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Greetings!
It's happened! Seattle Midwifery School has officially merged with Bastyr University! Our midwifery program is now the Department of Midwifery at Bastyr and our allied birth vocations (doulas, childbirth educator training and breastfeeding educator training) are living in the Simkin Center. Both of these departments are part of the College of Natural Health Arts & Sciences at Bastyr.
We are still awaiting approval on the articulated Masters of Science in Midwifery Degree from the regional accrediting agency and we'll announce that on our website and in the enews just as soon as we know something. In the meantime, it's business as usual - classes, students, faculty - and we'll stay at our current location until August when we will move into our new spaces on the stunning Bastyr campus in Kenmore, WA. (Sounds like an opportunity for a party!)
Questions? Feel free to write or call.
Happy Spring!
Mary Yglesia
(former) Director of Seattle Midwifery School
(now) Program Supervisor
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 Is this your year to apply?
Although our priority application deadline for the midwifery program has passed (March 1), we are still accepting applications from exceptional applicants.
All late applicants must contact our admissions advisor, Stephanie Safholm, before submitting an application. She can be reached by email or by phone at 800.747.9433, x101.
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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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April/May 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 April 30-May 1 & May 7-8, 2010. Register now, or for more information, click here.
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WA State Anti-Shackling Legislation Signed Into Law
 On Tuesday, March 23, 2010, Governor Gregoire signed a bill "that will forbid state prisons, county jails and juvenile correctional
facilities from shackling nearly all female inmates who are in labor or
recovering from labor."
Community organizations testified and lobbied for the anti-shackling legislation including Open Arms Perinatal Services, Legal Voice, and the Midwives' Association of Washington State.
Read the story in the Seattle Times>
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CNN Headline: Lack of breastfeeding costs lives, billions of dollars
 A CNN story published April 5, 2010, states "If most new moms would breastfeed their babies for the first six months
of life, it would save nearly 1,000 lives and billions of dollars each
year." CNN recounts data from a recent study in the Journal of Pediatrics as well as CDC data on breastfeeding rates in the US.
Click here to read the CNN article>
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Patient safety, disciplinary action, and the marginalization of midwives
An article by Amy Romano at Science & Sensibility from Lamaze International
It sounded like an April Fools joke, except the story broke two days early. Doctors in North Carolina induced and ultimately performed a cesarean on a woman who wasn't pregnant.
The case happened in 2008 but we all learned about it this week
because the North Carolina Medical Board finished their investigation
and issued "letters of concern" to the doctors
involved. Public letters of concern appear to be the least punitive
disciplinary action performed by the state Medical Board, according to
their list of published board orders.
To which I respond: Letters of concern? Seriously???
Click here to read the full article>
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Momentum for Maternity of the Safest Kind - April 8, 2010
An Audio Program from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
IHI asks listeners to "consider: an
emerging coalition of maternity care leaders in the US armed with a
Blueprint for Action and a '2020 Vision' that aims to transform
maternal and newborn experience from one fraught with danger and risks
to what it should be: a safe, healthy, celebratory start to childhood
and parenting." Maureen Corry and
Rima Jolivet, from Childbirth Connection, will join other IHI guests "to explain
the new energy they've ignited to ensure that good quality maternal
health is reliably understood and practiced on a wide scale." Click here for details on how to tune in on Thursday, April 8, 2010>Missed the program? You can still click on the "archives" link to learn how to listen to the recorded program.
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Job Opportunity: Program Coordinator
Anti-Racism Visioning Team
The Anti-Racism Visioning Team is seeking a part time Program Coordinator to help us keep this important project running smoothly. We hope to hire someone very soon so if you are interested please click here to learn more and submit a letter of interest and your resume.
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Archives Volunteer Help Needed
The Seattle Midwifery School library is embarking on an exciting project: the processing of our historical papers and documents. If you have time on your hands, and love the rush that comes from organizing and purging papers, come help us! No archives experience necessary. Contact the SMS librarian, Jennifer Beardsley for more information.
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NIH VBAC Consensus Conference
March 8 - 10, 2010
A long-awaited and
long-overdue VcomeBAC(k) may be on the horizon!
On March 8-10, 2010, the
National Institutes of Health held a 3-day Consensus Conference in Bethesda, MD
to examine the evidence regarding vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) and
elective repeat cesarean section (ERCS) and to issue recommendations based on
this evidence. Suzy Myers, Chair
of the Bastyr University Department of Midwifery, and Audrey Levine, President
of the Midwives' Association of Washington State (MAWS), attended along with
several hundred other maternity care providers, mothers and advocates.
Prior to the conference, the
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) prepared a comprehensive
background paper for the 16-member panel's consideration. After conducting a
systematic review of the evidence, this report concluded that, "VBAC is a
reasonable and safe choice for the majority of women with a prior
cesarean. Moreover, there is
emerging evidence of serious harms relating to multiple cesareans." (Click here to download the report.) The panel's final report can be found here on the NIH web site.
For us, the conference
provided an extraordinary opportunity for dialogue and networking with many
leaders in maternity care. It is
clear to us that midwives have an important contribution to make in the
provision of care to women with prior cesarean sections and towards addressing
some of the critical gaps in the evidence regarding clinical management, client
decision-making, psycho-social outcomes and safety of trial of labor for
low-risk women.
Suzy Myers, LM, CPM, MPH
Chair, Department of Midwifery
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Midwives' Association of WA State
2010 Spring Conference Brings an Exciting Lineup of Speakers
Friday, May 14 at Seattle Pacific University
The recently released "Blueprint for Action" based on last year's Childbirth Connection Symposium includes a goal of cross-training among providers of maternity care. In the spirit of furthering this goal, MAWS is excited to offer a
cross-disciplinary
spring conference that we hope will attract a wide array of maternity care providers. Please share this opportunity with everyone you think may be interested - midwives (licensed midwives, nurse midwives, naturopathic midwives), OBs, Family Practice physicians, OB and Family Practice residents, OB nurses, doulas, and childbirth educators. We are especially interested in welcoming hospital-based providers for an opportunity to share our respective perspectives.
As a keynote speaker MAWS is pleased to welcome Michael Klein, MD from British Columbia. For anyone not familiar with Michael Klein, he was one of the
principals on the recent home birth study out of BC and is outspoken in his support
for midwifery and normal birth. Aside from the homebirth research, Michael is eager to present findings around the attitudes towards birth of different types of care providers.
Penny Simkin will speak about her recently published work on the Occiput Posterior Fetus; Molly Gray ND/LM will speak about toxins in pregnancy (Molly recently testified at a Senate hearing on this topic); and Sheila
Capestany will be discussing the superb outcomes from the Open Arms Community Doula Project.
Interested in attending or forwarding to a colleague? Information and registration will be available soon. Write to info@washingtonmidwives.org if you'd like to be notified when online registration is open. Or watch for an update on the conference page of the MAWS web site.
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The Seattle Mom Prom: Dancing, Drinks, Dessert for a Great Cause
8 P.M. TO MIDNIGHT APRIL 10 NAVAL RESERVE BUILDING, SOUTH LAKE UNION ADVANCE TICKETS: $35 (that includes 2 drinks) www.seattlemomprom.com
"I started thinking about putting together the Seattle Mom Prom when I became a parent and realized how crucial having a solid support system is for mothers. I wanted to organize an event for women to honor and celebrate moms, and support a great organization like Postpartum Support International of Washington," said Myla Rugge, founder of the Seattle Mom Prom.
All proceeds from the Seattle Mom Prom will directly benefit Postpartum Support International (PSI) of Washington, a non-profit organization designed to support and educate women, families and professionals about Postpartum Mood Disorders (PPMD). For more information about PSI of WA, please contact 1-888-404-PPMD (7763) or visit their web site.
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Join us the first Tuesday of every month - Midwifery Program and Simkin Center Open House
Tuesday, May 4 / June 1 - 4:30-6:30 PM
From 4:30-5:30 learn more about the midwifery program and the classes offered through the Simkin Center (labor support course, postpartum doula training, childbirth educator training, breastfeeding education). From 5:30-6:30 we will be talking about the midwifery program. This event will be held at our Talaris Campus.
Please RSVP by clicking here
Click here for directions
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Job Opportunity with the JUA
The Joint Underwriting Association which provides professional liability coverage for midwives and birth centers in Washington State has a part time position open. An ideal person for this role would be an experienced medical professional with the freedom to travel within the State of Washington. Click here for more information>
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Upcoming Conferences & Workshops
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 Pacific University. 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 April 30 and June 23 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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