January 2011
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Greetings!
2011 New Year Greetings!
First, a huge THANK YOU to all of you who donated to the Myers Midwifery Scholarship Fund and the Simkin Center Leadership Fund recently. Scholarships are essential to both of our programs and we are grateful for the contributions to support the education of midwives, doulas, childbirth and breastfeeding. There is still time to join this inspiring group of donors with a gift, information is included below!
Great work continues here on the Kenmore campus and we are excited to share our news with you. Below you can learn more about:
We invite you to be a part of the work to create a world of safe and humane care for childbearing families in 2011. Look forward to working with you, our treasured community!
Suzy Myers
Chair
Department of Midwifery
Annie Kennedy
Director
Simkin Center
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Professional Education in Breastfeeding and Lactation - Still Room - Register now!
 Make a difference in the health of mothers and infants and add to your professional credentials. This comprehensive 6-day course is taught by expert, board-certified lactation consultants. Next course Feb 7-9 & 11-13, 2011. More information>
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| Contact Us | | midwifery@bastyr.edu
simkincenter@bastyr.edu
14500 Juanita Drive NE
Kenmore, WA 98028
telephone: 425.602.3000
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Calendar Notice
| | Bastyr Open House
1/15/11
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Start the Journey to Becoming a Direct-Entry Midwife! Is this your year to apply to Bastyr's Master of Science in Midwifery? If so, the priority application deadline is February 1 for fall quarter entry into the program. If you have any questions about the program or how to apply, please contact the admissions advisor for the midwifery program at mwadvise@bastyr.edu
or by phone at 425.602.3332. More information about the program can be found on the Bastyr website and the Department of Midwifery website.
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 When Survivors Give Birth with Penny Simkin
February 5-6, 2011
Join maternity care, mental health and allied providers to focus on the issues of the least understood of pregnant clients. Two full days with Penny Simkin PT:
- Advance your understanding of an all too common issue for childbearing women and families.
- Expand your care practices for women at risk of poor physical and psychosocial childbirth outcomes.
- Improve your response to women who express emotional concerns about childbearing.
Click here for more information or here to register now>
Do you know a practicing psychotherapist, marriage and family therapist or social worker? Please forward this information - we'd be so grateful!
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Instructor Wanted
The Department of Midwifery has an opening for a Clinical Seminar instructor to begin spring quarter. Click here to get the details and find out how to apply.
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2010 Simkin Center Leadership Fund Recognizes Suzanne Wilson
The Simkin Center Leadership Fund (SCLF) provides over $4500 a year to emerging leaders: birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth and lactation educators with knowledge, skill and community involvement to practice in underserved ethnic, cultural, socio-economic and geographic communities. Tuition waivers are available for all 2011 Simkin Center courses.  2010 Simkin Center Leadership Fund award recipient, Suzanne Wilson, will put her education to work in rural Kenya. Click here to learn more about Suzanne. Please help us continue this work with your generous tax deductible contribution: Online Giving. Enter your contact info and designate Simkin Center Leadership Fund on the pull down menu. Thank you!
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Study: Depressive Disorders and Pregnancy
A study in the November 2010 edition of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology examines the prevalence and risk factors of depressive disorders during pregnancy in a large urban sample of women. The study authors examined major and minor depression, panic disorder and suicidal thoughts during pregnancy, while also identifying factors independently associated with depressive disorders during pregnancy.
Study participants were 1,888 women receiving ongoing prenatal care at a university obstetric clinic from 2004 through 2009. Depressive disorders were present in 9.9% of the women, with 5.1% meeting the criteria for probable major depression and 4.8% meeting criteria for probable minor depression. Panic disorder was present in 3.2%, with suicidal thoughts reported by 2.6%. Psychosocial stress, domestic violence, chronic medical conditions, and race each significantly increased the odds of a probable antepartum major depressive disorder, while older age decreased the odds.
Click here to review the study online.
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A New Breastfeeding Book is Here! I Can Breastfeed. Visualizing Your Way to Breastfeeding Success.
 Part self help guide, part nursing companion, I Can Breastfeed offers a new way to prepare for the arrival of your baby. Learn to use visualization and affirmations to build confidence and foster a successful breastfeeding relationship with your baby. Based on her experience as a lactation consultant, midwife, and mother of two, Kristina Chamberlain, CNM, ARNP, IBCLC, provides practical advice for the new mom, and the working mom.
View on Amazon.com >
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Webinars on Health Reform and Infant Death Prevention In their ongoing efforts to support State and Local Maternal and Child Health Programs, the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs (ASIP) and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) have created a series of quarterly webinars to strengthen SUID, SIDS, Infant Safe Sleep and bereavement services across the U.S. Four webinars took place in 2010, and have been archived for viewing on their web site. The webinars were developed to provide viewers with consistent, current information, data, resources and tools regarding SUID, SIDS, Infant Safe Sleep, and bereavement.
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CCDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report, 2011The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the first of a series of assessments highlighting health disparities by sex, race and ethnicity, income, education, disability and other social characteristics in the US. The CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report, 2011 includes analysis and reporting of recent trends and ongoing variations in health disparities and inequalities in selected social and health indicators.  Key findings in the report include: large disparities persist in infant mortality rates, with infants born to black women 1.5 to 3 times more likely to die than infants born to women of other races/ethnicities. In addition, adolescent pregnancy and childbirth rates have been falling or remaining steady for all racial/ethnic minorities in all age groups. But disparities remain, with birth rates for Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks at 3 and 2.5 times those of whites, respectively. To review the report online, click here.
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Report Features Latest Vital Statistics, Cesarean Data
A special article in the January 2011 edition of the journal "Pediatrics" provides a summary of the most current vital statistics data for the US. This year, the "Annual Summary of Vital Statistics: 2008" also includes a special feature on differences in cesarean delivery rates according to race and Hispanic origin.
According to the report, cesarean deliveries continued their 12-year rise in 2008, making up almost one-third of the births in the US. A range of reasons for the increase are cited, including mother preferences to doctors' fear of lawsuits. Cesarean deliveries have increased 56 percent since 1996.
Infant mortality declined from 6.75 per 1,000 live births in 2007 to 6.59 in 2008. The proportion of babies born early went down three percent from 2007 to 12.3 percent of all births. The report is compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Access it online here.
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Safe Babywearing Info From CPSC
 The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is educating new parents on the safe use of slings and wraps for "babywearing." Over the past 20 years, 14 infant suffocation deaths have been identified due to the use of sling-style carriers. Following review of these cases, child safety experts at CPSC recommend that parents with infants younger than four months of age, premature, low-birthweight babies and babies with colds and respiratory problems should take extra care in using a sling.
The CPSC notes that this warning is not intended to characterize all slings as being dangerous to babies, but rather to identify specific situations that can pose a risk of serious harm to babies and to provide simple safety tips for new parents. When babies are contained entirely within the pouch of a sling with their face (including nose and mouth) pressed against the adult's body, their breathing can be blocked and suffocation/asphyxiation can occur. Some slings also tend to keep an infant in a curled, chin-to-chest position, which can interfere with breathing. For detailed recommendations on babywearing, including photos with proper and improper use of a sling, click here.
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Core Competencies in Breastfeeding Care and Services
Shared from the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies newsletter. To subscribe to their weekly newsletter, visit their home page.
The US Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) has announced the publication of the revised "Core Competencies in Breastfeeding Care and Services for All Health Professionals." The purpose of the Competencies is to provide health care organizations with a guideline and framework to integrate evidence-based breastfeeding knowledge, skills and attitudes into standard health care delivery practice.
The USBC notes that, at a minimum, every health professional should understand the role of lactation, human milk and breastfeeding in the optimal feeding of infants and young children and enhancing and reducing morbidities in women and long-term morbidities in infants and young children. In addition, all health professionals should be able to facilitate the breastfeeding care process by: preparing families for realistic expectations; communicating pertinent information to the lactation care team; and following up with the family when appropriate, in a culturally competent manner after breastfeeding care and services have been provided.
Click here to download the full article.
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Gathering Together: Blueprint for Change
On December 13, 2010, faculty from Simkin Center and Department of Midwifery met to focus on the rich work of the past year toward preparing culturally competent care providers. Many of our treasured instructors from both programs were able to join us, despite driving rain, wind and the darkest evening ever.
Luckily, we had food and beverages and a new friend to meet: special guest, Gerry Porter PhD, Dean of the School of Natural Health Arts and Sciences. Also joining us was Anti-Racism Visioning Team consultant, Sheila Capestany, MPH, Executive Director of Open Arms Perinatal Services.
Our discussion centered on the Anti-Racism Visioning Team Report: A Blueprint for Change, which detailed the stories of former student experience of inequity in our educational programs.
We ended the evening with renewed vigor, commitment and tangible next steps for important work ahead. Click here to read the draft report, and check our website in the near future for the final version of the report.
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Spanish Resources on Diabetes and Pregnancy from the CDC
Shared from the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies newsletter. To subscribe to their weekly newsletter, visit their home page.
Newly developed educational Spanish brochures on diabetes and pregnancy are now available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The materials address pre-gestational and gestational diabetes and are available free of charge for order (up to 500 copies) or to download a PDF files on the CDC Web site click here. The brochures include, "La diabetes el embarzo La diabetes gestacional (Diabetes and Pregnancy: Gestational Diabetes)", an easy-to read booklet developed for women who have been diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy and who want to learn more about how to take care of themselves during and after pregnancy. A PDF file with this brochure is available here.
Also available is "Tiene diabetes? ¡Está pensando quedar embarazada? (Got Diabetes? Thinking About Having a Baby?)", an easy-to-read booklet developed for women who have diabetes and are thinking about getting pregnant or are already pregnant. Download PDF here.
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Childbirth Connection WebinarsChildbirth Connection is offering a series of webinars on Transforming Maternity Care Project topics, taking place at noon Eastern Time on one Tuesday each month. Visit the Childbirth Connection web site here for more information and to register or listen to past webinars. Next webinar:Tuesday, February 15, noon EST
"Implementing Shared Decision Making in Maternity Care" Featuring Lyn Paget, MPH, Director of Policy and Outreach for the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making
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Childbirth Professions Open House
Attend the Childbirth Professions Open House Tuesday, March 1, 2011 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health in Seattle. We'll spend the first hour learning more about the classes offered through the Simkin Center, including birth doula skills workshops, postpartum doula training, childbirth educator training and breastfeeding education, and the Master of Midwifery program at Bastyr University. During the second hour, you'll hear from currently practicing childbirth professionals, students and faculty. Click here to get directions to the event and RSVP.
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Community Events
Midwives' Association of WA State Annual Lobby Day
Midwifery consumers, moms, dads, babies, midwives, students--all are welcome and invited to join MAWS in Olympia, February 4, 2011. Licensed midwives are doing things right. Midwives provide comprehensive, high-quality prenatal care, have excellent birth outcomes, and support breastfeeding--all at significant savings to the state. Every winter, we visit our legislators to remind them about what licensed midwives offer to the women of Washington and to ask for their support on pertinent legislation.
Legislators like talking with their own constituents most of all, so support licensed midwives by joining us and visiting your legislators! Click here for more information and here to download a pdf of the MAWS 2011 Legislative Agenda.
FREE WEBCAST - 32nd Annual Minority Health Conference (North Carolina) 2:00-3:30pm EST on February 25, 2011
The 2011 Keynote Lecture will be broadcast by free webcast, followed by live questions & discussion. More information. Scroll to the bottom of the page to register for the webcast.
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Upcoming Conferences & Workshops
Midwifery Update 2011: 12th Annual Pacific Northwest Conference University of WA School of Nursing
Wednesday, February 09, 2011 - Shoreline, WA. More information>
The 2011 Reache Conference
Reframing Birth and Breastfeeding: Moving Forward (CIMS Annual 2011 Forum in collaboration with UNCG's Center for Women's Health and Wellness and UNC's Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute)
March 11-12, 2011 Chapel Hill, NC. More information>
Midwifery Today Conference: Gentle Birth Is a Human Rights Issue March 30 - April 3, 2011 - Eugene, OR. More information>
ICAN International Conference April 8-10, 2011 - St. Louis MO. 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, Department of Midwifery and Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations, Bastyr University
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Are you a Simkin Center Alumna? Did you like your workshop at Simkin Center? 