Ohio’s first screening of Pregnant in America!

Saturday November 15, 2008 2-8 p.m.

2-5 p.m. Screening of Pregnant in America
followed by a panel Discussion on Grassroots Activism
with Susan Hodges, President, Citizens for Midwifery and
Jane Peterson, President, Wisconsin Guild of Midwives
Others TBA

5 pm-6 pm Break for Dinner (on your own)

6-8 p.m. Group Discussion for Midwives and Apprentices
with Jane Peterson of Wisconsin Midwives Guild

Holiday Inn Akron West
4073 Medina Rd.
Akron, OH 44333

Tickets for Movie are $7 in Advance, $9 at the door
order now from BrownPaperTickets
or call 888-847-0014 for more info

Bring cash and buy yummy goodies at our bake sale!

Presented by Akron BirthNetwork National, Ohio Midwives Alliance
and Ohio Families for Safe Birth

Directions:

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November 15th in Akron, the Akron Birth Network, the Ohio Midwives Alliance, and Ohio Families for Safe Birth are pleased to bring you a special pre-release showing of Pregnant in America, a full month before it is released to the general public.

The showing will be followed by a community conversation about home birth, midwifery, and regulation. Susan Hodges, president of Citizens for Midwifery, will be joining us. Jane Peterson, president of the Wisconsin Midwives Guild and a chief orchestrator of Wisconsin’s recent successful legislative effort, will also be present “babies permitting.”

More details to follow soon!

…to see Orgasmic Birth at the IMAX in Columbus! 7:00 p.m. tonight at Marcus IMAX theatre at Crosswoods Center (200 Hutchinson Ave.) A panel discussion on “Birth and Sexuality” will follow the film, and door prizes will be given at the end of the evening. It is too late to buy advance tickets if you haven’t already done so, but tickets will be available for $12 at the door.

The film showing at the Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs last weekend was well-received,  with good turn-out and a stimulating panel discussion from local birth professionals following the film. Several people present said they liked Orgasmic Birth even better than The Business of Being Born. If Columbus is too far for you, don’t worr: Ohio Families for Safe Birth plans to host screenings in other parts of the state as well.

If you go to the Columbus screening, or saw the film already in Cincinnati, Yellow Springs, or elsewhere,  feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Did you find the title accurate, helpful, intriguing, or off-putting? What did you like or dislike about the movie? Would you reccommend this film to others, and why?

There will be a screening of Orgasmic Birth on Saturday, September 20th, at 4:00 p.m. at the Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs, OH. ( click here for a directions)

The showing will be followed  by a panel discussion and silent auction at 6:00 p.m. at the Emporium Cafe (on the same street).

Tickets will be available at the door for a suggested $10 donation. Proceeds from the event will support prenatal, labor, and postpartum support in the Miami Valley. A flyer for the event can be downloaded here.

To help you keep track of upcoming Ohio Families for Safe Birth events: the new online OFSB Calendar.

What would happen if women were taught to enjoy birth rather than endure it?

Orgasmic Birth is a documentary that examines the intimate nature of birth and the powerful role it plays in women’s lives when they are permitted to experience it fully. Powerful, passionate, and thought provoking, it dismantles untruths about labor and birth that women have been told for generations.

On September 25 at 7:00 p.m., Ohio Families for Safe Birth (Columbus chapter) will host the only large-screen showing in Central Ohio at Marcus IMAX theatre at Crosswoods Center (200 Hutchinson Ave.) A panel discussion on “Birth and Sexuality” will follow the film, and door prizes will be given at the end of the evening.

Seating is limited. Advance tickets may be purchased for $10 through the Paypal link below; tickets will be $12 at the door.

(To buy an advance ticket by mail, please send your $10 to Amy Wakeling at 2030 Rolling Meadows Dr. Columbus, OH 43228.)

For more details about the film, visit the Orgasmic Birth website. If you are in the Columbus area, please download the promotional flyer  and put it up in your neighborhood.

Karen Brody’s play Birth is coming to Cincinnati August 29-31. More information in this Cincinnati Community Press article or see the Birth & Beyond website.

The issues, problems, and controversies around modern maternity care continue to make headlines. This ABC News feature discusses the dearth of natural childbirth while looking at a mom whose unexpected early labor caused her to give birth in a Cincinnati hospital instead of the NY birth center she’d planned on. “As labor pains increased and Speier asked about breathing techniques, the doctor replied, “How do I know? I’ve only ever done two [natural childbirths].” The article goes on to talk about the risks of medicalizing normal childbirth and the rising cesarean rate, as well as the advantages of midwifery care.

Anyone interested in helping Ohio families maintain legal access to out-of-hospital midwifery care is warmly invited to join the Ohio Families for Safe Birth board in Columbus for a statewide meeting and grassroots training session. Recent trends in our state and nationwide mean that without a strong, coordinated consumer effort, midwifery is likely to become illegal in Ohio. If you or anyone you care about may be impacted by this, please come learn about the issues and how you can help.

WHEN: Saturday, July 26, 2008 from 1 - 5 PM

WHERE: Trinity Lutheran Church, 404 S. Third Street, Columbus, OH 43215. It is right off I-70 and I-71 (they are combined through downtown Columbus). Parking is available in the back.

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TOPICS TO BE COVERED INCLUDE:

Introduction to Ohio Families for Safe Birth: history, mission, meet the Board

Coalition Partners (Ohio Midwives Alliance and Ohio Physicians for Midwives)

Mini-workshop on Publicity and Outreach

Mini-workshop on Legislative Efforts (past and future)

Mini-workshop on Fundraising

RSVP to Kathy Skestos at kathleen@skestos.com if you plan to come. Depending on what part of the state you are coming from, it may be possible to arrange carpooling with someone else from your area.

Comfest 2008 was a great success! We collected nearly 50 signatures from individual supporters and made great connections with other grassroots organizations who will likely sign on to our coalition. We will be following up soon with everyone we spoke to as we get the ball rolling on our legislative campaign. Thanks to the CHOICE midwives for letting us use their booth space, and to the volunteers who handed out information and encouraged folks to sign up!

The Columbus chapter of Ohio Families for Safe Birth is at Columbus’s Community Festival this weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 27-29) handing out flyers and signing up supporters of our legislative campaign for legal out-of-hospital childbirth options in Ohio. If you’re going to be there, look for them at the CHOICE booth. Hopefully we’ll get some pictures and a report next week!