A Better Childbirth Class

Last night, I had the priviledge of attending a childbirth class taught by a lady named Andrea Branagan. It was a breath of fresh air compared to the hospital class I went to where they told the couples that one in three of them would end up with a C-section at their hospital (like that's what you need to hear when you're pregnant!).

The class was held at Choices West in Camillus. I was suprised that there was only one couple there. Andrea talked to them about working with your body for birth, instead of doing the things that are sometimes standard operating procedures in hospitals and tend to hinder progress in labor. She covered letting labor start on its own, staying home as long as possible, avoiding unnecessary interventions, positions for labor and effective pushing.

Andrea's business is Gentle Birth Choices and she is a wealth of information.

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And now, a note from the midwives:

May 5th is International Day of the Midwife. This year, you can support midwives by acting locally and globally.

New York families and the midwives who care for them are working hard to pass the Midwifery Modernization Act (MMA), which would remove barriers to practice for licensed midwives in NY. Please take a moment to learn more about the bill at www.NYSALM.org/mma.htm and

1. Call your State Senator and Assemblyperson. Schedule a home office visit if you can. Let them know that you are a constituent and ask them to support, co-sponsor, and vote for the MMA - Senate bill S5007 / Assembly bill A8117. Share your positive experiences with midwives! Let us know how it went… email us at NewYorkMidwives@gmail.com

2. Ask them to urge Senator Stavisky and Assemblywoman Glick, the chairs of the Higher Education committees, to move this bill out of committee. If your legislator is on this committee, their support is even more important. If he or she is already a co-sponsor, thank them! To locate your legislators, find out who the committee members are, and find out who is a current co-sponsor, visit www.NYSALM.org/mma.htm.

3. Consider donating to the cause: NYSALM has been gathering all its resources to make the MMA a reality. Your donation, in any amount, would be greatly appreciated and will bring the women of NY closer to having more access to the midwifery care they want and deserve. Please visit www.NYSALM.org/donate.htm.