Midwifery assistant training is becoming available in Santa Rosa.
Monika Rosicka and Carrie Sparrevohn, local midwives will be leading the course. For more information and the opportunity to pay, please check out this link: http://ifashome.com/mobile/midwife-assistant.html
*For those interested in the class, be aware that the Midwife Assistant Bill, SB408, is not yet law. It recently passed the first phase of bills becoming law. If it does make it to a vote in the Senate and passes, then it is signed by the governor this year, it could be law in January 2016. Many in the birth community are excited for the increase to access this could provide, but it is not yet law.*
So much is going on in California regarding access to midwives. Today, the hearing for Midwifery Assistant Bill SB 408 is happening. Support for this bill has the possibility of making positive change for the home birth midwifery environment in California.
SB 408 would define the role of a "Midwife Assistant." It would allow for the training of individuals for basic care such as, "administration of medicine, the withdrawing of blood, and midwife technical support services under the supervision of a licensed midwife in California. Right now, births are usually attended by two midwives or a licensed midwife and a midwifery student currently enrolled in a midwifery program approved by the state of California. By defining and legalizing the role of a midwife assistant, SB 408 helps standardize care while also allowing more access to midwifery care.
Why does this bill matter to you? In rural areas, like northern California, where there are fewer midwives, women can have increased access to midwifery care if the role of a "midwifery assistant" is approved. Midwives can reach more women who wish to safely birth at home, and they can have an attendant who is trained and reliable. Many in California live in areas far from access to hospitals or large midwifery groups. Not only could the passage of SB408 increase access to care, but more midwives means lower health care costs, a universal concern for all Americans.
Come meet the local doulas in Mendocino County. Mendocino Baby proudly hosts the Norther California Birth Collective in Ukiah. Come visit. Free, fun, informational. It doesn't get better than this.
Great opportunity to come and meet some of our fabulous local doulas! Make friends, communicate, ask questions, and find out how a doula can improve your birth.
NEXT Friday! Come! So much fun and a great opportunity for both birth professionals and local women to meet local midwives! Thanks Monika and Mendocino for hosting!
(This is a message from CAM - California Association of Midwives- looking for testimonials from women. At the bottom is a form you can fill out if you were UNABLE to have an out of hospital birth because of lack of coverage by Medi-Cal. Thanks for your help! We can make midwifery more accessible.) Hello
everyone, this is a forward which contains more information on how we
can participate alongside CAM's efforts to support availability of
midwifery care. Thank you for reading and passing along! -Wendy, Region
1.
As we proceed in our legislative efforts this year, we are continuing to focus on the issue of limited access
to out-of-hospital birth and licensed midwives. We are seeking
testimony from families who desired out of hospital birth but were
unable to access it due to the Medi-Cal barrier, as well as testimony
from birth workers working with this population. Please forward
the form below widely.
Thank you! Sarah Davis Were you unable to plan an out-of-hospital birth because licensed midwives are unable to take Medi-Cal?Know someone in this situation? Fill out this form!
I was asked to share this letter-
If you can help, please contact them!
Dear birth professionals and supporters of midwifery,
I'm reaching out
to you to ask for your help related to California midwifery
legislation.
Everything is moving very quickly at this point with the upcoming
sunset review, our lobbying efforts and introducing
our preferred legislation. ACOG has introduced their own bill on
midwifery and CAMs efforts to deal with all this effectively is hanging
in the balance. Protecting our licenses and our ability to care for
families is a urgent matter right now.
So
here's my request. All of our legislative efforts have caused a massive
workload above and beyond our already very busy lives. In order for me
to continue at the pace that's needed, I need
an administrative assistant to help with communications, scheduling,
meetings and whatever else becomes necessary during this legislative
process. This could be a student midwife interested in contributing and
learning about midwifery politics or a
political science student interested in an internship.
Someone able and willing to work on our social networking campaign is
needed too. This could be the same person or not.
I'm
not just asking for ideas about where I could look. I'm asking for
those of you in CAM region 2 to contribute to our efforts to protect
your license by finding someone for me. Ideally someone who lives close
enough to come to my home office one or more days a week. A lot can
be handled remotely as well.
Thank you. I truly appreciate any support you can give with this matter.
Tons going on over at the Coastal Chapter of the Northern California Birth Collective! They are doing a wonderful job over there.
Hello Everyone! A new month is beginning and I am here to inform you of all the wonderful things happening this month!
March 6: 12-1pm Breastfeeding Coalition, led by Kei Velazquez 707-964-1251.
This meeting is held in the conference room of the Mendocino Coast
Clinics. Anyone interested in supporting breastfeeding in our community
is welcome to attend. We would love to see more OB nurses, doulas,
midwives, pediatricians, etc so invite anyone who has a direct impact on
breastfeeding mothers.
March 12: 10-11am Le Leche League, led by Erin Malsom 707-962-0797.
This is a mother to mother breastfeeding support group. It is held in
the community room at the Ft. Bragg library. All expectant moms and
breastfeeding moms welcome to attend.
March 13: 6:30-8pm
Meet the Doulas, led by Jade Golden. This is a great opportunity for
all expectant parents to find out what exactly a doula does, how a doula
may benefit their birth and also meet some of the local doulas in the
area. These meetings are held at Safe Passage in the family room. Call
Amy at 707-962-9080 for more details. Free childcare is available.
March 14: 6:30-8pm
Free Pregnancy Educational Classes. This month's topic is "Nurturing
your Body and Baby throughout Pregnancy" led by local doula, Sabrina
Peterson. Learn about local resources and
tips for nutrition and exercise during pregnancy. Dress comfortably and bring a
yoga mat! This class will be held at Safe Passage in the family room. Call Amy at 707-962-9080 for more details. Free childcare is available.
March 22-March 28:
World Doula Week. No events have been planned in the Mendocino area but
if anyone has any ideas on how we can promote doulas in our area,
please contact Amy at 707-962-9080. The purpose
of this week is to empower doulas all over the world to improve the
physiological, emotional, social and psychological health of women,
newborns and families in birth and in the postpartum period. Check out www.worlddoulaweek.com for more details.
Every Friday from 10-12pm, Kei holds a breastfeeding support group at Mendocino Coast Clinics. Call 707-964-1251 for more details.
Continuous
childbirth classes are held at Mendocino Family Health Care from
6:30-8:30pm. Feb 28th's class was on Labor and Delivery, March 7 class will be on Relaxation Techniques, March 14 is on Breastfeeding and March 21 will be on the Postpartum Period and Newborn Care. Call 707-937-4202 for more details.
Austyn Gaffney is the new Coastal Coordinator for First 5 Mendocino. She is organizing a Breastfeeding Conference in Ukiah on Thursday, April 18 and in Fort Bragg on Friday, April 19th.
If you would like more information or would like to be added to her
email list regarding this conference contact Austyn at 707-962-3601 or norcoast@mendochildren.org
I hope you have a wonderful month and we will be looking forward to seeing you at one of these events!
--Amy Mutkala
Coastal Chapter of the Northern California Birth Collective
We are so excited and thankful to Melissa B who is putting on the "Birth Story" movie about Ina May and the Farm Midwives.
The showing will be on March 9th at 1pm at Mendocino Baby in Ukiah. Money will be donated to CAM (California Association of Midwives) and will be followed by a discussion on local health issues.
We are so excited to be hosting this amazing event!
Come and join us. You can buy tickets at Mendocino Baby and you can RSVP at our event page on Facebook-
Hello everyone! There is a lot happening this month and I really hope you will be able to attend some of these events.
Feb 5 Tuesday 12-1pm. Breastfeeding Coalition led by Kei. Held
in the conference room at Mendocino Coast Clinics. Everyone is welcome.
She will be discussing nipple shields. The correct way to use them and
apply them, as well as why they are used.
Feb 12 Tuesday 10-11am. Le Leche League led by Erin Malsom. Held in
the community room at the Fort Bragg library. All nursing moms and
expecting moms welcome. This is an opportunity to discuss any
breastfeeding issues you may have, as well as provide encouragement and
personal experience to others who are having problems. Good way to meet
other moms.
Feb 13 Wednesday 6:30-8pm. Meet the Doulas led by Jade Golden. Held
in the teen lounge at Safe Passage. For all expecting parents. Come
meet the doulas that live and work on the coast. Find out how a doula
will benefit your birth. Parents that have used a doula are also welcome
to join and share their experience. All doulas in the area are more
than welcome to attend! Bring your business cards to promote your
services.
Feb 20 Wednesday 6:30-8pm. "Exploring Your Vision of Birth Through
Birth Art" led by Elexa Richardson. Held in the teen lounge at Safe
Passage. All expecting parents welcome. Parents do not need to be
artistic! This is a fun way of exploring ideas about birth.
Every Friday 10-12pm Breastfeeding support group led by Kei. Held at Mendocino Coast Clinics. Call 964-1251 for more details.
On-going childbirth classes on Thursday nights from 6-8pm led by Carla Stange. Held at Mendocino Family Healthcare. 940 Ukiah St. in Mendocino. Call 937-4202 to sign up.
I encourage everyone to spread the word about these events. Feel free to forward this email to anyone who may be interested.
Hopefully I will see you all soon,
Amy Mutkala
Northern California Birth Collective (Coastal Branch)
A
FREE community event at Mendocino Baby in Ukiah.
Thursday,
January 10th, 6pm
Come
try out and learn about different baby carriers and discover the joy
and ease of wearing your baby. Contact Sarah at
mamabirth09@yahoo.com for
more info. Find us online at www.norcalbc.blogspot.com
Just last week we had a fabulous educational night for the Northern California Birth Collective. We met at Mendocino Baby and and were instructed in prenatal yoga by Eryn Schon Brunner. She is a great teacher and has an obvious talent and passion for prenatal yoga.
You can find her website for her studio,Our Yoga Center in Willits California. If you are in Ukiah, the half hour drive would certainly be worth it for such a great instructor.
Thank you Eryn!
Meet the Doula is this Thursday at 11am. We would love for more of our local doulas to come out. Mamas want to meet you! We have a great time discussing, learning, and educating at these meetings.
More to come soon for the Northern California Birth Collective. The ladies behind the birth collective have been meeting with local outreach groups and medical professionals to help improve access to birthing choices for local women.
Stay tuned and mark your calendars with our upcoming events! Events are listed just to the right on our Google calendar.
Our January events currently include a class on baby wearing with demonstrations and an opportunity to try out different carriers. This class will be taught by the owners of Mendocino Baby and is a great opportunity to learn more about wearing your baby. Experienced and new baby wearers are welcome to attend.
We will also have a "Meet the Doula" event on January 17th.
Here is a fun birth video for our birth junkies- Sent to us by local business owner and doula, Townley Anderson- (It is graphic if you are new to birth videos.)
The Northern California Birth Collective has been revitalized as of
late! We are so excited to be offering monthly educational meetings at
Mendocino Baby in Ukiah. We had a very successful "Meet the Midwife"
event in October and saw a gathering of mothers, doulas, midwives and
other birth professionals.
November saw the second
educational meeting presented by apprentice midwife Lisa Rawson and CPM
Monika Rosicka on the benefits of placenta encapsulation.
Mary
Anne Doble, a local DONA certified doula is excited to be presenting
monthly "Meet the Doula" events also at Mendocino Baby in Ukiah, the
first being this November.
In the works is a birth circle event for local mothers presented by longtime respected midwife Ellen Grossman.
We
have a local VBAC mother setting up an ICAN (International Cessarean
Awareness Network) chapter in our town. This is a much needed resoucre
for Mendocino County and we are incredibly excited to be having it begin
under the umbrella of the Northern California Birth Collective.
If
you too are interested in donating time, talents, or classes to the
Birth Collective, please contact Sarah Clark at mamabirth09 (at) yahoo
(dot) com.
