Guest Column: Safe Childbirth Advocate Honored

My gratitude to the Sarasota Herald Tribune for printing the following editorial on Monday, October 3rd.

In 2009, American midwife Ina May Gaskin visited Sarasota. She spoke to the physicians at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, displayed her Safe Motherhood Quilt Project at the Selby Public Library, and sat on a panel of experts at the conference on Maternal Healthcare in the 21st Century. She shed some light in our community on the evolution of American maternity care, our current maternal mortality crisis, and the model of care and accountability we must embrace to change it.

These are the kinds of visits Ina May makes on an almost weekly basis, in between delivering babies at The Farm, the "intentional community" in Tennessee she and husband Stephen Gaskin developed in 1970. One book, one airplane flight, one community at a time, she uses her 40-plus years of midwifery experience and research to educate and call to action those of us who are compelled by the fact that, while the United States spends more money on maternity care than any other nation, we remain ranked 50th in maternal mortality and 41st in infant mortality, according to the World Health Organization.

Recently, Ina May received the highest honor of her career thus far: The Right Livelihood Award (rightlivelihood.org), commonly referred to as the "Alternative Nobel." The award, established in 1980, honors "those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." Among 2011's four Laureates, Ina May was chosen "for her whole-life's work teaching and advocating safe, woman-centered childbirth methods that best promote the physical and mental health of mother and child."

The Gaskins will travel to Stockholm in December to accept the honor, which will be presented by Sweden's Parliament.

This will be the second time they have done this as husband and wife; in 1980, Stephen became the first Right Livelihood Award Laureate for his establishment of PLENTY International. This is the first time a husband and wife have each been laureates of the award, causing the Right Livelihood Foundation to liken the couple to Marie and Pierre Curie.

Today, Ina May focuses her efforts heavily on The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project (rememberthemothers.org), in which each quilt square honors a woman who has died in childbirth in the United States since 1982. The Project aims at summoning the national will necessary to lower the rising maternal death rate by creating a consistent, mandatory system for reporting, classifying and counting maternal deaths, and reviewing and analyzing their causes.

She is also engaged in a national information campaign, aimed at women and medical professionals, about the potential side effects of using Cytotec, or misoprostol, to induce labor. She continues to teach and speak to physicians and midwives worldwide, and has traveled to Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Switzerland, Israel, Italy, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and Japan to do so.

When I was newly pregnant for the first time in 2004, the first book I read was Ina May's "Spiritual Midwifery." Like so many other new mothers, I relied on the birth stories and wisdom so frequently that its pages were dog-eared and tattered by my due date. Since that bestseller, she has penned: "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth," "Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding" and "Birth Matters: A Midwife's Manifesta," published just this summer. I encourage people to read this most recent work, describing the evolution of our maternity care system, and the path we must take to improve it, not only for the highest good of our mothers and babies, but for nations worldwide that strive to replicate our model of care.

"A society that places a low value on its mothers and the process of birth will suffer an array of negative repercussions for doing so," says Ina May Gaskin. "Good beginnings make a positive difference in the world, so it is worth our while to provide the best possible care for mothers and babies throughout this extraordinarily influential part of life."

We as a nation should celebrate Ina May Gaskin, the U.S. 2011 Right Livelihood Award Laureate, with collective pride and gratitude. Her tireless dedication to her calling has rippled throughout the world, and it is up to us to carry her message. It is a privilege to work with Ina May, and the highest honor to call her my friend.

Ina May Gaskin on The Diane Rehm Show

Ina May Gaskin, America's most prominent midwife and founder of The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, was a guest on NPR's The Diane Rehm Show this past Monday. When telling the story of how she evolved into her calling, despite the increased medicalization of birth, she told the host:

"I knew that everything could be born on the farm and I thought, there's a lot of species of mammals and only the human doesn't work? I mean, that was just hard for me to accept."

Listen to a complete podcast or read a partial transcript here.

SRQ Daily: Every Child Needs a Mother

Many thanks to SRQ Magazine for running the following guest column in today's SRQ Daily.

I type from an airplane somewhere between DCA and SRQ, my heartbeat quickening as I anticipate a joyous reunion with my husband and children. Yet for far too many American families, joy is replaced with grief, reunion replaced with loneliness. Saturday’s Healthy Mothers Healthy Birth Summit at Shenandoah University addressed the silent epidemic of maternal mortality in the United States.

Americans spend more on maternity care than any other nation in the world (approximately $98 billion annually), yet World Health Organization data shows 49 countries losing fewer mothers than we do. Some names might not surprise you—Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, the U.K. But how about Slovenia, Bosnia, Kuwait and Bahrain?

Amnesty International researcher Nan Strauss presented the group’s report "Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Healthcare Crisis in the USA." Amnesty concludes that at least half of American maternal deaths are preventable, resulting from lack of prenatal/postpartum care, or from overuse of intervention such as labor induction or Cesarean section. "We have the research. We have the answers," said Strauss. "We're just waiting for the political will."

Florida midwife Jennie Joseph agrees. Her answer? The Midwives Model of Care, empowering the mother through knowledge and support, minimizing interventions and referring women who require obstetrical attention. The Summit’s experts recommend the midwifery model as the standard for low-risk, normal births.

Renowned midwife Ina May Gaskin then presented her Safe Motherhood Quilt Project (www.rememberthemothers.org). The quilt honors American women who have died of pregnancy or childbirth related causes since 1982.

So what can we do? We can begin by accurately counting and discerning the causes of our maternal deaths. The Maternal Health Accountability Act of 2011 (H.R. 894) would mandate a national data collection system, and establish maternal death review boards in every state. I encourage anyone who is concerned about this crisis to contact your representatives and urge their endorsement of this bill.

Every child needs a mother. I can't wait to get off this plane and show my babies how grateful I am to be theirs.

Order Your Safe Motherhood Rally T-Shirts!

SizesSmall Medium Large X-Large

T-Shirts! Get your T-Shirts here! Now taking pre-orders for the T-Shirt that will be worn at the rally on April 10th in Washington D.C. to march the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project up the Capitol steps. The shirts are $25 and are currently being printed in ladies S-M-L-XL; however, please contact me by Wednesday, March 30 if you would like to request a different style or size (i.e. men's, children's, XXL, etc.) and I will get additional pricing for you. Also please note that the above image is not the final proof, but a quick mock-up for pre-sales purposes; final design may vary slightly and will include artist's credits on the front.

100% of the proceeds from the sales of these shirts will be donated to the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project.

THE STORY OF THE SHIRT:

Many of you know that I am attending the Healthy Mothers Healthy Birth Summit in Washington DC on April 9th. I am only able to go because of the generosity of my community, and as a measure of gratitude, I decided to print a shirt with the names of the donors that helped get me there on the back of it. Then things snowballed a bit. The amazingly talented Amy Swagman of The Mandala Journey donated this custom designed painting, entitled "I Will Always Love You," dedicated to American mothers lost in pregnancy or childbirth and intended for the front of the shirt. Since then, many people have contacted me to let me know they'd like a shirt too, and now the rally-goers are lining up to buy theirs as well.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO THOSE ATTENDING THE RALLY:

From what I understand, Washington DC is very strict on permitting--and no t-shirt sales will be allowed at the actual rally. Pre-sales are highly encouraged and your shirt will be delivered to you the day of the event, or if you are attending, at the Healthy Mothers Healthy Birth Summit. Shirts may also be purchased at the Summit.

ALSO, PLEASE INDICATE WHETHER YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIRT SHIPPED OR DELIVERED TO YOU AT THE SUMMIT/RALLY WHEN YOU ORDER. THANK YOU!

Thank you all for your continued support, and please contact me with any questions at laura@kangaroopromotions.net.

March the Quilt: Help Reduce Maternal Mortality

In 2008, I began creating quilt squares for the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, created by midwife Ina May Gaskin, to raise awareness about the increasing crisis of American maternal mortality (the U.S. currently ranks 41st in the world in maternal mortality according to the World Health Organization). In November 2009, as Vice President of Florida Friends of Midwives and with the help of the National Organization for Women, I welcomed Ms. Gaskin to Sarasota to speak at an interdisciplinary panel discussion called Maternal Health Care in the 21st Century. Just before her arrival, I finished quilting an entire panel of the Safe Motherhood Quilt, honoring women who have died in pregnancy or childbirth in the US since 1982.

On April 9, Ms. Gaskin will join professionals from all over the world at the groundbreaking, interdisciplinary Healthy Mothers, Healthy Birth Summit in Washington DC, after which she and others will march the Safe Motherhood Quilt from the National Mall to the Capitol steps.

Friends, I would like to attend this summit and bring back to our community the knowledge of the world's experts on how to begin to fix this problem. I would like to march the quilt with Ina May and show the powers that be in Washington DC that this issue is critically important to American mothers. I have shown commitment to improving this community's birth outcomes and will continue to do so in whatever capacity presents itself to be most effective. Due to a hefty investment of time in the non-profit sector, I cannot personally afford the expenses of a trip to Washington at this time.

If you would like to help me on my journey to Washington DC, I will add your name to a custom-designed T-shirt that I will wear during the march, so you will be walking right along with me. I will also report to you my learnings from the Summit upon my return. Finally, you will be showing Amnesty International, American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology, The White Ribbon Alliance, American College of Nurse Midwives, Midwives Alliance of North America, The Tatia Oden French Memorial Foundation, The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, International Childbirth Education Association, Doulas of North America, The Organization of Labor Assistants for Birth Options & Resources, and MyBestBirth.com that you support their important work and the mission of this Summit to issue a directive to the US Government to reduce maternal mortality in this country.

Healthy Mothers Healthy Birth Summit 2011

Between two and three women die every day during pregnancy and childbirth in the United States. On April 9th, The Healthy Mothers Healthy Birth Summit 2011 (www.healthymothershealthybirth.com) will bring experts from multiple disciplines, including physicians, researchers, universities, midwives, childbirth professionals, and advocacy groups to examine the rising maternal mortality rate in the US.

Setting aside all cultural, personal, and professional bias, this group of professionals and lay people will tackle an almost silent epidemic in the United States. The results from this working day will be a formal white paper recommendation that will be distributed widely across the country and YouTube documentaries of the day’s events. The all day summit will take place at Shenandoah University’s Dulles campus on April 9th, 2011.

National and international organizations such as Amnesty International, American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology, The White Ribbon Alliance, American College of Nurse Midwives, Midwives Alliance of North America, The Tatia Oden French Memorial Foundation, The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, International Childbirth Education Association, Doulas of North America, The Organization of Labor Assistants for Birth Options & Resources, and Ricki Lake’s MyBestBirth.com will be represented. Also, numerous universities including Shenandoah, Georgetown, Virginia Commonwealth, George Mason, and George Washington will be present. The summit will hear from midwives Ina May Gaskin and Jennie Joseph as they speak to their experiences combating maternal mortality. Recent research from Perinatologist and Perinatal Epidemiologist Dr. Marsden Wagner will also be presented. Participants are being added daily as the event continues to expand.

On Sunday April 10th, 2011, a rally, open to everyone, is scheduled at the U.S. Capitol to display The Safe Motherhood Quilt (www.rememberthemothers.org) and bring awareness to maternal mortality. Many participants from the HMHB Summit will be present, including midwife Ina May Gaskin. Maddy Oden, the founder of The Tatia Oden French Memorial Foundation (www.tatia.org) will speak about the loss of her daughter and granddaughter during childbirth.

The summit agenda, list of speakers, participants, sponsors, and up-to-date information about the summit can be found at www.healthymothershealthybirth.com. Limited seating and sponsorship opportunities are still available. More information about the Rally at the Capitol on Sunday, April 10th can also be found on the HMHB website. The HMHB summit is organized by the non-profit, grass-roots, consumer advocacy group Birth Matters Virginia, with the assistance and support of Shenandoah University.

Letter to the Authors of Half the Sky

This morning, I was treated to a wonderful luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton benefiting the Women's Resource Center of Sarasota, at which the keynote speaker was Ms. Sheryl WuDunn, co-author of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. I was grateful to have the chance to hear her speak, as Half the Sky has been on my to-read list since its publishing in 2009. After hearing her, as I have heard her husband and co-author Nicolas Kristof, speak about maternal mortality in developing countries, I used my scant thirty seconds to express my concern about maternal mortality right here at home. The few words I spoke were just not enough, so the second I hit my computer I followed up with this response. Crossing my fingers.

Dear Mr. Kristof,

I was delighted to meet your wife at this afternoon's Renaissance Luncheon benefiting the Women's Resource Center in Sarasota, Florida. Ms. WuDunn signed my copy of Half the Sky and I am very excited to finally read it. I am a huge fan of your work and your thoughtfulness and would like to follow up with you and Ms. WuDunn on a subject I broached with her at today's signing: American maternal mortality.

In 2009, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, owned by the New York Times, who published your piece entitled "This Mom Didn't Have to Die." I was pleased to see you bringing attention to maternal mortality, and responded with the addendum that although the problem in developing countries is egregious and preventable, the US should lead by example--we are currently 41st in maternal mortality, and as our c-section and induction rates climb, so do our morbidity and morality rates.

One result of the letter I sent to the Herald was the 2009 Sarasota forum "Maternal Health Care in the 21st Century: Sarasota and Beyond," at which I was thrilled to welcome America's foremost midwife and founder of the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, Ms. Ina May Gaskin.

I encourage you and Ms. WuDunn to read "Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA. Why are the numbers here so much higher than they should be? My theory is that we are a nation of extremes. Women either receive zero prenatal care and education, or, at the other end of the spectrum, are given costly interventions whose risks far outweigh their benefits. Cesarean sections should be used only when the risk is there to justify it. Inductions and other medications should only be used when women are fully informed of their implications: Cytotec, for example, is an ulcer drug never approved by the FDA for labor induction--in fact it is contraindicated for that purpose--and yet it is still widely administered in maternity wards throughout the country, even in the face of evidence to its correlation with uterine hyperstimulation and amniotic fluid embolism, which, more often that not, results in death for the mother and/or baby.

Thank you for indulging me. I hope that your busy schedules will allow you to attend the Healthy Mothers Healthy Birth Summit at Shenandoah University in Washington DC April 9th, and stay for the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project demonstration on April 10th. The Healthy Mothers Healthy Birth Summit endeavors to raise awareness and examine the causes of the rising maternal mortality rate in America, to create recommendations to address this terrible phenomenon and finally to publish a statement of the Summit’s collective findings for public viewing.

Present will be renowned midwife, activist, and creator of the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project Ina May Gaskin, activist and midwife Jennie Joseph, speakers from Amnesty International, and a presentation of perinatal epidemiologist (and former WHO director of Women & Children’s Health) Dr. Marsden Wagner’s latest research. Following the Summit, on April 10th, attendees will have the chance to accompany Ina May as she walks the Safe Motherhood Quilt down the National Mall to the Capitol.

Thank you, both of you, for the INCREDIBLE work you are doing. I am in awe of your movement and hope that people are truly listening. I am available at your convenience to help in any way I can. Safe travels home from Cairo!

Gratefully,

Laura Gilkey

Vice President, Florida Friends of Midwives

Board of Directors, Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County

Quilter, Safe Motherhood Quilt Project

Download Ina May Gaskin's Presentation to SMH

On Friday, October 30th, Ina May Gaskin presented a closed clinical conference to the medical staff of Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Her presentation was entitled "Combining the Best of Modern Obstetrics with Respect for Nature and Traditional Midwifery Approaches." Ms. Gaskin has been internationally credited with reintroducing legalized direct-entry midwifery in the United States. The presentation is available via podcast on the SMH Continuing Education website. View a PDF of the accompanying power point presentation, in both English and Spanish, here.

Her objectives were threefold: to explore the knowledge base and skills common to traditional midwifery; to understand the need for both modern obstetrics and (authentic) midwifery; and to build positive relationships between the two professions (especially with regard to home birth midwives). Present at the conference were SMH Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Dr. Washington Hill; Sarasota County Health Department OB/GYN Dr. John Abu; Licensed Midwives Christina Holmes and Alina Vogelhut; and several members of the hospital staff and the community, including childbirth educators, nurses and retired physicians.

In her introduction, Ms. Gaskin told attendees "I just want to show what someone who births at home teaches us," and proceeded to show still images of the dancing birth of her own grandchild. She then discussed everything from her world-famous Gaskin maneuver for delivering babies with shoulder dystocia, to the rapid decline in vaginal breech birth, to the benefits of allowing the baby to clear his or her own air waves. She talked about the 1-2% c-section rate at her renowned midwifery center, The Farm, in Summertown, Tennessee. "We did allow eating and drinking during labor; we never would have had such a low c-section rate had we not." When discussing positive, unmedicated, ecstatic birth experiences, Ms. Gaskin said, "We can only achieve that if we keep the labor room calm and sweet...because we find the mother's feelings really do matter a lot."

Ina May Gaskin then gave those present a brief history of American midwifery and its resurgence, and talked about her own tutelage from a family physician, and subsequent collaboration with several obstetricians. She asked the question, "How do we then lower a c-section rate when it is up so high?" She suggested alternative methods for labor induction, specifically discussing her concerns about the use of misoprostol for induction, a drug which has never been approved by the FDA for this purpose and has been directly linked to an increase in amniotic fluid embolism, a potentially fatal condition for both mother and baby. She also discussed alternatives to medical pain relief, different positioning and movement, and the need to reverse an overall "cultural unfamiliarity" with unmedicated birth.

In conclusion, Ina May Gaskin talked about the need for healthy relationships when transferring patients from midwifery care to the hospital. "Above all, what the women who come to us (midwives) want, if we have to take them to hospital, is that they don't want to be punished or judged for having made that choice. That's probably the number one thing that needs to be conveyed."

Dr. Washington Hill, Medical Director, Labor & Delivery, SMH with Ina May Gaskin

The Safe Motherhood Quilt on SNN6

Ina May Gaskin presented three panels of The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project on Saturday at the Selby Public Library. About fifty people attended the leading midwife as she explained why it is so important for the United States to begin accurately counting and accounting for the rising maternal deaths in our country.

Please watch the video of Ina May's interview with Sarasota's own SNN News Channel 6.

If you would like to sew a quilt square for a mother who has died of pregnancy or childbirth related causes in America since 1982, please email me. Sadly, there are many women still to be honored.

Ina May Gaskin Interviewed in Herald-Tribune

This morning's Sarasota Herald-Tribune featured an interview of Ina May Gaskin by Anna Scott, the newspaper's health reporter. Ms. Scott asks Ina May about today's Clinical Conference at the Hospital (Ina May's topic: Balancing the Best of Modern Obstetrics with Respect for Nature and Traditional Midwifery Approaches), her latest book, and The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project. Full text follows:

Midwife to discuss maternal health
By Anna Scott
Ina May Gaskin, left, shows Tamar Kalta, center, how to feel the position of Cayla Whitehead's baby during a class in midwifery at The Farm in Summertown, Tenn. Gaskin is a midwife who has helped to bring back home birth and lay midwifery.

SARASOTA - Ina May Gaskin, who has been called the mother of modern midwifery, will be in Sarasota this weekend for a panel discussion of maternal health issues. On Sunday she will appear alongside Dr. Washington Hill, the head of obstetrics at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, and Head Start Director Jennifer Highland and State Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota.

Gaskin grew up in Iowa and lives in rural Tennessee near the birthing center she founded more than 30 years ago. She has written several books on natural motherhood and is leading a movement for better tracking of causes of death in pregnant women. Gaskin is also the first midwife to have an obstetrical maneuver named after her: the “Gaskin Maneuver” dislodges an infant's shoulder during birth without using drugs or surgery.

Q:Your latest book is “Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding.” What do you think about the recent flare-ups over women breastfeeding in public?

A:In this country too often people are rude to a mom who is giving her baby the best food and medicine she can. And these super bibs people buy to cover it up – who would like to eat with a blanket on their head? It's just bizarre. Babies like to look at their mothers when they're eating. Unless we're going to force women to stay in their homes for the duration of breast-feeding we should look at it as a pretty sight and be glad the baby's not crying.

Q:What is biggest challenge facing the midwifery movement today?

A:Cesarean sections and unnecessary inductions. I think there's a huge fear of malpractice lawsuits. You never hear of someone getting sued because they did an unnecessary cesarian, but there are quite a few lawsuits where they say, you didn't do a c-section fast enough. As for mothers, some of them don't even think a cesarian will hurt. This generation isn't cautious enough about surgery. We're getting too far away from the laws of nature. I grew up around farm people and they believed anything can be born naturally. The body is not a lemon.

Q:What do you plan to say in your lecture today to Sarasota Memorial hospital staff?

A:I think because we don't have a part enough in educating the doctors or their medical students, they don't understand what we do. They only tend to come in when we have a problem so it's easy for them to develop the idea that all the births we do are problems. Those situations are just part of the mix. We midwives know we need doctors. We would never say there should be no such thing as a doctor. In an ideal maternity care system you would also have midwives and we would be part of the backbone of the system.

Q:The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project is your latest project, a traveling quilt made up of individually designed squares, each one devoted to a woman in the U.S. who has died of pregnancy-related causes since 1982.

A:The lowest pregnancy death rate in the U.S. was in 1982 and we can't get it back going down. The CDC said we could be missing as many as two-thirds of the deaths because we don't track them closely enough. That's an intolerable situation. I can't think of any way to end that than to require that every single death be counted, that the CDC be given the power and funding to that, and state laws are amended to be in sync with each other.

Safe Motherhood Quilt Project at Selby Library

Beginning today, three panels of The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project are on display at the Selby Public Library. The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project is a national effort developed to draw public attention to the current maternal death rates in the United States, as well as to the gross underreporting of maternal deaths, and to honor women who have died of pregnancy-related causes. The three panels currently on display in Sarasota represent 58 mothers who have died of pregnancy or childbirth related causes in the US since 1982. I was honored to be a quilter for one of these panels. There are several other panels throughout the country just like them.

Project founder and world's leading midwife Ina May Gaskin will be presenting these panels on Saturday, October 31st, at 11:00 am. Following her presentation she will sign copies of all three of her books (Spiritual Midwifery, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding), in benefit for Florida Friends of Midwives and The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project.

Interview on WSLR's Women Matters

Click here to listen to Jane Blanchard's interview with Sonia Pressman Fuentes and me, featuring special musical guests Carmela Pedicini and Tanya Radtke. We discussed Maternal Health Care in the 21st Century: Sarasota and Beyond, and maternal health care issues facing Sarasota today. Thank you so much, Jane, for having us on your program!

Maternal Health Care Featured on WSLR's Women Matters Tonight at 6:00pm

Tune in to your community radio station, WSLR 96.5 LPFM, at 6:00 pm as Women Matters hostess Jane Blanchard welcomes Sonia Pressman Fuentes, co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), and me on her program to talk about maternal health care, and about the upcoming panel discussion Maternal Health Care in the 21st Century: Sarasota and Beyond.

Sonia and I will be addressing the following topics:

• What is maternal health care?
• What are some facts about maternal health that our listeners should know?
• What alternatives are there to maternal health care ? What is available in Sarasota?
• Insurance and maternal health care. Explain.
• Is midwifery safe?
• What is the Safe Motherhood Quilt and what does it represent?
• Tell us about the upcoming panel discussion Maternal Health Care in the 21st Century: Sarasota and Beyond.
• What will be some of the topics discussed and who are the panelists?
• Who are the sponsors of this program and how did they become involved?

Women Matters is a discussion talk show exploring matters of interest to women. The goal is to to inform and empower women and expand the women's perspective by providing a feminist point of view. The format may include guest speakers, reviews of articles/book/movies, notices, news, and etc. on topics about or by women. Additionally, each week the show features original music by local female musicians. The program will be recorded and available in the program's audio archives. Thank you for listening, and thank you for supporting your community radio station!

Ina May Gaskin Event Calendar

There are so many exciting things happening in Sarasota the weekend of 10/31-11/1, and many of them involve the arrival of Ina May Gaskin to our beautiful city. At the request of several of you who would like the chance to spend some time with her, I'm posting an itinerary of events, dates, times, and ticket information. Please email me with any questions!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009
Safe Motherhood Quilt Presentation
Selby Public Library
Geldbart Auditorium
11:00 am-1:00 pm
FREE Admission
No Reservations Required

Join Ina May Gaskin, originator of The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, as she presents three panels of the quilt and discusses the hidden problem of maternal mortality in the United States. Following the presentation, Ms. Gaskin will sign copies of her three books, Spiritual Midwifery, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding. Proceeds from the booksigning will benefit Florida Friends of Midwives and The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2009
Maternal Health Care in the 21st Century: Sarasota and Beyond
Hyatt Regency Sarasota
Sarasota Ballroom
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
FREE Admission
Reservations Strongly Recommended (email me)

This groundbreaking program will feature a distinguished panel of internationally recognized speakers discussing the current condition of maternal health care in Sarasota as it relates to Florida, the US, and the world, and to possible paths of action to improve this condition. The Sarasota-Manatee Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) is sponsoring the event, along with co-sponsors Florida Friends of Midwives and the Sarasota Commission on the Status of Women.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2009
An Evening with Ina May Gaskin
Hyatt Regency Sarasota
Boathouse
5:30 pm - ??
$35 Admission
Tickets may be purchased via PayPal on this blog or on the Florida Friends of Midwives website (www.flmidwifery.org) beginning Friday, 9/18 at 10:00 am. Guests may also purchase signed copies of any of the three books Ms. Gaskin has authored: Spiritual Midwifery, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding, not yet released.

Only 150 guests will enjoy the privilege of dining with Ina May Gaskin, pioneer of modern midwifery, at this gorgeous waterfront venue. Tickets include dinner and live music from Radio-Free Carmela and the Transmitters. Guests will view a tribute to Ms. Gaskin’s work, enjoy a cash bar, and participate in a silent auction and raffle. Net proceeds will benefit Florida Friends of Midwives, a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to promoting and preserving midwifery access in Florida.

Safe Motherhood Quilt to be Displayed and Presented in Sarasota in October

Three panels of the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project will be on display in the atrium of the Selby Public Library during the last week of October. The Safe Motherhood Quilt is a national effort developed to draw public attention to the current maternal death rates in the United States, as well as to the gross underreporting of maternal deaths. The Quilt is made up of individually designed squares. Each one is devoted to a woman in the US who died of pregnancy-related causes since 1982, the year after which no improvement has been made in American maternal mortality. The panels on display will include sixty squares; more than three hundred that have been made for the project to date. Ina May Gaskin, the project’s originator, will present the three panels in the Geldbart Auditorium of the Selby Public Library on Saturday, October 31st at 11:00 am.

“In order to reduce the rising U.S. maternal death rate, we're first going to have to put together a national structure for ascertaining, counting and analyzing every single maternal death,” says Ina May Gaskin, CPM, originator of the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project. “I know of no other wealthy country with a more underfunded, haphazard, secretive, and flawed way of reporting maternal deaths than ours has right now. How can we discuss health care reform and ignore this issue?”

In 2005, the United States reported 15.1 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, up from 7.5 per 100,000 in 1982. According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. ranks lower than at least 34 other nations in maternal mortality. Many maternal deaths are closely related to caesarean sections—bowel obstruction, anesthesia accident, pulmonary embolism, cut uterine arteries, placental abnormalities, ectopic pregnancy, and post-surgical infection. Some causes of maternal mortality, such as toxemia, amniotic fluid embolism, hemorrhage, heart attack and uterine rupture are not related to cesarean section. Only 21 states include a question on the death certificate asking if the deceased woman had been pregnant in the weeks or months before her death. The U.S. maternal death rate is actually 1.3 to 3 times more than what is reported in vital statistics records, due to under-reporting of such deaths (estimate by Centers for Disease Control, 1998).

The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project is the vision of Ina May Gaskin, midwifery pioneer and author of Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and the classic Spiritual Midwifery, who has been instrumental in bringing this issue to the public light. Ina May Gaskin is internationally recognized as the mother of modern midwifery, and has been credited with the re-emergence of direct-entry midwifery in the United States since the early 1970's. Ms. Gaskin is founder and director of the Farm Midwifery Center, founded in 1971 and located near Summertown, Tennessee. By 1996, the Farm Midwifery Center had handled more than 2200 births, with remarkably good outcomes, noted for low rates of intervention, morbidity and mortality. Ms. Gaskin herself has attended more than 1200 births.

In addition to presenting the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, Ms. Gaskin will be participating in the panel discussion Maternal Health Care in the 21st Century: Sarasota and Beyond, a progrom sponsored by the Sarasota-Manatee Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), Florida Friends of Midwives (FFOM), and the Sarasota Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW), to be held at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota on November 1st at 3:00 pm.

For more information about these events, please contact Laura Gilkey at laura@kangaroopromotions.net / (941) 915-8115. For more information about the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, please visit www.rememberthemothers.org.

Ina May Gaskin to be Honored in Sarasota

Ina May Gaskin, the world’s leading midwife, is coming to Sarasota to participate in a panel discussion entitled Maternal Health Care in the 21st Century: Sarasota and Beyond, taking place at 3:00 pm on November 1st in the Sarasota Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Immediately following the program, Florida Friends of Midwives will host An Evening with Ina May Gaskin at the Hyatt Regency’s waterfront Boathouse, to begin at about 5:30 pm. Tickets for this event, going on sale in September, will cost $35 and will include dinner and live music from Radio-Free Carmela and the Transmitters. Guests will view a tribute to Ms. Gaskin’s work, enjoy a cash bar, and participate in a silent auction and raffle. All proceeds will benefit Florida Friends of Midwives, a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to promoting and preserving midwifery access in Florida.

Ina May Gaskin is internationally recognized as the mother of modern midwifery, and has been credited with the re-emergence of direct-entry midwifery in the United States since the early 1970's. Ms. Gaskin is founder and director of the Farm Midwifery Center, founded in 1971 and located near Summertown, Tennessee. By 1996, the Farm Midwifery Center had handled more than 2200 births, with remarkably good outcomes, noted for low rates of intervention, morbidity and mortality. Ms. Gaskin herself has attended more than 1200 births. She is author of Spiritual Midwifery, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, and Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding, to be released October 1st. She was President of Midwives' Alliance of North America from 1996 to 2002. The Gaskin maneuver, a low-interventive effective method for dealing with shoulder dystocia, is the first obstetrical procedure to be named for a midwife. Ms. Gaskin is also the originator and coordinator of The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, a national effort developed to draw public attention to the current U.S. maternal death rates. Three panels of The Safe Motherhood Quilt will be on display at the Selby Public Library from October 26 – October 31. For more information about the Quilt Project, please visit www.rememberthemothers.org.

In addition to participating on the panel and being honored at the tribute dinner, during her stay in Sarasota, Ms. Gaskin will be presenting a Clinical Conference to the medical staff at Sarasota Memorial Hospital on Friday, October 30th, and presenting the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project at the Selby Public Library on Saturday, October 31st at 11 am. For more information about any of these events, please contact Laura Gilkey at laura@kangaroopromotions.net.

ABOUT FLORIDA FRIENDS OF MIDWIVES: Florida Friends of Midwives (FFOM) is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to promoting the Midwives Model of Care and supporting the practice of midwifery in Florida. Florida Friends of Midwives was formed to support midwives who offer safe, cost-effective, evidence based care to Florida's Families. FFOM members are consumers and birth advocates with a common goal: to preserve the legal protection afforded to Florida's midwives and birth centers. They are committed to organizing the community to support midwives and to assure the continued availability of midwifery care in the State of Florida. For more information, please visit www.flmidwifery.org.

Sarasota to Host Maternal Health Care Panel

Sarasota, FL (July 31, 2009) -- On November 1, 2009, Sarasota will host a discussion entitled 'Maternal Health Care in the 21st Century: Sarasota and Beyond.' The program will feature a distinguished panel of internationally recognized speakers. The Sarasota-Manatee Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) is sponsoring the event, along with co-sponsors Florida Friends of Midwives and the Sarasota Commission on the Status of Women. The discussion will take place at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. The public is welcome to attend at no cost.

The panelists for this discussion are:
--Dr. Washington Hill, MD, FACOG, Labor and Delivery Medical Director and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Director at Sarasota Memorial Hospital;
--Ina May Gaskin, MA, CPM, Founder and Director of The Farm Midwifery Center;
--Jennifer Highland, MPH, Executive Director of the Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County; and
--Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, PhD, Florida House of Representatives, District 69.

The discussion will be moderated by Kelly Kirschner, Sarasota City Commissioner and Vice Mayor, and will last approximately an hour and a half. Time will be allotted for audience questions and answers as well as refreshments following the program.

This panel will review current trends in maternity care in Sarasota within the context of the U.S. and the world and target paths to improving maternity care locally and nationwide. Topics for discussion include:

* maternal mortality,
* obstetric intervention rates and risks,
* legislation,
* legal reform and malpractice concerns,
* community education and awareness,
* the midwifery model of care,
* informed consent and refusal,
* the availability of prenatal and postpartum care (including education, counseling, and doulas), and
* the upcoming expansion of Sarasota Memorial Hospital to include new labor and delivery rooms.

Hosting a panel discussion about maternal health care issues was the brainchild of Sonia Pressman Fuentes, co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW). “After spending a lifetime improving the legal status of women and fighting gender discrimination in the US and the world, it is exciting for me to be involved in a field new to me, that of improving maternal health care options for women in Sarasota, the US, and the world,” says Fuentes. Joining her in planning the event is Laura Gilkey, local childbirth advocate and board member of Florida Friends of Midwives. "With a panel representative of obstetrics, midwifery, legislature, and public health, perhaps Sarasota can begin a conversation that will pave the way toward becoming a national model of community healthcare reform through improved maternity care," says Gilkey.

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About the National Organization for Women (NOW): The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the largest organization of feminist activists in the United States. NOW has 500,000 contributing members and 550 chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since its founding in 1966, NOW's goal has been to take action to bring about equality for all women. NOW works to eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace, schools, the justice system, and all other sectors of society; secure reproductive rights for all women; end all forms of violence against women; eradicate racism, sexism and homophobia; and promote equality and justice in our society. The Sarasota-Manatee Chapter of NOW meets on the third Thursday of each month at the Selby Public Library. For more information on the Sarasota-Manatee chapter of NOW, please visit http://www.sarasotamanateenow.org.

About Florida Friends of Midwives (FFOM): Florida Friends of Midwives (FFOM) is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to promoting the Midwives Model of Care and supporting the practice of midwifery in Florida. Florida Friends of Midwives was formed to support midwives who offer safe, cost-effective, evidence based care to Florida's Families. FFOM members are consumers and birth advocates with a common goal: to preserve the legal protection afforded to Florida's midwives and birth centers. They are committed to organizing the community to support midwives and to assure the continued availability of midwifery care in the State of Florida. For more information, please visit http://www.flmidwifery.org.

About the Sarasota Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW): The Sarasota Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW) was established in 1987 and became an independent nonprofit organization in 2007 to empower Sarasota County's women through education, research and advocacy. Their overview is Women and Violence and they work through committees on Domestic Violence, Women and Housing, Women and Homelessness, Sexual Content in the Media, Human Trafficking, Women and Politics. Their focus is local and they encourage the enhancement of the status of Sarasota's women through public policy changes by local, state, and national governmental entities by partnering with other organizations with similar goals. For more information, please visit http://cswsarasota.googlepages.com.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS:

Dr. Washington Hill, M.D., FACOG
Labor and Delivery Medical Director / Maternal-Fetal Medicine Director, Sarasota Memorial Hospital
B.A., Rutgers University, College of South Jersey, Camden, New Jersey, 1961
M.D., Temple University School of Medicine, 1965
Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency, William Beaumont General Hospital, 1970
Post Graduate, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship, University of California, San Francisco, 1984
Board Certification, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology with Special Competence in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, 1989 with Recertification 1978, 1993 and 1998

Dr. Hill is the Past President of the Medical Staff and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Sarasota, Florida. He is currently Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He is also Clinical Professor Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida and Clinical Professor Department of Clinical Sciences OB/GYN Clerkship Director-Sarasota Campus Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, Florida. Following completion of his fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, he has practiced this subspecialty for over 20 years first at the Sutter Perinatal Center and the University of California-Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California; and then at Creighton University, School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska; Meharry Medical College; and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. He served as Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Meharry Medical College, School of Medicine, until 1992, when he took his current position as Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the Perinatal Center of Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Florida. Dr. Hill is the author of at least 60 articles in refereed journals and the book Ambulatory Obstetrics.

Ina May Gaskin, M.A., C.P.M.
Founder / Director, The Farm Midwifery Center
State University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, B.A., English, Summa cum laude, Highest honors
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, M.A., English
North American Registry of Midwives
Certified Professional Midwife
Tennessee Licensed Certified Professional Midwife

Ina May Gaskin, MA, CPM, is founder and director of the Farm Midwifery Center, located near Summertown, Tennessee. Founded in 1971, by 1996, the Farm Midwifery Center had handled more than 2200 births, with remarkably good outcomes. Ms. Gaskin herself has attended more than 1200 births. She is author of Spiritual Midwifery, now in its fourth edition. For twenty-two years she published Birth Gazette, a quarterly covering health care, childbirth and midwifery issues. Her most recent book, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth was released in 2003. She was President of Midwives' Alliance of North America from 1996 to 2002. The Gaskin maneuver, a low-interventive effective method for dealing with shoulder dystocia, is the first obstetrical procedure to be named for a midwife. Ms. Gaskin’s center is noted for its low rates of intervention, morbidity and mortality. Ms. Gaskin is the originator and coordinator of The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, a national effort developed to draw public attention to the current U.S. maternal death rates. Her newest book, Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding, will be released October 1st, 2009.

Jennifer Highland, M.P.H.
Executive Director, Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County
University of South Florida, M.P.H. Public Health, 1995

Jennifer’s passion for helping mothers and infants began with the birth of her children. Jennifer's early career was in Louisiana, Georgia and Texas, where she served as a registered nurse. After she moved to Florida and became a mother, Jennifer volunteered for the Breastfeeding Advocates of Sarasota County and completed her Master of Public Health Degree from USF, graduating in 1995. Jennifer was the Project Coordinator for the first and on-going national breastfeeding promotion campaign, “Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work,” through her employment with Best Start, Inc., in Tampa. She then became trained as a Childbirth Educator and taught at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Her work at The Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County began in 2001 as the Contract/Quality Manager. Her role expanded to include professional education. In 2006 she became the Executive Director.

Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, Ph.D.
Florida House of Representatives, District 69
University of Louisville, B.A., 1979
Indiana University, Ph.D., 1987

Representative Keith Fitzgerald was elected to represent State House District 69 in 2006, and re-elected in 2008. His district includes the northern part of Sarasota County and a small portion of Manatee County. Representative Fitzgerald has lived in Sarasota and taught political science at New College of Florida since 1994. He and his wife, Angela Baker, have nine-year-old twins. Representative Fitzgerald serves as the Democratic Ranking Member on the Policy Council and as a member of the Finance and Tax Council, Health and Family Services Policy Council, Select Policy Council on Strategic & Economic Planning and the Military and Local Affairs Policy Committee. Representative Fitzgerald also serves as Policy Chair for the House Democratic Caucus. His prior leadership positions include service on the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates, the Board of Trustees at New College of Florida and the Sarasota City Charter Review Board.

MODERATOR: Kelly Kirschner
Sarasota City Commission (District 3 Commissioner / Vice Mayor)
B.S. Foreign Service, Georgetown University
M.A. Latin American Studies, Georgetown University

Kelly is a lifelong Sarasotan. He has served the Sarasota community as President of the Alta Vista Neighborhood Association as well as having been an active member of the Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations. Believing strongly in public service, Kelly has worked for the White House Office of Public Liaison; served as a Peace Corps Volunteer; and led a USAID community conservation project in rural Guatemala. Kelly lives with his wife, Tracy, son, Bodhi, and daughter, Selby, in District 3.

EVENT SPONSOR: Sonia Pressman Fuentes
The Sarasota-Manatee Chapter, National Organization for Women (NOW)
B.A. Cornell University 1950
J.D. University of Miami School of Law 1957

Sonia Pressman Fuentes, who was born in Berlin, Germany, came to the U.S. with her immediate family in 1934 to escape the Holocaust. She was an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (where she was the first woman attorney in its Office of the General Counsel), and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere. She was a co-founder of NOW, WEAL (the Women’s Equity Action League), and FEW (Federally Employed Women) and a charter member of VFA (Veteran Feminists of America). She was the longest-serving board member in the history of NWP (National Woman’s Party). In 1993, she retired from the federal government, thereafter wrote her memoir, Eat First—You Don’t Know What They’ll Give You, The Adventures of an Immigrant Family and Their Feminist Daughter, and embarked on new careers as a writer and public speaker. For further information, please visit her website at http://www.erraticimpact.com/fuentes.

EVENT COORDINATOR: Laura H. Gilkey
Florida Friends of Midwives (FFOM)
B.L.A. Landscape Architecture, University of Florida, 2000

Laura Gilkey serves on the Board of Directors for Florida Friends of Midwives, and is the Florida Coordinating Ambassador for The Birth Survey: The Transparency in Maternity Care Project. Laura is an endorser of The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative and a member of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Care Services. She is a project coordinator and quilter for Ina May Gaskin's Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, intended to raise awareness about American maternal mortality. Laura has recently joined the Planning and Evaluation Committee for the Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County, whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of Sarasota's pregnant women, infants, and small children. Professionally, she is the marketing manager for Michael A. Gilkey, Inc., landscape architecture studio, and is the owner of Kangaroo Promotions, Inc., a creative marketing firm in Sarasota. For more information, please visit her website at http://borninsarasota.blogspot.com.

Response to Sarasota Herald Op-Ed Piece

To the Sarsaota Herald-Tribune Editorial Staff:

Thank you for bringing local awareness to the maternal mortality rates in West Africa (editorial by Nicholas Kristof). These rates illustrate a preventable, international health crisis that needs to be addressed immediately. I applaud the cosponsors of the recently introduced Newborn, Child and Mother Survival Act, an effort to restore United States leadership in improving maternal and infant health worldwide. However, the strongest show of leadership is example, and the United States ranks 41st in maternal mortality. No improvement has been made in our own country in this area since 1982. The Center for Disease Control estimates that more than half of all reported maternal deaths could have been prevented by early diagnosis and treatment. Interestingly, as our c-section and intervention rates rise, so does our maternal mortality rate. The maternal mortality rate for cesarean section is four times higher than for vaginal birth, and is still twice as high for routine repeat cesarean sections without any emergency diagnosis. It seems that the American women who are dying fall between the extremes of lack of access to medical care, or overuse of medical intervention. Our government has a moral and ethical responsibility to strike a happy medium between these extremes within our own obstetric model, and restore leadership by example. We can only hope to improve maternal mortality rates internationally by beginning right here at home.

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Thank you to the Herald Tribune for printing this letter on Saturday, May 23rd. Read the online edition here.

The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project

I am proud to become involved in the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, an initiative by world-renowned mother of modern midwifery Ina May Gaskin. Gaskin's vision is that each mother who has died in pregnancy or childbirth in the United States since 1982 be honored with a square on the quilt, raising awareness to the fact that the U.S. has not improved maternal mortality rates since that time.

Did you know...that the United States ranks behind at least 40 other nations in maternal mortality rates according to the World Health Organization? In 2005, the United States reported 15.1 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, up from 7.5 per 100,000 in 1982.

Did you know...that black women in the United States have 4 times the risk of dying from childbirth or childbirth related complications? Hispanic women in the United States, similarly, are 1.6 times more likely than non-Hispanic white women to die from pregnancy-related causes.

Did you know…that the Centers for Disease Control estimated in 1998 that the US maternal death rate is actually 1.3 to three times that reported in vital statistics records because of underreporting of such deaths?

Did you know…that reporting of maternal deaths in the United States is done via an honor system? There are no statutes providing for penalties for misreporting or failing to report maternal deaths.

Did you know…that the Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than half of the reported maternal deaths in the United States could have been prevented by early diagnosis and treatment?
The quilt is made up of individually designed squares; each one devoted to a woman in the U.S. who has died of pregnancy-related causes since 1982. One quilt square is designed and dedicated to each mother's memory and may mention the date and place of death and the name of the woman. The Safe Motherhood Quilt is the voice for women who can no longer speak for themselves.

To be honored and remembered on The Safe Motherhood Quilt:

* The woman died as a result of a complication of pregnancy or birth
* The woman's death occurred since 1982
* The woman died within a calendar year after the end of her pregnancy (documented by an obituary, death certificate, relative's or witness' account).

I volunteered to do some quilting work for this project, and my first assignment was to commemorate Susan Goodrich, who died giving birth to her fourth baby, Charles Moses. Read more about this quilt square here.

Do you know of a woman's story you'd like to share? Please contact me for more information.