SMS 2008 Dinner and Auction May 17
The 2008 auction is just two weeks away! Don’t miss out - register
online today at
sms2008auction.eventbrite.com/.
There will be lots of excellent items up for bid, including travel
packages to Hawaii, Florida, Maine, Whistler and closer to home in
Washington and Oregon. Plus, there are climbing and kayaking adventures,
snazzy kitchen tools, fine art, gardening packages, your favorite
restaurants, and much more.
It’s not too late to donate items and services for the auction! Contact
Natalie Fuller with your donation today. If you would like to
volunteer your time, contact
Emily Harris-Deutch. Visit
www.seattlemidwifery.org/news_auction.htm for more information.
Help Shape the Health Care Debate this Election Year
Visit
americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/engage08/healthcare/ to share
your insights about US health care challenges and solutions. American
Public Media will use your ideas to shape their radio coverage of the
2008 election.
Planning to Attend the SMS Midwifery Program?
Now is the time! We are well into the swing of our midwifery program
admissions cycle, but even though the deadline for priority
consideration for this fall has passed, applications are still being
accepted on a space-available basis. Contact admissions specialist
Stephanie Safholm with your questions by
email or call 206.322.8834 x101. You can also download the 2008
catalog from
www.seattlemidwifery.org/midwifery_education.htm.
Join us for our free monthly open house in Seattle! The next session
will be on Tuesday, May 6 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. Please contact Stephanie
to RSVP.
“Choosy Mothers Choose Caesareans”
That’s the title of an article in the April 28 issue of Time Magazine,
and it’s enough to tell you that the article is pretty bad. Visit
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1731904,00.html to read
the article, and send your letter to the editor by clicking on the
author’s name or writing to
letters@time.com. You can find resources for facts, links and
references on so-called maternal choice cesarean section at
cfmidwifery.org/Resources/item.aspx?ID=103.
Summer Education and CEU Opportunities
Use your stimulus payment!
Diagnosis and Treatment of
Postpartum Mood Disorders – Jun 2
New! Touch Techniques for Pregnant and
Birthing Women – Jun 7
Professional Education in Breastfeeding and Lactation – Jun 23-25 and
27-29
Labor Support Course – Aug 6-9
Postpartum Doula Training – Aug 15-16 and 22-23
Childbirth Educator Training – Sep 19-21 and Oct 10-12
For more information, visit
www.seattlemidwifery.org/doula_education.htm. You can register
online or call us at 800.747.9433.
Melanie Stokes Bill
The Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act
(HR 20 and S 1375) is intended to provide for research and services for
women with postpartum depression and psychosis. The bill has been
receiving opposition from people who mistakenly believe that it is a
conspiracy to push new mothers to take medication. If you would like to
support this bill, please send a message from
capwiz.com/ndmda/issues/alert/?alertid=11246546. You can read the
full text of the bill by doing a search on Melanie Stokes at
thomas.loc.gov/home/c110query.html.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Postpartum Mood Disorders
This one-day workshop on the diagnosis and treatment of postpartum mood
disorders is essential for anyone who works with pregnant women and new
families. The June 2 course will be led by Heidi Koss-Nobel, Leslie
Butterfield PhD, and Margie Bone MD. Visit
www.seattlemidwifery.org/doula_education_ppmd.htm for more
information, and consider posting a flyer at your workplace -
www.seattlemidwifery.org/doula_education_ppmd.pdf.
New! Touch Techniques for
Pregnant and Birthing Women
If you support pregnant women, this one-day course on June 7 will help
you develop respectful, safe and effective skills for using touch to
support, reassure and relax a new or expecting mother. Women often
cannot afford massage or simply feel more comfortable being touched by
someone they already know. You are in a unique position to provide
comforting touch to your clients and to help identify when a referral
would be appropriate. ICEA contact hours pending. Visit
www.seattlemidwifery.org/doula_education_touch.htm for more
information.
Breastfeeding Initiation in the US Reaches Historic High
According to a recent report published by the Centers for Disease
Control, the percentage of women in the United States who ever
breastfeed their infants has reached the highest level on record. The
report found breastfeeding initiation increased from 60% to 77% between
1994 and 2006. The increase was particularly dramatic among black women
(from 36% to 65%). However, the report also shows that the rate of any
breastfeeding at six months after birth has not increased since 1994.
Visit
www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db05.htm to read the report.
Looking for an In-Depth Education in Breastfeeding and Lactation?
Make a difference in the health of mothers and babies and add to your
professional credentials as a lactation educator or consultant. Our
comprehensive 6-day course, on June 23-25 and 27-29, is taught by
expert, board-certified lactation consultants, and provides you with the
theoretical foundation for the IBLCE certification exam. If you want to
provide accurate, current and consistent information about breastfeeding
to expectant and new families, this course is for you. Visit
www.seattlemidwifery.org/doula_education_breastfeeding.htm for more
information.
Conferences, Continuing Education Opportunities and Special Events
May 16-18 - California Association of Midwives Conference in
Occidental CA
Register
May 31 – “Doulas, Midwives and Nurses in Adoption” in
Seattle
SMS and the Pacific Association for Labor Support present this
advanced doula training on supporting birth mothers and adoptive
parents. Yolanda Comparan MSW of Adoption Referral Service leads the
workshop.
Register
June 20 - SMS Senior Research Paper Presentations in Seattle
SMS and the Midwives' Association of Washington State invite you to
attend the SMS Annual Senior Research Paper Presentation. MEAC CEUs
available.
Register
June 30 - Orgasmic Birth Film Screening with Director
Debra Pascali-Bonaro in Seattle
What would happen if women were taught to enjoy birth rather than
endure it? In answering that question, this new documentary poses
the ultimate challenge to our cultural myths. The viewer becomes an
intimate part of the birth stories of eleven women who said yes to
this journey.
Register
July 17-20 - DONA International Conference in Vancouver BC
Look for the Simkin School and SMS exhibit at the DONA conference.
Come visit with school faculty and staff!
Register.
You Can Make a Difference - Join the SMS Board of Directors!
The SMS Board of Directors is recruiting new members, and you might be a
perfect fit. We are especially seeking attorneys, accountants, media or
marketing specialists, midwives, business people, educators, and
lawmakers, but anyone with time and energy to share is welcome to apply.
The board is a great place to learn the ins and outs of nonprofit
business, expand your leadership skills, and make a difference in the
lives of students and birthing women. To learn more, contact Vice-Chair
Christine Riedy by
email or at 206.528.7897.
Pregnant in Seattle?
SMS is seeking pregnant women in their third trimester to be panelists
for our popular Labor Support Course. It’s a lot of fun and a great
chance to help aspiring doulas learn about the emotions of pregnancy. We
need panelists for Wednesday June 25 from 1:00 to 1:45 pm. Honorarium
offered.
Email or call Annie Kennedy at 206.322.8834 x115 for more
information.
Correction
Last month we incorrectly reported that the New York Times carried a
“nice” article on doulas in the March 2 issue at
tinyurl.com/2adjor.
The article is anything but nice. We apologize for the error.
