Being part of the Big Push for Midwives is of great value to OFSB in our mission of improving access to midwifery care here in Ohio. By bringing together birth activists from all over the country, the Big Push lets us draw on the wealth of experience and strategy of those who have walked the legislative halls before us. Even better, it lets us vicariously share in and celebrate the triumphs of other states. Every success bolsters the position of birth activists in other states that do not yet have CPM licensure.

This is a fantastic article, the kind of coverage we want to see a lot more of. North Carolina has been working hard to overcome opposition to their proposed midwifery bill. Russ (quoted in the article) is a very active member of the Big Push and Dr. Dorn’s North Carolina Physicians for Midwives was the model for our newly launched Ohio group.

Pennsylvania Certified Professional Midwife (CPM_ Diane Goslin, who was fined $11,000 by the State Medical board last year for unlicensed practice, has won her appeal. The court has reversed the Medical Board’s decision and ruled that midwifery is not the practice of medicine and that the medical board’s jurisdiction is only over certified nurse midwives (PA does not currently recognize the CPM credential). Hundreds of Amish families rallied in support of Goslin’s at her trial last year. See this site for more details as they become available.

Jennifer Block, author of Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care, toured Ohio this week, signing books and sharing her message about the serious flaws in our maternity care system. OFSB was involved in two events, in Columbus Wednesday evening and Cincinnati Thursday evening. Turnout was excellent despite bad weather and bad traffic and a crowded room listened intently as Jennifer explained how she had become interested in childbirth options as a feminist and an investigative journalist, and described the “painful truths” she had learned in the process of researching and writing her book.

Jennifer Block speaking in Cincinnati:

At least 80 people braved a heavy downpour and miserable traffic to fill our venue in Cincinnati to standing room only:

The question-and-answer session after Jennifer’s presentation became a stimulating discussion and it was clear that everyone in the room is concerned about the critical issues facing our maternity care system and eager to work for change. We were excited to be able to officially announce a new development in OFSB’s campaign for better maternity care options in Ohio: Ohio Physicians for Midwives. Founding OB/GYN Dr. Daniel Bowen addressed the crowd before Jennifer Block’s Cincinnati performance. He acknowledged the vital work of the coalition and explained our desire to recruit supportive physicians of all specialties to join together in supporting access to licensed out-of-hospital midwifery care for Ohio mothers. He also flatly refuted the recent ACOG statement opposing home birth as “trendy”, recognizing that families who choose home birth have made a carefully researched, reasonable decision and that midwives attending home births are skilled clinicians whose standard of care is excellent.

The Ohio Physicians for Midwives web page is still being updated, and should have many more resources available in the coming weeks. We are completing an information packet to send to potential physician members, which will include Dr. Bowen’s letter inviting them to join OPFM and support midwifery licensure in Ohio. There is already a form on the website which allows anyone to fill in their physician’s contact information to have a packet sent to them, and we will soon also have the option of requesting a packet that you can hand-deliver and discuss with your physician in person. As more members join OPFM, the web page will also become a means of linking families with care providers who respect their decision-making rights and support their choices.

Dr. Bowen has been an invaluable resource to home birthing families in the Cincinnati area for many years, and his desire to take a public stand on this important issue is appreciated and applauded by all of us at OFSB.

OFSB would also like to thank all of the volunteers who put their time and efforts into making the Jennifer Block events, both in Cincinnati and Columbus, a great success. We also appreciate the support of the local businesses who helped to sponsor the Cincinnati event.

Bargain Hunt in Beautiful Yellow Springs this Weekend!

OFSB YARD SALE AND PANCAKE BREAKFAST

Saturday, May 17th

202 S. Winter St.
Yellow Springs, OH 45387

on the corner of Dayton and Winter St

Children’s, Infant and Maternity Items and Household Goods for Sale

Really delicious whole grain pancakes with real maple syrup, farm-fresh sausage and more!

Event begins at 9am, breakfast ends at 1pm

There will be yard sales all over Yellow Springs and Glen Helen today!

From Columbus, this WOSU radio story highlights the growing popularity of water birth.

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!

While our wonderful OFSB Lobby Day organizers in Columbus are passing out goodies to the legislators in honor of International Midwives Day, I wanted to share two excellent articles about the politics of health care in the U.S. and midwifery licensure specifically.

The first one, Midwifery is Messy, by Jennifer Braun, the program director of International Midwife Assistance, tells about her experience lobbying for midwifery legislation in Colorado in the early ’90s:

“I have a friend who was in Viet Nam. He explained to me that while I was working in the legislature, I was at war. I had seen things that I shouldn’t have seen and done things I might not feel that good about doing, but I did those things and saw those things for the good of the mission. It always seemed to me that the legislature was an altogether different world, not so much like a far away land that I’d gone to war in, but more like Narnia — a whole different ecosystem where very little was the same as back in my world.”

The second, a blog post by a naturopathic doctor in Oregon, relates the issue of midwifery licensure to the broader world of health politics:

“The US needs to realize that it should be protecting its citizens, and not big corporations. We protect the financial interests of pharmaceutical companies, while forbidding women to deliver babies in their homes. The health care industry needs to stay focused on life, rather than profit. Life is an unalienable right, not money.”

Happy International Midwives Day! We’ve made great progress in the past year toward our goal of making midwifery a legally recognized, licensed, and accessibly option for Ohio families. With your help, the next year will be even better.

It’s not too late to come out for OFSB’s first International Midwives Day Lobby Day. Because the Ohio Legislature is not in session today, OFSB members are meeting at the Capitol tomorrow, May 6th. This is a perfect opportunity to come to Columbus, get to know the Capitol grounds, see where your elected officials’ offices are, meet the front office folks and have a low-stakes conversation about midwifery.

It’s the best way to dip your toe in the pool, so to speak, and ease into advocacy and lobbying. In order to combat the power of organized medicine, we have to be able to rally our troops to come to Columbus and make an impression! If you come this time, you go back home and tell all your friends how easy it is so we can multiply our numbers next time we have a lobby day.

The rules are simple: Appropriate attire is casual business type clothing. We need to look mainstream to the folks we meet so as to present the fewest possible barriers to communicating and building relationships. Shoes should be comfortable for considerable walking. Children are welcome (and will make you memorable!).

Our amazing organizers will supply you with the talking points, candy and other pieces of information that you’ll need to know. RSVPing isn’t required, but….if you do, we’ll be able to have information available specific to your legislative delegation. So, let us know you’re coming and who you’re bringing with you! Email:
Kathy Skestos (kathleen@skestos.com)
Martha Nieset (marthanieset@gmail.com)

The currently planned schedule (possibly subject to change):

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

IF YOU DECIDE TO COME AT THE LAST MINUTE YOU WILL BE WELCOMED!

BRING YOUR CELL PHONE AND CAMERA So you can call Kathy or Martha if you run into any difficulties, are asked any questions you don’t know how to answer, etc. Bring your camera in case you get to meet your legislator. We hope to post some of your Lobby Day pictures on the blog this week - send them to Sora (soracolvin@gmail.com).

WHERE/WHEN TO MEET
Meet at 9 AM in the Columbus City Center Atrium in the City Center Mall (it is mostly empty of stores but still open to the public). The mall is directly SOUTH of the Statehouse, across State Street. The City Center parking garage is directly SOUTH of the Mall. Park in the garage and walk THROUGH THE MALL to find the atrium, which is on the ground floor.

Click here for directions to the City Center Garage.

Click here for a map and directions to the statehouse.