Ten Moons

Placenta Love

2011-05-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

On May 1st, we had the honor of attending an amazing first time mama. Her efficient and uneventful labor was followed by the birth of a very unique placenta. My dear friend noticed right away that the placenta had formed in the shape of a baby! What do you think?

Birth Circle is Back!

2010-08-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

Beginning in August, Desiree and I will be hosting a monthly women's birth circle. We will gather on the last Tuesday of the month from 7-9pm at our Woodstock office. All expecting and experienced mothers are invited to attend and support one another. We will hold a space for the sharing of birth stories and the exchange of labor, birth and mothering wisdom. We hope you will join us for this nurturing gathering!

Summer Solstice

2010-06-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

Celebrating this beautful midsummer's eve with a bit of medicine making. Trying my hand at infusing St. John's Wort in olive oil.Can't wait to decant this!

Motherwort Harvest

2010-06-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

Busy in the Kitchen

2010-06-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

...working on new batches of Iron Tonic Syrup.

Montessori Beginnings

2009-10-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

Tonight I visited Mountain Laurel Montessori School in Front Royal for a talk on their program Montesori Beginnings. This looks like a great resource for area families looking for an alternative educational/parenting community.

From their website: Montessori Beginnings is a gathering of parents or caregivers with infants and toddlers from 8 weeks to 3 years of age. It is a cheerful, relaxed environment that is scaled to the comfort of very young children. Beautiful toys and handmade materials entice babies to manipulate and discover, leading to coordination of movement and refinement of senses. Movement mats, balance beams, mirrors, and more encourage babies to joyfully crawl, creep, cruise, and walk independently. Parenting issues are discussed individually as well as in small groups, providing support to new parents from those who have "been there." Home consultations, observation/reflection journals, weekly educational handouts, and special events are all included in this program.

Montessori Beginnings meets on Friday morninngs, 9:30-11:00
Classes begin September 18, 2009!
3 Sessions are offered throughout the year.

Birth Matters!

2009-10-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended the Birth Matters Winchester meeting. What an awesome resource this group has become! It was great to see so many familiar faces and make new friends. Last night's topic was "Meet the Midwives." It was super surreal for me to be on the other side of this conversation as a newly licensed midwife. Next month Celeste Youngblood, a local doula and homebirthin' mama, will lead the group in a labor simulation, offering coping techniques for contractions and the time in between. You can read more about Birth Matters and get information about upcoming meeting dates, time and location on their website:

http://www.birthmattersva.org/winchester/

Tree of Life

2009-10-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

I sure do wish I had a better camera to capture the beauty of this amazing placenta, delivered by a homebirthing mama earlier this week. This photo really doesn't do it justice. The vessels were otherworldly and beautiful.

The Origin of the World

2009-10-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure today of viewing Jessica Clements' MFA thesis exhibition: The Origin of the World. I was dazzled by Jessica's amazing work. Here's a pic of Desiree and I posing with Jessica's painting depicting her first birth, which I had the privilege of attending in the midwife assistant's role. You have to see the paintings in person to truly experience how powerful they are. Jessica's work will be on exhibit at George Mason University, in the Johnson Center, until October 16th.

Check out www.jessicaclements.com/paintings/ for more images from the show.

~Welcome Baby~

2009-10-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

This beautiful boy was waiting for the full moon to arrive..all 9 lbs 10 oz of him! Love those chunky little legs.

~Celebration~

2009-09-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

After 13 years, my dream of becoming a Certified Professional Midwife has been realized! I am forever grateful to my teachers, especially Peggy Franklin, my senior midwife, for the gift of her knowledge. Peggy and I are posing with the card she gave me that says: Aimee Fairman, CPM! Many thanks to my sister midwives~your faith in me brought me great comfort as I navigated the certification process. Thank you Tammi, Desiree, Kim, Peggy and Leigh Ann for coming out to help me celebrate, and for the awesome gift and dinner!

Exam Day

2009-06-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

Last week was a very exciting week for me, as I successfully completed the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) Skills Assessment Examination. Here's a pic of me at my exam site, with my NARM paperwork, after a long day of testing. What a relief to have the Skills Exam behind me! Thank you to Trinlie Wood, CPM and Lori Orme, CPM for their kindness during the process. (And to baby Zen and the sweet mama who were there so that I could demonstrate my skills.) Onward!

Birth Matters Virginia Video Contest

2009-06-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

If you haven't had a chance to check out the finalists for the BMV video contest, you can find them here:

http://www.birthmattersva.org/videocontest.html

Of course, I am rooting for Ryanne and Jay's entry. :)

Hey...That's Me In That Video!

2009-01-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

Wow~What a beautiful job Ryanne and Jay did with this video, following a family through their pregnancy, birth and postpartum, uncovering what homebirth midwifery care is all about. You may have seen my earlier post about Katherine and Todd's baby, Elliot Paul, who arrived on the 12th of this month. This video tells their story. I met Katherine and Todd when they hired my senior midwife, Peggy Franklin, to assist them with their birth. You can catch a glimpse of Peggy in the video being her wonderful self.

Thank you Ryanne and Jay for demystifying homebirth and to Katherine and Todd for sharing their experience with me and with the world. Theirs is a message that needs to be heard: Homebirth midwifery care empowers families!

Please visit Ryanne and Jay's site, and let them know what you think!
http://ryanishungry.com/2009/01/21/home-birth-diy-labor-and-delivery/

Legislative Update

2009-01-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

Delegate Lohr intends to pull HB 2163 from the docket and amend HB 2167 to specify restriction of Medicaid reimbursement for VBAC as opposed to “high-risk” deliveries.

Your letters are still urgently needed! Check out the VA Birth PAC website for letter writing ideas:

http://www.vabirthpac.org/action_alert.html

ACTION ALERT: Anti-Midwifery Bills in the VA House of Delegates

2009-01-17T17:13:00.000-08:00

by Brynne Potter, CPM

Please take action now to stop two bills HB 2163 and HB 2167 introduced into the House to limit the practice of Certified Professional Midwives. These bills have been introduced by Delegate Matthew Lohr- Harrisonburg.

URGENT: Please send him an email TODAY telling him that you would like him to pull these bills from the docket and to work to help increase access to midwives, rather than restrict it. You can also call his office: (804) 698-1026.

NEXT: Contact your legislators and tell them that you oppose HB 2163 and HB 2167. You can visit the VA Birth PAC to find out who your legislators are and register to receive updates on this important issue.

STILL MORE: Contact everyone you know who lives in the Harrisonburg area. Ask them to contact Del Lohr TODAY to express their concerns about these bills. He filed these bills for a single constituent, he needs to hear from 50 who oppose them.

STAY TUNED: We will be sending updates through all available channels. If you are not registered with the VA BirthPAC…please do so NOW! We need all of our voices united!!!!!

HB 2163, is a bill to amend § 54.1-2957.9 (the CPM statute).What is wrong with it:

The proposed legislation would add an amendment requiring midwives to give informed disclosure to their clients about the risks associated with home deliveries and with some specific pregnancy conditions. This legislation is redundant to the existing statute that already requires that licensed midwives in Virginia hold the designation of Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and practice according to the standards of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives.

CPMs are required by their certification to give a written informed disclosure regarding their experience, training, and the risks and benefits of home birth to every client at the beginning of care.

The NARM Job Analysis (cited in the VA statute) specifies the principles of informed consent and the conditions that may require additional education and informed decision making. The conditions cited in HB 2163 are included in this list.

The NACPM standards of practice (also cited in the VA statute) refer to informed consent and requirements for education and information of CPM clients.

The Virginia Licensed Midwife regulations already require that informed consent be obtained before any invasive procedure is performed.

Our biggest concern is that by opening the CPM statute, we will be vulnerable to other amendments that will not be redundant.

HB 2167 is a bill to require the Board of Medicine and the Department of Medical Assistance Services to review regulations and policies to ensure that no reimbursement is made to certified professional midwives providing services in high-risk situations, including high-risk home deliveries.

What is wrong with it:

This legislation is discriminatory to low-income women. Any woman who qualifies for Medicaid is designated “high-risk” based on her socio-economic status. Midwifery care, by way of its hallmarks of increased education, support, and respect, has been proven to benefit women who are at risk for pregnancy complications. Evidenced-Based Care does not support restricting access to home birth to women based on perceived risk. This is a bill intended to discourage VBAC, thereby mandating surgical deliveries to women with prior c-sections in some Virginia communities.

Thank you for your time and attention to this important issue. We have accomplished so much together, let’s not let anyone take away what we fought so hard to obtain!

Brynne Potter, CPM
Commonwealth Midwives Alliance

http://midwifemonologues.com/action-alert-anti-midwifery-bills-in-the-va-house-of-delgates/

~Welcome Baby Elliot~

2009-01-17T16:32:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Todd and Katherine on the birth of their first child! Baby Elliot Paul was born at home, in water, on January 12th. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz and was 20 in. long. Thank you for sharing your birth with me guys. I am so happy to have you all for neighbors.

Homebirth Midwifery in Alabama

2009-01-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

"Birth Right is a short documentary created by Emily Jackson and Neeta Kirpalani, students in the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Ethnographic Filmmaking class, which explores the efforts of the Alabama Birth Coalition to legalize Certified Professional Midwife-attended home birth."

Creating a Breastfeeding Culture

2009-01-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

Meeting the Needs of My Breastfed Baby

Legoland Deutschland, circa 2002

This is my response to Facebook's removal of women's breastfeeding photos. As a dear friend once said, "Well, we are mammals, aren't we?

ABC News' 20/20 Features Segment on Orgasmic Birth

2009-01-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

~Welcome Baby Masie~

2009-01-05T20:19:00.001-08:00

A beautiful waterbirth for this super sweet couple. Dad and mom did an amazing job working together as Baby Masie was born gently into dad's arms.

~Welcome Baby Andrew~

2008-12-18T22:14:00.000-08:00

My daughter and I, admiring how beautiful sweet baby Andrew looks at 3 weeks of age.

~Welcome Baby Whitney~

2008-12-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

I am always so impressed when a woman chooses to give birth for the first time at home! Baby Whitney's mama is one of those amazing women. She did a beautiful job, birthing at home in the birth pool without complications or interventions.

Breastfeeding Café

2008-11-23T18:50:00.001-08:00

La Leche League of Front Royal's Breastfeeding Café is now meeting on the second Monday of the month at 10am. We will provide a selection of herbal teas. Please bring a spill-proof mug and feel free to bring a healthy snack to share. For more information and meeting location give me a call. ~Aimee (540) 660-2459

~Welcome Baby Peter~

2008-11-21T09:20:00.001-08:00

Born at Home in Water!

Theresa Boardwine and Green Comfort Herb School

2008-11-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

I recently attended an herbal workshop with Teresa. She's a real treasure. Check out her Yurt/Apothecary! A small group of us ladies that attended the workshop are planning to make/exchange cordials from Teresa's book Cordially Yours: Making Cordials and Elixirs. You can order this wonderful book and read more about Teresa's work at:

http://www.greencomfortherbschool.com/

~Welcome Baby Keanu~

2008-11-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

Proud Big Sister!

Zoe, meeting baby for the first time.

Sweet homebirthing family: Mama Norma, Baby Keanu, Big Sister Zoe and Papa Jonpaul

Me and Norma at the 6 week postpartum appointment, it was hard to say goodbye to this family. Thank you Norma for sharing your birth with me. It was an honor.

The Business of Being Born

2008-04-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

This image is from Ricki Lake's new film, The Business of Being Born. Desiree and I will be screening the movie during our next Birth Circle on May 5th. I am probably the only birth advocate in Virginia who still hasn't seen it. Can't wait!