Going BOLD

BirthNetworkNWA provides a unique opportunity for women in the area to come forward, share their birth stories and enjoy theatrical birth experiences through all the offerings associated with our BOLD Red Tents and the play "Birth" by former Arkansan Karen Brody.

Tell Your BOLD Birth Story under The BOLD Red Tent!

BE BOLD and join in the global movement "Birth On Labor Day" as women around the world gather during the month of September to inspire their communities to create childbirth choices that work for mothers.

When and Where:

Saturday, Sep 13th at the Fayetteville Farmer's Market from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

and

Saturday, Sep 20th at the Bentonville Farmer's Market from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

What:

1. Tell your birth story! - Stories have the power to reach into our hearts and minds, impart truths, and transform lives. Share your knowledge, wisdom and birth experiences with other women under the red tent.

2. Buy your tickets to a production of Karen Brody's play "Birth", debuting at Fayetteville's Teatro Scarpino on Friday, September 19th. (Tickets available online or at the Fayetteville Red Tent)

3. Henna Body Art - Bring your pregnant belly (or your beautiful non-pregnant body) and experience the beautiful, nurturing art of henna painting. Choose a design that expresses your unique personality as well as the universality of womanhood and motherhood.

4. Learn about Free Local Birth Resources - Get connected with representatives from BirthNetwork NWA, La Leche League, the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN), and DONA International (a doula organization) about how we can support you throughout pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

5. Win Great Prizes! - Enter your name in a drawing to win some great prizes from the following businesses

• Binsi Birth Skirt
• Moby Wrap from Terra Tots
• Natracare New Mama Pack
• Chanel "Allure" Perfume Gift Pack

And we don't want you to miss the

local performance of a play by Karen Brody

"Birth"

Friday, September 19th, 2008

at

Teatro Scarpino in Fayetteville.

Birth is part of the BOLD (Birth On Labor Day) Movement. Every September, Birth is performed in cities around the world, uniting women's voices calling for change in a maternity-care system that is broken--

For example:

• One in three women in America give birth by undergoing major abdominal surgery.
• In Northwest Arkansas, vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is banned in most hospitals.
• In our area, few women have access to professional nurse-midwifery care in a hospital and there are no freestanding birth centers.
• The American Medical Association just adopted a resolution that would seek to ban homebirth in every state.

But there is a movement to promote a model of care that is evidence-based and centered on mothers and babies. It's called "Mother-Friendly" Maternity Care. BirthNetwork NWA promotes this model of care through education, advocacy, and support. Please join with BirthNetwork NWA and BOLD to raise money, raise awareness, and raise the energy of a movement that will empower women take charge of their births and give them options that work.

Tickets are on sale now. Click here to access ticket sales through BirthNetwork's "Events" page. Please don't wait, because we do expect a "sell-out" of the play. Even if you can't come, please consider becoming a consumer member of BirthNetwork NWA. Your name and your voice as a consumer means something, and we must have broad consumer support to encourage doctors and legislators to listen.

As we make strides to improve our state's maternity care system, making it more mother-friendly, we want everyone to know we value our mothers and our children. This is just another step we are taking . . . one of the first of many to come.

The Birth Survey is up and running!

Last night I stayed up until 1:30 a.m. taking The Birth Survey, a new online survey where women can share information and reviews of their maternity care providers.  I was amazed at the depth and breadth of the survey.  It took me about 30 minutes to complete, but I felt that it was time very well spent--especially if other women can gain insight from my experiences and choose a care provider who was as wonderful as mine was. 

 

For years, consumers have enthusiastically shared online reviews of movies, restaurants, products and services, but it has been nearly impossible to find such information about maternity care providers and birth settings .  No longer! As part of the Transparency in Maternity Care Project, CIMS developed The Birth Survey as an online resource for sharing consumer reviews of doctors, midwives, hospitals, and birth centers, learning about the choices and birth experiences of others, and viewing data on hospital and birth center standard practices and intervention rates. The Birth Survey is now accessible online nationwide in the United States.

Help spread the word about The Birth Survey!

Send e-mails to your contacts encouraging them to take the survey, or learn about the project, through the "Invite a Friend" email tool.
Post web banners and buttons to The Birth Survey on your personal or organizational websites, or link to www.TheBirthSurvey.com in your email signature and on your website.

Distribute postcards inviting women to take The Birth Survey. Download the cards or order preprinted cards.  

 

 

Final Numbers on VBAC Bans in Arkansas

Final Numbers on VBAC Bans in Arkansas! Local moms polled 44 hospitals that have Labor and Delivery Units and almost half of them ALLOW VBAC. You can access more information on the ICAN website at www.ican-online.org by selecting the Advocacy Link. Then search ICAN’s Hospital VBAC Policy Database by state or zip code to find out if your local hospital bans VBACs or not.

Barbara Stratton, a national VBAC activist who reversed several bans, has opened up a national yahoo group for people actively working on reversing bans across the nation. VBACtivist@yahoogroups.com. This is a great place for people to share ideas and strategy with people all over the country. She only wants people to join who are actively working on reversing bans. If you are interested please join the group. There are already several women from Arkansas on the group talking about ideas for activism, including legislation.

Official Proclomation: April is Cesarean Awareness Month in Arkansas

Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody presented the chapter leaders of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) and of Birth Network of NWA with a proclamation declaring April Cesarean Awareness Month in Fayetteville. (see picture attached courtesy of ICAN of NWA).

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe also issued a proclamation declaring April Cesarean Awareness Month in Arkansas which will be read and presented to ICAN and Birth Network by State Representative Sue Madison at a reception in recognition of National Cesarean Awareness Month, Monday April 28th at 1:00pm at the Fayetteville Public Library, Walker Room. The public is invited to attend.

ICAN of NWA and Birth Network are two groups working to raise awareness in the community to prevent unnecessary cesareans and promote VBAC, normal birth after c-section, a practice that is currently banned at ALL NWA hospitals but is offered at hospitals in neighboring communities like Berryville, Ft. Smith, Siloam Springs and Little Rock.

1 in 3 babies born in NWA is delivered by c-section, a number that is well over the recommendations of the Arkansas Board of Health, the US Dept. of Health and the World Health Organization.

BirthNetwork Living It Green

BirthNetwork of NW Arkansas was featured Friday evening on KNWA. We met the reporters at the new Mercy Hospital in Rogers where we set up a birth pool in preparation for a local woman's upcoming water birth. (A "dry" run, you might say.) We were glad that we were able to get media coverage right before the Living It Green Expo at Pinnacle Hills Promenade this weekend. Come see us Sunday if you haven't yet!

See the segment here!

BirthNetwork NWA Speaks Out on the VBAC Ban

BirthNetwork was featured tonight on our local CBS Affiliate. Our monthly Parent Topic Nights feature various topics surrounding pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Tonight's topic was entitled "The Truth About Cesarean Section and VBAC."

Bring Back VBAC to NWA!

Here's another great development for normal, mother-friendly birth in Northwest Arkansas. A local mother has created a website dedicated to bringing VBAC back to our area as a viable and available option for women who have had a previous cesarean section.

Please check out www.bringbackvbac.org and speak out on the forum and blog dedicated to the specific issues surrounding VBAC bans in our local hospitals. Get involved! Send the link to all of your friends who have had a previous cesarean, and even those who haven't. We are all impacted when hospital and insurance company policies undermine the rights of birthing women.

www.bringbackvbac.org links

The Big Push Campaign-petitions, letters, direct mail, press releases, advertising, more details to come......
Get the Facts- read it for yourself. Links to groups, sites& articles concerning VBAC.
Get Connected- sign up to get newsletter & update e-mails concerning VBAC.
Speak Up- forum to discuss the VBAC issue, share advice,coordinate with other groups, and trade ideas.
Speak Out- "It Happened to Me" themed blog. Share your C-section/VBAC stories. Show how VBAC (or lack of)effects real women's lives. Tell your story & read stories from other women in our community.
Suggestion Box- What do you think? Have suggestions, ideas, good links? Let us know. Everyone's input is needed.
Help Out- Find out what groups are working on the VBAC issue in our area and how you can help. Sign up- email help@bringbackvbac.org

ICAN has arrived to NW Arkansas!

The International Cesarean Awareness Network, Inc. (ICAN) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). Visit our research based website, http://www.ican-online.net/

Join us on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7:00PM for educational and support meetings at The Jones Center For Families, 922 East Emma Ave. Springdale, AR. Room #221. Scroll down to review our 2008 meeting schedule.Lap babies are welcome. Free childcare is available on site. Call Kid Plus at 756-8090 ext. 118 for reservations. For more information about our meetings, to subscribe or volunteer, contact alyNWAican@hotmail.comor call Aly at 479-251-8446 or Angela at (479) 443-2337.

Please consider becoming a subscriber to ICAN! Without support from our subscriber base, ICAN could not continue its efforts towards improving maternal-child health internationally and in our local community!

Volunteers are needed and appreciated!

2008 Meeting Schedule

Mar: Current VBAC Climate in NW Arkansas
Apr: *Open Forum
May: Choosing A Caregiver
Jun: Open Forum

Jul: Increase Potential For Normal Birthing
Aug: Open Forum

Sep: Uterine Dependability
Oct: Open Forum

Nov: Creating a Positive Birth Environment

Dec: Open Forum

* Open Forum nights provide a safe environment for sharing birth experiences, healing and questions.

Terra Tots Grand Opening and the "Round Up" Fundraiser

I just got back from the Terra Tots Grand Opening Sale! The place was literally packed while I was there. My congratulations to the owners, Bernice and Brian Hembree. The store is warm, cute, and exudes a feeling of living life in awareness and peace with the earth. I know, it sounds granola, but my husband and I got the feeling while we were there that eco-friendly is also very chic. Hey, we've made the decision to make the leap to cloth diapering!

Besides being good to the environment, Bernice and Brian are all about being good to their community as well. Watch this clip as Bernice describes the Terra Tots "Round Up" Fundraiser. Until the end of March, proceeds from this program will benefit BirthNetwork of Northwest Arkansas. Make sure you pay a visit to this remarkable little store!

Business of Being Born

Well, all of the receipts and thank you notes have been sent out, and I think life may get back down to normal after a very successful opening event for the BirthNetwork of Northwest Arkansas, a benefit screening of "The Business of Being Born." Click on the movie above to see a slide show of pictures from the event.

We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to our local sponsors, Birthroot Midwifery, Café of Life Chiropractic Wellness Center, and Advocating Birth made the majority of our marketing, printing, and hosting of guests possible. Additionally we received 35 silent auction items from 26 birth or parenting-related businesses, which brought just over $1,000 in donations for our Transparency Project initiative.

We are proud to report that 248 people attended the screening, including many expectant parents and birth professionals. Before the screening, we held a VIP reception where we were able to make some great contacts with consumers and professionals enthusiastic about improving the awareness and availability of mother-friendly maternity care in Northwest Arkansas.

We were proud to host an excellent panel of local birth experts, which included doulas, midwives, childbirth educators, a family practice doctor, labor and delivery nurses, and parents who had experienced many kinds of birth, from homebirth to cesarean to VBAC. The panel did an excellent job of discussing the current state of maternity care in Northwest Arkansas.

We have received many notes of praise, gratitude, and enthusiasm about the evening and about our upcoming initiatives, including the Transparency Project and our series of free Parent Topic Nights. It is evident to us that there are many, many people here in Northwest Arkansas who care deeply about the way babies (and mothers) are born.

AHRQ and Ad Council Encourage Patients To Ask Questions...

Now this is more like it. Transparency in health care is a growing issue, and according the the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, "Medical errors cause tens of thousands of deaths each year. Clinicians, the Government, and many other groups are working hard to improve health care quality, but improving health care quality is a team effort. You can improve your care and the care of your loved ones by taking an active role in your health care. Ask questions. Understand your condition. Evaluate your options."

Check out www.ahrq.gov to find a list of 10 questions to ask your doctor. And while you are at it, check out "Having a Baby? Ten Questions to Ask" by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (authors of the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative). www.motherfriendly.org

Hopefully, this message will translate to the often overlooked area of maternity care. I have a feeling that we will have the greatest impact on our community as we empower one consumer at a time to take responsibility for the quality of their own maternity care.