Midwife Fun at Miles for Midwives!

Saturday's Miles for Midwives was a blast, as predicted! We avoided the rain and had a very fun- run/walk. It was so nice to see familiar faces: midwives, doulas, friends, and past clients.  I sat at the NYC Homebirth Midwives' table giving away coupons to well-woman visits with Clementine Midwifery.

Chi Chi showed her support by running and wearing last year's shirt:

Finally, I am SO proud to say that I have such wonderful people in my life whose thoughtfulness and generosity enabled me to surpass my fundraising goal of $500.  With the support of friends, family, and clients, we raised $615!  Many, many thanks to all.  Your gifts will truly go a long way in supporting midwives, the women who benefit from their care, and reproductive choice.

See you next year!

End of Summer Roundup

With Labor Day fast approaching, I wanted to get one more post in and let you all know about all the exciting birthy things that have happened this summer:


The NYS Department of Health is embarking on a largescale restructuring of NYS Medicaid. My fabulous supervisor at Healthy Start Brooklyn, who helps run the free doula program for low-income Brooklyn mamas that I participate in, has submitted a proposal for Medicaid to cover birth doula services. This measure is a public health no-brainer: better health outcomes for mamas and babies AND a big time money saver in the long run (remember my early post: women who work with doulas are more likely to have undisturbed births, and undisturbed birth is super cheap). We need as many people as possible to chime in and suggest that Medicaid cover doula support. Go to this link, click on the Help Redesign Medicaid box to the left, and since my supervisor has already submitted a detailed suggestion, all you need to write is "Medicaid should cover doula services."


I was on the NPR blog, baby!

There was a great segment on homebirth on ABC's Good Morning America, featuring Karen Jefferson, a great NYC midwife who I had the pleasure of interviewing for the senior undergraduate thesis:

Finally, Miles for Midwives 2011 is on October 1st!  Don't worry, I'll follow up with more information on participating and donating soon.

Wishing everyone a Happy Labor Day!

Waiting game

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:

• $10 off an 8 week series at the Prenatal Yoga Center
• 10% off online orders at Magnificent Baby
• Free breastfeeding diary with any purchase at Yummy Mummy
  
• 50% off your first two treatments at Garden Acupuncture
  
• 10% off any class or workshop at Birth Day Presence
• $25 off your first BodyTalk session at Wisdom House Wellness
• $10 off any $50 online purchase at Jake and Ella
• This isn't a discount, but it's nice to know: 15% of what you pay for a 5-class Hypnobirthing course goes to Choices in Childbirth!
  

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...

Coming soon: Miles for Midwives!

The 8th Annual Miles for Midwives 5K Walk/Run is taking place Saturday, October 2nd in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. This is one of my favorite events of the year: families, midwives, doulas, and all others in the birth-world and most importantly, all birth-world supporters join together to improve maternity care. In addition to the race, there will be a Wellness Fair with activities including yoga, reiki, acupuncture, massage, henna, and more. There will also be a silent auction and a Kid's Corner with games for all. I'll be there straddling two roles: doula/midwife supporter/future midwife and Metro Minis enthusiast, as I'll be manning the store's table!

Join the race by registering here, or simply come to enjoy all the activities, wander through the Wellness Fair, and admire all the cute babies.

If you can't make it but want to help out, please consider donating! I've set up my very own fundraiser page with a goal of raising $500.

It's going to be a great day for an even greater cause.