Please consider making a submission - all it takes is an email and it is vital for the future of maternity choice in Australia - more details here.
Childbirth
preparation Classes for the Body Mind and Spirit
For the expectant mother, being prepared to give birth means
feeling confident and inspired. To us this means having a good
understanding of:
— your
body and the birth process
— the
choices and the challenges and you will meet
— your
personal strength
— trust
and how to generate it in yourself, your support people
and the birth process.
For the father/partner it means understanding:
— and
feeling confident in the birth process
— how
you can support your partner
— how
you might feel and your needs in the process.
Our aim is to have you complete the classes feeling truly prepared.
Teaming the knowledge you need with the wisdom your body already
knows
Childbirth
preparation Classes for the Body Mind and Spirit start this Monday
6 monday evenings
6.30 - 9.30
766 Riversdale Road Camberwell
$350 per couple (concessions available)
The
teaching of the International College of Spiritual Midwifery
is centred on returning women to the sovereignty of their own
bodies, and to the inherent power within. For as women, we
are part of a continuum, our ancestors live within in us, just
as we will live within our descendants....
The
more a woman is able to be herself as a woman, the more she
is able to be with other women as they travel the rich and
sometimes challenging landscape of womanhood. Hence the original
meaning of "midwife" - "with
woman".
Children who are born of and cared for by such women
and men grow strong in their own sense of responsibility. It
is in this that we create the future we wish for our children
and the generations to come.
Children to spend Christmas in Detention Centres thanks to the Rudd Government's refugee policy
Sadly yet again the Australian Government has chosen to lock children up in detention centres. There were 123 children in the Christmas Island Detention Centre last week. Many without their parents. On Christmas Eve, the Government has moved 30 unaccompanied Afghan children from Christmas Island to a detention centre in Melbourne due to over crowding on Christmas Island. The Christmas Island Detention Centre now has 1432 people when the centre was designed for 800. People are now being accommodated in tents. Read the full story here.
On 29 July 2008, Senator Chris Evans, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, made a speech New Directions in Detention, Restoring Integrity to Australia's Immigration System. He said Children will never be held in a detention centre. What has happened to that pledge to children?
One study of 20 children in a remote facility found that all the children were experiencing at least one mental disorder. About half the children admitted to thinking about suicide and one quarter had engaged in self-harming behaviour. Another study of detained children found that all the children less than five years old had cognitive developmental delay. All children seven to 17 years old suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder and depression.
The rights of child asylum seekers are protected by a range of international conventions including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Geneva Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. Yet mental health and child welfare groups are once again confronted with a series of concerns about the welfare of children and the impact of mandatory offshore processing.
Many women say they experience an orgasm while giving birth.
Imagine what the world would be like if all babies were born this way.
Beautiful Breech Home Water Birth September 19, 2009.
"A blissful experience, but hard to achieve with the attention of medical authorities pressuring us to have an elective cesarean. Common sense won out and by trusting in birth, and my body, our baby came into the world in a loving, peaceful, safe, and joyful environment."
Home Birth Rally by Suzi. September 19, 2009.
Home Birth Rally by Jane Palmer. September 11, 2009.
Greens Senator Rachel Siewert at the Home Birth Rally "ALL midwives for ALL births must have indemnity insurance in Australia....Keep the pressure up on all levels of Government - Federal, State, Territory. Homebirth must be a choice for every mother and family in this country." Sept 9, 2009.
Coalition MP Andrew Laming at the Home Birth Rally Sept 9, 2009.
The Rights of Childbearing Women Sept 9, 2009.
Birthlove - An amazing resource for pregnancy + birth + home birth from a few yrs ago is now back online.
http://birthlove.cyclzone.com/
I am petitioning to demand the rights of every pregnant, birthing and postpartum woman.
I am a sentient, intelligent person, in a pluralistic and democratic society, and I firmly believe that every woman has absolute authority over her own reproductive process. I do not believe that pregnancy and birth are frightening biological anomalies. I believe that there are far too many dangerous and routine medical procedures done in hospitalized childbirth that harm women and babies. I believe in the sanctity of birth, and the trustworthy functioning of women's bodies. Women have the right to refuse interventions and procedures they feel are detrimental to their birth processes or babies. Babies have the right to be born gently, without fear, trauma or pain.
Childbirth is a private, and not a public, affair. It is every woman's right to give birth wherever, however, and with whomever she chooses. Women have the right of genuine informed consent, and access to all recorded medical information.
The rights of women are inalienable, and will not be interfered with by any government nor medical governing body.
Roxon bungles and delays, but no solution on homebirth Sept 9, 2009.
The Rudd Government has voted against a Coalition amendment to the midwife indemnity insurance Bills which would have considered the feasibility of extending the insurance provisions to independent midwives involved in homebirths.
“The Minister, despite ample opportunities, has failed to take leadership on this issue and she has now obstinately refused to accept a way-out of her own bungling,” Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing, Peter Dutton said.
“The measures that the Coalition proposed provide a sensible course of action for the Government to resolve this issue and work toward providing certainty for parents and health care professionals.
“The first step to a resolution is for the Government to release the actuarial modelling associated with the indemnity insurance scheme. This is consistent with the recommendations of the Minority Report of the Senate Community Affairs Committee. It has been a request made on numerous occasions by the Coalition and was formally voted against by Minister Roxon and the Rudd Government last night,” Mr Dutton said.
The second- reading amendment to the Bills moved by the Coalition called on the Minister to:
(a) facilitate a full and informed debate by requiring the Minister to table all
actuarial modelling relating to the extension of Commonwealth Medical
Indemnity Insurance to midwives providing birthing services outside of a
clinical setting;
(b) further facilitate a full and informed debate by requiring a review into the
provision of medical indemnity insurance to midwives providing birthing
services outside of a clinical setting, with the review being tabled in
Parliament on or before 1 June 2012; and
(c) have in the Bills’ objects the goal of not restricting the rights of women to
choose home birth as an option provided the wellbeing of the mother and
child are not put at risk.
“The Minister’s recent back-flip on the proposed National Registration and Accreditation legislation is only a temporary reprieve until June 2012 and does not provide any course of action to resolve the issue beyond that date.
“After so many bungles and back-flips on a number of different issues, it is clear the Minister wants to delay action and push through to the next election, as she is rapidly losing public confidence and even support within the Labor party” Mr Dutton said.
At the Homebirth Rally in Canberra with thousands of women and families demanding equal rights for their birth choiceSept 7, 2009.
11,000 home birth midwives got indemnity insurance TODAY in the USA.
Why can't the Federal Govt encourage Australian insurance companies to offer a product like this to our homebirth midwives? Then they will be covered for the National Registration & Accreditation Scheme.
ACNM And Contemporary Insurance Services, Inc. Unite To Provide Home Birth Practice Coverage For 11,000 CNMs And CMs In The U.S.
Effective immediately, American College of Nurse/Midwives (ACNM) and its longstanding partner Contemporary Insurance Services, Inc. and Lexington Insurance Company, which offers the insurance protection, have created an insurance plan for home birth coverage in all 50 states. This measure means that the 5,000+ members of ACNM will now be able to obtain coverage for home birthpractice.
"We are extremely pleased that Contemporary can now offer coverage for our
members who attend home births," said ACNM President Melissa Avery, CNM, PhD, FACNM, FAAN. "Our members' priority is to provide safe, quality care for their clients. We support the right of women to choose a planned home birth, and we applaud Lexington's recent decision to include home birth practice among their coverage options for our members. Read more.Sept 7, 2009.
Life Matters ABC Radio Interview 07/09/09
Hundreds of women are gathering outside Parliament House in Canberra today for a rally on homebirth.
Proposed amendments to federal health legislation will mean that insurance arrangements for midwives won't apply to homebirths. Late on Friday afternoon state and territory health ministers went some way to solving the problem. They agreed to a two-year insurance exemption for midwives attending homebirths, which means they won't be fined if they don't have insurance. However Homebirth Australia says the exemption hasn't gone nearly far enough.
Roxon Exemption announcement on eve of Rally - But no Insurance or Medicare for Homebirth
Minister Roxon announced late today an exemption for two years for home birth midwives - see details below. Comments in red.
Homebirth
Health Ministers agreed to a transitional clause in the current draft National Registration and Accreditation Scheme legislation which provides a two year exemption until June 2012 from holding indemnity insurance for privately practising midwives who are unable to obtain professional indemnity insurance for attending a homebirth.
Additional requirements to access the exemption will include;
- A requirement to provide full disclosure and informed consent that they do not have professional indemnity insurance. (Note: Private practice home birth midwives already do this.)
- Reporting each homebirth (Note: Private practice home birth midwives already do this.)
- Participating in a quality and safety framework which will be developed after consultation led by Victoria through the finalisation of the registration and accreditation process. (What will this mysterious framework be? How many women who currently have home births with privately practicing midwives would be excluded under this new framework? And why Victoria - could it have anything to do with their negative attitude towards home births in recent meetings)
These provisions will only apply to midwives working in jurisdictions which do not prohibit such practice as at the date of the implementation of the scheme (Is the decision whether to allow the state's independent midwives to continue to practice going to be made on a state by state basis between now and July 2010? - The answer is YES according to MP's we discussed this with today.)
Why will the Federal Government fund me to have an elective caesaran or IVF or a late term abortion if I choose to do so but not fund me if I choose to have home birth with a private practice midwife? Sept 4, 2009.
Right to reject medical care upheld but not if you are a pregnant woman DOCTORS and paramedics must withhold life-saving medical care if a patient has previously made a ''living will'' that clearly states they do not want a specific treatment, such as kidney dialysis or a blood transfusion. A landmark NSW Supreme Court decision has upheld the right to refuse medical treatment, even if the decision was made only in anticipation, and well before treatment was needed. Doctors' groups have welcomed the decision, saying it allows them to respect a patient's wishes without fear of prosecution or litigation by relatives.
An exception could be made if a pregnant woman's refusal of treatment would result in the death of her unborn child.Read more. Sept 4, 2009.
House of Representatives Speech 20/08/09 -
Andrew Laming (Federal Member for Bowman, Liberal Party) Few in this chamber will not be cheering that finally we have indemnity to support the great work midwives do for mothers around this country. But a very strange thing
happened as this legislation, the Health Legislation
Amendment (Midwives and Nurse Practitioners) Bill
2009 and the cognate bills, took shape. As midwives
working in the community who do homebirthing were
off to do their day’s work, this government managed to slip a bit of rancid ham into the legislative sandwich
and serve it up to the midwives, saying: ‘This is what
we’re doing for homebirths. We’re going to make registration contingent on your no longer doing home-
births. If you contemplate a homebirth, there will be a
$30,000 fine.’ There is no plan to put that on the Medicare safety net, is there, Treasurer? No way. You are
attempting to snuff out homebirths. We would be the
first country in the world to do it. That is a dreadful
shame. Aug 20, 2009.Read his full speech
Underground home births fear - Response to Senate Report SMH A SENATE committee has acknowledged that proposed legislation for midwives may ''drive homebirths underground''. The Government chairwoman of the Senate's Community Affairs Committee, Claire Moore, said the three Labor members recommended proceeding with legislation that would expand the role of midwives and extend government support for medical indemnity cover for midwives operating in hospitals....The committee acknowledged the concerns that ''an unintended consequence of this may be to drive homebirths underground unless an exemption is granted or an insurance product found." Aug 18, 2009.Read More
Senate Submissions supporting home birth online Submissions to the Senate Inquiry into the Health Legislation Amendment (Midwives and Nurse Practitioners) Bill are now online. You can read them here - all 1915 of them! Read Senate Submissions
UK Government pledges all women will be able to choose home birth The Guardian reported today the UK Government has pledged all women will be able to access home birth by the end of the year. This is in sharp contrast to the Australian Government's approach to the issue. August 12, 2009.Read more.
Keep Homebirth with a Midwife Legal in Australia! Beautiful song about why home birth with an independent midwife should be legal from an Australian Dad whose child was born at home. For lyrics and more info click here.
Insurance measures could force homebirths underground, Opposition says The House of Representatives will begin debating on Wednesday August 13 the new legislation which could make home births illegal. This is before the Senate Inquiry completes their report on the issue. Read the full article here.
Childbirth is US Health Care's biggest expense The most common reason for hospital stays in the US is childbirth, which costs the country far more than any other medical condition. Depending on the type and complexity of the birth, hospitals charge from US$7,000 to US$16,000. So these high costs must ensure successful deliveries, right? Think again. Twenty-nine nations have lower estimated maternal mortality rates than the U.S., and 33 nations have lower neonatal mortality rates.
Cesarean section is the most common operating room procedure in the country. Expenses related to c-section births amount to 45 percent of the US$79 billion billed in hospital childbirth charges in the U.S. annually, according to the American Medical Association.
Part of the solution to rising healthcare costs lies in re-evaluating the necessity of a procedure. Will it really benefit mom and child or are doctors trying to minimize their liability and maximize profits?
"The current style of hospital maternity care is procedure-intensive," says Stacey Marie Kerr, MD, author of Homebirth in the Hospital: Integrating Natural Childbirth with Modern Medicine. She adds, "Most childbearing women in the US are healthy and at low risk for complications, yet essentially all women who give birth in US hospitals experience high rates of interventions with risks of adverse side effects."
Dr. Kerr addresses the "Perinatal Paradox" - how we are doing and spending more and accomplishing less. She explains how integrating the emotional support of a homebirth experience with the technical expertise of western medicine found in hospitals provides, is in her opinion, the safest, most economical perinatal care.
"When the midwifery model is applied, between 85 percent and 95 percent of healthy women will safely give birth without surgery or the use of instruments," states Dr. Kerr. She adds, "In reality, intervention is often inappropriate and may actually be harmful when used purely for convenience or profit."
Making a banner for the Home Birth Rally on September 7? Check out this "How To" flash piece that explains in detail how to create a protest banner from start to finish. Get your own t-shirts custom printed with your slogan for the rally here.
Song to Nicola Roxon Another fantastic song to Nicola Roxon about the current home birth crisis in Australia. From Amber Cameron Burns: "Join us in Canberra on 7 September 2009 at 11.30am in front of Parliament House so we can tell the government what a huge mistake they're making. Rallies will also be held in each capital city on Sept 7! 11.30 am in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, 11am in Adelaide and 9.30am in Perth...all on the steps of each state's Parliament House. Hope you can join in!" For lyrics and more info click here.
Ricky Martin giving his son his first bath "A year ago! My son's first bath!" the singer posted alongside the picture on his Twitter account.
He welcomed his twin sons through a surrogate mother last August.
Mothers upset at Qantas Baby Bungle for Homebirth Rally in Canberra
Sept 7 2009
IT’S a dummy spit of enormous proportions and it has left Qantas reeling. Hundreds of babies, flying to Canberra next month for a national home-birth rally, were this week bumped off flights after the airline’s computerised booking system failed to alert staff that too many infants were being put on each plane. Civil Aviation Safety Authority rules stipulate that only eight babies are allowed on each flight to match the number of infant oxygen masks available, but more than 20 babies were booked on some journeys. Qantas staff began contacting customers at the weekend, telling them they must stay overnight in Canberra, take indirect flights or cancel. August 6, 2009.Read more.
Homebirths back on the agenda for Labour
CANBERRA is reconsidering its controversial exclusion of home births from a new midwifery indemnity scheme, before a Senate challenge to the draft legislation. Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon revealed yesterday she was looking at whether the government could accommodate home births in the $25 million indemnity scheme. August 1, 2009.Read more.
Epidurals - what are the real risks?
Epidurals have been in the news lately after a male midwife suggested pain has a purpose in labour and more women should be prepared to give birth without the use of epidurals. What are the real risks of epidural for mum and baby? Dr Sarah J Buckley MD has a fantastic article here on her website.
"Obstetric care providers have assumed that control of pain is the foremost concern of laboring women, and that effective pain relief will ensure a positive birth experience. In fact, there is evidence that the opposite may be true. Several studies have shown that women who use no labor medication are the most satisfied with their birth experience at the time, 116 at six weeks, 117 and at one year after the birth 118 In a UK survey of 1,000 women, those who had used epidurals reported the highest levels of pain relief but the lowest levels of satisfaction with the birth, probably because of the higher rates of intervention." (Dr Sarah J Buckley MD)
Katrina
Folkwell Birth Photo Gallery
Katrina Folkwell has extensive experience in black and white photography. Her
major passion has been working sensitively and creatively with pregnant woman,
birth and children. She has worked as a birth supporter in the Byron Bay area,
where she lives, and has attended and photographed over 60 births as well as
hundreds of pregnant couples. View an online
photo gallery of her beautiful photos.(Requires Flash Player 8 or above) Download
Flash Player for free from here.
Clare Bowditch...a passionate letter for the future of homebirth in Australia Hello All... I was beautifully cared for by an independent midwife during and post my pregnancy, and during my labour. These women cared so well and so deeply for my family and I. No-one knows their stuff like a good independent midwife. They are just one in a million and worthy of our full support. Read More.
From Marsden Wagner, for 15 years a Director of Women’s and Children’s Health, World Health Organisation.
To all those in Australia concerned with maternity services:
Childbirth is not a medical procedure, it is a normal part of the life cycle and belongs to women and their families, not to doctors nor hospitals nor the government. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that planned out-of-hospital birth attended by a midwife is an absolutely safe choice for all low-risk pregnant women-women without any serious medical problems. To in any way limit or forbid the choice of out-of-hospital birth or the training and ability to practice of midwives willing to attend out-of-hospital births is to deny Australians the freedom to control their own lives and is to fail to honor the central importance of family values in Australia.
In the 1980’s the German organization of obstetricians and gynecologists tried to get a national law forbidding planned out-of-hospital birth. The German women rose up and fought against it, there was an international outcry and the effort of the doctors failed and since then there has been a vast effort to promote out-of-hospital birth centers, increasing from one to the present over 100 such centers, all using midwives.
In the 1990’s the Hungarian organization of obstetricians and gynecologists tried to get their government to forbid planned out-of-hospital birth. The Hungarian women rose up and there was an international outcry and the effort of the doctors failed.
In the last decade, the government of Brazil tried to lower their very high caesarean section rate through working with the doctors and hospitals. When this did not succeed, the government of Brazil started up a national network of out-of-hospital birth centers staffed by midwives which are very popular and have quite reasonable caesarean section rates.
Efforts by doctors in Australia to prevent or limit in any way the option of planned home birth attended by midwives by completely falsely claiming, without any scientific evidence, that planned out-of-hospital is unsafe, will ultimately fail as the people of Australia cannot be fooled all the time and value their freedom too highly and Australia does not want an international outcry against them and to be seen as unable to prevent unjustified medical dominance of normal family life.
Marsden Wagner, M.D., M.S., for 15 years a Director of Women’s and Children’s Health, World Health Organization.
Birthing at home should be an available option - Coroner's plea to Government A CORONER handing down findings into the death of a baby born at home has called on the Federal Government to rethink its refusal to indemnify private midwives outside hospitals, saying home births will be driven underground with "disastrous ramifications". In releasing his report on Jasper Kosch-Coyne, a newborn baby who died while being driven from his parents' farm to Nimbin hospital two years ago, the Byron Bay coroner, Nick Reimer, said home-birthing was a mother's inherent right and a practice "that will not go away". Last month the federal Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, announced that private midwives would be given access to Medicare provider numbers and prescribing rights from next year, but indemnity insurance would not be extended to midwives attending home births. "History has shown there will always be a small group of expectant mothers who will want to give birth in their home," Mr Reimer said. "Birthing at home should be an available option." Read more.
"The Maternity Services Review report.. was an attempt to deliver continuity of care and midwife-led services to more Australian women. In so doing, it has stripped that very same care and service from the only women who currently have it - homebirth mums." ABC Unleashed 27 February 2009
ALDI bans suspect food additives linked to behavioural disorders ALDI has become the first Australian grocery retailer to institute a voluntary ban on six red and yellow food additives linked to behavioural abnormalities in children. The supermarket chain's group managing director, Michael Kloeters, said the company decided not to wait for legislation which would eliminate food colourings linked to attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders. He said the decision was based on the findings in a University of Southampton study published in The Lancet in 2007 which concluded that the effects on some children's development of the food colourings Tartrazine (102), Quinoline Yellow (104), Sunset Yellow (110), Carmoisine (122), Ponceau Red (124) and Allura Red (129) could be as detrimental as lead. Read More.
Ben Okri on the dreams of childhood "We plan our lives according to a dream that came to us in our childhood, and we find that life alters our plans. And yet, at the end, from a rare height, we also see that our dream was our fate. It's just that providence had other ideas as to how we would get there. Destiny plans a different route, or turns the dream around, as if it were a riddle, and fulfills the dream in ways we couldn't have expected."
"Only those who truly love and who are truly strong can sustain their lives as a dream. You dwell in your own enchantment. Life throws stones at you, but your love and your dream change those stones into the flowers of discovery. Even if you lose, or are defeated by things, your triumph will always be exemplary. And if no one knows it, then there are places that do. People like you enrich the dreams of the worlds, and it is dreams that create history. People like you are unknowing transformers of things, protected by your own fairy-tale, by love."
Birth video trauma Actor, Helen Mirren once said she was so traumatised by watching a birth video in high school she vowed never to have a child. Why can't high schools show birth videos like this one here? Mother's
Day Blessing Mother's
Day was originally started after the American Civil War, as
a protest to the carnage of that war, by women who
had lost their sons. Here is the original Mother's
Day Proclamation from 1870. Continued.
Mother
of All, hear our prayer this day for the protection and blessing
of all mothers! You who hold the seed in warmth and darkness
till it knows to seek the sunlight; You whose winds carry
the rain across the vast, arching sky, spilling it down on
the thirsting soil; You in whose arms we rest at the end
of the day, in comfort and peace; we call you! Hear our words
of praise for the mothers of the world! Read
on.
A
Hopeful Hospital Birth with Dr Wonderful
Needing to change to a hospital birth late in pregnancy,
my client was able to change to Dr. Wonderful who works at
one of the two Baby-Friendly hospitals in our city. His promise
to help her have a marvelous natural birth in the hospital
wasn't bulls**t; his words are Truth. Read
this awesome birth story here on a midwife's blog — amazing
photos too!
Watch the video of the birth below.
Homebirths
may need to happen in secret The
Australian reported on March 2, 2009 that "Hundreds of women
each year who choose to give birth in their homes are likely
to face greater medical danger for themselves and their babies
with the introduction of regulations that could force the practice
underground. From
the middle of next year, midwives will be required to hold
professional indemnity insurance as a condition of practice,
under the Rudd Government's plan to streamline registration
requirements for all health professionals. No
commercial insurer has been prepared to offer an insurance
policy to an independent midwife since the medical indemnity
and wider insurance crises of 2001. When the new regime comes
into effect, it will no longer be legal for these uninsured
independent midwives to attend home births..." Click
here to
read the full story and leave a comment
From
Katherine of Melbourne: "When I see
a man give birth, I will listen to his perception of what
a birthing woman "should" be
doing, until then, I would like to hear what the women have
to say...for it takes a powerful man to stand in awe and
bear witness to the power of women bringing forth life..."
Mothers Acting Up The
Moment: a calendar and guide for advocating on behalf of the
world's children. The 2009 Calendar is here! Buy the
calendar
here or
to view a pdf of the calendar, click
here.
The
2009 MAU calendar, The Moment, is dedicated to moments
of personal change that shift the direction and purpose
of our lives. Often these extraordinary moments are heralded
by very ordinary tasks. They arrive — when we're holding
babies, shopping or cycling — and begin magically
transforming us into passionate advocates.
___
According
to author Dr Samanta-Laughton of Punk
Science,
the Gnostics believed that our world was born from the
ecstasy of beings who dwelled at the centre of the galaxy.
She asks "Why shouldn't every birth be like that?"
Buckminster
Fuller (1895 - 1983) was a visionary
thinker who invented the geodesic dome. Throughout his
life, Fuller was concerned with the question "Does
humanity have a chance to survive lastingly and successfully
on planet Earth, and if so, how?" Fuller said, "I
want you to think about this as individuals. An individual
will say to me, “What can I do? What can I do? I’m
just a little tiny guy.” And,
I say, what you can do ... that we are really in the
final examination... we are a function
in the universe. We’re here for local universe information
gathering, local problems solving in support of the integrity
of an eternally regenerative universe." Read
more.
Heart
to Heart Parenting Robin Grille's latest book,
Heart to Heart Parenting has just been released.
A passionate speaker and social change activist, Robin's extensive
research led him to feel improved attention to babies'
and children's emotional needs is the most powerful way to
move societies toward sustainability and peace. Listen
to the podcast of Robin discussing his latest book on ABC Radio's
Nightline here.
Visit your ABC shop to purchase the book or visit Robin's website http://www.our-emotional-health.com for
more information about his work.
Ani
DiFranco — "Birth is the epicentre of women's
power "I would definitely choose a
homebirth again despite the fear mongering of this patriarchal
society, which convinces women that they are incapable of
having babies without the intervention of men and their machines.
... to add tragic insult to injury women are numbed
through their great moment of revelation. I believe the act
of giving birth to be the single most miraculous thing a
human being can do...it is surely the moment when a lot
of women finally understand the depth of their power and
connection to all of nature. You think it can’t
possibly be done, you think you can’t possibly take
the pain, and then you do — and afterward you look
at yourself in a whole new way. Read
more.
Thai
police double as midwives When
Sergeant Pichet Visetchote transferred into a special
division of Thailand's traffic police, he assumed his job
would involve handing out tickets - not, as it's turned
out, delivering babies. The
most recent of the 14 babies he has delivered was
Rungarun - whose name means "morning" in Thai
- a girl delivered in a utility truck that was stuck in
one of Bangkok's notorious traffic jams on the way to hospital. "It's
the perfect job," said 37-year-old Pichet. "Giving
people new life is one of the most important things." Read
more.
Dave
Grohl from the Foo Fighters on changing dirty
nappies: "You
can't be afraid of sh*t. That's the number one rule.
And you have to be like a Nascar pit crew. When it's
time to do it, it's [mimes disposing of a diaper] Tisch!
Tisch! -- done. And the more fun you make it, the better..
Sing a song." Read
more.
Midwife
run birth centres safer than hospitals
Babies born in midwife-run birth centres had significantly lower death rates
than those born in hospitals, an Australian study of more than 1 million births
has found. Read
this Sydney Morning Herald article.
A
Hopeful Hospital Birth with Dr Wonderful
Needing to change to a hospital birth late in pregnancy,
my client was able to change to Dr. Wonderful who works at
one of the two Baby-Friendly hospitals in our city. His promise
to help her have a marvelous natural birth in the hospital
wasn't bulls**t; his words are Truth. Read
this awesome birth story here on a midwife's blog — amazing
photos too!
Katrina
Folkwell Photo Gallery
Katrina Folkwell has extensive experience in black and white photography. Her
major passion has been working sensitively and creatively with pregnant woman,
birth and children. She has worked as a birth supporter in the Byron Bay area,
where she lives, and has attended and photographed over 60 births as well as
hundreds of pregnant couples. View an online
photo gallery of her beautiful photos.(Requires Flash Player 8 or above) Download
Flash Player for free from here.
Healing
Early Childhood Tooth Decay
by Rami Nagel
I am a father of a precious 3.5 year old girl. We have successfully treated early
childhood tooth decay for 2.5 years, without drugs, dentists, or surgery. I estimate
we achieved an 85-98% reduction in the rate of tooth decay. Read More.
The
Webster Technique — For Pregnant Women by Debra Behi Most
women want a natural, easy and complication free birth
since this is what is always best for mum and baby. However,
sometimes due to other factors such as structural issues
it is hard for the baby to find the best possible position for
birth, resulting in breech, posterior or other birthing positions
that may complicate delivery. This is why a Webster Technique
check is recommended for any pregnant woman. Read
More.
DVD Review:
The First Breath
by Katrina Folkwell
Katrina
Folkwell has created a stunning audio-visual journey into
the ecstasy and intensity of pregnancy, labour, birth and
bonding. Her beautiful photographs capture the essence of
birth's power and beauty. The sound track enhances the voyage
invoking and deepening the emotional and spiritual experience. Read
On.
Helen
Caldicott: Credo The Australian paediatrician was named by the Smithsonian
Institute as one of the most influential women in the world.
She is a fervent anti-nuclear campaigner.
I believe that women have the fate of the Earth in the palm of their hands. Some
53 per cent of us are women and we really are pretty wimpish. We don't step up
to the plate - and it's time we took over. I think men have had their turn and
we're in a profound mess. I believe that money is the root of all evil. When people
start believing that materialism will produce ultimate,
lasting happiness, it is a sure sign that they will be
intensely unhappy. One third of Americans are on anti-depressants.
Instead, what they should be doing is lifting their souls,
not their faces. I believe that the most important job in the world is
parenting. Women need to be financially supported for it.
Their job is far more important than that of chief executive
officers at the head of huge corporations. I
believe the secret of happiness is a) serving our fellow
human beings and loving and caring for everyone. I don't
mean crappy Californian love; I mean really deep caring
for each other; b) to understand our own psychology in
a profound way, so we can be a more constructive human
being; and c) to care for this incredible planet of ours. Read
More Here
Feature
Book:
My Brother Jimi Jazz
by Chrissy Butler
This
children's
book is a delight for the senses as it embraces you with
it's vibrant illustrations and the joy of a new baby
being born at home. Trinity is welcoming a new baby brother,
Jimi Jazz into the family. Continued.
New
Breastfeeding Icon Have
you ever found it difficult to find a welcoming, comfortable
place to breastfeed while out and about? Mothering
Magazine recently ran a competition to design a new international
breastfeeding symbol which could be used for businesses
and communities to display to show they welcome breastfeeding.
It is designed to increase public awareness of breastfeeding,
provide an alternative to the baby bottle symbol and
can be used to indicate baby and breastfeeding friendly
facilites. Do you want breastfeeding mums to feel welcome
in your place of business or community? Download and
display the symbol. For
more info see Mothering Magazine here.
Feature
Book: Sleeping
Like a Baby- Simple sleep solutions for infants
and toddler Babies
need their sleep, but sometimes it seems like the hardest
thing in the world to get them to drift off. Parenting expert
Pinky McKay argues that controlled crying and other current
trends are restrictive and can add to the stress faced by
parents. A more natural, intuitive approach to settling
your child, Sleeping Like a Baby will help you understand
normal infant sleep at each stage of development, from birth
to three years. Continued.
Attachment
Parenting
by Dr Sarah Buckley
Parenting
in our culture is a struggle. Bookshops are overflowing
with advice to help us with crying babies, sleep problems,
feeding problems, toilet training, temper tantrums and discipline;
the same areas our parents had difficulties with, and probably
our grandparents too. But these are not issues for parents
in many contemporary cultures, and it is only in recent
generations that these have emerged as the norms of parenting
in western society. What has changed, and how do others
manage to avoid difficulties in these areas? Read
on.
Finbarr
O'Reilly's first prize photo shows an African mother,
touched by her daughter's hand, at an emergency centre
in Niger.
Photo: Finbarr O'Reilly
Eyes
of the children:
Review of the World Press Photography Exhibition
The
eyes of the children, the soldiers and the mothers follow
me around the room. Their hope, their despair, judgement
and love reaches out from the frames and touches me as I
wander through the echoing hall. The tumultuous events of
the world brought to my peaceful city. Continued.
Andrea’s Story
After
the swift and beautiful birth of my daughter Raania, my midwife
challenged me to explain and define the aura of peace he experienced
on entering our home shortly after her birth (she flew in
like a bird, my midwife arrived 20 minutes later!). I remember
Pete giving me a thoughtful challenge after the birth of my
son…would I have done anything differently, he asked?
I enjoyed writing my thoughts and feelings and recollecting
my first birth experience in the little book I created for
Jahnu before his entrance into the world. This time my midwife
wanted definition of the nature of things! How, he asked?
Why, he asked? How and why have your experiences of birth
been so peaceful, so inspiring and seemingly so much fun?
My midwife is a bit of an intellectual. My midwife is also
a man, which almost meant he might not have been my midwife!
Continued.
Digital
Natives, Digital Immigrants
Today’s
students – K through college – represent the first
generations to grow up with this new technology. They have
spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers,
videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones,
and all the other toys and tools of the digital age. Today’s
average college grads have spent less than 5,000 hours of
their lives reading, but over 10,000 hours playing video games
(not to mention 20,000 hours watching TV). Computer games,
email, the Internet, cell phones and instant messaging are
integral parts of their lives. It is now clear that as a result
of this ubiquitous environment and the sheer volume of their
interaction with it, today’s students think and process
information fundamentally differently from their predecessors.
Continued.
Raising
Media Savvy Children
tv...advertising.....video...playstation...net
nanny...palm pilots..DVDs...SMS advertising.........OVERLOAD!!!!
Our
children consume a daily diet fed to them by marketers, advertisers
and media designed for the lowest common denominator. How
can we, as parents guide them how to ration their daily consumption
and teach them how to consume it consciously with awareness
and a questioning mind? "We are all wired. Caught together
in a web of resonance... joined to everyone else on the planet
by cables, lines, signals and satellites.. the air waves crackle
with billions of invisible forms, realities that buzz across
the sky..the world mind broadcasts through all of us."
wrote Scoop Nisker in 1977. Continued.
Mothers
Are as Total as the Sky
Mothers Are as Total as the Sky
Older than the earth, and more enduring,
They’re rooted in our hearts like ancient trees,
Halfway down to seething lava seas;
Emblazoned on our sail, and on our mooring.
Returning home, we dwell within their sigh:
So maddening, so rich, so reassuring.
Young
Australians ask "how can it be right to lock up children?"
Children
and young people from around Australia express their concern
about the government policy of detaining asylum seeker children.
When the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission (HREOC)
announced its Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention,
the United Nations Youth Association (UNYA) sent out a request
for young people to send their opinions on this issue.
The young people who wrote to UNYA and Amnesty International
were unanimous in their belief that children who have committed
no crime should not be detained. A girl from St Michael's
College in Brisbane wrote "As young people we feel accountable
and guilty for the young people so similar to ourselves. Why
should we be the lucky ones born outside the fence?"
Continued.
Midwives
to deliver without doctors
According
to the Sydney Morning Herald, Midwives at a NSW hospital are
expected to get permission to assist women to deliver their
babies when there is no doctor on duty, in a state first that
may herald a shake-up of public maternity services. Justine
Caines, the Maternity Coalition's NSW president said, "When
midwives have one-to-one care of women, their results are
stunning."
View
some of Catherine's
beautiful photography here
Babywearing
- ancient wisdom embraces the present.
In
touch with the natural rhythms of life, tribal and other more
communal peoples knew - from experience! - the value of baby
wearing. A state childhood experts call "quiet alertness"
replaces crying and fussiness. A sling distributes the broad
weight from shoulders and hips, aligning the baby's center
of gravity close to the wearer. Many scientific studies now
show how a carried baby receives the exact essentials of pressure,
motion, pleasure, warmth, security, sound. Read
on.
Robyn
Smith's Photography
I
have learnt to watch, to be with .. to watch the light on
their skin, the way they walk, the way they hold themselves.
It is the same with labouring women too.. to watch ..I have
been with so many labouring women in hospital where everyone
watches the goddammed machines, ugh. to follow my instincts
to be silent and encouraging, being there for them.. to trust.
Continued. or
visit Birth Support Bendigo at http://www.bsb.bendigo.net.au
Photo
Copyright Robyn Smith. All Rights Reserved.
Getting a Good Night's Sleep- another perspective.
by Dr Sarah J. Buckley
Advising
parents to ignore the cries of a distressed child, for however
long, does not produce a loving and trustful parent-child relationship.
I wonder how many of us would want our partners or friends to
treat us this way, if we were alone at night and feeling upset
and frightened. But it is not only the hard-heartedness of these
suggestions that concerns me. All of the scientific and anthropological
research that I have read supports my instincts and experience.
Read On.
Is
it a Cheetah?
by Stephanie S. Tolan
It's a tough time to raise, teach or be a highly gifted child.
As the term "gifted" and the unusual intellectual capacity to
which that term refers become more and more politically incorrect,
the educational establishment changes terminology and focus.
A cheetah metaphor can help us see the problem with achievement-oriented
thinking. The cheetah is the fastest animal on earth. When we
think of cheetahs we are likely to think first of their speed.
It's flashy. It is impressive. It's unique. And it makes identification
incredibly easy. Since cheetahs are the only animals that can
run 70 mph, if you clock an animal running 70 mph, IT'S A CHEETAH!
Read On.
Healing
Birth, Healing the Earth
by Dr Sarah J. Buckley
Birth, She is dying.
This primal and unspeakably powerful initiation, the only road
to motherhood for our ancestors, has been stripped of Her dignity
and purpose in our times. Birth has become a dangerous medical
disease to be treated with escalating levels, and types, of
technological interventions. What is worse, perhaps, is that
the ecstasy of Birth- Her capacity to take us outside (ec) our
usual state (stasis)- has been forgotten, and we are entering
the sacred domain of motherhood post-operatively, even post-traumatically,
rather than transformationally. Read
On.
Breastfeeding New
studies have confirmed that breastfed babies are smarter.
The study, published by the Journal of the American Medical
Association, showed a link between the duration of breastfeeding
and intelligence in young adults. Continued.
Cathy
Smith's Photography
Cathy Smith & Nigel Duncan have launched their new
business, Concept Images. Cathy recently photographed
Lara Feltham & Pat Rafter with their new son, Joshua.
View some of Cathy's beautiful photography and Nigel's
vibrant paintings. Read Cathy's story about her life as
a mama, midwife and a photographer. Continued.
They're
singing your song When
a woman in a certain African tribe knows she is pregnant,
she goes out into the wilderness with a few friends and together
they pray and meditate until they hear the song of the child.
They recognize that every soul has its own vibration that
expresses its unique flavor and purpose. When the women attune
to the song, they sing it out loud. Then they return to the
tribe and teach it to everyone else. Continued.
The
Year of the Fire Pig in Chinese Astrology
by Kristine Gibson
The Year of the Fire Pig is going to be a fantastic year for some, a year of
celebration for many and a few challenges for others. This year is Fire, the
colour is red, and so, a Red Fire Pig is very powerful indeed considering the
gentle Yin energy that usually encompasses the Pig Year. The Pigs fixed ruling
sign is Water, so we have a Year of Fire over Water. There is a power behind
this association that can get out of control. Even though the gentle Yin energy
of the Pig denotes harmony, the opposition of Fire and Water can and will transform
into volatile situations if you allow it.
Read More of the Overview of the Fire Pig Year. Read Kristine's Chinese Astrology
Predictions for all the Chinese Animals
Previous
Articles
Earth
Mamas Web provides information, resources, community connections
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"From
the most ancient of days,
women have worn a wreath upon their heads.
With this wreath they are said to have pronounced
the most sacred incantations.
Is it not the wreath of unity?
And this blessed unity,
is it not the highest responsibility and beautiful mission
of womanhood?
From women one may hear that we must seek disarmament
not in warships and guns
but in our spirits.
And from where can the young generation hear its first caress
of unification?
Only from mother.
To both East and West, the image of the Great Mother -
womanhood, is the bridge of ultimate unification."
House of Representatives Speech 20/08/09 - 
Underground home births fear - Response to Senate Report SMH 
Clare Bowditch...a passionate letter for the future of homebirth in Australia
Ben Okri on the dreams of childhood 
Mother's
Day Blessing 
Ani
DiFranco — "Birth is the epicentre of women's
power
Thai
police double as midwives
Dave
Grohl from the Foo Fighters on changing dirty
nappies: "You
can't be afraid of sh*t. That's the number one rule.
And you have to be like a Nascar pit crew. When it's
time to do it, it's [mimes disposing of a diaper] Tisch!
Tisch! -- done. And the more fun you make it, the better..
Sing a song." 
Finbarr
O'Reilly's first prize photo shows an African mother,
touched by her daughter's hand, at an emergency centre
in Niger.
