C.H.O.I.C.E.S.

ACOG Issues Less Restrictive VBAC Guidelines

Katie — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:00:28 +0000

ACOG has just issued a press release with new (and most importantly less strict) guidelines for women wanting a VBAC. This is big news!

Go here for the press release.

And check out this article and that article to get an idea of the significance of these new guidelines.

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July 19th Meeting: “Education Options for Your Child”

Katie — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:19:09 +0000

CHOICES of Lafayette is very excited to offer some information on this month’s topic: “Education Options for Your Child.” We have gathered a panel of parents from our area to discuss the avenue of education they chose for their children and why. On the panel we have a Public School parent with experience in Montessori, a Private School parent, a Home-Schooling parent, and an Un-Schooling parent. Each member of the panel will briefly discuss their experiences with the route they chose in education. The end of our meeting will be opened up for a Q&A session. If you’ve been thinking about what you will do when it’s time for your child to begin school, you should attend this meeting. Hope to see you there!

And, as always, this is a FREE event open to the public. Children are welcome! Snacks are provided! Parking is in the West Lafayette Public Library’s Parking Garage!

RSVP here!

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Placenta Encapsulation

Katie — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:18:32 +0000

If you’ve never heard about Placenta Encapsulation, here is a great website to get some information about it. There are quite few wonderful benefits to using your placenta following birth. Here is a brief list:

- contains your own natural hormones
- helps with having a happier postpartum period
- perfectly made for you
- increases milk production
- balances your system
- replenishes depleted iron
- increases energy
- diminishes bleeding postnatally
- can be used during menopause

If you are within 200 miles of the Greater Lafayette area, contact Katie for Placenta Encapsulation services.

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June’s CHOICES Meeting

Katie — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:17:18 +0000

Our next group meet: Monday, June 21st

Time: 5:30pm-7:30pm
Place: West Lafayette Public Library
Topic: “Pregnancy Health and Wellness”

This meeting will be wonderful for those Moms that are interested in learning about how to stay fit and healthy during their pregnancy. Rachel Claussen will be speaking about ways to improve you and your baby’s overall health with healthy eating habits as well as exercise that is suited for pregnancy. We are very excited to be providing this information to the public, and we hope to see you there!

RSVP here!

And, as always, this is a FREE event open to the public. Children are welcome! Snacks are provided! Parking is in the West Lafayette Public Library’s Parking Garage!

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Sunscreen

Katie — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:38:49 +0000

I found a great article about using safe sunscreen. Since there are no FDA regulations on sunscreen, we are often left to do the research ourselves to find out which work well and safely. It’s pretty discouraging to try to make the decision while at the store and looking at the long list of unpronounceable ingredients. Hopefully the article and also this website can steer you in the right direction for a sunscreen that works for you.

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Save Home Birth in NY!

Katie — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:29:59 +0000

With the recent closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City, tons of families have lost their option for a legal home birth. In New York, a Home Birth Midwife must have a signed Written Practice Agreement with a hospital. This agreement was made between much of the city’s Midwives and St. Vincent’s until it closed. Now, with many hospitals objecting to signing this agreement, many families are left hanging with a care provider they chose that is all of the sudden unable to serve them. So, there are a few things you can do to help.

1. Call Wendy Saunders, Executive Deputy Commissioner for the NY State Department of Health, appointed by Governor Paterson. 518-474-8390

Larry Mokhiber, Secretary of the Board of Midwifery. 518-474-3817, extension 130

and say …

With the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital, half of the licensed, highly trained home birth midwives serving NYC have lost their Written Practice Agreement (WPA). St Vincent’s was the only Hospital in the city supportive of a woman’s right to choose a home birth and willing to sign a WPA. In the weeks since it’s announced closure, these midwives have reached out to hospitals and obstetricians all across the city looking for support, with no success. Please help us to save the homebirth option in New York.

2. Email the Governor at http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/GovernorContactForm.php

3. Sign the petition supporting the Midwifery Modernization Act which will remove the WPA from the midwifery law effectively removing this barrier to accessing midwifery care.

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NIH Conference

Katie — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:56:19 +0000

This article would be a great one to read for those of you interested in VBAC. It’s a synopsis of the recent National Institute of Health Conference and their findings of benefits and/or risks from Trial of Labor (TOL) versus Elective Repeat Cesarean Delivery (ECRD).

Among the panel’s findings was the conclusion that TOL is safer for the mother than ERCD and that the risk of uterine rupture for mothers with previous cesarean deliveries is less than 1%, the same or less than other possible obstetric emergencies. Since VBACs are successful 60-80% of the time when attempted, the current VBAC rate of approximately 7% is clearly problematic.

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Postpartum Doula Training in Bloomington

Katie — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:37:43 +0000

Ever thought of becoming a Postpartum Doula? There is a great opportunity coming to our state if anyone is interested in pursuing this career. Here is the info:

DONA International Approved

Postpartum Doula Workshop

Poplar Grove Schoolhouse 4638 E. SR45
Bloomington, Indiana 47408
August 13, 14 & 15
8:00am-6:00pm (must attend all 3 days)

For registration & information, please contact the Workshop Trainer: Rosemary Mason, CCE, PCD (DONA), CLC

doularose@gmail.com or www.northcountydoulas.com

Local contact: Anna Haag, road_haag@yahoo.com

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CHOICES Meeting: May 17th, 2010

Katie — Tue, 04 May 2010 17:58:36 +0000

The topic for this month’s meeting is, “The Cesarean Epidemic and A Safe VBAC”. This topic is really important to us, and I’m so glad we have the chance to share some information about it. Looking back, this meeting topic would have been great for last month (Cesarean Awareness Month), but Cesarean Awareness is useful any time of year. We hope you will join us for this truly important meeting.

Date: Monday, May 17th
Time: 5:30pm-7:30pm
Place: West Lafayette Public Library
RSVP: on facebook

With the dangerous rate of 1 in 3 women giving birth by Cesarean Section and a recommendation from the WHO (World Health Organization) to keep the rate between 5-10%, we would like to offer some information to anyone that is as concerned as we are about this epidemic. We will have a focus on how to have a safe VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean), and also shine a light on the many misconceptions that surround repeat Cesareans. CHOICES is happy to have the honor of guest speaker Penny Lane MSN, CNM from Believe Midwifery Services to come and speak about this very important topic. Please join us for this great and informational presentation.

***To see what other topics we have had for our meetings, check out our Topics page. If you have any suggestions, please let us know!***

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Check Out The New Resource Page!

Katie — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:07:36 +0000

At our recent “Eat Local” meeting, we put together a handout with all the local resources for CSA’s, Farms, Farmers Markets, Gardening Information, Wild Edibles, and Community Gardens. We took the information from the handout and added it to our Eating Locally page. If you are at all interested in eating locally grown food, you should check it out!

**Please help by contacting us with any other resources that aren’t on the page.**

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