Thought for the month: A campaign is not the same as an organization. A campaign is formed with the goal of winning. A campaign must move forward every day, closer to the goal.

Introducing OFSB’s Monthly Action Alert!

Action Alerts are for everyone you know who supports Ohio families’ right to choose out-of-hospital, midwifery care. It’s for those who don’t have the time or inclination to be part of the behind-the-scenes strategizing, but DO want to know what simple steps they can take to help make midwifery licensure a reality in Ohio. Every month, we will send out an Action Alert email to everyone in our database. It will include instructions for a quick (ten minutes or less), easy action that everyone can do to help move our licensure campaign forward. We will also use our database to organize targeted action alerts when grassroots support must be mobilized in particular legislative districts.

To effectively lobby for a midwifery licensure bill, we first need to grow our grassroots network. Midwifery supporters in every legislative district in Ohio must join forces so that we can effectively coordinate our campaign for licensure.

Our first goal: 10,000 names in our database by the end of the year.

To kick off our database drive, the August Action Alert is 8 in 8/08 - we’re asking everyone to take ten minutes this month to invite at least eight people to support the CPM licensure campaign by signing up for OFSB Action Alerts. If each of them also signs up eight people, we’ll reach our goal in no time! There will be regular progress updates on the website and prizes for refering the most new supporters to our database.

It’s easy to sign up for OFSB Action Alerts. Just fill in the form on the OFSB website.

Please take a few minutes to think of at least eight people who might be willing to write a short letter to their legislator or make a brief phone call in support of a midwifery licensure bill. Remember that we need to recruit friends and family who support Ohio families’ continued access to out-of-hospital midwifery care even if they did not choose home birth themselves.

Consider using the text below in the letter to your eight friends and family members. The task will be too much for us unless we open our arms wide and invite in all those who care about us and care about choosing their own best care providers.

In Ohio, 1000 mothers a year choose to give birth at home. Families choose home birth for many reasons. Home birth with a trained midwife is a safe choice for healthy, low-risk pregnancies. A pregnant woman’s choice of place of birth and care provider is a fundamental right.

Currently, Ohio has no regulation for direct-entry, home birth midwives. Midwives have served Ohio families for years without regulation. But recently, due to pressure from physician groups, the legal climate has changed. Midwives providing home birth care in Ohio are being prosecuted and forced out of practice.

Ohio Families for Safe Birth wants to change that. We need to protect women’s access to out-of-hospital maternity care by licensing Certified Professional Midwives.

Join us and help make sure that every woman in Ohio who chooses home birth can have access to a licensed Certified Professional Midwife.

For more information: www.safebirthohio.org

The Citizens for Midwifery blog links to a petition opposing the American Medical Association’s resolution. Here is the text of the petition:(click here to sign)

Whereas, women maintain the basic human rights of privacy, bodily integrity, and the rights to choose their care provider and place of birth;

Whereas, the practice of giving birth in hospitals attended by doctors has coincided with rapidly rising rates of cesarean section, induction, epidural, and surgically assisted vaginal birth;

Whereas, many of the physicians attending births in the hospital setting have contributed to the rise of the use of the aforementioned interventions, and have been unable or unwilling to change their training and practices to reverse these trends;

Whereas, the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ positions against home birth are not based on scientific evidence, but on the financial and professional concerns of the physicians that participate in their organizations;

Whereas, for the past century certain physicians have carried out campaigns to eradicate the practice of home birth to support their own professional gain;

Whereas, home birth with either a Certified Nurse Midwife or a Certified Professional Midwife in attendance is scientifically proven to have outcomes equal to or better than hospital birth with fewer interventions and higher levels of satisfaction;

Resolved, that the undersigned concerned citizens object to any legislation, either at the state or national level, which restricts a woman’s right to choose her place to give birth, including her right to choose to birth at home.

And here is the text of AMA’s “resolution 205″, supporting this statement from ACOG. The AMA has apparently now voted to remove the reference to Ricki Lake which was pounced on with delight by the media.

AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION HOUSE OF DELEGATES

Resolution: 205
(A-08)

Introduced by: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Subject: Home Deliveries

Referred to: Reference Committee B
(Craig W. Anderson, MD, Chair)

Whereas, Twenty-one states currently license midwives to attend home births, all using the certified professional midwife (CPM) credential (CPM or “lay” midwives), not the certified midwives (CM) credential which both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) recognize ; and

Whereas, There has been much attention in the media by celebrities having home deliveries, with recent Today Show headings such as “Ricki Lake takes on baby birthing industry: Actress and former talk show host shares her at-home delivery in new film” ; and

Whereas, An apparently uncomplicated pregnancy or delivery can quickly become very complicated in the setting of maternal hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, eclampsia or other obstetric emergencies, necessitating the need for rigorous standards, appropriate oversight of obstetric providers, and the availability of emergency care, for the health of both the mother and the baby during a delivery; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association support the recent American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) statement that “the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate post-partum period is in the hospital, or a birthing center within a hospital complex, that meets standards jointly outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and ACOG, or in a freestanding birthing center that meets the standards of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, The Joint Commission, or the American Association of Birth Centers” (New HOD Policy); and be it further

RESOLVED, That our AMA develop model legislation in support of the concept that the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate post-partum period is in the hospital, or a birthing center within a hospital complex, that meets standards jointly outlined by the AAP and ACOG, or in a freestanding birthing center that meets the standards of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, The Joint Commission, or the American Association of Birth Centers.” (Directive to Take Action)

Fiscal Note: Implement accordingly at estimated staff cost of $1,929.

This is a guest post from Amy Wakeling of the Columbus area OFSB chapter.

Our Lobby Day group on the steps of the Capitol.
On May 6th, 2008, an absolutely beautiful day, midwives and consumers from Akron, Dayton, Heath, Chillicothe, Mount Vernon, and Columbus area joined together at the Ohio Statehouse in honor of International Midwives Day (May 5th). I heard a few people even got up at 5:30 a.m. to come! There was a lot of hard work put into this event by the Columbus OFSB members, specifically, ICAN representative for OFSB, Kathy Skestos; Martha Nieset, Peggy Hutchinson, and Leah Hobbs, the Columbus OFSB Chapter leader. Thank you all for your dedication and all the time you volunteered to make this event a huge success!

Many of us were met with encouraging support for our cause. It was a really fun day, and for those of us that had never done this before, once we got past the first one or two, we realized just how easy this is! The organizers of the event had prepared baby gift bags for us filled with everything we needed, and had a nice talking points sheet ready for us which made it a lot easier. We handed each person we spoke with a fact sheet and some M&M’s (Moms and Midwives) and answered any brief question they may have had.

Governor Ted Strickland with OFSB members Amy Wakeling and Kerry Ratcliffe, and Kerry’s daughter Lilly.
The babies were a huge hit;) One of the ladies who called back to the Representative, said “Representative ______, you’ve got to get out here, the babies are here!” They loved them and I think we would be welcomed back any time! We are already brainstorming for ways to improve ourselves for next time! One thing we would really encourage for next time is to make sure we have representation from the entire state. Legislators count on their constituents to provide the information they need to make an informed decision on which position to take. As the consumers, we really need to make sure YOUR Representatives know who you are. If you haven’t done so already, please take a few minutes to write to your representative and tell them just how important this issue is to you!

Mark your calendars: the day after International Midwives Day, OFSB is coordinating a lobbying day at the state capitol in Columbus. Join us Tuesday, May 6, from 9 am - 3 pm for a day of lobbying for state licensure of CPMs at the Statehouse in Columbus. This is a great chance to familiarize yourself with the state capitol and visit the offices of your state representatives to introduce them to our issue before our bill is introduced next session. You will be provided with all necessary materials, talking points, and directions.

The schedule will be as follows:
9 - 10 am Welcome and Briefing
10 am - Noon Visit Representatives’ Offices
Noon - 1 pm Lunch: Meet up with others from our group, De-briefing
1-2:30 pm Visit Representatives’ Offices OR Attend Legislative Session
2:30-3 pm De-briefing

Please let us know if you are coming, but we won’t turn anyone away who shows up that day, either!

Please DRESS APPROPRIATELY. You want to make a good impression, even on staffers. This includes COMFORTABLE WALKING SHOES. You will be doing quite a bit of walking around the Capitol Complex.

At this point you might be saying, “Me? Lobby?” The idea of “lobbying” may sound intimidating, but it’s actually simpler than you might think. As this is our first event at the Statehouse, we’ve made it pretty easy. Mostly we will be delivering candy with a message to all the representatives’ offices. However, we do want to be prepared so we will give you some talking points for how to handle any chance encounters with legislators. Please practice using those talking points on the staff you meet. It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than, “Here is some candy to celebrate International Midwives Day, which was yesterday. By the way, I hope you will support licensure for certified professional midwives in Ohio.”

This lobby day will be good practice for the future so I hope you will join us, especially if you are interested but have never done any type of lobbying activity. Remember, we will provide all necessary materials on the day of the event and give you suggestions/answer questions.

UNTIL THEN, HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO:

In preparation for Lobby Day, we would like everyone to find out who their representatives are. Please follow the instructions below, and if you run into trouble we can help you. We would like to have the district information of everyone who is participating prior to lobby day, if possible. We will be storing this information in our database for future lobbying efforts.

HOW TO FIND YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES
1. Go to the homepage of the Ohio Legislature, and find the box in the lower right, “Locating Legislators.”
2. Search by ZIP code for your legislators. In most urban areas, you will need your ZIP+4 code to find your exact representatives due to the nature of legislative districts.
3. Don’t know your ZIP+4? Go to www.usps.com, click on “Find a ZIP code” on the top left, then enter your address, city and state.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Skestosor Martha Nieset, who are organizing the event.

Show your support for midwives with this eye-catching bumper sticker!

These bumper stickers are available from Ohio Families for Safe Birth for $4 each or 3 stickers for $10, plus $.50 to cover our shipping costs. Each oval sticker is about 6 inches long.

Thanks to Clary Signs for the generous donation of design work and bumper sticker printing to support our cause! Proceeds from bumper sticker sales will be used to fund further public outreach projects of Ohio Families for Safe Birth.

This past Saturday, midwives, apprentice midwives, and consumer activists gathered in Columbus for a workshop with Ida Darragh, chair of the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). Ida’s experience working with groups in other states that have recently passed midwifery licensure laws, as well as those who are attempting to get licensure laws passed but have not yet reached that goal, was a valuable resource to those in Ohio who hope to see direct-entry midwifery established as a legally recognized option for birthing families.

Ida shared stories about successful and not-so-successful strategies and tactics for educating and lobbying legislators. She explained the steps we would need to take to create an organized and effective grassroots effort to get a midwifery bill passed in Ohio. She guided us through role-playing practice at answering difficult questions and emphasized the importance of preparation, practice, eye contact, and body language in leaving legislators with the message we want them to hear. And she encouraged us to leave with an action plan for working together to send a unified message to our representatives: Ohio families want safe, legal, professional midwives.

The group of workshop participants included not only midwives and mothers who have given birth at home but also a nursing student who hopes to have a home birth in the future, a mother who birthed in the hospital but believes the home birth option should be available, and a home birth dad. Ida explained that this kind of diversity of voices would be extremely helpful in showing a broad base of public support for a midwifery licensure bill. Legislators have no reason to pass a law that will only benefit or protect a small “special interest group.” That is why our first task is to identify potential supporters beyond the obvious pool of home birth families. The names and contact information of friends, family, and neighbors who agree that women who want to birth at home should be able to choose a licensed, professional midwife to attend them and are willing to write or visit with a legislator to communicate their support for our bill need to be compiled in a database so that we can coordinate our efforts and show legislators that this issue is important to their constituents all across the state.

Ida also emphasized the importance of supporting and encouraging the core group of activists who will need to bear the lion’s share of work in getting a bill passed. To be successful, she explained, we will need to have someone at the Capitol every day that the legislators are in session, ready to seize any opportunity to inform, educate, and win support for our bill. This is a task that requires dedication, time, energy, and money and has a high potential for burnout. Appreciation and recognition of the sacrifice made by the primary players in the lobbying effort will mean a lot to them, especially if — as is frequently the case — it takes more than one season’s effort to get a bill passed.

2008 will be a year of preparation for the legislative effort, as we hope to introduce our bill in the 2009 legislative session. The key players: the Ohio Midwives Alliance (Ohio midwives’ professional organization), Ohio Friends of Midwives (a consumer group established in 1996 but largely inactive in recent years) and Ohio Families for Safe Birth (established last year and envisioned as a coalition group which could combine the efforts of all parties interested in midwifery legislation and other initiative supportive of the midwives’ model of care). The leadership of these groups needs to determine who will take responsibility for the various necessary organizational tasks as we work together for our common cause.

Meanwhile, everyone can be identifying potential supporters in their social networks. And for those who are able, this election year is a great time to establish a relationship with your representatives. Can you volunteer an hour or two to help with your house representative or senator’s re-election campaign? If your current legislator’s term is expiring, find out who is running to replace them. The Ohio State Legislature web page is the place to start to find your legislators’ names and contact information and whether they are up for re-election this fall. Take a minute to find out who your senator and house representative are if you don’t know already, see what bills they’ve sponsored in the past, and try to find a point of contact. When our midwifery bill comes up for a vote it will be our goal to have every legislator hear from as many as possible of his or her own constituents asking for their vote. So we need you and anyone else who is willing to help, and if you can start building bridges with your representatives now so that they remember you next year, so much the better!

If you missed the workshop and want more detailed information about the covered topics, you should definitely check out The North American Registry of Midwives Planninf for Legislation Handbook. Ida had spiral-bound copies available for $10 at the workshop,many of which went home with OMA and OFSB members, but the handbook is also available as a PDF file from NARM’s website.

Click here to download registration information in Microsoft Word format.

Protect the Right to Birth at Home!

Learn How to be an Effective Advocate!

A one day public legislative workshop sponsored by Ohio Families for Safe Birth, Ohio Friends of Midwives and Ohio Midwives Alliance

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Clinton Heights Lutheran Church

15 Clinton Heights Ave, Columbus, OH 43202

Ida Darragh, chair of the North American Regsitry of Midwives, will facilitate this day-long workshop. It is for midwives, consumers and other activists who are interested in working for legislation to end prosecution of direct entry midwives and protect the rights of families to birth at home with direct entry midwives. Ida will present an overview of the legislative process and lobbying strategies, as well as answer questions and address why this is the best route to end the prosecutions.

Lobbying “how to” topics include writing fact sheets, conducting interviews, speaking with legislators briefly and effectively, giving public testimony and answering tough questions spontaneously.

The workshop is designed to engage people who are new to engaging in politics around midwifery issues. You won’t come out an expert, but you’ll understand a lot more than before you came and you’ll leave far more confident about how you can be part of the solution!

If you are a midwife or apprentice, Ida will be offering professional development workshops (Preceptor-Apprentice Relationships, Midwifery Ethics and How to Become a CPM) the day before. CEU’s will be awarded for all workshops attended.

If you are traveling quite a distance and find that hospitality for Friday night would make is possible to attend the workshop, please indicate that with your registration.

Homebirth in Ohio is Under Seige!

Let’s join our efforts to protect families who choose to birth at home and the midwives who are committed to serving them!

MEAC accredited Continuing Education Units (CEUs) awarded for all sessions!

Babes in arms are welcome.

Childcare will be available on Saturday for older children.

Friday, January 18th - Professional Development ($5.00 per session)

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Preceptor-Apprentice Relationships (2 CEUs)

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Midwifery Ethics (2 CEUs)

5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Supper on your own

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. How to Become a CPM (2 CEUs)

Saturday, January 19th - Legislative Workshop

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Preparing for Midwifery Legislation (7 CEUs)

There is no set fee for the Saturday workshop. We will ask for a small free will donation to give to the church for the use of their space. We will have child care available and ask that you help provide a stipend for child care providers if you use their services.
Registration should be received by January 15, 2008.

Questions? Contact Stephanie Beck Borden at 513-546-1015 or safebirthohio@gmail.com

The Dayton chapter of Ohio Families for Safe Birth is planning a silent auction to raise money for the legal defense fund of a local midwife who is under investigation and facing legal action. The date and time are now confirmed for January 13, from 3 to 5 p.m. The auction will be held at The Greene Community Room (above Caribou Coffee at 51 Plum Street). You can download a flier for the auction (Microsoft Word format) or contact Dayton chapter coordinator Autumn Golden for more information.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, January 19 for an event being co-sponsored by Ohio Families for Safe Birth, Ohio Midwives Alliance and Ohio Friends of Midwives. Ida Darragh from the North American Registry of Midwives (the certifying organization for Certified Professional Midwives) will be in Columbus to facilitate an all-day workshop on legislative advocacy. Often, the biggest stumbling block people say they have to getting involved is that they don’t know what to do or say. The workshop addresses those questions and concerns. By all accounts, Ida does an AMAZING job and folks come away from the workshop feeling like they know how to do what needs to be done. More details to come as they get worked out, including cost and possible on-site child care.

Catie Mehl, a Columbus area doula, childbirth educator, and pre-med student, is working on a project illustrating the reasons why families choose out-of-hospital birth. Can you share your story and pictures with her? Here is what she is looking for:

Did you choose to have a home birth because you felt your birthing options were being limited? Did you switch from an OB to a home birth midwife during your pregnancy so you could birth your baby how you wanted? Did you have your first baby in the hospital and had a bad experience which led you to find a home birth midwife? If you answered yes to any of these questions I need your help!

Many of you may have heard about different midwives around the state being investigated for attending home births. I am saddened by what is going on and struggle with what to do about it. My step-mom reminded me that change will occur as you spread your love and consciousness, wisdom, and education to your community. Many people don’t understand why someone would choose a home birth nor do they understand what many women go through in the hospital. While driving today I had an idea.

I am going to make a photo montage of home birth families with their midwives and explain the reason each family choose the route they did. I tell people everyday what leads many to seek out a midwife and I don’t feel like I’m being heard. I believe people need to hear the stories from the families. They need to see the faces and know this is real and not just some out-there story. If you are interested in being a part of my project here is what I need from you (it is OK if you don’t have everything, just send what you have):

• Permission to use your photos, name and your story (Only your first name and last initial)
• 4-5 photos from your labor and/or birth
• A family photo, preferably right after the birth but any will do
• A photo with your family and your midwife (her name will NOT be used)
• Your story: What happened that caused you to seek out a midwife? Did you feel your options were being limited? Did you not feel respected by your OB? The hospital? Did you feel mistreated in your first birth and knew there was a better way?

I prefer all of the above to be sent to me in an email but if your photos are not on your computer you can mail them to me as well (please contact me for my address). I would like to have everything by December 5th as I am going to create this while on Christmas break from school.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at WhyOhioNeedsMidwives@gmail.com or call me at 614-336-9828.

When you share your story and pictures with Catie, please consider sending them to the Safe Birth blog as well! We are not looking for quite as many details as Catie’s project: for the blog, please send either single photos with a brief (2-3 sentence), non-identifying description for our “Sunday Photo Album” feature, and /or longer (200-500 word) first-person personal accounts of your experience with midwifery care and out-of-hospital birth for our mid-week “Family Voices” column. Send contributions to soracolvin@gmail.com.