2011-2012 Board of Directors

The newest Mississippi Friends of Midwives Board of Directors have been officially installed and already been working hard! We've held a few events across the state to promote our organization and educate our local communities about midwifery. We've been creating goals for the upcoming year and have lots in store!!!

President, Bianca Wooden
email: me@biancawooden.com
phone: 228.233.0686
Bianca is a founder of MS Friends of Midwives and served as Treasurer for the past year.  Bianca's first birth was attended by a CNM in Atlanta with no complications or interventions.  When she got pregnant 5 years later in south Mississippi, she sought out a provider and hospital that was familiar and comfortable with natural birth.  After much research and education, she decided on a home birth with a CPM as her caregiver. Bianca is an advocate for improving birth outcomes and hopes that in the future, MS will have midwives available across the state, working in homes and birth centers in collaboration with local OBs and hospitals - to provide the very best care. Bianca's family lives in Ocean Springs.

 Vice –President, Mandi Sanders
email: goodearthgourmet@gmail.com
phone: 662.791.1663
Mandi is a founder of MS Friends of Midwives and served as Board Member for the past year.  After researching and visiting local hospitals and obstetricians, Mandi was disappointed with not only the philosophies and outcomes of these facitilites, but also the lack of options available to pregnant and birthing women in her area. Mandi sought out alternative care that would be supportive of natural childbirth. This led her down the path of midwifery care and deciding to birth at home. Both of her children were born at home in Mississippi attended by CPM's out of Memphis, TN.
Mandi is passionate about natural childbirth options and better education for women about their bodies' amazing capabilities.She currently resides in Starkville, MS and is busy with all things related to mothering 2 boys, Tripp (3) and Charlie (1).

Secretary, Kathy Petersen
Kathy is a founder of MS Friends of Midwives and served as Secretary for the past year.  When Kathy was pregnant the first time, she started reading about all things related to pregnancy and birth, in preparation for a planned home-birth with a CNM. Afterward, she continued her interest in all things related to birth, gave birth at home a second time (this time in MS, with a CPM from Memphis as the midwife), and started Woman to Woman Childbirth Education blog on WordPress. Kathy lives with her family in Ripley, MS.

 Treasurer, Maddy Dietrich
email: madeline.dietrich@yahoo.com
phone: 769-220-2120
  Maddy has become increasingly interested in birth in the last several years, and  firmly believes that women deserve the choice of midwifery care.  The care is holistic, superior, and what every woman needs in their pregnancy journey.   She has been married for a little more than three years and has one 15-month- old daughter named Maria, who she is blessed to stay home with.  She and her husband are expecting their second child in October.  She believes that birth is normal, and wishes to empower women to embrace their God-given abilities and trust their bodies. They live in Hattiesburg.

Board Member, Laura Dearman
email: lmd328@gmail.com
phone: 601-214-3144
Laura is a stay at home mama to Henry, 2.5 and Liza, 9 months.  After the highly managed birth of Henry, she became consumed with reading and learning about natural childbirth while planning an intervention-free birth in a hospital setting during Liza's pregnancy.  After reading home birth birth stories, Laura sought and found a Mississippi based DEM to attend their daughter's birth at home.  The more Laura learns about women's natural ability to give birth, the more important she feels it is to empower women by promoting and advocating natural childbirth.

Board Member, Jess Eddleman
email:  ilovelabor@gmail.com   
phone: 601.405.5743
Jess is married and has one son who will be two in June. She lived in Jackson as a teenager, graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi, spent five years in Portland, OR and then returned back to Jackson after the birth f her son, to be closer to family. Her pregnancy and experience wither own midwives sparked an interest in birth. She is now serving as a doula in the Jackson area.  She is working towards DONA-certification.

Board Member, Toni Hill
email: whozyourdoula@yahoo.com
phone: 662-255-8283
Toni Hill became fascinated with women's health when she was her mother's doula at the age of 14.  She is the mother of four children that she home schools.  She is a doula and a childbirth educator in Northeast Mississippi.  Toni is the project coordinator of the Northeast Mississippi Birthing Project which supports and educates pregnant women until their children reach a year old.   Toni supports mothers with breastfeeding as a La Leche League leader and as a lactation specialist with the Mississippi state department of health.  Toni advocates for all women to have access to care, evidenced-based information, and better birth outcomes.  Toni lives in Tupelo with her husband Jimmy and her four home-schooled children; Precious (14), Jimmy III(9), Preston (7), and Patience (4).


We are excited for the great things the next year has in store for us! We are overwhelmed with the support in our state and thrilled for the community we have helped create amongst home birth and midwifery-supporting families in Mississippi. If you want to get involved, but are unsure of what to do or where to start, PLEASE contact one of the board members. We're here to help!

Yes, You Really Need to Go to Jackson!!



Mississippi Friends of Midwives is pushing you to go to Jackson and you might be wondering why.

 Aren’t the calls and emails enough?

 Aren’t other people going and talking to the legislators?

Before we answer those questions, let's have a mini history lesson...

Last year, a bill was introduced that would have restricted childbirth attendants to OBs and CNMs (Certified Nurse Midwives) in hospitals. This would have made the Direct Entry Midwives (DEMs) that attend home births in MS illegal. The bill went right through the House of Representatives and over to the Senate without hesitation. Just then, word spread to the home birthing families in MS about the legislation and there was a strong outcry against the bill. Senators let the bill “die in committee” by not bringing it up for a vote by the deadline.

Fast forward exactly one year….After a lot of hard work by MS Friends of Midwives and the MS Midwives Alliance, House Bill (HB) 207 has been passed by the house and now sits in the hands of the very same, Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee with that same deadline approaching, March 1^st. (Learn more about the bill and why it is important here: http://biancawooden.blogspot.com/2011/02/why-do-we-need-hb207.html

So, to answer those questions,

Yes, there are a handful of the same people that have been to the Capitol repeatedly to speak with Legislators.

And, NO, at this point in the process, calls and emails are NOT enough!!

Let me tell you why.

The Medical community is at the Capitol every day lobbying AGAINST our bill. Women in Mississippi have enjoyed the right to birth at home with the care provider of their choice since the beginning of time. However, there are organizations in our state (such as the Mississippi State Medical Association and the Mississippi Nursing Association) that are working to see that right taken away and limited to their services in their hospitals. The organizations that tried to make home birth illegal last year did not and will not give up. They are working to kill our “pro-homebirth” bill and rest assured, they will take another shot at eradicating it next year.



We need your help to make a change.

 The legislators of MS are somewhat supportive of home birth and are willing to consider a law to recognize midwives and their role in the maternity care system.

We have some momentum, but we need to keep it going and gain the favor of the Senators.

The deadline for the bill to come out of committee and be voted upon by the Senate is March 1^st.

If we can’t convince the Senators in the Public Health and Welfare committee to bring this bill up for a vote, it dies.

All of our hard work and money is lost.

And, our opposition will be poised to make direct entry midwives illegal next year.

The future of midwifery care is in your hands.

I know you are busy and taking care of a hundred responsibilities.

So are we.

But, this is your chance to make a real difference in our state.

 It is the consumers that have the power to make this change, not the midwives.

The Senators are asking  to speak with their own constituents on the Midwife Safety Bill.

Lobbyists are at the Capitol EVERY DAY trying to kill this bill with faulty information and telling our Legislators that home birth in unsafe and should not be "approved" by the State by allowing this bill to pass.

 Are you going to let them stamp down families that support the right to birth at home?

We KNOW the system of maternity care needs to move forward and accept women who choose to birth at home and that by providing these minimum standards for midwives, we make that choice more credible to the consumer.

 Do something about it!

You may be saying to yourself, "I want to go. I want to help, but I just can't".

Well, we are here to help!

Let us know your reasons for not being able to go...

financial reasons, transportation, childcare, uncomfortable talking to Senators, have more questions about the bill...whatever your dilemma, Mississippi Friends of Midwives Board Members are available to help.

Contact us via email, facebook or by phone (numbers below & on our Contact Us page).

Let us help you get to Jackson!

Our state legislature is in session for 12 weeks.

We are halfway through with a SPRINT to the finish line.

THIS WEEK IS THE MOST CRITICAL TIME TO BE AT THE CAPITOL.

Our opposition will be there, will you???

RSVP HERE

Bianca Wooden: 228.233.0686
Vanessa Dudley: 228.282.3346

Mandi Sanders: 662.791.1663

Get Thee to the Capitol!

It is so very important that as many of us as possible take the time and physically go to the Capitol and meet with our Legislators. It may seem intimidating to some, but remember they are employed by us and for us.

Their job depends on you! 

One of our board members, Charis Delatte, took the opportunity to go to the Capitol today to distribute the goodie bags we made at the Push Party this past Saturday. She was accompanied by 2 of our other members and their children as well as her own daughter.

Here is a summary of her visit today as well as some pointers for future visitors:

Mississippi Friends of Midwives Members with Rep. Steve Holland

My First Visit to the Capitol

Let me begin by saying that I missed the politickin' genes of my family. I don't typically get jazzed up about shaking hands and convincing people to stand behind what I'm selling.

Today I made my first visit to the capitol to talk with as many of the Board of Public Health and Human Services members as I could. I took some notes from this visit and I'd like to share them with you. These are specific to our own state capitol building and may not apply anywhere else.

1. Dress appropriately - Southern politicians, their aides and secretaries all dress well. They seem surprised to see women NOT dressed like they're supposed to be there.

2. Be as organized and thorough as possible before you go. - This is likely a no brainer to most, but I thought I had it all together when I left the house.

3. If you are handing out packets, goodie bags, or any other paraphernalia, have the names and office numbers of each person you intend to see written ON the package. Go a step further and put them in numerical order by floor and room number. This will avoid looking at your "list" and getting funny looks from standers-by.

4. Bring your kiddo if you must, but leave the stroller at home. I thought I was doing myself a favor by having it, but the offices that these folks work in are SO SMALL! and the elevator is too. Even with just my umbrella stroller it was too much. Use a carrier instead.

5. Don't leave your self-confidence at the door. There are security checks, sideways glances, annoyed secretaries, and men in bow-ties! Remember why you are there, and that these people work for you! A little lipstick doesn't hurt either.

6. You don't have to do it alone. Call a friend, a board member, a sister, a husband. Take someone with you to remind yourself that you're not the "only" person who is in favor of this!

7. Cell Phone reception is not good, and they really aren't allowed anyway. I took my smart phone hoping to not fiddle with paper as much, but the signal was so bad that it took WAAAAY longer than looking up the information on a sheet of paper would. Better yet, just see #3

8. Try not to panic when the politicians kiss your kid. It's what they do.

Good Luck,

Charis Delatte

Point of View

As I am getting everything together this morning for our Push Party and getting excited for things to come for midwifery in our great state, I was thinking about my own reasons for wanting a homebirth. First and foremost, safety and better outcomes for mother and baby were my primary reasons. But after experiencing the birth of my first born child at home, the list greatly expanded and did so again after my second child was born. 

Over the summer, Mississippi Friends of Midwives asked its members to submit a brief article about their reasons for choosing homebirth and midwifery care to Parents and Kids Magazine. One that really touched me was written by Melissa Barlow. Here is what she had to say:

As I sit here in the early morning watching my four month old daughter sleep, I recall wonderful moment I met her first. Surrounded by my husband, daughter, doula and midwife in my bedroom squatting beside the bed, I was being told “You are doing just amazing,” I looked up at my husband, who was supporting me from behind and said, “With this next one, we are going to do this. I CAN do this!”

And then I did. 

My warm, wet baby was placed on my chest and dried, as I cried “My baby, I love you so much. I can’t believe we did this. It was such hard work, but we did it!” She took her first breaths and cried. I had waited for months to hear that cry and to hold this little person.

It really was a moment I was afraid I would never experience. My oldest daughter’s birth was not nearly so beautiful. In the hospital with bright lights, I saw her for the first time after she was cut from my belly. While I loved her just as greatly, it took nearly a decade for me to gather the courage to try again.

My midwife spent hours at appointments in my living room listening to my fears and concerns, all the while assuring me that I could birth my baby. I could trust my body to do what it was built to do. When this birth actually happened, I almost could not believe I actually did it. How empowering it was.

In my opinion, that is what midwives do. 

They empower women to be strong, confident mothers.

Written by Melissa Barlow, consumer of midwife and homebirth services in the central Mississippi area.

What were your initial reasons for choosing a midwife-attended homebirth? Did your perspective and reasons change after the birth of your child?

House Bill 207

You can find our filed bill on the Mississippi Legislative website under bill status:

http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2011/pdf/history/HB/HB0207.xml

So, I guess that makes it official?!

Now, we need YOUR help to get this bill passed!

Come to our Push Party this Saturday to find out what you can do to support our cause!

Can't come? You can always donate to our organization anytime from the comfort of your computer.

Click on the 'donate' button at the top of the blog!

The Heart of Midwifery

One of the most dedicated forces behind our legislative push is certified professional midwife, Renata Hillman.  She has been serving families in Mississippi since 1981 and will hopefully, continue to do so for years to come. This post is an article she wrote and it speaks so clearly as to the importance of allowing women to have the option of midwifery care.

The Heart of Midwifery

 

 How do you explain to someone that has never held their newborn immediately after the birth; the importance of continuity of care that a midwife gives?

How do you recapture those first minutes of family life?

It is nearly impossible…..

Holistic care provided by a skilled, competent midwife is a process most people know little to nothing about. It is so different from the routine care the general public receives in a hurried medical environment.
It is knowing, personally, your caregiver.
But even more, it is being known by that same caregiver.

 

She knows:

-Your individual needs
- Your nutritional patterns and therefore, how to counsel you in nutritional needs
- Your birth history and what you did or didn’t understand or like
-Your birth plans and desires

 

A Certified Professional Midwife knows how to care for a healthy, well-educated, low risk expectant Mother. She knows how to assess for complications and how to manage them or refer them to a specific care provider outside of her practice. She knows how to guide the Mother and Family through pregnancy, birth, and the period after the birth.

 

All of this to accomplish, not a routine birth, but the birth the Mother desired to have; respecting the Family’s rights, wishes, and plans while providing thorough, competent, considerate care.
Midwives are still a respected caregiver all across the globe for the expectant Mother.
American families are returning to the traditional caregiver for their maternity care once again
 

 

Renata Hillman
Certified Professional Midwife
Serving Mississippi Families since 1981