Midwifery & Doula News
From the Simkin Center & Department of Midwifery at Bastyr University
Formerly Seattle Midwifery School
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October 2009
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Volume 7 No 10
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Greetings!
We have so much to share with you this month that I am going to make my note brief. Suzy Myers and I both attended this year's MANA conference and the associated board of directors meetings for National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM), Midwifery Accreditation Education Council (MEAC) and Association of Midwifery Educators (AME). Please see Suzy's report below on the M.A.M.A. campaign and make sure you are part of the national movement!
As of this moment, we are still awaiting approval from the regional accreditors for our merger with Bastyr University. Sometimes with these processes the wheels turn slowly, but they turn surely and you can count on us notifying our community as soon as we are able to make the happy announcement.
Read on and, as always, please send us your feedback.
Best,
Mary Yglesia
Director
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Still Room in the November 21-22 / December 5-6 Labor Support Course
 Did
you know that the Simkin Center Doula Trainers have inspired nearly
3500 birth doulas since 1988 and are leaders in shaping the doula
movement and women's care in birth?
Join us and see why
students say the Labor Support Course is a life-changing experience.
Four full days November 21-22 and December 5-6. Register now, or for more information, click here.
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 Where is the MAMA Campaign now? So, so close....
I've just returned from a wonderful and stimulating Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) conference in Asilomar, California. There, the MAMA Campaign received an extraordinary reception from the over 500 people who attended this year's conference. Following an informative presentation by Mary Lawlor, campaign co-chair, and members of the steering committee, including a live web-streamed address by our lobbyist in Washington, D.C., Billy Wynne--all punctuated by much applause, cheers and foot-stomping--many people told us how much they appreciate the work being done to include the services of Certified Professional Midwives in federal Medicaid law.
Where is the campaign and our amendment now? We have new and ongoing support in the Senate to include our provision, as well from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, whose staff have told us "your provision is front and center on the minds of the committee staff--you are in the mix as the House prepares their bill for the floor." So, we will see this legilative session through to its conclusion and hope for the best!
To date the campaign has raised over $130,000 to support the work, including a talented team of professional lobbyists and campaign staff in Washington, D.C. We will need about $30,000 more to get us to the end of the year. Have you donated yet? If so, can you give again? If not, your contribution means even more now. Let's not lose momentum when we are so, so close!
Please make a contribution today to help carry us over the top! Invest in the future of midwifery in the United States!
- Suzy Myers, LM CPM
Chair, Department of Midwifery
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| Contact Us |
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info@seattlemidwifery.org
4000 NE 41st Street
Building D, Suite 3
Seattle, Washington 98105
206.322.8834 / 800.747.9433
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Calendar Notice
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Next Childbirth Professions Open House
11/3/09
12/1/09
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An "Evening at Bastyr" November 12 from 6-8:30 p.m. Here is a good opportunity to visit the Bastyr University campus and learn more about the midwifery program. Our admissions advisor and current students will be at the Department of Midwifery table to answer your questions. Click here to visit the Bastyr website and RSVP for the event.
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Cesarean Rate Doesn't Tell The Whole Story... Drilling Down to the Complicated Delivery Rate
Kim James,
CD (DONA, PALS), ICCE, LCCE
One rebuttal to the straight comparison of cesarean birth rates between hospitals is the assertion that not all hospitals are created equal: Hospitals that take higher-risk pregnancies can expect a higher rate of cesarean birth. That seems logical, but is it true? I compared 33 Washington state hospital 2008 cesarean rates to their complicated delivery rates. The hospitals with the highest cesarean rates were not always the hospitals with the highest percentage of complicated deliveries.
The University of Washington Medical Center had the highest number of complicated deliveries, 42%, with a correspondingly high 38% cesarean birth rate. Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland had the highest cesarean birth rate, 40%, but only a 21% rate of complicated deliveries. Overlake Hospital in Bellevue had a 38% cesarean birth rate but only a 15% complicated delivery rate. Compare that to Seattle's Group Health Central with a relatively low 23% cesarean rate and a 21% complicated delivery rate.
Becoming an informed, aware consumer is part of moving towards a healthy, safe and normal childbirth. Helping consumers understand the differences between birth places and the culture, policies, and politics that create those differences is a paramount role for childbirth educators.
For the full hospital comparison, click here.
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Simkin Center Instructors present at Lamaze InternationalLamaze International held its annual conference October 1-4, 2009 in Orlando, FL.
We are so proud that three Simkin Center instructors were invited to make presentations to childbirth educators and others from around the world:
 Penny Simkin PT (the Center's namesake) led a concurrent session "Postpartum: The Neglected Phase of Childbearing" and the closing plenary session "Birth is Normal...But What is Normal Birth?' which drew a standing ovation.
S haron Muza CD (DONA), LCCE presented a concurrent session titled "Working your Magic: The Educator's Role in Reducing the Fear of Pain"
Teri Shilling MS, CD (DONA), IBCLC, LCCE led "I Can Make Milk: What's Your Magic Power?" concurrent session and the plenary session titled "Making Magic Happen" to improve childbirth education teaching strategies.
Congratulations Penny, Sharon and Teri!
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MAWS 2009 Fall Conference Filled with Practical Sessions!
 This year's Fall 2009 Conference and Annual Meeting on Friday, November 13th organized by the Midwives' Association of Washington State promises to be an exciting one.
Workshop sessions include a panel on Homeopathy for Midwives with Monique Arsenault and Patricia Kay, two classical homeopaths and SMS graduate, Ann Olsen, a licensed midwife who uses homeopathy extensively in her practice; an update on Caring for Women with Gestational Diabetes with Kathy McGee, RN from Swedish Diabetes Education Program; and insights into handling Postpartum Hemorrhage and Third Stage Difficulties with midwife Gail Hart from Oregon.
MAWS hopes to see midwives, student midwives, as well as others who care for childbearing women at this year's conference.
Click here to register now or click here for more information.
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Changing Birth in Venezuela This autumn, Simkin Center was honored with the visit from Iris Violeta Escobar from Venezuala. Iris completed the Birth Doula Trainer Course and the Childbirth Educator Training with scholarship support from the Simkin Center. She would like to set up urban and rural support centers for pregnant women in Venezuela. You can help! Iris seeks a donation or to purchase a vinyl pelvic model (including placenta, cord and fetal model). Please contact her before Monday 11/2 at 206.432.9949 or 206.679.6507, or send her an email if you can help her.
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Third-Party Reimbursement for Doulas?
(From DONA International)
DONA International is pleased to announce that a new code for doulas in the United States has been approved and defined by the National Uniform Claim Committee. This code will come into effect on October 1, 2009 for services rendered after that date. Pat Burrell, a birth doula and registered nurse from South Carolina, was successful in lobbying for the assignment of the code, which will allow doulas to be assigned provider numbers to submit claims to both Medicaid and third-party payers for their services.
"While this does not guarantee third-party reimbursement, it is an enormous step forward in our mission to ensure a doula for every woman who wants one" says Debbie Young, President of DONA International. "Individual doulas will have to apply for a provider number and comply with other requirements that have yet to be determined.
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News Bits
Governor's Interagency Council on Healthy Disparities
Click here to visit the resources section of the website
From G. Maria Carlos, Program Manager
Infant Mortality Prevention Program
Parent Child Health
Public Health - Seattle & King County
Hospitals Tighten Rules for Elective Inductions, C-Sections Ahead of New Joint Commission Reporting Requirements From Women's Health Policy Report. Click here to read the article>
Assignment: Dying to Give BirthA stark, explicit piece from Jill McGivering at the BBC, who follows the work of Dr Nighat in a maternity hospital
in Karachi "as she deals with daily reality of neo-natal death and poor
facilities for pregnant women." Click here to listen>
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Video: Denial of Insurance Coverage for Previous Cesarean?
Thanks Feministing for sharing this video about Peggy Robertson "who was denied insurance coverage because she previously
had a c-section. But her super kind and thoughtful insurance company
told her that if she got sterilized, they would give her coverage."
Click here to hear Peggy's story>
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Pregnant or Postpartum in Seattle? - Models and Panelists Needed
 Always had a hankering to be a model? Want to promote midwifery by helping to train new midwives? The Department of Midwifery needs models to help assess the clinical skills of our senior students. All skills are non-invasive, external and very kindly done! Models should be in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy OR 2-10 weeks postpartum at the time of the exam. Additionally, we need models (pregnant or non-pregnant) to help simulate birth scenarios.
December 5 and/or December 6, 2009
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Models paid $10 / hour
Contact Sarah at (206) 322-8834 x108 or send an email
The Simkin Center is seeking pregnant women in their third trimester to be
panelists for our popular Birth Doula Labor Support Course.
It's a lot of fun and a great chance to help aspiring doulas learn
about the emotions of pregnancy. We need panelists for November 21, 2009 at the Talaris campus from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Honorarium offered. Contact us by email or call Annie Kennedy at 206.322.8834 x115 for more information.
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Census Report on Moms Highlights Need for Diverse Doula Programs
From Thrive by Five Washington
The U.S. Census offered a surprising snapshot of stay-at-home moms
last week and tucked into that report is a finding that suggests the
need for diverse doula programs: Roughly a third of stay-at-home moms
were born in other countries.
While the summary doesn't break down all of the nations, it suggests a
demand for doulas familiar with the foreign cultures that define
neighborhoods where early learning groups focus their efforts.
Read the full article>
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Federal Appeals Court Finds Shackling of an Arkansas Inmate During Labor and Birth May Have Violated the Constitution
"The practice of keeping female prisoners in shackles while they give
birth is barbaric. But it remains legal in more than 40 states, and
advocates of prisoners' rights say it is all too common."
Read the 10/13/09 editorial in the New York Times>
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The 50th Anniversary Mega Conference
September 30 - October 3, 2010 | Midwest Airlines Convention Center | Milwaukee, WI
Hosted by Lamaze International and the International Childbirth Educator Association
Lamaze International and the International Childbirth Educator Association (ICEA) are joining together in Milwaukee, WI, on September 30 - October 3, 2010, to celebrate their 50-year anniversaries. The 50th Anniversary Mega Conference, Celebrating Our Pasts, Uniting for the Future of Birth, will unify the birth community in an unprecedented event that combines education, research, networking and social activities. We hope you make plans to join us for this once-in-a-lifetime event!
The deadline to submit abstracts for The 50th Anniversary Mega Conference is January 8, 2010. Details will be coming to this site for complete abstract submission guidelines and a link to an online abstract submission tool.
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Upcoming Conferences & Workshops
Midwives' Association of Washington State 2009 Fall Conference & Annual Meeting
November 13, 2009 - Seattle, WA. More information>
CIMS,
2010 Mother-Friendly Childbirth Forum & Annual Meeting
February 26-27, 2010 - Austin, TX. More information>
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Call for Speaker Proposals
16th Annual DONA International Conference
August 5-8, 2010, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Deadline November 30, 2009
Click here for instructions on submitting your proposal>
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We truly appreciate the feedback you continue to give us on the eNews. Please keep it coming. We welcome your input and, certainly, any news that affects women, babies and families in the childbearing year. You can write to us by simply replying to this email. And please share this with your friends by using the "forward email" link, which will give them the benefit of the graphics and photos. They will not be automatically subscribed to the list, but they can sign up if they like!
Sincerely,
Seattle Midwifery School
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