I've got a client right now in the early stages of her induction... meaning nothing is really happening, so I am finding ways to occupy my time while my phone sits no more than 6 inches away from me. Every so often I stare at it, waiting for it to ring and tell me it's time to go. I'm not with her, but I am so with her.
I thought I'd keep my mind on birth and visit this little place I wish I visited more. Since it's been a while, there is so much I want to say.
First, Miles for Midwives was a blast. It was the largest they'd had, with 460 runners, 50 sponsors, and a huge crowd of others. And my little fundraiser page raised $200! Thank you so much to everyone who came and donated.
Of course, I forgot my camera, and the pictures I took on Michael's phone didn't come out, so I've got limited ones to show you. Here's one of the Metro Minis table. Joanna, the co-owner, is on the left wearing a beautiful Girasol wrap, while in the background, physical therapist Lisa Hoffman identifies a postpartum mom's diastasis (she teaches a free
class at Metro Minis about it!). We also had cloth diapers, Kleen Kanteens, and other baby carriers on display:
And here's one of Michael and me and my brother's dog, Chi Chi, after they finished the race:
Dogs love midwives too!
The Miles for Midwives goodie bag was super sweet and chock full of coupons. I'm going to give most of them to my clients, but here are some I thought I'd post here. Give me a shout if you want any of them:
Miles for Midwives also kicked off National Midwifery Week. And I was so happy to see this banner as I was walking into a hospital for a birth that week:
After all this celebration, you're thinking, Leda has to add something cynical, right? It wouldn't be a complete post without some complaint, right? Have no fear! The bad news is here:
What is
this all about? The IRS has decided that breast pumps cannot be tax-sheltered, but other items like acne cream can be: "I.R.S. officials say they consider breast milk a food that can promote good health, the same way that eating citrus fruit can prevent scurvy. But because the I.R.S. code considers nutrition a necessity rather than a medical condition, the agency’s analysts view the cost of breast pumps, bottles and pads as no more deserving of a tax break than an orange juicer." Yeah, except orange juicers don't prevent cancer. And diabetes. And asthma. Or have the potential to save the US $13 billion in health care costs (reported in the middle of the article).
Whew. Now that the bad stuff is out of the way, I can be done.
And maybe I'll go to this birth someday...
