Mount Auburn Hospital
At Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge Massachusetts, the midwifery practice decorated newborn onsies with all sorts of designs and colors and handed them out to the babies born during midwifery week. They were adorable! Also, we made a large poster with the help of the hospital print department and hung it up outside of the cafeteria we attached a decorated onsie in the center of the poster.
- Kathryn Kravetz, CNM, Region I, Chapter I vice-chair

St. Mary's Hospital
We sent this news release to all of the tri county (St Mary's, Calvert and Charles) radio and newspapers:

PRESS RELEASE
September 25, 2006 

"With Women, For a Lifetime"
National Midwifery Week is being held across the country this week from October 1- 7, 2006.  As part of Midwifery Week, St. Mary's Hospital encourages women to take charge of their health care and their lives. 

Are you aware that midwives are involved in more than just childbirth?  Nurse-midwives are here to help empower women to take charge of their health.  Let's continue to advance women's health, together.  Take Charge!  For more information, visit the American College of Nurse-Midwives web site at www.midwife.org or call Emalie Gibbons Baker, Certified Nurse Midwife at St. Mary's Hospital at 475-6250.

Gala Banquet
Nurse-midwives in Tamba Bay, Florida held a fund raising gala banquet on October 7, 2006. The keynote speaker was Bridget Lynch Deputy Director of ICM and Karen Sadar-Watt, CNM, Region III Representative, will be attending.
- Zerica Whittingham CNM, Chapter Chair Tampa Bay Florida.

From the Tampa Bay Channel 10 News on September 26, 2006
Women choosing midwives in the delivery room
By: De Anna Sheffield
Clearwater, Florida -- When Lisa Unger was pregnant with her baby girl, Ocean Rae, at first she saw a gynecologist for medical care. Then she made the switch.

Lisa Unger, mother:
"I decided I wanted a midwife, I was pregnant, it was not an illness, I didn't need a doctor. I was going with a midwife who could empower and coach me through the natural function of my body. I wanted to do it in the hospital, I wasn't comfortable with a home birth. I wanted a union between the old and new. "

Puerto Rico Midwives Hold Conference
We celebrated Midwifery week in Carolina Hospital and Loiza hospital with conferences about "Oral Health and Premature Labor." On October 7 we have a closing activity in Santa Rosa Mall, Bayamón, PR.
- Gloria Martino Gonzalez, CNM, Chapter XIII of Puerto Rico

We are having banners made for National Nurse Midwifery Week.
- Eliza Johnson, CNM

Miles for Midwives 5k
On October 8th, for the 4th year in a row, you are invited to a 5k walk/run celebration in support of midwives! Join us as we celebrate Midwifery Week, raise awareness about midwifery, and raise funds for the local chapter of our professional organization, the American College of Nurse-Midwives. In addition, a portion of our proceeds will be donated to Friends of the Birth Center (www.FriendsoftheBirthCenter.org), an organization that is working hard to create an independent birth center in New York in the wake of the Elizabeth Seton Childbearing Center's closing. There will be t-shirts (for the first 200 registrants), free samples, women's health information, refreshments, a pee wee race and medals. This year there's a new medal category: first jogging stroller! Whether you walk, run, ride in a stroller, or just want to come out and show your support, we hope you'll join us and help to support midwifery!

When: Sunday October 8th at 10 AM

Starting line:  Bartel-Pritchard Square, at 15th Street and Prospect Park West

Fees: adults are $12 in advance/$15 for day-of, children $3/$5

More info: Find the registration form at http://www.nycmidwives.org/miles.html.  On-line registration is available through www.active.com. Contact milesformidwives@yahoo.com with any questions.

                                                                                                                                             

Celebrating midwives, supporting lifelong wellness for women
By Tanya R. Kalmar, MD, OB/GYN
Special for the Ukiah Daily Journal, October 4, 2006

The resurgence of midwifery in the last 20 years is providing a strong foundation for a new vision of women's health care. Midwives have helped focus this new model of care so that it now emphasizes wellness at every phase of a woman's life. This week is National Midwifery Week and I take this opportunity to celebrate the contribution midwives make to the health of women.

I practice at Care for Her, a women's health center in Ukiah operated by Mendocino Community Health Clinic, Inc. Our practice also provides women's health services in Willits, at Little Lake Health Center. Because we have demonstrated excellence in quality of care, we are accredited by the Joint Commission of Health Care Organizations.

I work with five Certified Nurse-Midwives: Vivian White, Maria Finnegan, Elizabeth Stephens, Bev Draudt and Ellen Grossman. Their approach to women's health focuses on education, support and health promotion for women and families. Nurse-Practitioner Mary Ziady rounds out our clinical team with her special emphasis on gynecological assessment and treatment. Additionally, an experienced nursing staff and two Certified Childbirth Educators provide extraordinary support and educational services
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to augment the Care for Her approach to women's health. I collaborate with these professionals to nurture a woman's lifelong health by listening, teaching and empowering women to participate in decisions for and about themselves and their families.

When people hear the word "midwife," they often think of lay practitioners. However, a Certified Nurse-Midwife is extensively trained in the disciplines of nursing and midwifery: Following the achievement of a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, they pursue advanced studies in women's health. They are professionally trained to provide routine well care for women, general gynecological services, breast exams, cancer-screening tests and menopausal assessments and treatment.

Midwives also have a special focus on pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum health, care of the newborn and family planning. The midwives who are part of my practice are certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives and licensed by the State of California to provide for the healthcare needs of well women -- which encompasses most women who walk through the doors at Care for Her. They have privileges at Ukiah Valley Medical Center, where our patients deliver their babies.

Within their area of expertise -- women's health and childbirth services -- I think that the quality of care delivered by Certified Nurse-Midwives is equal to that of a competently trained physicians. However, I think they are often better than physicians at providing services that depend on communication and prevention.

Midwives are not qualified to perform surgeries. As a Board-certified OB/GYN, my training qualifies me to provide a different type of service for my patients. I perform gynecological surgeries, and I collaborate with the Care for Her midwives to provide our patients with the best care possible. On a daily basis, the midwives consult with me about their patients. We also meet each week to assess the wellness of our patients so that each practitioner's unique strengths and individual knowledge can be utilized to the support of our patient.

During prenatal care, I am available for patients who may have high-risk complications during their pregnancy and for those who simply prefer to have an OB/GYN monitor their pregnancy. However, for the vast majority of women seeking routine well care or who are on course for a healthy pregnancy, the midwives with whom I collaborate provide patients with a listening ear, a caring heart, empowering interactions, technical expertise and extensive and specialized knowledge to support women's health throughout their life. I continue to learn from them, and I celebrate their contributions to women's health.

Blessing Midwives' Hands in West Virginia
For Midwifery Week in West Virginia, we had a pizza party at the home of my collaborating physician.  Attendees were one SNM from the local hospital, a visiting CNM from Tennessee, two CNMs from a local hospital/birth center/FQHC practice, myself (a home birth CNM), and a traditional midwife from the community who serves the Amish.  We blessed each others' hands as a ritual of mutual appreciation.
- Angelita Nixon, CNM, LLC