Happy Anniversary

Taking a break from knitting for a moment.  Today I am blogging in support of NARAL's Blog For Choice Day, answering the question:

What will you do to help elect pro-choice candidates in 2012?

Today is the 39th Anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade that affirmed women's right to have an abortion.  As a doula, it means more to me than just that.  It's the anniversary of the affirmation that women can be trusted to make decisions about their own reproductive health, including when, how, and if they have kids.

In 2008, I worked for EMILY's List helping to elect pro-choice, Democratic women in Iowa.  I was on the ground talking to voters and other candidates and supporting EMILY's List candidates and President Obama.  I learned that electing pro-choice candidates is one of the best ways to ensure our right to make the reproductive health decisions that are right for us.  Elected officials are the people who introduce and enact legislation that make it so rape victims don't have to pay for their own rape kits (that law JUST passed in GA this year....jeesh), who ensure insurance coverage for women for contraception and maternity care, who grant federal funds to clinics that provide family planning services to low income women, and who stop the violence against health care providers who provide services that women and their families want and need.

This year it is just as important to me to elect pro-choice candidates.  More and more states are considering "personhood amendments" which would give rights to a fetus at conception.  That would put certain birth control options that stop implantation but not fertilization (like the IUD or emergency contraception), as well as in vitro fertilization, at risk and make it difficult for women who are trying to prevent pregnancy as well as those who really want kids to access health care.  "Conscience clauses" allow providers to refuse routine medical services to women because they have moral objections to the choices made by women, their families and their physicians.  My clients are facing C-sections and inductions they don't want because of policies that are outdated and not based on science.

This stuff makes me mad and sad and sick and makes me want to do something about it.

So, I am working at the Feminist Women's Health Center and participating in their Voice Beyond Choice Advocacy Days at the GA State Capital.  I will get to learn about what my Reps think about pro-choice legislation and to let them know that I will not vote for someone who doesn't care about the rights of the 1 in 3 US women who will seek an abortion in their lifetimes.

I will be making donations to the candidates that do support reproductive rights and speaking out against those that do not.

And I will be talking to my friends and family about what being pro-choice and electing pro-choice candidates means to me.

If you want more information, I encourage you to check out these organizations and to get involved in the 2012 election cycle:

EMILY's List
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Planned Parenthood Action Center

Birth and Knitting

The Yarn Harlot, once again, said everything I wanted to say in a much more eloquent way:  http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2011/09/14/a_welcome_with_thanks.html

And managed to talk about knitting and birth at the same time.

Weekend: Birth Education Class

The last seven Sundays, I have been taking a birth education class as the last thing I need for my doula certification.  The class I am taking is through The Bradley Method, a method that is for moms and their partners who want to focus on having a natural childbirth.

As outlined on the Bradley Website, the class is 12 weeks long and each week focuses on a specific topic:

Class 1. Introduction to The Bradley Method^®
Class 2. Nutrition in Pregnancy
Class 3. Pregnancy
Class 4. The Coach's Role
Class 5. Introduction to First Stage Labor
Class 6. Introduction to Second Stage Labor
Class 7. Planning Your Birth

Class 8. Variations and Complications / Postpartum Preparation

Class 9. Advanced First Stage Techniques
Class 10. Advanced Second Stage Techniques
Class 11. Being a Great Coach / Are You Ready?
Class 12. Preparing for Your New Family

Each class also covers nutrition, exercise, positive communication, coaching, and relaxation techniques.

For me, this means sitting in on a class of nine pregnant couples as they learn about what is happening during their pregnancy and what to expect from labor and beyond.  My role is to learn from the teacher about how to be a good birth educator, to practice my doula skills through talking with parents, and fill in any gaps in my own education.  I've especially enjoyed watching the dads communicate with the moms.  They seem really engaged and enthusiastic about their babies, even if a little weirded out by the whole process.

New Video from DONA

DONA International (my doula organization) just came out with this cool documentary talking about what doulas do.



Cool, right?

Things HIPAA Prevents me from Saying

I attended a birth this weekend!!! That makes me one birth closer to full certification; only one more to go!

I would tell you all the details, except that the Health Information Privacy Act of 1996 prevents me from telling you pretty much anything about the birth other than that I had to go to the hospital at Thursday night and didn't get home until noon Friday.  However, a couple of notes:

• I am thanking my lucky stars that I had a change of clothes in my doula bag, 'cause things got a little messy.  Everyone's happy and healthy, though...no worries...
• I learned how to take three-minute naps in between mom's contractions.  This sounds impressive until I tell you that the mom was also taking naps between contractions (ones that SHE was actually HAVING).  I had some really weird dreams...sort of like when you hit the snooze alarm and then continue on with your dream about sheep knitting YOUR fur in retaliation for a lifetime of shearing.  Only, it was like that for four hours...
• Napping doesn't make you any less tired.  I went to have coffee with a friend that afternoon (still hadn't slept in thirty hours) and was legit hallucinating about how comfy the grass on the corner of 14th and Irving looked and how I was sure that no one would notice if I curled up in that pile of City Paper's next to the metro to just close my eyes for a minute.  Looking back on it, I really doubt anyone would have noticed, but it still a pretty cracked-out idea.

Let me clarify a few things about how my doula program works:

• I could be called either to the hospital about a fifteen minute walk from my house or to the free standing birth center in NE DC's Trinidad neighborhood.  Women can choose which they prefer to birth at (unless they are high risk, in which case, they are encouraged to birth at the hospital), but will have a birth center midwife either way.  All of my births so far have been at the hospital.
• Doula's don't do anything medical.  I wasn't joking about not even sharing my lotion.  I ask the mother's health care provider before suggesting anything, even as innocuous as giving the mother juice or changing her position in bed.  I'm with DONA and we have a pretty strict code of conduct that protects both me and the mom.
• Most doulas take private clients.  You would get to meet a client ahead of time (usually a couple of times) and build a relationship with them.  I am, on the other hand, an on-call doula.  That means that I don't get to meet my clients ahead of time and so have to quickly explain who I am, what a doula is, and convince them that it is a good idea to let a stranger hang out with them while they are in labor. 
• Doula is not training to be a midwife.  In fact, I have zero desire to be a midwife or a doctor.  That's a lot of responsibility, folks.  Plus, I like the idea that the only thing a doula is there for is to meet the needs of the mom.  Not having to worry about medical stuff means that I don't have to make decisions or pay attention to anyone but her.  I get to breath with her, help her with pain reduction, get her and her family the things they need to be comfortable, and do some counseling when it comes to making decisions about procedures (what is she nervous about?  Does she need more information?  Is something bothering you?  If so, who should we ask about that? ).

I'm back to work Monday morning.  I think I will be fully recovered from the dreams and sleep-denial-induced delusions.