February 2010
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Volume 8 No 2
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Greetings!
Here in the Northwest we are so fortunate to live in an area that recognizes and, for the most part, values the work of midwives and doulas. We enjoy licensure, malpractice insurance, reimbursement, medical backup and an abundance of providers. Because of this it is easy to become complacent, not remembering our sisters who are facing significant threats to the perseveration and delivery of high quality maternity care and the support of birthing women.  But the impact of a natural disaster the magnitude of which we recently witnessed in Haiti, or the long term effects of war as in Afghanistan,
or Kosovo, which, years after the war, has infant mortality rates twice as high as neighboring countries (Unicef.org), or simply the lack of access to quality care caused by a broken heath care system, should remind us that despite these horrendous conditions women still grow their babies and birth their babies and each of them deserves to have a trained and supportive care provider at their side.
Seattle Midwifery School and the Simkin School invites all of us to consider how we can reach out and do something to preserve and provide midwifery and doula care to all women who choose it.
Sincerely,
Mary Yglesia
Director
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March Birth Doula Training
There's still time to enroll!
Did
you know that the Simkin School Doula Trainers have inspired nearly
3700 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 March 19-20 & 26-27, 2010. Register now, or for more information, click here.
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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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 Are you ready to apply?
This year's priority application deadline for the midwifery program is March 1, 2010.
Applications received after this date will be accepted on a space-available basis. Please visit our website to learn more about applying and to download an application.
If you have questions about applying you can also contact our admissions advisor by email or by phone at 800.747.9433, x101.
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From Women's eNews:
Breastfeeding During War Helps Lower Infant Mortality
The rise of breastfeeding in countries at war has contributed to a
marked decline in infant mortality during armed conflict, a recent
report says.
Children younger than 5 are twice as likely to die in war than
adults, mostly from disease, the "The Shrinking Costs of War"
indicates. The report, released mid-January by Simon Fraser University
in Vancouver, Canada, also says infants up to 6 months old who are
exclusively breastfed are seven times less likely to die from diarrhea
and five times less likely from pneumonia than infants not breastfed.
Read the full story>
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From the blog, California Watch: More women dying from pregnancy complications; state holds on to report
The mortality rate of California women who die from causes directly
related to pregnancy has nearly tripled in the past decade, prompting
doctors to worry about the dangers of obesity in expectant mothers and
about medical complications of cesarean sections.
For the past seven months, the state Department of Public Health declined to release a report outlining the trend. Click here to read the full post by Nathanael Johnson>
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National Institutes of Health (NIH) VBAC Consensus Conference
To advance understanding of the issues around the decline in VBAC rates, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development and the Office of Medical Applications of Research of the
NIH are convening a Consensus Development Conference from March 8-10,
2010. The conference will address key questions around VBACs.
Suzy Myers, Midwifery Department Chair, and Audrey Levine, SMS grad and president of the Midwives' Association of WA State will be attending the conference.
If you'd love to attend but can't, the conference is being offered as both a live and archived Webcast. The NIH requests registration for the webcast to ensure capacity for all interested users.
To read more on the goals of the conference, click here.
To register for the Webcast, click here.
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Cadaver Anatomy
Interested in supporting SMS and want to know more about how the human body works? The CADAVER ANATOMY experience is a rare opportunity to visit the interior of the human body. This course is an amazing once in a lifetime kind of experience. Prior instruction in human anatomy and physiology is helpful but not necessary for this class. Laurie Levy, MA, instructor, brings a wealth of experience, a deep respect and an amazing amount of enthusiasm to the class. Students leave having had an experience that will forever change the mental images they have about their bodies and our world.
Intrigued but not sure if this is the right experience for you? Contact Laurie directly via email with questions or to register.
When: Sunday, June 27, 2010, 9-6PM Where: Bastyr University Cadaver lab Donation: Minimum $250.00 per student. Donations benefit the Myers Midwifery Scholarship Fund and the Simkin Leadership Fund.
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Maternal Mortality in Haiti
From PBS: Haiti's catastrophic earthquake, in addition to leaving lives and
institutions in ruin, also exacerbated a longtime lethal risk in Haiti:
Dying during childbirth. Challenges in transportation, education, and
quality health care contribute to Haiti having the highest maternal
mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere, a national crisis even before
the earthquake struck.
Click here to watch the full 30-minute PBS program.
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Midwives for Haiti is Providing Emergency Relief through Supplies and Volunteer Efforts
"Midwives for Haiti was started by certified nurse-midwives who believe
every woman in this world deserves the knowledge and care to have a
safe pregnancy and birth." SMS Graduates, Karen Hays, CNM and Beth Coyote, LM, will travel to Haiti in May to help with the relief efforts. Click here to learn more about the work of Midwives for Haiti and ways you can help. |
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Maternal Mortality in Afghanistan
 Midwife, Danielle Molinar shared the link to a BBC news story and 13-minute documentary about Badakshan in the North of Afghanistan where she worked last year through UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund).
Afghanistan has some of the highest rates of maternal mortality in this province, and UNFPA is working in areas like this to train midwives and fund supplies for the care of women.
Click here to watch the BBC documentary>
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Foreign Clinical Rotations at SMS
Seattle Midwifery School has a long tradition of including overseas midwifery experience as part of clinical training. Student midwives choose overseas rotations for a variety of reasons. Some simply love to travel, others are seeking the unique training opportunity of a high volume, hospital-based practice. There is opportunity for growth in both clinical confidence, and the ever important cultural competence. For most students their overseas rotation is their first opportunity to experience a way of life, and a way of birth, so different from their own.
 Recently SMS seniors Jenny Morgan and Bridget Carnahan worked in Vila Central Hospital in Vanuatu. Vanuatu is in the South Pacific, near Fiji. In the 3 to 6 weeks our students spend in Vanuatu, they are able to gain experience in all aspects of maternity care - antenatal classes, intrapartum care, and postpartum follow up.
Other places our students take their skills include: St Lucia (an island between Puerto Rico and the coast of Venezuela) and the Philippines. We are also developing a potential site on Grand Bahamas. This will help bring 'overseas' a little closer to home, as it is just off the coast of Florida.
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Massage for Couples
Sunday, March 14 at Seattle Midwifery School
Do you or partner love massage? Do you find yourself getting tired giving massage or just not knowing what to do?
We still have some room in this fun, hands-on class which was offered at last spring's SMS auction! Laurie Levy, instructor, will help you and your partner learn to give one another better, longer massages. No fancy equipment is required. You'll use regular pillows to get comfortable and some common household items in addition to your hands. Tricks for trouble spots will also be presented.
Sunday, March 14 at Seattle Midwifery School's Talaris campus, 9-3 PM
$250/couple
Contact Laurie Levy to register or for more information
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Childbirth Professions Open House
Tuesday, March 2, 2010 - 4:30-6:30 PM
Join us on campus to discover meaningful education and professions dedicated to women and families! Meet staff, faculty and graduates. Schedule: 4:30-5:30 PM Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations courses: birth and postpartum doula training, childbirth educator training, breastfeeding education; 5:30-6:30 PM Midwifery Program. Please RSVP by clicking here
Click here for directions
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Upcoming Conferences & Workshops
PALS Advanced Doula Training
February 28, 2010 - Seattle, WA. More information>
NIH VBAC Consensus Conference
March 8-10, 2010 - Bethesda, MD. More information>
National Healthy Start Association Conference
March 14-17, 2010
- Washington, DC. More information>
Circle of Security Parenting Training Seminar
March 16-19, 2010 - Spokane, WA. More information>
2010 REACHE Conference: Changing Birth Practices From the Outside In and the Inside Out
April 9, 2010 - Edmonds, WA. More information>
Breastfeeding Help Beyond the Hospital Stay
May 7, 2010 - Seattle, WA. More information>
NW Doula Conference
May 7, 2010 - Seattle, WA. Save the date, details to come.
Midwives' Association of WA State Spring Conference
May 14, 2010 - Seattle area TBA. More information>
Touch Techniques for Pregnancy and Postpartum
May 22-23, 2010
- Kenmore, WA. More information>
Normal Labor & Birth: 5th International Research Conference: The Benefits & Challenges of Preserving Physiologic Birth
July 20-23, 2010 - Vancouver, BC. More information>
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Pregnant in Seattle? - Panelists Needed
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 March 19 at SMS' 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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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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