Journal Entry - Ina May's Visit to Fort Worth, July 2012

"Ask Me About Sphincter Law"

The weekend is over and I'm still on a high.  Indulge me in this blog post -- it might read more like a journal entry.  I heard one of our girls describe the weekend as magical, and while it sounds a bit corny, it really was -- magical.  Not just because Ina May was here, but because the entire natural birth community came together.

I have said it before, and I'll say it again:  I am so blessed to live in Ft. Worth with so many midwives and birth centers in operation -- where the birth community is strong, united, and well represented. I am proud to be associated with the Tarrant County Birth Network, where I believe we've had an influence in bringing the birth community together.  We are also grateful to have a wonderful group of CNMs in Fort Worth, the UNT Midwives.  The hospital donated $2000 to TCBN to help cover our facility fee at the Norris Center. Every city in America should have a group of midwives like this in their hospital!

UNT Midwives & Ina May Gaskin

Our Ina May T-shirts were a huge hit.  There is demand for another order, so if you would like to get in on it, go here.  Join our newsletter email and we'll be sending that form out very soon. 

You can still order one!

How it all went down:

Shannon (this was all her idea!) and I picked Miss Ina May up from the airport early afternoon on Friday, and I must admit that it was very stressful driving her from the airport to the B&B in downtown Ft. Worth.  I was seriously concerned about getting into a car accident and going down in history as the person that killed Ina May.  It reminded me of when I had my first baby and was scared some crazy driver would hit me and my precious baby. 

We put her up in the most lovely, elegant bed and breakfast called Etta's Place.  Remarkably, all of our events were within the same city block.  Friday night for dinner, our VIP sponsors  met for dinner with Ina May at Reata. Our name tags rocked!  They were made into lanyards with twine.  We could not have hosted Ina May to Fort Worth (and treated her so well) without our sponsors. It was a fun night with delicious food and wonderful people!

*Funny story*   I made a big deal to Reata about Ina May being vegan and they said they would make her a special plate.  In the end, she ordered the salmon with the crab meat cream sauce!  One of the CNM's at her table almost got into it with her that she had ordered the wrong thing!

Saturday morning we had a book signing and photo opportunity for Birth Network members.  About 125 people attended, representing several cities including DFW area, Houston, Waco, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa.  Ina May was so courteous and chatty, everyone really enjoyed it.

Sarah Brock, acupuncturist, gets her book signed.

We broke for lunch and vendor time for 3 hours, and then nearly 500 people gathered to hear Ina May speak at 3:30.  She talked about a number of topics, including a slide show of a breech birth.  She discussed how she became interested in midwifery and current projects she is working on.  Between events (we kept her busy!) she was working on a blog post for the Huffington Post.

The quilt representing the maternal mortality crisis

She also brought the famous quilt, each square representing a woman who died in childbirth, whose story might not otherwise be told.  She shared some of those stories. 


 She spoke specifically to dads -- we had a few in the audience -- about how they can protect the sacred birthing space of their partner.

Another highlight was Ina May showing us how to do a proper squat.  Don't worry -- the fabulous Ceci-Jane is making a video of the weekend and it will be included!  Stay tuned!

Here's where things get fun:  The TCBN Chapter Leaders -- past, present, and future -- took Ina May to an all-vegan restaurant, Spiral Diner, and had a lovely meal.  We had gotten to know each other a bit over the weekend and things were more casual.  We all had a good time.  Ina May is very funny, says it like it is, rolls with the punches, and really is a delightful person.

TCBN Chapter Leaders - past and present

After dinner, we were driving her back to her B&B, and we came back to Tim McGraw.  (He had been brought up earlier when I told her she needed to work the "stage" like Tim, back and forth.)  She admitted to knowing his name, but couldn't tell me anything he sings.  I asked if she wanted to hear some Tim. Of course she said YES -- who wouldn't? -- and all I had to do was turn up the volume.  So, yes, I rocked out to some Tim McGraw with Ina May in my Sequoia this weekend!  She said she could totally appreciate my groupiness, as long as I respected his family space (like a doula!).  I assured her that I do.  And she said that anytime she hears of Tim McGraw from here on out, she'll think of me.  Nice.

This morning we took her back to the airport and had another casual, candid conversation.  Frankly, we have a policy that "what  happens in the Sequoia stays in the Sequoia."  I'll leave you with the last picture I took with Ina May before we put her on the plane back to TN.  Thanks for rejuvenating our birth community Ina May!  It was an absolute pleasure!

Donna Ryan & Ina May Gaskin, 2012

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Tips for Becoming a Birth Activist

What an exciting weekend!  We just finished up our first Birth Boot Camp training workshop and it was AWESOME!  The November workshop is almost full, but we still have plenty of room in the September training.  It's just 3 months away, and there are a lot of certification requirements to be completed before the workshop.  I'd recommend it for people who are already birth professionals or have done a lot of the reading previously. 

I have another big weekend coming up.  June 22-24 is a  Birth Activist Retreat  sponsored by Where's My Midwife?  It is being held at The Farm in Tennessee, which is extra exciting because I'll be breathing the same air as Mr. Tim McGraw who lives less than 2 hours from there!  I am going with a couple of my favorite people from the Tarrant County Birth Network.  Really, getting there is half the fun!

I'm probably writing this post prematurely, as I'm sure at the end of next weekend, we will have come up with some great ideas for birth activism.  I just want to take a minute and talk about a couple of things in regards to this topic.

If I am an OB or a lawmaker, I'm thinking I am not going to listen to the "bra-burners" or picketers.  I need evidence and real stories.  I need to connect with the people who are trying to make change, including midwives and families who want birth options.  I have no interest in listening to (or taking seriously) people who are just loud -- demanding that I change my way of thinking.  I would be more apt to listen to people who are professional and rational.

I posted a question on my BFBS Facebook page asking what YOU do to change the culture of birth in your community.  A lot of answers were along the lines of talking to friends and posting on Facebook.  As you are probably well aware, birth is an emotionally charged topic, like politics or religion.  It's hard to bring it up on a personal level, but sometimes doing something on a bigger scale is less "in your face" to your friends and family.  It also has the potential to have a bigger impact, reaching more people.

I believe there are more and more women having amazing births and they want to change the way other women (and men) view birth.  We are seeing an influx of women wanting to become doulas because of this.  Many of them do a couple of births and realize "This is HARD!"  It is hard to be a doula and also have a young family.  Some people make it work and others aren't able to.  I think at the root of it all, however, is wanting to make a difference.  We all want that.

I know I am always touting starting or joining a Birth Network chapter in your area.  It really is a great way to get involved and make a difference.  You don't have to belong to a birth network however.  Some women have hosted a Red Tent event, encouraging women to listen to and tell birth stories.  This can be as simple or elaborate as you would like.

I know it doesn't sound as glamorous, but writing letters to the lawmakers, hospitals, and OBs in your state is a very important -- and real -- way to let them know what their constituents want. Back up your viewpoint with evidence and your experiences.  Birth is consumer driven.  In the 1980's birthing suites became popular and more "homelike" because women demanded it.  Some women were having their babies at home and the hospitals insisted that they were better than home, some even having full-size beds in many rooms.

Holding screenings (with appropriate permission and applicable fees) of various birth movies is something that has gotten a lot of positive attention for natural birth and is relatively easy to pull off.

Organize groups of women -- professionals and pregnant women --  to discuss various topics.  Sometimes giving people a forum is the most effective way to create change.

It is very rewarding to see women and families know their options and make informed decisions. No matter what you decide to do, think about your target audience and the message you want to send to them.  We should be taken seriously.  To be taken seriously, we need to take ourselves seriously.

Please share what you have done in your community that could be duplicated in other areas.  It's all about sharing ideas -- what works and what doesn't.

Until next week, my fellow birth activists!  Off to The Farm!

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BOLD Fort Worth -- THIS WEEKEND!

BOLD FORT WORTH OPENS THIS FRIDAY!

What is BOLD Fort Worth?  It's 3 performances of a play called "Birth" and a Birth & Family Expo with over 60 vendors and a Silent Auction.  The event benefits the Tarrant County Birth Network.

This year, there are three performances of "Birth," a play by Karen Brody, to choose from.

Friday, September 23 @ 7:00 pm

Saturday, September 24 (Crybaby Matinee) @ 2:00 pm

Saturday, September 24 @ 7:00 pm

Tickets are on sale at several locations in and around Tarrant County, including several Birth Centers and Chiropractors' offices.  Tickets can also be purchased online and picked up at Will Call.  They are on sale for $10 each and will be $15 at the door.

Each performance will be followed by a Talkback, led by yours truly, where you will have the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of various birth professionals that work in Tarrant County.  The Talkback will run about an hour.

BOLD Fort Worth will take place at the Bob Duncan Center in Arlington.  There is plenty of parking on the south side of the building.

On Saturday, look forward to the Birth & Family Expo from 11:00 am - 6:00 pm.  The first 500 people through the door will receive a "green" goody bag.  This year we have twice as many vendors.  There is such variety in vendors, you'll enjoy every minute.  Pick up some fabulous products -- some for baby and some for you! -- and gather some valuable information and resources from various business in Tarrant County.

Also at the Birth & Family Expo, you can take part in the Silent Auction.  I am a total junkie and this Silent Auction is no exception.  Come bid and win on all kinds of services, products, gift cards, etc. 

All proceeds benefit the Tarrant County Birth Network, which I am a Chapter Leader.  If you live in the Ft. Worth/Dallas area, we invite you to be a part of our organization.  We hold free monthly meetings and have held some pretty cool events, and even published a book of birth stories, The Birth Next Door.  BOLD Fort Worth is our big fundraiser that makes these other things possible throughout the year.  I hope you'll come out and support Mother-Friendly choices in and around Tarrant County.

This year marks the 5th Anniversary of "Birth" being performed around the world.  The play is the story of 8 women as they share their birth stories, all very different from one another.  This year, Karen Brody added a VBAC storyline for one of the 8 women, so if you saw the play last year, it will be different this time around.  

We decided to put a rating on the play this year of PG-13.  It probably is not a play for children.  With that being said, we are holding a Crybaby Matinee on Saturday afternoon for those with babies.  The actors have been warned that this will be the noisy show! 

If you are not a fan on our BOLD Facebook page and TCBN Facebook page, that really is the best way to keep track of the updates. 

We are printing "My Body Rocks" t-shirts to celebrate BOLD.  You can also pick up TCBN logo shirts, "The Birth Next Door," as well as vinyl for your car window.  All will be available at BOLD Fort Worth at the TCBN table.  Stop by and see us.

 Buy your tickets now. See you this weekend!

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The Mother-Friendly What?

When I got together with a couple other ladies from my community to start a chapter of BirthNetwork National a year-and-a-half ago, we only had an inkling of what it would involve.  We have grown to be the largest chapter in the country with nearly 100 members and have accomplished some amazing things in our community.  If you are in the Fort Worth area, I would like to invite you to be a part of this growing movement.

Our chapter is the Tarrant County Birth Network.  This spring, we published a book of birth stories called The Birth Next Door, which is available for sale, benefiting TCBN .  We hold free monthly meetings on a variety of topics based on the MFCI (we'll get to that in a minute).  Visit our website for topics and location.

We are currently in the process of gearing up for the 2nd year of BOLD Fort Worth 2011, consisting of a play, Birth, by Karen Brody and a Birth & Family Expo.  Mark your calendar for September 23-24.  If you have a Mother-Friendly business you'd like to advertise in TCBN's Resource Guide (distribution 10,000), there is still time!  Here is a link that will tell you everything you need to know.  Deadline is August 1st.

The foundation of the Birth Network is solid and this is really what I wanted to discuss in this post.  We throw a lot of terms around and people tend to glaze over.  For example, the 10 Steps of the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) written by CIMS, or the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, is the basis of everything we do, nationally and locally.  The 10 Steps are evidence-based and have shown that if followed, maternity care will be improved for the entire family.  I encourage you to read through these steps and check out the CIMS website.  There are useful downloads there as well, including topics such as breastfeeding, induction, and risks of cesarean section. 

Many people are aware of, or at least have heard of, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, written by WHO-UNICEF.  I have discovered most people don't really know what that means, but it sounds good, doesn't it?  There are 10 steps to being Baby-Friendly, and basically, it has to do with breastfeeding support -- not separating mom and baby, not offering bottles or pacifiers, and all around encouragement of breastfeeding.

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is a part of something much bigger -- it is the 10th Step to the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative.  I want to very briefly, in my own words, tell you what these steps are:

To be Mother-Friendly, a birth place must carry out these philosophical principles:

1.  Anyone can be with the mother at all times if she so chooses, including a doula.  She should have access to professional midwifery care.  (Hospitals who do not employ midwives are not Mother-Friendly.)


2.  Statistics are easy to come by.


3.  Is respectful of differing cultures, customs, and religions. 


4.  Mom has the freedom to move as she wishes and is not forced to be in any position she does not choose.


5.  If transfer of care becomes necessary, everyone is treated with respect and the mother receives respectful care throughout the process.


6.  Routine interventions are not used unless medically indicated.  Key statistics include:  induction rate of 10% or less, episiotomy rate of 20% or less with a goal of less than 5%, c-section rate of 10% or less and 15% or less in high-risk hospitals, VBAC rate of 60% or more with a goal of more than 75%.


7.  Staff is educated in non-drug methods of helping the laboring woman and does not encourage the use of drugs.


8.  Staff encourages family members to hold, touch, and care for their baby, including premature or sick infants.


9.  Discourages non-religious circumcision.


10.  Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative -- Breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed!


I hope you will press your care provider and birth places on these steps and if they are following them.  The more we talk about Mother-Friendly Maternity care, the more common it will become.


If you are interested in finding a local chapter of BirthNetwork National, visit their website.  There may be one near you.  If not, start one! 

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The Birth Next Door and Upcoming TCBN Meeting this Week

You can now buy your copy of The Birth Next Door from my blog!  Just click on the button to the right.  This book of birth stories is from Tarrant County, Fort Worth, Texas and it benefits the Tarrant County Birth Network, a non-profit 501(c)3.  We have grown to be the largest chapter of BirthNetwork National in just over a year.  Our primary focus is making Mother-Friendly maternity care a reality for all families of Tarrant County. 

TCBN MEETING THIS WEEK

If you live in the Fort Worth area, we invite you to be a part of what we are doing.  We meet the last Thursday of each month at Lou's Pavilion on the TWU campus from 7:00-9:00 p.m.  This  month, the topic is Nutrition for Pregnancy and Beyond.  Our speakers include The Mommypotamus and Dr. Betsy Taylor, of Crossroads Natural Health.
Attendance is free and open to the public.  Lap babies only please.  Don't leave without introducing yourself to me.  See you there.

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Look What TCBN is Doing NOW!

 NEXT TCBN MEETING:  

VACCINATIONS

Fear not!  You did not miss the vaccination meeting for the Tarrant County Birth Network!  It is this Thursday, March 31.  We moved our meeting place and day so there has been some confusion.  Please check the TCBN website for details.  Just a reminder though:  Meetings will be held on the last Thursday of the month, not the fourth Thursday.  There are a few more of those this year, too.

We are expecting a large turnout for this next meeting.  Drs. Jim Bob and Cindy Haggerton will be addressing us on vaccinations.   There is so much conflicting information out there and I think a lot of us are quite confused.  Our pediatricians, and family doctors, are telling us one thing, but we've all read enough resources to know that there are potential risks associated with vaccinations.  This is a great meeting to bring your husband, but again, as always, lap babies only.  Thanks so much for your cooperation.  No one has put up a fuss over this "rule" and we know it is an inconvenience for many of you.  We appreciate so many of our TCBN dads that stay home and put kids to bed so moms can attend our monthly meetings.

THE ART OF BIRTH:  

A BOLD FORT WORTH RED TENT EVENT

I put this up here on my blog a few weeks ago but didn't say much about it.  Have you studied our logo?  Have you figured out what it is?  Yes!  It's a placenta!  Our producer of BOLD Fort Worth and TCBN Chapter Leader, Shannon Blackwell, has a bit-of-an-odd obsession with placentas and she came up with this logo.  We all love it so much, we are printing the cutest black fitted tees!  Visit our website to buy one for yourself!

The Art of Birth is a mixed media art and performance show, in addition to spoken birth stories.  Come see birth photography, belly casts, sculpture, henna, live art, and dance -- all celebrating this life-changing event called birth.  

The t-shirts will be available for purchase the day of the event, as well as a book TCBN is printing consisting of birth  stories of women who have birth in and around Tarrant County.  Let us know if you'd like to make the book available to your friends or clients by emailing us at birth@boldfortworth.org.

The Art of Birth will take place on Saturday, April 30 from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  It is a free event being held at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center at 1300 Gendy Street, Fort Worth 76107. 

If you have birth-related artwork you would like to display, please contact BOLD Forth Worth at birth@boldfortworth.org.  Likewise, if you'd like to share your birth story, please contact us at the same email or call (682) 710-BOLD.

We are looking forward to sharing with the community how wonderful birth can be though The Art of Birth.  See you there!

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Taking Care of TCBN Business

If you live in or around Tarrant County (Fort Worth area), today is the deadline to get your birth story submitted for a book that the Tarrant County Birth Network is putting together.  All the submission information can be found here.  We want to hear from YOU!  All types of births will be selected for the book.

Our next TCBN meeting will be held next Thursday, February 10.  Same place and time.  Visit the website for more details if you have never joined us.  If you'd like to be included in our email list, please contact tarrantcounty@birthnetwork.org.

The topic for next week's meeting is "Is Your Care Provider Mother-Friendly?"  We will be reviewing the 10 Steps to the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative as set forth by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS).  We will be hearing from two of the UNT Certified Nurse Midwives, Lindsay Kragle and Summer Latta, as well as Kim Watkins, Certified Professional Midwife.  All are members of the Birth Network.

Come hear what Mother-Friendly maternity care really means for the women and families of the Fort Worth area.  If you've looked through the TCBN Resource Guide, you've noticed that, with the exception of the UNT Midwives, all the midwives practice outside of a hospital setting, either in a birth center or home.  No other hospital group qualifies to be members of the Birth Network.  Why is that?  Come learn more about the care providers that truly provide Mother-Friendly care.  You have so many amazing care providers to choose from in and around Tarrant County.

Our door prize is amazing at this next meeting.  Alexa Gumm has been working on this, and I don't want to say too much, but ERGObaby has donated one of their baby carriers, worth $130.  Bring your pregnant friends and enjoy this evening with some amazing midwives.   Oh yeah, and everyone else is pretty amazing too!

Now get off here and get your birth story submitted!

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Tarrant County Birth Network Meeting Tonight -- Topic: Pre & Post-Natal Fitness

I know, I know, I should have put this up earlier.  Hopefully you've seen it elsewhere and are planning on coming.

Our topic tonight is Pre & Post-Natal Fitness.  Maggie Grayson, owner of Stroller Strides in Mansfield, Arlington, and Hurst, will be speaking.  If you've never heard her speak before, she is a delight.  So full of energy and passion for what she does.  She is also a homebirthing mama after a c-section with her first.  (She is currently pregnant with her 3rd.)

In addition, Michelle Huynh is a yoga teacher that will be sharing her wisdom with us on the subject.  In my world, she's quite famous.  I've had several students that take yoga from her and they all rave about her.  I'm looking forward to hearing from her tonight.

We are also starting to do door prizes and Alexa Gumm, Chapter Leader, is on this.  Girls, you can't believe the stuff she has gotten!  She's after some big things.  It's fun to see these products and support the vendors that support Mother-Friendly Childbirth by supporting the local organizations such as the Tarrant County Birth Network.  Michelle and Maggie have both generously contributed tonight, and Earth Mama Angel Baby has donated a beautiful postpartum gift as well.  

We are meeting on the campus of TWU at the Sid Richardson Building on the second floor by the elevator.   7:00 pm.  Refreshments are provided this evening by Simply Sweet Bakery.  As always, lap babies only.  Visit us online at www.tcbirthnetwork.org or on Facebook.  See you tonight!

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What IS Mother-Friendly Care?

I've been tossing this phrase, Mother-Friendly, around for months now, but I am beginning to realize that people have very different ideas of what constitutes true Mother-Friendly care, as defined by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS).

First, let me say that Mother-Friendly is short for the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI).  There are 10 steps, which I will address in this post.  They are very specific and some steps are harder to achieve than others.  Do not just assume that your care provider is Mother-Friendly.  Put them on the spot.  Ask them.  These steps are based on the evidence. 

A Mother-Friendly Care Provider, Hospital, Birth Center, or Home Birth Practice:

1.  Offers all birthing mothers access to a doula, or anyone else they wish to have at their birth.  She also has access to professional midwifery care.

2.  Provides their statistics to the public about all aspects of their birth care, including measures of interventions and outcomes.

3.  Is respectful and sensitive to the beliefs, values, and customs of the mother's ethnicity and religion.

4.  Provides the birthing woman with the freedom to walk, move about, and choose her positions during labor and birth and discourages the supine (flat on back) position.

5.  Has clearly defined policies and procedures for collaborating with the original caregiver during the perinatal period when transfer from one birth site to another is necessary.  They will also link the new mother and baby to appropriate community resources, including during and after the pregnancy and follow-up breastfeeding support.

6.  Does not routinely practice the following procedures that are unsupported by scientific evidence, including by not limited to the following:
*shaving
* enemas
* IVs
* withholding food or water
* early rupture of membranes
* Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM)
* Induction rate of 10% or less
* episiotomy rate of 20% or less, with a goal of 5% or less
* total c-section rate of 10% or less in community hospitals and 15% or less in high-risk hospitals
* VBAC rate of 60% or more with a goal of 75% or more.

7.  Educates staff in non-drug methods of pain relief and does not promote the use of analgesic or anesthetic drugs not specifically required to correct a complication.

8.  Encourages all mothers and families, including those with sick or premature infants, to hold, touch, breastfeed, and care for their babies to the extent compatible with their conditions.

9.  Discourages non-religious circumcision of the newborn.

10. Strives to achieve the WHO-UNICEF "Ten Steps of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative" to promote successful breastfeeding:
  
     1.  Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
     2.  Train all health care staff in in skills necessary to implement this policy.
     3.  Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
     4.  Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within a half-hour of birth.
     5.  Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants.
     6.  Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk unless medically indicated.
     7.  Practice rooming in; allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
     8.  Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
     9.  Give no artificial teats or pacifiers to breastfeeding infants.
     10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from hospitals or clinics.

This is the criteria the members of the Tarrant County Birth Network support, believe in, and ultimately practice.  Next time someone says they are Mother-Friendly, you'll be able to know exactly what that means.  It's not just a catch-phrase - sure, no one is hostile towards mothers - but are they truly supporting these mothers and fathers in becoming a family?  Step number six is pretty intense and where a lot of care providers do not qualify for Mother-Friendly status.

Mother-Friendly status is what all care providers should be striving for.  Ask your care provider if he/she is Mother-Friendly and what they are doing to become Mother-Friendly.  This is the way we are going to change maternity care in the US.  This market is consumer driven, and you are the consumer.  Demand Mother-Friendly care. 

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Mark Your Calendar

We have some exciting meetings for the Tarrant County Birth Network over the next 3 months. I wanted to be sure everyone is aware of what is going on. We have over 30 members and our attendance is growing like crazy. Last month was, in my opinion, our best yet. We want YOU to join us whether you are a professional or a parent consumer. The Birth Network is for everyone concerned about birth and birth-related topics.

Our Monthly Round-Up meetings take place every second Thursday of every month.

July 8: DOULA EXTRAVAGANZA!
Place: Texas Wesleyan University
1103 S. Collard St.
Ft. Worth, TX 76105
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Kathy O'Brien, Doula, will address us on all the ins-and-outs of what a doula does. You'll learn about the doula's role at your birth, how much it costs, the different types of doulas, what their training involves, and how statistics fare by having a doula at your birth vs. not having a doula. In addition, Jamie Hinton, Birth Doula, will show us her doula bag and explain what she brings to and does at a birth. Tina Valle, Postpartum Doula, will also be sharing her expertise as a woman working with moms and dads after the baby arrives.

If you are contemplating hiring a doula, I hope you'll join us for this informative night. There will be plenty of doulas in attendance to mingle with afterwards. You may find your doula that night!

AUGUST 13: Share YOUR Birth Story
Place and Time: Same as July
All women with a child have a birth story. Maybe it was the greatest experience of your life. Maybe it wasn't. Sharing your experience with others is so important on many different levels. We are asking everyone to submit their birth stories to the Tarrant Co. Birth Network via email by August 1st. We will be picking (at least) 3 stories to be read by the mothers. We are asking that it be limited to 2 pages in length (single-spaced is fine!). We are looking for all different types of births, in all different settings.

We will also be discussing The Birth Survey: what it is, how to use it, and its effect on our community. Truly, every birth matters.

Lastly, we will discuss the Tarrant Co. Birth Network's online and printed Resource Guide as a way of finding Mother-Friendly care providers in our community.

SEPTEMBER 9: Infant Mortality
Place: The Child Study Center
1300 W. Lancaster Ave.
Ft. Worth, TX 76102
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.

In honor of Infant Mortality Awareness Month, Faith Ellis will be addressing us on this topic. Very much involved in collecting data and research for Tarrant County, she has some very important information to share with us. She is putting this meeting together and has promised some very important people and data that evening.

These meetings are free to the public. We do invite everyone, however, to join the Tarrant County Birth Network. Consumer memberships are just $25 for the year, and Professional Memberships start at just $50 a year. It's as easy as the click of a button to join online.

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Tarrant Co. Birth Network Round-Up April 8

For those of you in the Ft. Worth area, we are having our second Tarrant County Birth Network meeting this Thursday, April 8 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the North Richland Hills Public Library.

Our topic is Induction of Labor. There have been a couple of hospitals in our area that have recently stopped performing inductions without medical indication. The Director of Women's Services at North Hills Hospital will be speaking to the Birth Network about this step they have taken in order to improve maternity care in our community.

In addition, Mellanie Sheppard, board certified lactation consultant, will be speaking about the effects of induction on breastfeeding, especially in a baby born too early.

We invite all pregnant women and fathers, or anyone interested in learning more about induction of labor. The meeting is free and open to the public.

If you have any questions, etc., feel free to email us at tarrantcounty@birthnetwork.org or leave a message here as well. Please, let us know how we can serve you and our community. If you would like to be a part of TCBN by volunteering your time or talents or becoming a member, again, please contact us. We are welcoming ideas for topics and events for our monthly meetings.

We look forward to getting to know you and ultimately improving maternity care for the women, babies, and families of Tarrant County.

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