A group of physicians and other health care professionals, the California Maternal Quality Care Collective, has released a study on the increasing percentage of cesarian deliveries in that state and how nonvaginal birth posts risks for both mother and child. An executive summary and the entire white paper are here:
The Washington Post recently published a story about how the only free-standing birth center in DC has worked with a large Washington hospital:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health/2011/06/07/gIQAO6SuhN_story.html
The whole team at Austin Area Birthing Center is so proud to have been voted “Best Birth Center” in this year’s Mother-Friendly Birth Awards. More than 4,000 Central Texans cast ballots to recognize Austin’s top mom-friendly professionals and businesses. The awards are organized by the Central Texas Doula Association (www.centxdoulas.org) and the Get Babied! doula collective (http://www.getbabied.com/austin-birth-awards/2011-austin-birth-awards). We want to thank all the doulas who play such an important role in childbirth to so many of our moms and also all the people who voted for us. We will keep working hard to earn your trust and confidence.
This sounds like it came straight out of a tabloid at the HEB: a friend of AABC midwife Leonora Colen is working in Paris (France) this summer and ran into actress and “The Business of Being Born” executive producer Ricki Lake. Ricki wondered how Leonora’s friend knew who she was, and the friend explained that Leonora works at this great birthing center in Austin and that she’d watched Ricki’s DVD. Ricki arranged to get this great photo to us. Find out more about Ricki’s advocacy for natural birth at http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com
We want to share a recent testimonial by one of our clients, Leslie Williamson, who gave birth to her son Wyatt at AABC’s Wm Cannon location on January 15:
“I wanted a natural childbirth, but was intimidated by the idea of a home birth. The new [AABC] South facilities are beautiful and after the tour with [AABC owner] Jean and [midwife assistant] Cat we felt at home and comfortable. Suddenly birth was not as scary to me anymore. I started out at an OB/GYN, then transferred to AABC, and the difference in prenatal care was incredible. I felt comfortable asking questions – I didn’t feel like I was just “one more appointment” for the staff to get through. When I started having early contractions, I felt safe calling the midwives – I am not sure what I would have done if I had still been with the OB/GYN. My pregnancy and birth could have gone completely different. [AABC Certified Nurse/Midwife] Samantha [Evans] was fantastic! She was so patient and calm throughout everything. Even with some minor complications, they all seemed so minor because Samantha was so calm, reassuring and confident. Cat was also an excellent assistant. After the birth she was so kind and gentle to me and baby Wyatt. I really appreciated the home visit – Heather [Harper] was fantastic. David and I talk all the time about how AABC is some of the most well spent money we have ever paid. We could have had a hospital birth for free, but the experience we had with AABC was priceless.”
Baby Love: an hour a week to learn loving techniques for the health and wellness of your baby!
Every Tuesday 6-7 pm at AABC’s Wm. Cannon location
New moms (dads are welcome, too!) with babies up to 6 months old are welcome to join our circle each week to learn and practice baby massage and yoga. Both baby and Mom benefit from the experience of loving touch…..
~baby feels loved and valued, which allows self esteem and confidence to develop
~Mom develops sensitivity in understanding baby’s needs which also builds confidence in herself as a parent
Everyone enjoys a respite of relaxation and intimacy from the busy world. Meet other Moms, have fun, and develop healthy habits early in your baby’s life.
Contact AABC at 243-8066 for more information.
There has been much confusion over the past few years about whether birthing professionals outside hospitals could safely handle vaginal births after cesarians (VBACs). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the leading nonprofit organization for physicians specializing in women’s health, has stated that VBACs can be safely managed by accredited birthing centers. The American Association of Birthing Centers, the leading nonprofit organization representing birthing centers in the U.S., agrees with ACOG that birthing centers such as Austin Area Birthing Center that meet stringent requirements for accreditation are qualified to give care to women who want a natural birth despite having had one or two previous births by cesarian section. Austin ABC is the only accredited birthing center in Central Texas and routinely provides care for women who want a VBAC.
Austin ABC has developed a new series of birthing classes inspired by today’s most popular birth education approaches. Starting June 17, “New Trends” will provide a mix of empowering tools to help expectant mothers have good birthing experiences. The new classes reflect current trends in the teaching of pregnancy care and birthing as found in the Bradley method, “Birthing From Within”, hypnobirthing, and other modern approaches. 
AABC’s New Trends classes are meant to complement AABC’s other free classes (early pregnancy care, “Birth In A Nutshell”, birthing yoga, breastfeeding) but may be taken as a stand alone course. The tools include lots of information about prenatal care, labor and birth, and postpartum care; relaxation techniques; visualization; affirmation; and relationship building with other moms in your group. The birthing tools will be presented in an interactive setting and include reading, lectures, videos and group participation in four two-hour sessions. Each session will begin with an opportunity for moms to give input, provide feedback, and share among the group. Taught at AABC’s Duval location, the classes help set expectations for what a client will encounter during her experience with AABC, including interaction with the staff and information on how different birthing variations are handled. There will also be opportunities to practice different birthing positions with the birthing tubs, birthing stool and birthing ball. Finally, the classes teach postpartum self-care, which is important for birthing center clients and helps build a better foundation for success after the birth.
Local mosaic artist Aly Winningham has completed a beautiful custom work for AABC’s South Austin center. The work was inspired by AABC’s logo, which depicts a mother and her newborn baby. The new mosaic will be installed between the Folklife and Art Gallery rooms.
To see more of Aly Winningham’s work, visit http://www.terrafirmastudios.com/.
American Association of Birth Centers Newsmakers
“No Woman No Cry” US Television Broadcast Premiere
May 7th Featuring THE BIRTH PLACE
The Birth Place (Winter Garden, FL) is featured in the new documentary movie “No Woman, No Cry” to be premiered on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) on Saturday, May 7th at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT) the evening before Mother’s Day.
The film is a great opportunity to to invite your friends, your family, your moms group or whomever you choose to have a watch party and watch it together. Download a Watch Party Kit at Every Mother Counts. The film will be rebroadcast on Sunday, May 8th at 12:30 AM (ET/PT) and 1:00 PM (ET/PT). (Another option is to TIVO/DVR the film to watch later).
Produced and directed by first-time filmmaker Christy Turlington Burns, the emotionally charged film “No Woman, No Cry” follows the stories of women in Tanzania, Bangladesh, Guatemala and the United States as they face critical junctures in their pregnancies. It tells the personal stories of pregnant women and their caregivers in four countries as they try to avoid becoming maternal mortality statistics. Turlington puts audiences in the shoes of a young Maasai mother who has gone into labor and must walk five miles to the nearest clinic; a pregnant women in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh too ashamed to seek care; a pregnant obstetrician helping women who have no choice but to undergo illegal and dangerous abortions in Guatemala; and Jennie Joseph’s midwifery practice in central Florida she serves pregnant women who are denied prenatal care because they are uninsured.
The film explores the barriers millions of women face when trying to access critical care throughout their pregnancies and while delivering, along with the often simple solutions that could save their lives.
Turlington Burns, a mother, activist, women’s health advocate and fashion icon, made the film in conjunction with Every Mother Counts (EMC), a five-year outreach campaign she founded in 2010 that is dedicated to improving maternal health and reducing maternal mortality around the world by engaging the public, raising awareness and driving action. Learn more at www.everymothercounts.org
