Birth Blog Carnival is hosted by Darcel of Mahoganyway Birth Café and Nicole Deggins blogging as Sista Midwife. We were so excited about the love, support, and feedback we received from the first installment of the Black Birth Blog Carnival that we can’t wait to read the submissions this time around. The topic for this carnival: #BlackBirth… Not without Our Fathers.

So often we talk birth in women circles. We celebrate birth within the feminine community and forget that without the fathers our birth experiences would be non existent. June 17th marks the day many will celebrate fathers in this country. With that in mind we came up with our topic for this installment of the Black Birth Blog Carnival.

Fathers are essential to the #BlackBirth story. Without them, the fathers of our children, there would be no birth. Some fathers are there at the beginning of our experience and absent from our birth stories. Some are ever present with strong hands, a loving heart, and a gentleness that we may have never known before that moment.  No matter the role he played, we want to hear about how the father of your baby impacted your birth. How did his involvement or lack thereof affect your birth choices and your childbirth experience? How about YOUR father… did he impact your birth?

Now here is a twist… Calling all men to the Carnival of Black Birth… Are you a man that would like to celebrate what #BlackBirth means to you? Do you have a birth story to share? We would LOVE to get your unique perspective.

Lastly, and certainly not least, perhaps you don’t have a personal experience you would like to share at all. Do you know of a father that has been a part of and/or impacted black birth in other ways? No matter the story… we wanna read it. We want to celebrate Black Birth and celebrate the fathers that make them possible. Submit your stories today for our next carnival #BlackBirth… Not Without Our Fathers.

What is a Blog Carnival
A blog carnival is a collection of blog posts from a variety of bloggers on a particular subject, published on the same day. This blog carnival will be published/go live Tuesday June 12thh.  In addition to posting his/her article, each blogger provides links to all of the other posts submitted. Because of this, blog carnivals are a great way to learn about other fabulous bloggers. They give you an opportunity to connect with others and have the potential to increase traffic to your blog. If you do not have a personal blog and want to participate, please email us ASAP at BlackBirthCarnival at gmail dot com so that we can find a host blog for your article submission.

Guidelines and Instructions for Submissions
We are looking for posts that are well written, informative, thought provoking and relevant to the theme of the carnival. We prefer that you submit a new, unpublished post for the carnival however, if you feel you have the “perfect post” that has been previously published we will accept it. ;-)

Please email your post to us at BlackBirthCarnival at gmail dot com no later than Tuesday, June 5th Be sure to put June Carnival in the subject line of the email and don’t forget to give us the title of your post. We cannot accept your submission without a title.

You will receive an HTML code with instructions via email no later than June 3rd. You will need to place this code in your blog post so that you will link up with all of the other blogs participating in the carnival. For the success of the carnival, it’s important that you add this code. Please do not publish your post until after midnight on the 12th. We are excited about this new Blog Carnival and we look forward to receiving your submissions.

In Birth and Love
Darcel & Nicole
Follow us on Twitter & Let’s Celebrate #BlackBirth
@MahoganyWayMama  & @Sistamidwife

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Posted in Black Birth Blog Carnival, Pregnancy & Birth

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Women’s Herbal Workshop in Louisiana

Posted on April 24, 2012 | 2 Comments

Do you want to learn how to make your own herbal Infusions, Tinctures & Salves?  Do you live in OR are you willing to travel to Louisiana?
If you answered yes to these questions this is for YOU!

Join Divine of Supreme Wellness for a Women’s Herbal Circle Workshop:
Infusions, Tinctures & Salves for the Pre-Natal Period & Beyond

This workshop will be held in Opelousas, Louisiana SATURDAY MAY 5, 2012 11AM-2PM

Topics Covered include:  *Anemia *Sore Muscle Healing *Weak Cervix *Miscarriage Prevention *Hemorrhage Prevention *Perineum Healing *Water Retention

This will be a full HANDS  ON  experience.  Every student will leave with their own tincture, infusion, & salve. All supplies & herbs will be provided.

ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST PRE-REGISTER – Registration is ONLY $35

For more info: Contact Divine via email: supreme_wellness at yahoo dot com or hit her up on twitter @SUPRMWellness.

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Posted in Medications/Epidurals, Pregnancy & Birth

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Mothers & Babies in Louisiana Need Doulas

Posted on April 7, 2012 | 3 Comments

The mothers and babies of Louisiana deserve and need more doulas.  The state of Louisiana has some of the worst perinatal outcomes in the nation.  Louisiana has the highest cesarean section rate in the country with nearly 4 out of every 10 women in the state give birth by major surgery1.  Every year, in our state, approximately 600 babies die before reaching their first birthday2. 

Premature birth is the second cause of infant death nationwide.  Mississippi and Alabama are the only two states with premature birth and infant mortality rates higher than Louisiana.  Together they are the only three states that received an F on the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Cards. Prematurity is the leading cause of infant death in the African American community and in Louisiana, African American babies are more than twice as likely to die as Asian, Latino, and Caucasian babies2.  

 A Doula is a trained birth companion who provides physical, emotional and informational support to a mother and her family during pregnancy, labor, and after birth.  “Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily3”  Additionally, the use of Doulas has been shown to decrease the numbers of unnecessary medical interventions, decrease the numbers of cesarean sections and decrease the rate of premature births.  Now more than ever, every pregnant woman, including those in Louisiana, deserves and needs a Doula.

The International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC) is an infant mortality prevention, breastfeeding promotion, and doula/midwife training non-profit organization.  ICTC sponsors the Full Circle Doula Training Program to empower women, increase positive birth outcomes, and reduce infant mortality in African American community.  The Louisiana Friends of ICTC is seeking individuals who are interested in learning more about becoming a doula.  From the ICTC website:  The Full Circle Doula training is perfect for students interested in learning doula skills from multicultural, historical, and traditional perspectives.   In its doula training, ICTC teaches the history of midwifery as a model of care, infant mortality prevention, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology of pregnancy and labor, nutrition and herbs, labor comfort measures, breastfeeding technique and much more. 

An ICTC Full Circle Doula Training will be held in New Orleans May 17 – 20, 2012.  If you, or someone you know is interested in learning more about empowering women during pregnancy and birth and starting a new career as a doula we want to hear from you.  You can learn more about the ICTC Full Circle Doula Training here or contact me for more information about the New Orleans training:  nicole at sistamidwife dot com.  Together we can make sure the women in Louisiana have an opportunity to truly Birth Something Beautiful™

References:
1.  National Vital Statistic Reports, Volume 59 Number 3, December 2010
2.  www.marchofdimes.com/peristats
3.  DONA International www.DONA.org

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Posted in Perinatal Disparities, Pregnancy & Birth

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Wordless Wed ~ We Still Birth in Fear #BlackBirth

Posted on April 4, 2012 | 3 Comments

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Posted in Wordless Wednesday

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Monday Musing: Erykah… Ebony… And a Missed Opportunity…

Posted on April 2, 2012 | 6 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I was standing in line at the grocery store and picked up the March issue of Ebony Magazine. I picked it up initially because of the cover. It featured Samuel L. Jackson as the “King of Hollywood” looking fine as ever wit his bad ass…. But I digress…

As I flipped the pages, I noticed there was an article about Erykah Badu and her road to midwifery.  Suddenly I was “forced” to purchase the issue. I’m always happy to see anything positive about midwives in mainstream media, especially outlets that are widely read by black women. I was surprised to see the article and wondered why no one in my birth circles had talked about it…Or… I thought to myself, maybe they did, and I was simply under a rock. Regardless, I made the purchase and decided I would read the article later that day… which ultimately jus became later… Two weeks later.

Once I read the article, I  was truly disappointed.  The article did not speak at all about the benefits of midwifery care, or the benefits of hiring a doula. It said nothing of perinatal disparities and the need for black women to get more involved and to take more control over their birth experiences. The article gave information that could easily be misunderstood/misinterpreted. And aside from the fact that the article featured Erykah Badu, who is a wonderful role model and spokesperson for normal birth… the article did a disservice to birth professionals, to black women and to #BlackBirth in general IMHO.

It is well known that back babies and black mammas nationwide have the worst perinatal outcomes, yet somehow when Ebony decided to write an article about midwifery they left these facts out.  We have heard the statistic before. The national infant mortality rate is approximately 6.42 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. The rate for caucasian babies is less than the national average at around 5.3 deaths per 1,000 births while the rate for black babies is DOUBLE the national average with greater than 12 black babies dying per 1,000 births. In some states as many as 16 black babies die!!  Prematurity is the leading cause of infant mortality for black babies.  There are a host of reasons black women find themselves at increased risk for premature birth.  Ebony didn’t mention any of that.

Ebony left out information about the benefits of midwifery care and doulas.  They didn’t mention that research has shown repeatedly that Midwifery care with its attention to detail and focus on people and families not just bellies and babies, can turn birth disparities around.  Check out the work of one of my Midwife Sheroes Jennie Joseph for proof.   They left out advice about choosing a better doctor and getting better outcomes. Yep…. They left all of this out, all while doing things like calling a fetoscope a “maternity stethoscope”

I mentioned my annoyance to a couple of folk and their take on it was… “Well… This was an article about Erykah Badu not midwifery and pregnancy.” My thought… It was an article about Erykah and her path to midwifery… The two cannot be separated.   I thought to myself, maybe if they had covered these topics else where in the issue it would have been better.

Not five pages after the article on Erykah there was the “Wellness /Spirituality” section. Personally I can think of nothing that matches these two categories simultaneously more than midwifery. Yet… As I flipped through this section there is no word of pregnancy, birth, doulas, or midwives.

There was an article about Vitamin D.  Not a word about the research surrounding vitamin d deficiency and pre eclampsia; A serious pregnancy issue that disproportionately affects black women. There was even a blurb about clean teeth and heart attacks.  Again no mention of pregnancy, birth and the VERY STRONG link between dental hygiene and pre term labor.  Remember… preterm birth is the number one reason for infant mortality for black babies.

I was disappointed that Ebony fell short…waaaayyyy short.

They missed an opportunity to educate not only black women of child-bearing age but black families everywhere. And for that I say shame on you Ebony. Here was an opportunity to really serve the women who read your magazine and it was missed. I hope next time it will be different.

Did you read the Ebony Article? Do you feel like they missed an opportunity to help women Birth Something Beautiful™?  I sure do.

Welp… that’s my musing for this week…. Make it a GREAT one!
Don’t forget to follow me on twitter I’m @SistaMidiwfe

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Posted in Monday Musings, Perinatal Disparities, Pregnancy & Birth

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