Specifically, the show addressed the issues women face when breastfeeding and returning to work.  Below is the summary of the show from the NPR website and the link to the audio file.

State of Things-Breastfeeding and Feminism

A provision in the new health care legislation aims to make it easier for new mothers to return to work and continue to nurse their babies. The provision revives a long-simmering debate in the field of feminist scholarship about the impact of breastfeeding on the status of women. Some say it shackles women to a life of domesticity, some say it is the personal duty of a “good” mother and others suggest both arguments are short-sighted. Host Frank Stasio discusses how something so personal became so political with: Paige Hall Smith, professor and director of the Center for Women’s Health and Wellness at UNC-Greensboro; Alison Stuebe, Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician and professor at UNC-Chapel Hill; Jackie Wolf, professor and chair of the Department of Social Medicine at Ohio University; Bernice Hausman, professor of English at Virginia Tech; Beth Messersmith, member of Triangle chapter of MomsRising.org; and Jeannine Sato, director of Durham Connects.

So controversial in fact, that the National Institutes of Health (NIH)  hosted a Consensus Development Conference in Washington, D.C. in March.  The consensus statement (here) questioning the validity of current medical thinking that “once a cesarean, always a cesarean.”

The VBAC rate peaked in 1996 at 28% and has since dropped precipitously to a lowly number of 8%.  Over the duration of the conference, doctors, scientists and an array of other experts grappled with the question: “are we doing more harm than good?”  Indeed, the benefits of a trial of labor (TOL), regardless of ultimate mode of birth for a low-risk woman outweigh the risks of an elective repeat cesarian delivery (ERCD).  So why do 89% of low-risk women with a first time cesarean have  a repeat cesarean?

On Friday, March 26th, the Triangle Birth Network co-hosted a VBAC information session at the Diapering Doula in Morrisville, NC.   The event brought 25+ women and healthcare providers together in the comforting space to explore this issue with the women in our area.

Anne Hayes, the co-chair of TBN started the night off with an overview of the issue.  She explained that the most common reasons stated for the dearth of VBACs in the United States are that many hospitals don’t allow VBACs at all due to their lack of immediate anesthesia availability in the case that a cesarean section becomes necessary and a fear of litigation.  However, in order for a hospital to be considered mother-friendly, they are required to have a VBAC rate of at least 60%. You can read more about the mother-friendly childbirth initiative here.

However, Anne was not just touting stats.  She is a living, breathing example of the redemptive power of a VBAC for a woman who wants one.  Her story started with an all-too-familiar scene of a first-time mom who was told that her baby was in distress and rushed to the operating room.  As it turned out, the reason for her cesarean was ruled out once the healthy, thriving baby was brought out.  There were lights and strange people allowing for little bonding time between momma and babe.

The second time around she wanted things to be different.

I wanted to experience birth as nature intended.  I wondered what would happen if no one messed with my body.

She attended a Jennifer Block signing of her book, Pushed, and the author encouraged her to explore the idea of a home birth.  After watching the movie, The Business of Being Born and talking with friends who had had home births, she was in.

I did basically anything that I thought would prepare me for a home birth.

That she did.  She listed chiropractic care, reiki, and hypnobabies as some of the preparations she made for her body, mind, and spirit.  Labor day arrived, and with it a beautiful new baby, Violet.

My birth was not easy, but it is what I wanted and intended.  I was the happiest woman in the entire universe.  I had just climbed Mt. Everest.

Katherine Jones, another mother and a member of ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) also shared her story.  She describes her first birth as a cesarean a the end of a cascade of interventions.  Katherine was induced because she was two weeks late.  When she was 9 cm. dilated, the doctor said that she had “failure to progress” and started talking about a cesarean.

I think that I was having a full-on panic attack.  The spinal [anesthesia] traveled up to my chest and I couldn’t breathe.  I thought that I was going to die.  My heart was broken and I was scared and overwhelmed.  I knew right then that I wanted things to be different next time.

Katherine noted that breastfeeding after this experience was very healing for her.  For her next birth, she planned for a VBAC with a practice who said that they would let her “try” for a VBAC.  She had  a successful VBAC, however her son had respiratory distress and was whisked away from her immediately.  ”It sort of squashed the joy,” she said.

She exclaimed, “We were going to try again!” For her next birth she worked with Triangle OB/GYN.

“I had a great doula and a great midwife.  I had the birth that I knew was possible.  It shouldn’t be that complicated.”

Kandace Dole, the chair of the Triangle chapter of ICAN spoke next.  She started an ICAN chapter after being trained as a doula.  The area ICAN chapter will now be known as ICAN of the Triangle.  The chapter currently has 70 members online and available to support women after a cesarean section.  Please watch for a forthcoming updated website with meeting information.  Meetings are usually held in a member’s home in order to create a private and supportive environment.

Amber Craig followed Kandace with another inspiring birth story.  She had two cesarean sections, one because the baby was “too big.”  Amber chose a home birth for her third child and enjoyed a lovely 3.5 hour labor!

The high after the birth is amazing!  I felt like I could do anything!

Baby #4 was also welcomed at home after 2.5 hours.

The last presenters of the night were Nancy Harman, CNM and Deb O’Connell, CNM.  Nancy commended the women present at the meeting by saying,

This community of women is here to remind us of what’s true.

Deb and Nancy explained that most midwives have a 5% c-section rate.  Deb emphasized the midwives philosophy of care this way:

Trusting birth and being willing to be patient with birth means letting whatever is unfolding be.

Meaning, midwives are not taught to rush their clients.  They are there to support, encourage, and protect the birth process, not fit it into a pre-prescribed box of how it “should” be.    Their job is educating women about their choices in every situation.  They expressed their confidence that “…most women who choose to pursue a VBAC will have it.” Both midwives were emphatic that if a woman is feeling led to pursue a VBAC, they should educate themselves about the benefits of home birth.  If she chooses a hospital birth, their advice is to hire a doula, stay home as long as possible, and ask for a nurse who is supportive of VBAC.

Jessicca Ramirez-Tower, CNM from Triangle OB/GYN also provided valuable insight on the topic and helped to answer questions during the Q & A session.  Jessicca served women as a midwife in Florida before moving to North Carolina and congratulated our state on being much more open to VBACs and birth choices in general.  Go NC!

Melanie Mintzer, MD of Generations Family Practice shared her experiences practicing as an OB before the VBAC rate started dropping and her observations of the birth culture now.  Dr. Mintzer has experience working in California as well as Orange County, NC.  She encouraged the women present to take charge of their birth experience and advocate for their choices.

Clearly, this was a productive and inspiring meeting.  Keep checking the TBN website for future informational events.  Here’s to good science proving what many of us already knew: women’s bodies are wonderfully designed to birth!

Not your first thought?  Well, Karissa Binkley, owner of the Triangle Diaper Company, birth doula, TBN board member, and all-around dynamo is on a mission to change that.

Here Karissa informs you about what she affectionately refers to as “her lil’ shop”:

Nestled deep within Grace Park  in Morrisville, NC smack dab between Raleigh  and Chapel Hill, and  fittingly beside a playground, is the Diapering Doula. This small locally owned boutique and diaper service  specializes in natural notions for mom and baby. Product lines hail from The United States, throughout Europe and Canada and are made of fairly traded materials by Mother-Owned companies.

The Diapering Doula is in fact owned and operated by Birth Doula, Karissa Binkley. The diaper service and shop was established as a way for Karissa to work with Triangle Families,  and to allow for the flexibility needed for a Doula schedule. Karissa works with one Family per month, and from time to time you may see a shingle placed on the door with “Gone to a Birth” written on it.  The shop is home to events including a new moms group, childbirth education classes, movie nights, and many other programs.

This eclectic shop is colorful and fun-loving, using not so obvious pieces as display cases including birdcages, antique trunks and even a doctors table from the 19th century!

The Mission of the Triangle Diaper Company

·         Provide Superior Customer Service

·         Conduct Environmentally Respectful Business

·         Offer Cruelty-Free Products (We are included in PETAs Caring Consumer Guide )

·         Support Women Owned Businesses and Community Organizations

·         Sell Items from Companies Who Respect Their Employees and Purchase Their Materials Fairly.

·         Educate Parents on Cloth Diapering One Fanny at a Time!

We Are Serious About a Clean Product, and a Clean Planet.

We use Design for the Environment awarded detergents to cleanse our diapers. This is no small feat; the companies that we work with have committed to years of research in order to provide effective green products.  We use high-efficiency machines to launder our nappies. We deliver diapers to your door in an eco-friendly vehicle. We work hard to serve our diapering families in the most healthy way possible for baby and the planet.

The Diapering Doula Supports the World Health Organization Code Compliance for Breastfeeding

Our store is committed to the support and promotion of breastfeeding. We partner exclusively with WHO compliant companies. Our shop offers resources and classes to nursing and pregnant mothers. We respect all mother’s decisions in how to nourish their children.

But wait…THERE’S MORE!  In addition to providing the services above, Karissa has opened up her store to host a variety of mommy groups and events.  Notably, TBN has partnered with the Diapering Doula to host film screenings/ Q& A panels with women’s health providers.  Already, we have had two overwhelmingly successful nights where women, partners, babies, friends and families gathered to educate themselves about the beauty of birth and the importance of having access to choices in childbirth.  The last screening on February 26th was of the groundbreaking documentary film, Orgasmic Birth. After the film, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions of two fantastic nurse midwives practicing home birth in our area, Deb O’ Connell and Nancy Harman.

Dr. Debra Bell, TBN board member, chiropractor, and owner of Whole Family Chiropractic in Cary had this to say about the events: “The service that Karissa is providing is invaluable. The fact that each movie night has been packed really shows the need for these types of events.   Mothers and families want to know their choices and aren’t getting satisfying answers from their OBs or healthcare providers.  Way to go, Karissa for educating families on their options and empowering them to make their own decisions on the way they give birth.”  

Karissa’s thoughts on the movie nights: “What really spoke to me was that each movie was attended by families who had a genuine interest in natural childbirth- from aspiring midwives to those who are considering VBACs to daughters giving birth at home and mothers who are on the fence about this decision. (BTW the mama is so excited and all for homebirth after the meeting!). The movie on 2/26 brought in doulas from all over the Triangle and even Greensboro and mothers and fathers considering homebirth. People are craving information here, and we are providing it! I think that’s pretty cool!”

The Triangle Diaper Company and The Triangle Birth Network have committed to providing YOU these movie nights every 4th Friday of the month.  Please check our websites www.TriangleBirthNetwork.org and www.TriangleDiaperCompany.com for updates.

The next informational event will be on Friday, March 26th at the Triangle Diaper Company and will cover Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC)s. Please bring every woman you know to hear the latest updates on this controversial issue from some of the most stellar women’s health providers in our area, as well as first-hand accounts of women in the Triangle who have experienced a VBAC.  This is a FREE EVENT! We hope to see you there!

Carrboro Midwifery is a midwife-owned homebirth and well woman gynecology practice serving the greater Triangle area. The practice is run by our very own Deb O’Connell, CNM, MS.  Deb serves on the board of TBN as our professional liason.  She has a dazzling professional  history in addition to her nurturing, gentle, (and hilarious!) personality.

Deb O’Connell, CNM, MS graduated from Stonybrook University with her Master’s of Science degree in Midwifery in 2001. She is a Certified Nurse Midwife and active member of the American College of Nurse Midwives. While a midwifery student, she had the privilege of attending homebirths with a group of midwives in Lancaster, PA and it was this experience that Deb attributes her confidence in women’s ability to labor/birth naturally within the safety of their homes.

During her early years of practice, Deb was also raising three young children with her partner in Vermont while attending births at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. She and her partner moved their family down to Chapel Hill in 2006 and Deb took a position as faculty within UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine. Deb had always told herself that when their oldest child was in college and their youngest approaching middle school, she would return to attending women at home for their births. She left her faculty position in December and is very excited about serving women and their families in the home. Deb firmly believes that for the low-risk client, homebirth is not just an option but is often the optimal choice for women.

You can visit Deb and her practice at www.carrboromidwifery.com or by calling 919-428-0717. She is currently taking new clients and is an out of network provider for all major insurances as well as Medicaid. Services at Carrboro Midwifery include the following: homebirth (including full prenatal care, birth tub rental, postpartum care and newborn care up to four weeks). Gynecological services include: annual exams, pap smears, STD testing, birth control counseling, IUD and Implanon insertion, and menopausal counseling.

We applaud you Deb,  for taking this step to provide one more choice for birthing women in our area!  Happy Birthing!

Deb and her photographer's beautiful wee one, Judah Tonken (mom, Annemie Tonken, has provided Deb with BEAUTIFUL birth art and photography for her office - www.carrboroclicks.com)

Dynamic, genius women have joined our board this year.  We are cooking up ideas with fervor, and are positive that 2010 will be our most exciting year yet!  We are thrilled to bring you more information sessions, movie screenings, mommy’s night out’s, and regular blog postings.  Watch for updates on events on our website.  Also, don’t forget to utilize our member lists for a directory of birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum resources in our area.

As we enter this year, we want to take a moment and celebrate 2009.  TBN was quite active last year.  Thank you to those who attended our events and gave us ideas for future ones.  Thank you to our board members from last year.  Your contributions to the families we serve is greatly appreciated.  A few of our board members chime in to reflect…

One of our returning board members, Anne Hayes, has been a TBN board member for two years.  She has a BA in political science and is a mother of two young girls.  We welcome her back this year as the Co-Chair of the organization.

Jessica Altemarra, a doula, La Leche League leader, parenting instructor, and IBCLC has been a TBN board member since it’s inception. We are thankful to have her continuing on the board in 2010!

I am grateful for the work that UNC is doing to become certified as Baby Friendly. I’m most excited that they’ve moved to parallel care in the postpartum period; a model of care that recognizes the nursing baby and mother as an interdependent dyad. I’m also thrilled with the model for cesarean birth that they are putting into place. This is a family centered, breastfeeding supportive way of recognizing the very human element of all birth methods. It makes a priority of keeping families together (instead of sending healthy babies to the nursery) and choosing medications that are least likely to interfere with bonding or breastfeeding. As someone who has seen how deeply the small details of birth can affect families, I’m unspeakably grateful to see such progressive practices being put into place in our own Triangle community.

I’ve seen TBN support these same ideals as we’ve had educational events to help families and professionals understand what they can do to have the best birth possible for themselves and their babies. I have to say, though, that I most enjoyed the Mom’s Night Out that we had. It’s important to nurture each other!

We welcome Karissa Binkley to the board this year as our Community Outreach Chair.  Many of you may know her better as the “Diapering Doula” and owner of a diaper delivery service and natural baby boutique.  Her life’s goal is to leave her space in the world a little cleaner and brighter.

2009 was amazing. I was privileged to attend a number of births and cultivate my passion into a business with opening the diaper shop. After nearly three years of living here I finally feel settled- this is home. I was pleased that in 2009 Doulas became eligible for receiving Provider Number which recognizes our valuable work within the medical and insurance arena. It is my hope that in the very near future our clients will be reimbursed by their insurance companies. In 2010, I look forward to becoming more active within the birthing community of the Triangle by hosting events and working with TBN to promote awareness of all of the choices families have here. Right now we’re planning movie nights, introduction to child birthing education classes, and some other creative and fun ways to provide educational materials to our local Mamas and Papas!

Below is a summary of some of the events hosted by TBN in 2009.

Our events included:

*  January 25th:  Orgasmic Birth showing at the Rialto.  Birth and popcorn?  It doesn’t get better than that…

*  March 7th: Public Enrichment Meeting-How Skin to Skin Contact Affects Mothers and Babies

*  September 19th:  Free Public Meeting-Induction: The Big Picture

Panel presenters for "Induction: The Big Picture"

Dr. Debra Bell demonstrating the benefits of chiropractic care

*  Oct 2nd:  Mommy’s Night Out and presentation Nurturing the Mother at Peace Tree Village in Raleigh.

*  Oct 10th:  Carolina Parent Baby Fair booth.

Thank you to all of the families who have supported TBN in 2009.  We look forward to seeing you this year!  Happy Birthing and Happy Parenting!

Images of soft, clean skin, giggles, and all around precious moments filled your head, right?

For all too many women in this country, the word baby fills their hearts with grief.  Although the United States spends BILLIONS on health care each year, and touts some of the most technologically advanced medical care in the world, it ranks a dismal 42 on the infant mortality ranking for developed countries.  Equally as horrifying is that there is a gigantic disparity between the infant mortality of white babies and African American babies in this country.  The African American infant mortality rate is 16 infant deaths per 1,000 live births!  This is parallel to the rates of Malaysia and the West Bank.

How can this be?  What can we do to help?

These questions can be answered by the groundbreaking documentary, just released by  Hana Peace Works Pictures titled

“Reducing Infant Mortality and Improving the Health of Babies.” This film was co-produced by one of the largest certifying bodies for birth doulas, DONA International, and the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute’s Center for Clinical Studies and Research.  The film brings together the most cutting-edge research on this topic and world-renowned experts to create an essential piece with the potential to inspire a major change in maternity care.  You can view the movie on the film’s website here.

The film’s website state’s that its simple message is to “Normalize Birth.” They hope to accomplish this goal by “…advocating for a health care system in which it will be standard procedure for mothers and babies to thrive and not merely survive through birth and early life.”  They go on to explain that,   “The midwifery model of care will save our health care system millions of dollars each year.” In addition to saving millions, if not billions in health care costs, the midwifery model of care has also been proven to improve birth outcomes and increase access to health care.   Check out Midife-led versus other models of care for childbearing women, an article just released by the Cochrane Review here.

After viewing the movie, you may be stirred to get involved in advocacy work (so we hope!).  The website has wonderful links and advice for writing to your legislators and making a change!  Lets keep the momentum to improve the health of babies and make the Triangle area one of the most heard in the nation!

Although initiatives such as Baby Friendly are pure in their intent, their has been a backlash in select circles of the feminist community denouncing breastfeeding as the new vacuum cleaner of the fifties, holding American women back from pursuing a satisfying life and career. On her blog, www.PushedBirth.com, Jennifer Block, author of Pushed, published a post bringing these criticisms to light and weighing them against evidence-based research.  She focuses heavily on the “shot heard round the world” article by Hannah Rosin published in the Atlantic, “The Case Against Breastfeeding.” Our very own Miriam Labbok, MD, professor of Public Health at UNC is interviewed as the expert on breastfeeding and feminism.  Dr. Labbok has over thirty years of experience in the breastfeeding field in her expansive resume.  Go NC!!!!  You can find the full text of the article here.

Please enjoy these photos on the shape of a mother website.  This is a wonderful project, which reminds all of us of the unique and unrivaled radiance of the body of a mother.  It showcases the truth of the changes that happen in a woman’s body when she opens herself up to give life to another human being.  The project brings to the public a series of stretch marks and bellies and breasts of all shapes, sizes, and nationalities.  What would it be like if mothers saw their bodies as art in motion?  An ever changing canvas, colored by experiences of giving life and receiving it?

You can also find links to other similar photo projects on the site.  Here’s to you, your body, and art!

Instead of a an estimated date of delivery, it starts to mimic an expiration date.  Besides the fact that first time mothers average 41 weeks and 1 day for gestation, due dates are not an exact science.

Here to help everyone take a deep breath(and keep them from tossing you with last week’s chinese take out) is Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE  who published a lighthearted, yet valuable article on About.com addressing a variety of those lovely inquiries pregnant women receive once they pass the almighty EDD.

You can find the article here.  Maybe you could carry extra copies around town with you and share them with an informed smile.  Although this time can seem to drag, try to use it to pamper yourself and/or spend time with your partner.  Going on walks in the evening to discuss your feelings surrounding the birth and becoming parents for the first or multiple times is not only a way to nurture your relationship, but can help get labor started!

Brenda Lane published an article on Suite 101.com with just those sorts of questions.

Check it out here and enjoy getting to know your community resources!

Research all of your childbirth options!