“It is with heavy hearts that the Midwives Alliance today received the resignation of several key members of the MANA Midwives of Color (MOC) Section, including the Chair. MANA is fully aware of its history of privilege and the issues related to cultural and systemic hierarchies in decision-making. We are committed to working towards a structural change in the way our organization operates in light of the repeated failures to address the needs of our midwives of color. We recognize the disproportionate impact of perinatal disparities and poor outcomes for women, infants and communities of color. MANA has an ongoing responsibility to address these issues in order to fulfill our mission of providing a professional organization for all midwives.”

A day or two later it was placed on the front page of their website.
The responses have ranged from outrage, to sadness, and disbelief.

You can read the resignation here.

What does this mean for the organization? What does this mean for our communties of color? Maybe this will be the wake up call that is needed for people to realize the work that needs to be done for minorities women and children….. but it shouldn’t have had to come to this.

We obviously have a long way to in addressing the disparities in minorities where birth is concerned.

I have more to say, but I keep finding more and more information that makes me sad and angry. For that reason I’m going to hold off on posting the rest of my thoughts.

For now I’ll leave you with the resignation letter. Please share your thoughts in the comments.

So often we talk birth in women circles. We celebrate birth within the feminine community and forget that without the fathers our birth experiences would be non existent. June 17th marks the day many will celebrate fathers in this country. With that in mind we came up with our topic for this installment of the Black Birth Blog Carnival.

Fathers are essential to the #BlackBirth story. Without them, the fathers of our children, there would be no birth. Some fathers are there at the beginning of our experience and absent from our birth stories. Some are ever present with strong hands, a loving heart, and a gentleness that we may have never known before that moment. No matter the role he played, we want to hear about how the father of your baby impacted your birth. How did his involvement or lack thereof affect your birth choices and your childbirth experience? How about YOUR father… did he impact your birth?

Now here is a twist… Calling all men to the Carnival of Black Birth… Are you a man that would like to celebrate what #BlackBirth means to you? Do you have a birth story to share? We would LOVE to get your unique perspective.

Lastly, and certainly not least, perhaps you don’t have a personal experience you would like to share at all. Do you know of a father that has been a part of and/or impacted black birth in other ways? No matter the story… we wanna read it. We want to celebrate Black Birth and celebrate the fathers that make them possible. Submit your stories today for our next carnival #BlackBirth… Not Without Our Fathers.

What is a Blog Carnival
A blog carnival is a collection of blog posts from a variety of bloggers on a particular subject, published on the same day. This blog carnival will be published/go live Tuesday June 12th. In addition to posting his/her article, each blogger provides links to all of the other posts submitted. Because of this, blog carnivals are a great way to learn about other fabulous bloggers. They give you an opportunity to connect with others and have the potential to increase traffic to your blog. If you do not have a personal blog and want to participate, please email us ASAP at BlackBirthCarnival at gmail dot com so that we can find a host blog for your article submission.

Guidelines and Instructions for Submissions
We are looking for posts that are well written, informative, thought provoking and relevant to the theme of the carnival. We prefer that you submit a new, unpublished post for the carnival however, if you feel you have the “perfect post” that has been previously published we will accept it.

Please email your post to us at BlackBirthCarnival at gmail dot com no later than Tuesday, June  5th. Be sure to put June Carnival in the subject line of the email and don’t forget to give us the title of your post. We cannot accept your submission without a title.

You will receive an HTML code with instructions via email no later than June 3rd. You will need to place this code in your blog post so that you will link up with all of the other blogs participating in the carnival.For the success of the carnival, it’s important that you add this code. Please do not publish your post until after midnight on the 12th. We are excited about this new Blog Carnival and we look forward to receiving your submissions.

Here is the first installment of the Black Birth Carnival: Birthing While Black.

In Birth and Love Darcel & Nicole Follow us on Twitter & Let’s Celebrate #BlackBirth @MahoganyWayMama & @SistaMidwife

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When Mama and Author Chenniah Patrick asked me if I would consider reviewing her new book, This Milk Tastes Good, I said yes without any hesitation.

Chenniah says the book was born from her singing this tune to her daughter, and as she grew older, she started humming it…..dad learned it as well!

This Milk Tastes Good! is a family-friendly nursery rhyme about breastfeeding from the baby’s point of view. This book features a black family promoting breastfeeding, I love it!

I enjoyed this book for so many reasons. I’m loving the black husband and wife team. Her husband is the illustrator, and they run a publishing company together. This book shows images of nursing in public as displayed on the cover. The pictures are bright and colorful, and the words are nice and big. I even like the font they used.

I love the drawings of mom and dad babywearing, dad wearing a shirts that supports breastfeeding. And a black family doing what is normal and natural. Breastfeeding! My kids really enjoyed flipping through this book, and having me read it to them.

A few lines from the book….

“This milk tastes good. This milk tastes yummy.”
My mama feeds me. She puts food in my tummy.”

Chenniah is set to record a YouTube video for the book so we can all hear the tune to the rhyme.

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To enter the giveaway – leave a comment telling us about one of your favorite breastfeeding moments. If your child is older, what do they tell you your breastmilk tastes like?

The winner will be announced within this post next Thursday at Noon EST.

An email address is required(only visible to me)so I can contact you for your mailing address.

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When I think of the history of Black Birth, I picture women in the back woods, down dirt roads, with a midwife in attendance. The laboring mother was probably surrounded by family, her mother, sister, cousins, friends. I picture a strong black woman who trusts her body and baby to do the work they were meant to do together. A crossing over from girl, young lady, or woman…. to mother. Like the women in All My Babies: A Midwife’s Own Story. It’s a sacred and spiritual event.

While I would love to keep the positive picture in my head of Black Birth, I know that not all of that is true. I know that mothers and babies died back then. But I also can’t shake the feeling that Black Birth was a celebration, not a medical event that it is today.

It’s harder for me to picture slaves birthing in the cotton fields, and moments later with their babies on their backs, going back to picking cotton. I’m a wuss! Talking about babymoons after I birth my children. I need a few days to relax, to lie and cuddle with my baby, to establish breastfeeding. Not these slave women. Then I think of their strength. What kind of woman it must take to not only care for, and nurse the child of your master, but to go through labor, birth and nurse your own child, and keep it moving as if nothing ever happened. I think as beaten down as they were, somewhere deep down, they had a strong mental state. I imagine you would have to….to endure all that they did.

From this book -  Birthing A Slave.

“Slaves suffered extremely high mortality. Half of all slave infants died during their first year of life, twice the rate of white babies. And while the death rate declined for those who survived their first year, it remained twice the white rate through age 14.”

You can read the rest of the article at Life Under Slavery. Does the above paragraph sound familiar? In case it doesn’t…. black babies are still dying at 2.4 times the rate of white babies right now in the 21st century.

It blew my mind the first time I heard the story of how blacks were finally allowed to birth in the hospital. It was meant to mean that they had finally arrived. If a black woman could birth in the hospital you would think it was a sign of equality, but it wasn’t. Black women were and still are treated as if we are beneath the rest of society. Why did  black women fight so hard to get into a system that didn’t want them there, that didn’t care about their health, or the health of their babies?

Why do we let a community that doesn’t understand us tell us what is the right way to birth? Why do we settle for white birth being more important than Black Birth? Is it because the Black Community as a whole doesn’t know their worth? Is it because we are afraid to challenge our Doctors? Is it because  our dignity and human rights were dragged through mud, and our spirits were broken so that we would submit to the white mans way of thinking Black Birth should be? What happened to our strength? Why did we stop trusting our bodies and our babies?

It’s true that way back when we had little control over our lives, but it’s 2012.  The color of our skin does not make us any less human.

How can we stop history from repeating itself? By creating a new history, which is what I think we are doing right now. Little by little Black Birth will be seen as the beautiful, scared, spiritual event that it once was. Our women will stop birthing in fear. We will be treated with dignity and respect. We will find that strength and beauty that our ancestors carried with them.

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Please take time to read the other submissions for the Black Birth Carnival. These are very touching, thought-provoking posts

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Nicole – Musings From The Mind of Sista Midwife: Our History Does Not Have To Be Our Future

Darcel – The Mahogany Way Birth Cafe: What Happened To Our Strength?

Takiema – Connect Formation Consulting: Black & Still Birthing – A Deeply Personal Post

Teresha – Marlie and Me: My Childbirth Influences and Experiences: From my Foremothers to Erykah Badu

Denene – My Brown Baby: Birthing While Black In The Jim Crow South Stole My Grandmother: Thankfully, Things Change

Olivia – The Student Midwife: Birthing While Black: A Historical Perspective of Black Midwives

Chante – My Natural Motherhood Journey: Homebirth Stories

Are you tired of all this talk about Doulas from me lately? No – that’s great! It’s World Doula Week. It started yesterday on the 22nd, which is also the Spring Equinox, which represents the return of fertility in many cultures around the world.

So what is Word Doula Week all about?  It’s about raising awareness of Doulas, and celebrating their work.
I first heard the term Doula when I was pregnant with my first. I like to think that two of my closest friends acted as Doulas for me.

Then I had a Doula at the birth of my second child. She was also a message therapist. She was such a lovely woman. She had a very calming spirit about her. The way she talked to me, encouraged me, and those oils…..lavender and peppermint. If I close my eyes I can smell them right now.

In case you’ve missed two of my other posts, I have an Interview With A Postpartum Doula. Laila was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions about the amazing work she does for and with families.
Then there is the Project Bellies Birth And Babies: How You Can Help Reduce The Infant Mortality Rate. Asiyah has been working on this project to raise money to train 20 Doulas in Georgia. Both articles highlight the importance of Doulas in the Black Community.

You can also read how Doulas have a significant impact on Birth and Breastfeeding.

Toni Harman and Alex Wakeford are a real life couple to a 4-year-old. They are the creators of the film Doula! A documentary of three different families and their births. The film shows up close and personal Doulas in their roles with each family at different stages of labor and birth.

There are 165 screenings of the film Doula! going on throughout the country for World Doula Week. Check the link to see if there may be a showing near you.

I have several friends that are Doulas, off and online. They inspire me. They give of their time to serve women, helping them and their families through pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.
There are many benefits to having a Doula. I know there are a lot of links in this post, but please check them out, and feel free to share them with family and friends.

Lets show some love for the Doulas in our communities around the world.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got started in the birth business?

I’ve been involved in birth work since the age of 17. I’m telling my age but that was nearly 18 years ago! My first experience was at the birth of my godson. After that, I kind of fell head first into it. I began studying midwifery on my own and became certified as a Doula, childbirth educator, lactation counselor, infant massage specialist and nutritional consultant. I worked as a labor and delivery, newborn nursery, pediatric and school nurse for years before embarking on this journey with Mother Nature’s Belly.

How did you come up with the idea for your non-profit – Mother Natures Belly?

I founded Mother Nature’s Belly in 2006 as a for profit business shortly after I miscarried for the second time. I had two older children through adoption however I was truly feeling a loss for “birthing” my own child. Mother Nature’s Belly started as a home based postpartum Doula support company. I really felt a need to provide holistic support for new mother’s as a part of my healing process. Caring for the mother’s allowed me to heal. The business really snowballed into what it is today. Mothers continued to seek more services from me which led to additional certifications, tons of training and finally restructuring the business as a not for profit in 2011 enabling women who are often overlooked due to their socio-economic status, access to our services, most at no or low-cost. Many of these women are women of color. 98% of the women I serve at Mother Nature’s Belly are not of European decent.

What is the infant mortality rate like in Georgia?

Infant mortality is defined by the death of an infant between birth and their 1st birthday. For decades, the infant mortality rate in Georgia has ranked among the highest in the nation. Each year, thousands of babies are born prematurely or at a very low birth weight. Many of them will die. The two main causes of infant mortality are that babies are born prematurely or they don’t weigh enough. Often, it’s both. Birth defects, injuries, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are also leading causes. Babies born at a low birth weight – that is, five and half pounds or less – account for more than two-thirds of the state’s infant deaths. And the percentage of babies born with low birth weight in Georgia has not decreased at all since 1990. On top of that, a disturbing racial disparity persists. African-American babies are twice as likely as white babies to be born at a low weight, and thus to die.

For those who don’t know, what is a Doula, and what does she do?

Doulas provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support before and during labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum period. The intent of a Doula is to help the woman have a safe and satisfying experience, as the woman defines it.

Can you explain how more Doulas help lower the infant mortality rate. Also, how your fundraiser Bellies, Birth & Babies fills the need for free Doula training.

Here’s an example of how Doulas effectively lower the infant mortality rate, particularly among African-American women. This study was conducted in Hillsborough County Florida between 2005-2008…

“Young women participating in the Doula Program experience decreased need of intensive medical interventions, such as C-sections or epidurals, and they breastfeed for an extended duration, providing an estimated cost savings of $1.5 million annually for the WIC agency (data based on a report from the United States Breastfeeding Committee on the Economic Benefits of Breastfeeding).
Additionally, in comparison to the Hillsborough County average of 12.4 black infant deaths per 1,000 births from 2005-2007, black participants in the Doula Program experienced a lower infant mortality rate (1 per 1,000 black infant deaths reported). These data were calculated based on the total number of Doula assisted, live births over the last three-year period; 2005-2008.”

The Bellies, Birth & Babies Fundraiser will train 20 Doulas who will serve women in the greater Atlanta area and beyond! Free Doula training is as much a necessity for the health and well-being of expectant mothers and their babies as is comprehensive prenatal care. If each Doula trained attended a minimum of one birth per month, 240 women would be impacted on a yearly basis! That’s huge! In these tough economic times, free training of any kind is ALWAYS needed, especially when it will provide job opportunities and contribute to community sustainability.

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Asiyah is the founder and owner of Mother Nature’s Belly. You can follow her on Twitter @MNaturesBelly and Like her Facebook Page.

We have 60 days to help Asiyah reach her goal of $5,500 to train 20 Doulas through the Bellies, Birth & Babies Fundraiser.

You can’t help but want to help a minimum of 240 Mama’s and Babies. Can you help by donating five dollars? What about one dollar? We understand that times are tough financially for many people, and if you can’t donate, could you please share this post with other birth workers, family and friends?

A one time donation for a lifetime of helping women and babies.

Grab your tissues.

Courtesy of Beautiful Soul.

I am so excited to bring you this series: Interview With A Doula and Interview with a Midwife. I would like to thank my first guest, Laila for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions. My hope is that we can all learn more about what a Doula is and isn’t, the different types of Doula’s, what a Midwife is and isn’t, and the roles they play in the Black Community.

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What is the importance of a Doula in the Black Community?

Doulas can play a vital role in the Black Community because they help support the family. It’s imperative that we seek resources that are going to help nurture and support our families. I think the work of Postpartum Doulas is particularly important because we can provide resources and care for the whole family. This helps the family get adjusted to their new member and new roles.

What is the role they{doulas}play in Maternal and Infant Health?

Doulas play an important role in supporting maternal and infant health. While we can’t diagnose or treat any health issues, we can help families become aware of what is healthy and normal and what isn’t. We can help families develop an awareness of the body and how it does a pretty good job of alerting us when something isn’t right.

Tell us a little about your journey to becoming a Postpartum Doula.

My journey to becoming  Postpartum Doula began over a year ago after watching the film ‘The Business of Being Born’.
Watching this film opened my eyes to the history of birth in American Society and the possibilities that exist when you think of childbirth as something that is normal not a disability. After watching the film I began to reflect on my own birth and postpartum experience. I had a stressful pregnancy and wasn’t able to devote a lot of time into researching my birth options. My obstetrician, who was a Black woman, induced me and for whatever reason I felt powerless to say “no”. I am happy that I was able to have a vaginal delivery and that my son was healthy, but, I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I refused to be induced. What if I had a Labor Doula to help me manage my pain and anxiety? When I brought my son home I remember being in awe and exhausted. I was almost a thousand miles away from my family and had to figure a lot of things out on my own.

Because of my own birth experience I realized it would not be a good idea for me to be a Labor Doula. I was very concerned about transference and decided to pursue Postpartum work. I began researching options for training and came across a wonderful organization that provided Labor and Postpartum Doulas and Childbirth Education for women in the Chicagoland area. I was immediately drawn to the community of women and the fact that they offer ongoing training.

What are the ages/ethnicity of most of your clients?

The majority of the families I have worked with have been White in their mid 20′s to early 40′s.

Question you get asked the most?

I find that a lot of people don’t understand how a Postpartum Doula is different from a night nurse or nanny. I always make it clear that a Doula is concerned about the well-being of the family as a unit not just the child. We want to help the family make a smooth transition for the new family member.

What is the one question you think women don’t ask enough?

I don’t think women ask “why” enough. Often times we are giving a lot of information about our bodies or are told that we have to do certain things by medical professionals and we don’t ask “why”. Asking this question is very important and will help you evaluate your options.

Does certification matter? Why or why not?

I am not certified. The organization I work with provided my training and I’ve never had a client ask me if I was certified. If I were to work on my own, I would probably pursue certification to help with marketing my business.

What is the most difficult and rewarding parts of being a Postpartum Doula?

The most difficult part of being a Doula for me has been managing my own family commitments. The most rewarding is working with new families. I also get to spend time with amazing newborns, what could be better than that!

Any tips for working with all types of care providers?

Never stop asking questions. Throughout my pregnancy, labor and delivery, I did a lot of listening and not a lot of questioning. There are no stupid questions when it comes to creating the birth experience you want.

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Laila is the mother of one and has been a Postpartum Doula to many. As a Mother and Doula she hopes to help Moms and Dads trust themselves and know their inner strengths as parents.

You can follow Laila on Twitter @BrownBellyDoula and on her blog Brown Belly Doula.

Amidst these many blogs are the few bloggers who might classify themselves Black, Mocha, African- American, Mahogany, Afrikan…. I call them Sista Midwives. Those few os us who in addition to blogging about birth often, and some exclusively, write posts that are written specifically for, about, and from our perspective as Black Women. One might ask…” So is birth really THAT much different for Black Women, when compared to Latina, Asian, or Caucasian?” I say yes, Yes, YES.

Sure the babies physically are born the same way. However… the joys and the pains of birth manifest differently in our lives; the spiritual, psychological, physical, emotional and cultural difference that exist are real and significant. It is just as important to note that as no two women of any ethnic group birth exactly the same, the birth stories and experiences of Black Women nationally and internationally are wide and varied.

That is why I came to Nicole, the fabulous Sista Midwife with the idea of putting together a new blog carnival. I am so excited that she jumped right on board. That being said, I am very excited to be introducing you to the The Black Birth Carnival, that we, myself….Nicole @SistaMidwife Deggins & Darcel Harmon @MahoganyWayMama, will bring to you throughout the year. You can follow both of us on Twitter and check out #BlackBirth to get continued updates about the progress and postings of The Black Birth Carnival.

In this first Carnival: Birthing While Black…A Historical Perspective, we invite you to submit an article or blog post that incorporates in some way, the history of Black Women giving birth. Write about the images that come to mind when you read the title for this first carnival. Tell us how your birth choices today are affected by your personal historical perspective. How do you think our birthing history affects the birth choices of women in our/your community? What unique bit of history can you share about the historical perspective of Birthing While Black? What gives you special pride when you look back into history and visualize Black Women giving birth? Submit an article or blog about anything you feel will highlight and incorporate our theme Birthing While Black…A Historical Perspective.

What is a Blog Carnival

A blog carnival is a collection of blog posts from a variety of bloggers on a particular subject, published on the same day. This blog carnival will be published/go live Tuesday March 27th. In addition to posting his/her article, each blogger provides links to all of the other posts submitted. Because of this, blog carnivals are a great way to learn about  other fabulous bloggers.
They give you an opportunity to connect with others and have the potential to increase traffic to your blog. If you do not have a personal blog and want to participate, please emails us ASAP at BlackBirthCarnival{at}gmail{dot}com so that we can find you a host blog for your article submission.

Guidelines and Instructions for Submissions

We are looking for posts that are well written, informative, thought-provoking, and relevant to the theme of the carnival. We prefer that you submit a new, unpublished post for the carnival however, if you feel you have the “perfect post” that has been previously published we will accept it.

Please email your posts to us at BlackBirthCarnival{at}gmail{dot}com no later than Tuesday, March 20th Wednesday March 21st at Midnight.
Be sure to put March Carnival in the subject line of the email and don’t forget to give us the title of your post. We cannot accept your submission without a title.

You will receive an HTML code with instructions via email no later than March 26th. You will need to place this code in your blog post so that you will link up with all of the other blogs participating in the carnival. For the success of the carnival, it’s important that you add this code. Please do not publish your post until after midnight on the 27th. We are excited about this new Blog carnival and we look forward to receiving your submissions.

In Birth and Love
Darcel @MahoganyWayMama & Nicole @SistaMidwife
Let’s Celebrate #BlackBirth

Executive Producer Ricki Lake and Filmmaker Abby Epstein present an Online Screening of

“Special Deliveries: Celebrity Mothers Talk Straight on Birth” on The Huffington Post

Film Streaming and Live Q&A on Monday, March 5th features Ricki Lake,
Abby Epstein, Kellie Martin and Special Guests

More Business of Being Born Classroom Edition Premieres Same Date at UCLA

LOS ANGELES, CA – Executive Producer Ricki Lake and Filmmaker Abby Epstein present an online screening of Special Deliveries: Celebrity Mothers Talk Straight Talk on Birth from their highly influential four-part DVD series More Business of Being Born on Monday, March 5th at 6:00pm PST on The Huffington Post. Lake, Epstein and special guests from the film including Kellie Martin will host a live Q&A chat following the film beginning at 7:10pm PST. Viewers are encouraged to ask questions and engage in conversation with Lake, Epstein, and Martin by directing messages via twitter to @rickilake with #mbobb as the hash tag.

More Business of Being Born, a follow up to their landmark documentary, The Business of Being Born, offers a practical look at birthing options as well as poignant celebrity birth stories from stars. The virtual screening will air on HuffingtonPost.com and MyBestBirth.com. BabyCenter will host the virtual screening on their Facebook fan page:

Other sites are invited to host the screening by embedding the player.

LIVE EMBED:

http://www.ustream.tv/embed/9054478
Streaming Live by Ustream

Social Stream:

http://www.ustream.tv/socialstream/9054478

More Business of Being Born Classroom Edition premieres March 5th from 4:00-5:30pm at UCLA’s Lenart Auditorium, Fowler Museum, located at 308 Charles E. Young Drive North, Los Angeles, CA 090095. The half-hour screening will be followed by an hour-long Q and A discussion with Ricki Lake, Abby Epstein, Dr. Suzanne Gelberg-Lenz, MD, Kellie Martin and Alyson Hannigan. This free event is open to the public and is sponsored by Choices in Childbirth. For information or to RSVP: E-mail Julia@ChoicesInChildbirth.org

Special Deliveries: Celebrity Mothers Talk Straight on Birth

Featuring celebrity moms Laila Ali, Gisele Bundchen, Cindy Crawford, Alyson Hannigan, Melissa Joan Hart, Kellie Martin, Alanis Morissette, Christy Turlington-Burns and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Special Deliveries is a collection of intimate birth stories from a diverse group of mothers. Whether they chose to deliver at a hospital, home or birthing center, these heartfelt and humorous testimonies speak to the lasting power of the birth experience. True inspiration for any mother-to-be, this group of women trusted their bodies and intuitions, taking responsibility for their birth decisions even when things didn’t go according to plan. None of these courageous women has ever spoken on the record in such compelling detail, and, on this DVD, the filmmakers weave together their passionate narratives as a celebration of the journey to motherhood that will leave viewers with a renewed sense of amazement about the power of women.
(Running Time: 74 min)

DISTRIBUTION

More Business of Being Born is available now as a four-DVD set; or as a “Mother Load” package, including all four of the new DVDs, The Business of Being Born, a signed, hardcover copy of the best-selling book Your Best Birth by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, a baby onesie and digital downloads of More Business of Being Born. All configurations can be purchased at The Business of Being Born .

ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN

Inspired by their own unique birth experiences, Executive Producer Ricki Lake and Director Abby Epstein teamed up in 2007 to provide a nation of mothers-to-be with insight into the process of childbirth and the various options available when preparing for life’s most special event. From pregnancy to the miraculous moment of birth, The Business of Being Born continues to be an entertaining and informative celebration of the road to motherhood that “should be seen by every pregnant woman in America” (Jack Mathews, New York Daily News).

For more information: visit The Business of Being Born.