Calling all lovers of midwives – Rally at AZDHS!!!

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Arizona Association of Midwives (AAM), with the support of community members and everyday families of Arizona will rally in front of the Arizona Department of Health Services, at 11am Thursday, November 5, 2015 to demand that the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), along with the State of Arizona elected officials, including Governor Ducey, stop the bureaucratic persecution of, and instead, publicly support the Midwives of Arizona in providing safe preconception, prenatal, labor and birth, and postpartum care to the families of Arizona. The rally will coincide with a special announcement by AAM.  


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Arizona midwives want to provide safe and ethical, evidence-based care to the growing families in our state. ADHS has said they just want compliance with their rules. ADHS relies on said rules to coerce and force people into mandatory medical care, mandatory testing, and mandatory vaginal exams, mandatory hospital transports for non-emergent or contained emergency situations.
IF a midwifery client declines any of these, they are no longer legally allowed to be cared for by an Arizona Licensed Midwife. Not in that moment and not for the rest of their pregnancy or postpartum. Midwives have protecting their clients from these mandates and the response from ADHS has been to threaten, harass and persecute.

Midwives are being persecuted and harassed for providing safe, evidenced-based and consensual care to their clients. Since the new rules and regulations for Licensed Midwives came into effect in 2013, 22 midwives of the 74 currently licensed in AZ have been sanctioned by the ADHS for any number of “offenses.” These offenses include respecting their client’s ability to opt out of testing, procedures, hospital transfers or for continuing to see their clients after resolved complications.

ADHS current interpretation and enforcement of midwifery rules is in direct conflict with the midwifery model of respecting clients rights to low intervention practices and informed choice.

This is shameful and illegal! 

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AZDHS and the State of Arizona need to stop persecuting midwives and need to start embracing them as a means to reduce infant and maternal mortality in the state by way of providing thorough and professional maternity care at home and outside of the hospital.

The Arizona Association of Midwives is taking action on behalf of all growing families in the state to ensure that their healing hands are not tied with red tape when it comes time to welcome new life into this world.

Please join us at the rally, come hear the announcement, stay informed!

See our FaceBook invite for more details!

To read my personal account visit blog post Battle with AZDHS.

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Our Birth Stories

Our stories are one of the most powerful things we own. It is the essence of who we are.

What our stories say.                                       What is your story

What we learn from our stories.

How we tell our stories.

Who we tell our stories to.

We are impacted.

Others are impacted.

Our birth stories, even more. In a culture that is terrified of birth, we hold the power of life. In every birth story you hold the ability to empower yourself and others.

Births that did not play out the story we were hoping are especially important to tell and process in safe spaces.

FATS Mama Circles (both Gilbert and PHX) will be holding a safe space this week to process and tell your story. ALL stories are welcome in our circle. We will use the tool of art to help us process and work through our births.

For the Mamas who have not yet birthed. You have heard countless stories and have a story in your head that is playing continually as to how your birth will go. You are welcome in this circle. Come explore the stories you have been told. Come dig into the story you are playing in your head of the dreams of your birth.

Gilbert FATS Mama Circle is Nov 3 12-2  See the event on Facebook.

Phoenix FATS Mama Circle is Nov 6 10-12  See the event on Facebook.

 

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If you are interested in more birth stories this is a great site!

International Babywearing Week starts NOW!

group-shot-in-front-of-lakeLast week we started the pre-celebration of this great week of baby wearing. Today it is the real celebrations!

A couple of websites to help you get started on your celebrations! –

IntlBW

bwiphoenix

bwiphoenix.com

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If you missed the PHX Mama Circle you can still attend Gilbert Mama Circle on Tuesday 12-2 where we will have volunteers from the BWI Phx chapter there to help us try on new wraps and answer any and all questions on wearing your baby properly!

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International Babywearing Week!

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Babywearing is so vital to both mom and baby. Check out the cuteness.

FATS Mama Circle will be all about Babywearing this Friday Oct 2, 10-12 in Phx and Tues Oct 6, 12-2 in Gilbert!

In honor of International Babywearing Week I want to give a shout out to Babywearing International of Phoenix!

Here is an excerpt from their Facebook page. Go like them today!

We are an affiliate chapter of Babywearing International (http://babywearinginternational.org/), a non-profit organization devoted to babywearing advocacy and education. Our Mission is to promote babywearing safety and education in our communities.

babywearing seethroughOur meetings are led by Volunteer Babywearing Educators (VBEs) – experienced babywearers who have been accredited by Babywearing International. They also serve as admins for this group.

Our VBEs are:
TaiLeah Madill
Marissa Honey-Jones
Dara Salzano DaCunha
Jessica Richardson

Tracy McCall
Morgan Vigil-Smith
Beth Guynes
Elizabeth Morton
Lauren Maynard
Jenna Parker
Toria Trendler
Tanya C Higgins
Tiffany Deacon Husar
Kara Cook
Amber Hodge
Renee Hiller

We currently have 5 meetings a month, each in a different part of the valley. We occasionally offer social or play date events as well. All of our upcoming events and meetings are now posted on our Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/BWIPhoenix, under the events tab or on our website here. Please subscribe to receive notifications when new events and meetings are created, and join those you wish to attend to stay up to date on all those details! You can find a full list of our group rules and guidelines here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/babywearing-international-of-phoenix/bwip-rules-and-guidelines/841765719179731.mama wearing

Want to know more about Meetings or have other general questions about how things work? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions Doc: https://www.facebook.com/notes/babywearing-international-of-phoenix/meeting-and-membership-frequently-asked-questions/848942588462044.

Our meetings are free to attend and open to all! We also offer memberships in our group for $30 per year, tax deductible. Membership supports our group’s advocacy (education and outreach) work, supports the admin costs such as for business cards that our attendees can use to hand out, and allows us to add new carriers to our library! Membership also has some great benefits, such as being able to borrow any carrier in our library f
or up to a month at a time. This is a great way to ‘try before you buy’. We currently have almost 200 carriers and accessories in our library!!

Want to know more about membership? Check out our blog post: http://www.phoenixbabywearers.blogspot.com/…/membership-wit…. Ready to join? Fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/…/1k4F7q1-7
q_FhqTQehnijstW…/viewform
, and submit your $30 annual dues via paypal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr… or to phoenixbabywearers@gmail.comman wearing

See our carrier list here: https://docs.google.com/…/1jEbQaQuNZyxZScw-TIOuiDIj29…/edit…

This group is to chat and discuss all things babywearing. Post your victories and your challenges. Ask your carrier questions. Buy, sell, and trade your lovelies with other local wearers. And above all, post with kindness and consideration. Every moment can be a positive one. Even in the challenges
and the difficult topics, there is room to grow and learn.

Love our community and want to pick their brains about things other than babywearing? Join our Off Topic (OT) group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/630266537089346/

Have a question of a more private nature? Need to chat with a leader or get further info on us teaching at your mom’s/parenting group? Private Message (PM) any leader or email us at phoenix@babywearinginternational.org.

You can learn more about our group on our website (http://bwiphoenix.com) or on our blog(http://www.phoenixbabywearers.blogspot.com/). You’ll find some great youtube tutorials, information about our lending library, and other helpful info to help you along your babywearing journey on these sites.

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