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- Newsgroups: misc.kids
- Path: sparky!uunet!caen!eek
- From: eek@engin.umich.edu (Ericka Eve Kammerer)
- Subject: Re: How to go about finding a doula (midwife) in Buffalo?
- Message-ID: <FXG=d4A@engin.umich.edu>
- Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 18:51:27 EST
- Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor
- Summary: Informed Homebirth/Informed Birth & Parenting
- References: <BxM7sL.M4u@acsu.buffalo.edu> <1992Nov12.183643.19878@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov>
- Followup-To: eek@csmil.umich.edu
- Nntp-Posting-Host: antithesis.engin.umich.edu
- Lines: 103
-
- > oispeggy@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Peggy Brown) writes:
- >>
- >>How would I find a midwife in Buffalo? Is there an organization
- >>I can contact? I looked under midwife in the phone book and only
- >>one was listed (nurse-midwife) and she works only with another
- >>doctor's office.
-
- I recently happened on an organization that might be of assistance
- to you and others in your situation. They're called Informed
- Homebirth/Informed Birth & Parenting. Their address is:
-
- P.O. Box 3675
- Ann Arbor, MI 48106
- (313)662-6857
-
- I'll type in their mission statement in a second, but the short form
- is that they teach classes for childbirth educators and labor assistants
- as well as providing referrals and advocating around the world for
- informed alternatives in birth and parenting. They have a newsletter
- called Special Delivery that appears to be published quarterly
- ($15/year in North America, $20US/year elsewhere, same address as
- above).
-
- I can't vouch for them in any way, but here's the information for
- what it's worth. (I'm actually in contact with them for some
- research in how non-profit organizations use technology, so I haven't
- used their services and don't know very much about their reputation
- or anything. Their newsletter seems well put together and they've
- been very nice to deal with so far.)
-
- Here's the mission statement from their newsletter:
-
- Informed Homebirth/Informed Birth & Parenting has as its mission to
- provide parents with information about alternatives in birth,
- parenting and early childhood.
-
- Answering the need for information about birth at home was the
- original purpose behind the founding of Informed Homebirth in 1977.
- While this goal continues, the organization has broadened its outreach
- (through the name Informed Birth & Parenting) to include taking the
- knowledge gained when homebirth is considered as the standard of care
- and making that information available to those who choose to birth in
- a hospital or birthing center. While IH/IBP supports parents in whatever
- informed choices they make for themselves and their families, the
- health of mothers and babies demands that we as an organization strongly
- support:
-
- --good nutrition
- --skillful midwifery
- --natural childbirth
- --birth at home
- --breastfeeding
-
- Our work is based on the following principles:
- --Pregnancy an birth are not an illness, but a uniquely important
- time in the lives not only of the mother and baby, but the
- father and family life as well.
- --Parents have the right to be informed about options, and they are
- responsible for making the decisions that are best for their family.
- --All women have the right to good food, good prenatal care, knowledge
- of alternatives and breastfeeding support.
- --Childbirth education, midwifery care and birth assistants (doulas/
- monitrices) should be readily available to all pregnant women.
- --Every pregnant woman has the right to choose her place of birth,
- her care provider and those who will support her.
- --She further has the right to be respected and treated as a
- competent human being while laboring and giving birth--eating,
- walking, assuming various positions and maintaining her body's
- integrity (no unnecessary vaginal exams, episiotomies or
- cesareans).
- --Parents' responsibility extends beyond the issues of birth to
- all decisions regarding their children's healthcare, schooling
- and so forth.
-
- IH/IBP seeks to accomplish its goals by:
- --providing parents with referrals and information via newsletters,
- books, videos and the maintenance of a respected organization well-
- known throughout North America.
- --Training childbirth educators who teach hospital, birth center
- and homebirth couples. Classes emphasize mind/body integration,
- transformation through birth and freedom of choice through
- knowledge of alternatives. Developed by midwife Rahima Baldwin,
- the training is one of five nationally-certifying programs and
- has trained more than 2200 childbirth educators since 1977.
- --Training professional birth assistants who provide labor assistance
- for women or couples at home or in the hospital. IH/IBP has been
- a leader nationally in the growth and recognition or birth assistants
- as professionals in their own right. Developed by midwife Karen
- Parker, the program has been training women since 1983.
- --Promoting midwifery through its quarterly newsletter Special Delivery
- and through workshops for midwives.
- --Providing parenting information through books, newsletters and
- annual Magical Years Conference on the young child, which draws
- especially from the insights of Waldorf (Steiner) education.
-
-
- (Any typos are mine) I hope this helps you out some. I believe that
- they can refer you to any labor assistant they've trained and that they
- also can get you in contact with organizations in your state.
-
- Ericka
- eek@csmil.umich.edu
-
-