Friends of Missouri Midwives

Three-Dimensional Self Expression During Pregnancy: Henna

noreply@blogger.com (CfM Molly) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:48:00 +0000

The theme of the summer issue of the FoMM newsletter is "birth art" and in the print edition we feature an article about henna belly art during pregnancy. This blog post contains the full text of the print article with the addition of several lovely photos documenting the henna experience. Enjoy!

--
Molly
FoMM Newsletter editor

---------------------------------------
Three-Dimensional Self Expression During Pregnancy
By Angie Meara

In effort to preserve the special finite time of my growing body during pregnancy, I desired a way to capture it through self-expression. With my first pregnancy, I had a belly/breast cast done. I purchased a belly cast kit for a friend as a gift and she used it and re-gifted to me because there was enough for another application. My mom and sister came over and helped me apply this messy, cool, gauze at approximately 32 weeks gestation. This was also a good exercise for us, so I could get over any of my hang-ups with having my body exposed to them. My mom and sister were going to be participating as part of my homebirth team. My sister did most of gauze application and the results were fabulous. I proudly displayed this beautiful expression of our FIRST on the mantel through the remainder of the pregnancy and the birth of our dear Olive. After the fourth trimester, we moved the cast upstairs to a shelf in our bedroom amongst some wedding photos and there it sat until we were halfway through our next pregnancy.

So, here I was pregnant again and desiring to keep this one unique and fair. I stared at the cast and wondered what I should do. Then, I was attending the Healthy Planet Expo and observed a Henna artist and it all clicked. I picked up her business card and stashed it in my purse. Meanwhile, my longtime friend, Chris Liddle, was living in California and interested in treating me or the baby to a gift. So, I told her that I wanted henna applied to my belly. My friend Chris didn’t waste any time and contacted Priti Jain right away. The next thing I knew I was trading emails with Priti and scheduled an appointment at her home. My mom joined me (and a film maker friend to capture the experience on video) for the occasion. My mom took much joy in taking pictures and having this unique opportunity to share this part of pregnancy with me.
Priti’s home was warm and inviting in suburbs west of St. Louis with a gorgeous second story view from her living room. After introductions, I located a comfortable seat and pulled my camisole up to expose my Buddha belly (at the time I thought I was 7.5 months along, but I ended up carrying this baby for ten months).

Priti had printed out of a simple labyrinth that I had sent her as a foundation for her design on my belly. I desired a labyrinth because that’s how I perceived birth… a journey, a process that only I could do while others supported me from the outside. Apparently, Priti hadn’t applied henna to a pregnant belly until a few weeks before mine at St. Louis Earth Day. She combined eucalyptus oil and henna (a plant from India that is dried and crushed for topical use) creating a paste and then wrapped it in a clear, firm, thin plastic creating a 3” pencil with a fine tip. Priti’s henna artistry was smooth, relaxed and incredible. She didn’t shake and it didn’t tickle while the paste was drying. The eucalyptus added a cooling effect to the experience. I was sure that the baby was enjoying this in-utero. Henna is a common practice in India and is applied by many for joyous occasions, such as marriage and pregnancy.

The application took about 60-80 minutes with no breaks and that simple labyrinth was dressed with flowers, stars, vines and the “OM” symbolizing renewal. I spent another 20-30 minutes allowing the paste to dry before I sat in the car and pulled a seat belt across my waist.

The following morning I had a prenatal photo shoot scheduled, so I didn’t want to disturb the henna. Once removed, the henna left a light orange/brown stain that lasted 7-14 days. It’s usually safe to scrap the paste away after 24 hours, but a part of me was doubtful and I didn’t want to reschedule my photo shoot. A majority of the stain stayed intact for 10 days and then slowly faded. Once it was no longer on my belly, I felt naked or that I was missing something. Wearing henna gave me a sense of warrior power and confidence. I mostly walked around with my belly exposed to showcase this temporary artistry called henna. And, when the labyrinth was undercover it was fun to imagine I had this secret under my shirt – henna and a growing baby!
If you wish to contact Priti for you or someone you know, you will find her contact information on her website: www.hennaexpressions.com

Angie Meara is an aspiring urban homemaker and mother of Olive (4) and Van (1). She is also the Advertising Manager for the FoMM newsletter.

Photos credits: belly cast photo Alicia Hottle. Arty henna shots: Abbie Rudolph

Cookie Day 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:52:00 +0000

Wednesday, February 10 was our 6th annual Cookie Day at the Missouri State Capitol, when families from around the state bake and package cookies and deliver them to the legislators in Jefferson City.

A few of the over 3.500 cookies that were brought to the capitol:

"Our" alcove next to Rep. Davis's office.

Families came here to get their assignment sheets, then moved out all over the capitol to deliver cookies, cheer, and a message of, "We love having legal midwives in Missouri. Please don't let that change!" 3,550 homemade cookies were delivered this year by 150 midwifery supporters. Great work!

We moved to this area just off the rotunda for lunch.

Jesse and Emily arranged for pizza delivery and folks were able to order ahead of time - it worked great! Samanda brought lots of drinks, which were most welcome.

Many thanks to all who made Cookie Day another successful demonstration of how much Missouri's families love and appreciate their midwives!

And here's a link to some media coverage of the day.

A 10 Step Cookie Day Cheat Sheet

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:42:00 +0000

1) Bake a few dozen cookies/valentines and divide them into packages of six or so. If you can’t make it to the Capitol on Cookie Day, find someone else to schlep them over and deliver them (we can help!).

2) Wrap your cookies in cellophane or put them in ziploc bags to keep them airtight (everyone prefers fresh cookies!), but don’t stop there. Use a pretty plate. Try nice tissue paper and a gift bag. Use a small box and wrapping paper. Add a bow or streamers. Do something memorable!

3) Write a card from your family to your state Senator and Representative, plus generic notes for the other legislators you’ll visit. This can be as simple as a card or as detailed as a letter. Handwritten is best (keep it legible!). Thank them for their service. Explain how important legal midwives are to you. Tell them your story (no more than one page total). If you know they’re supportive, thank them! If you know they’re not, you might include a few facts or studies that may change their mind (highlight crucial sentences or numbers). If you’re a constituent, say so, and include your address for a response. http://cfmidwifery.org/resources/ has tons of fact sheets, ideas, and studies available. Be candid, friendly, and informative.

4) Include a family photo. Do you know how much your legislator will enjoy this? Some legislators keep your pictures on bulletin boards in their offices. If they’re ever tempted to hurt midwives, there your family will be, a smiling reminder to do the right thing!

5) Let your kids write creative notes, too. If they were born at home, say so! Break out the stickers and stencils, the colored pencils and the preschool smiley faces. Nothing breaks through walls quite like a child!

6) On Cookie Day, if you can, bring the whole family! Dress sharp. Bring the kids’ red wagon and fill it with kids and cookies. ☺ Come ready for lots of friendly conversations with curious legislators.

7) Check in at the Friends of Missouri Midwives table set up in the northwest corner of the Capitol’s first floor (from the front, that’s the back left). We’ll take your coat, give you FOMM lapel pins, and get you started. We’ll also have a list of legislators for you to see when you’re done visiting your own legislators’ offices.

8) Head over to your Senator or Representative’s office! Hopefully he or she will be close by and available to visit, in which case you can deliver your goodies in person and have a chat. If your legislator is ‘on the floor,’ ask the staff person if they can call him or her off to meet with you. Be warm, friendly, informative, confident, and interesting. No need to be shy - remember, your legislator represents YOU! Your visit will probably make their day. If you only see the staff person, be just as friendly to them as you would be to the legislator. They’ll probably be interested and eager to talk, and they’ll pass on everything you say to the legislator.

9) Repeat! At noon, head over to the House alcove on the third floor for your pre-ordered pizza lunch (or, bring your own food and join the others). Jesse & Emily Lepich will be coordinating the lunch this year (thanks, Lepich family!). Look for an email coming soon with ordering details.

10) Afternoon: continue delivering cookies. Take time to see the beautiful dome or get a tour from your legislator or the official Capitol tour guide. Also, private rooms will be available for nursing moms, young kids, or just to catch your breath for a minute. Watch from the gallery for a few minutes as your legislators debate in the House or Senate. Stick around for the FOMM meeting if you can (details tba). If you have extra cookies, leave them with us, and we’ll deliver them on your behalf the next day (if we don’t eat them ourselves, that is! ☺ ).

Midwifery rights are safer because of you. Mission accomplished!

Top 12 Reasons to Come to Cookie Day 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:36:00 +0000

12) It’s fun (spreading goodwill always is).

11) Your legislator will never forget your delicious cookies. More importantly, though, he or she will never forget the positive message that came with them!

10) Because our opposition at the Capitol is as active as ever. They’ll be watching us closely. The more midwifery supporters in the building, the more they quake in their boots! (or their alligator-skin Gucci shoes, as Senator Crowell would say)

9) So the media will notice how many of us there are!

8) To educate new legislators about midwifery rights.

7) To thank the legislators who have supported us through thick and thin. If it weren’t for them, midwives would still be felons.

6) To remind the legislators who oppose us that we’re still here, and we’re not going away!

5) Because if you don’t, the Missouri legislature might make the mistake of thinking of that you have forgotten and aren’t watching them anymore.

4) Because your legislator won’t know how much you care until you take the time to drive to the Capitol and meet with them in their office.

3) Because the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Your visit might be the one thing that keeps a legislator on board!

2) To hang out and enjoy a pizza lunch with lots of cool homebirth families from around Missouri.

1) Because it’s only one day out of the whole year, and is that too much to ask? How much did your midwife risk to serve you?

See you there?

Annual Cookie Day at the Missouri Capitol!

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 21:50:00 +0000

Join Friends of Missouri Midwives
for our Annual Cookie Day at the
Missouri Capitol

Wednesday, February 10th

Cookie Deliveries between 9am-2pm
We have LOTS of Representatives and Senators to educate,
so your attendance is especially important this year.
Bring the whole family!

Bring your tastiest treats along with your family to share:
* Please package cookies in bags or sealed containers. Place 6 cookies in each bag. Brownies, bar cookies, and rice krispy treats are welcome as well! Paper plates are not a good idea as cookies slide off easily.
* Include a Valentine for legislators that identifies you as a homebirth family or supporter. Family pictures are great to include on the Valentines. Feel free to get creative and make your packages look special!
*Consider having supportive friends and family members make cookie bags as well. If you will be unable to attend cookie day, but would like to make cookies for the event, please contact your local Area Coordinator or Sarah Greek.
* Check in at the Friends of Missouri Midwives table set up in the northwest corner of the Capitol’s first floor (from the front, that’s the back left). We’ll get you started on your fun journey at the Capitol!
* At noon, head over to the House alcove on the third floor for your pre-ordered pizza lunch (or bring your own food and join us). Make sure to RSVP for more details and ordering information.

It’s important we know how many people (and cookies) to expect! For more information, to RSVP to the event (or to make cookie arrangements), contact your local Area Coordinator www.FriendsofMOMidwives.org
or contact Sarah Greek at sarah@friendsofmomidwives.org
cell 417-712-4688 home 417-261-2321
Also, find FoMM and this Event on Facebook!

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:15:00 +0000

Another study with positive results concerning planned home birth with a professional midwife published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Here is the Abstract:

Background: Studies of planned home births attended by registered midwives have been limited by incomplete data, nonrepresentative sampling, inadequate statistical power and the inability to exclude unplanned home births. We compared the outcomes of planned home births attended by midwives with those of planned hospital births attended by midwives or physicians.

Methods: We included all planned home births attended by registered midwives from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2004, in British Columbia, Canada (n = 2889), and all planned hospital births meeting the eligibility requirements for home birth that were attended by the same cohort of midwives (n = 4752). We also included a matched sample of physician-attended planned hospital births (n = 5331). The primary outcome measure was perinatal mortality; secondary outcomes were obstetric interventions and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Results: The rate of perinatal death per 1000 births was 0.35 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00–1.03) in the group of planned home births; the rate in the group of planned hospital births was 0.57 (95% CI 0.00–1.43) among women attended by a midwife and 0.64 (95% CI 0.00–1.56) among those attended by a physician. Wo men in the planned home-birth group were significantly less likely than those who planned a midwife-attended hospital birth to have obstetric interventions (e.g., electronic fetal monitoring, relative risk [RR] 0.32, 95% CI 0.29–0.36; assisted vaginal delivery, RR 0.41, 95% 0.33–0.52) or adverse maternal outcomes (e.g., third- or fourth-degree perineal tear, RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.28–0.59; postpartum hemorrhage, RR 0.62, 95% CI 0.49–0.77). The findings were similar in the comparison with physician-assisted hospital births. Newborns in the home-birth group were less likely than those in the midwife- attended hospital-birth group to require resuscitation at birth (RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.14–0.37) or oxygen therapy beyond 24 hours (RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.24–0.59). The findings were similar in the comparison with newborns in the physician-assisted hospital births; in addition, newborns in the home-birth group were less likely to have meconium aspiration (RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.21–0.93) and more likely to Abstract be admitted to hospital or readmitted if born in hospital (RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.09–1.85).

Interpretation: Planned home birth attended by a registered midwife was associated with very low and comparable rates of perinatal death and reduced rates of obstetric interventions and other adverse perinatal outcomes compared with planned hospital birth attended by a midwife or physician.

Published online ahead of print August 31, 2009
CMAJ 10.1503/cmaj.081869
© 2009 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors

Click here for the pdf of the entire text.

Cookie Day at the Capitol - 2009!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:33:00 +0000

Midwife supporters started showing up bright and early laden with boxes, baskets, crates, backpacks, and even wheeled luggage crammed full of hundreds and hundreds of packages of cookies! We lost count of just how many home baked cookies were delivered on Cookie Day, but our estimate puts it around 800 packages, or 400 dozen cookies!

Jen Keifer, FoMM VP, arrived with a wagon load of cookies and children.
Her homeborn baby, David (above) appears ready to go charm the legislators!

By 1 pm, most people had visited dozens of offices with their children and cookies and were happy to sit and listen to special speakers at our rally in celebration of legal CPMs. Many people were especially excited to hear Jennifer Block from Brooklyn, New York and many brought copies of her book, "Pushed" to be autographed afterwards. A number of legislators and various lobbyists showed up to hear her as well.
Above, Halley Watson, Legislative Chair, welcomes everyone and thanks them for coming to celebrate with us.

After receiving an emotional standing ovation from a rotunda full of homebirth parents, children, and their midwives, Senator Loudon spoke about his motivation for legalizing Certified Professional Midwives. He added, "You wouldn't believe all the people I've met through this! I have so many Facebook friends because of this issue!"

Samanda Rossi, President of Friends of Missouri Midwives, surprised Mary and Debbie by coming to the front to recognize them for their years of service and present them with beautiful bouquets, thanking them for all that they have sacrificed over the past four years to make midwives legal in Missouri.

"In their time as unpaid, volunteer lobbyists, they [Debbie and Mary] gave up a great deal for the betterment of families in Missouri and the midwives who serve them. And they did without complaint or of asking for much beyond our presence at the Capitol. They dug deep into their pockets to pay for gas and meager dinners of canned beans and donated food.... After dinner, sleep was scarce and work hours were long as they strategized and planned for the daylight hours ahead...
The intensity and selflessness of Mary and Debbie's work may never be fully understood or appreciated. But the magnitute of their work will resonate each time a midwife takes her CPM exam, each time a mother-to-be locates a legal midwife to assist her patiently and lovingly through pregnancy, and each time a baby utters it's first sounds of greeting upon birth in the great state of Missouri." - Samanda Rossi

The crowd in the rotunda, listening to Debbie tell the story of how her midwife was arrested two weeks before her due date, leaving her with nothing to do but have her baby at home alone or go to the hospital. Debbie spoke of how that experience led her to spend years of her life working to make midwives legal for every other pregnant woman in Missouri.

Debbie Smithey, Jennifer Block, Mary Ueland, Sarah Greek listen to Elizabeth Allemann, MD. "We've hunted midwives down and thrown them in prison for 50 years in Missouri," she said. "Now, we've decided that they shouldn't be criminalized. But what should Missouri do with them now? I suggest that we integrate them into our maternity care system!"

Halley Watson, Debbie Smithey, Mary Ueland, Sarah Greek - the "old" lobbyists and the "new" midwifery lobbyists!

All together with their heroes - Senator John and Dr. Gina Loudon!

Sarah and Mary discuss the Supreme Court ruling with Steve Walsh, reporter for the MissouriNet news service at the Capitol.

An interview for KWMU news. Homebirth slideshow playing in the background.

After the rally, we spent some time in a basement hearing room with
Jennifer Block, discussing the state of our modern maternity care system
and how to reach women with information and options.

Members of Friends of Missouri Midwives and Missouri Midwives Association leadership went to dinner with Jennifer Block at Panera bread to continue our conversation. We are so grateful to Jennifer Block, author of "Pushed: The Painful Truth About Modern Maternity Care" for taking time out of her busy schedule to speak at our rally, and for coming to spend Cookie Day promoting midwives at the Missouri Capitol! Thank you, Jennifer!

And lastly, a picture of Sarah Greek and Halley Watson, the new faces of midwifery seen at the Capitol every day in place of Debbie and Mary's continual presence. Their job is to make sure that Certified Professional Midwives STAY legal!

Thank you so much Halley and Sarah!

Midwifery Memoirs

noreply@blogger.com (CfM Molly) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:42:00 +0000

I recently finished reading and reviewing a great new midwifery memoir, The Blue Cotton Gown by Patsy Harman. This book was written by a CNM who no longer attends births, so it was about the rest of midwifery--the well woman care side. It was very good.

A few months ago, I also read the very excellent Lady's Hands, Lion's Heart, another midwifery memoir (this one had lots of births and also lots of drama!). I really loved it. Very good.

In short order, I also read Labor of Love, by the CNM who was shadowed in the film The Business of Being Born.

If you get the opportunity to read any of these books, I think you'll enjoy them!

Increased C/S, Increased Complications

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:15:00 +0000

Interesting report from the National Partnership for Women and Families on a new study finding that the increase in C-Section deliveries coincides with increase in complications during birth.

Citizens for Midwifery Meeting in Rolla, MO!

noreply@blogger.com (CfM Molly) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:42:00 +0000

This year, Citizens for Midwifery will hold its annual meeting in Rolla, MO and any and all interested birth activists are welcome to join us!

FoMM/MMA's very own Mary Ueland and Debbie Smithey have been nominated to receive the annual Susan Hodges award for excellence in consumer activism and that will be given during the public portion of the annual meeting.

This year our Annual Membership Meeting, including the election of members of the Board of Directors, will be held in Rolla, Missouri, on Saturday, November 8, 2008, from 1-2 pm, followed by a Gathering with other birth activists in the area from 2-4pm. The CfM Board members will be meeting in person throughout the weekend.

Location: These meetings will be held at Baymont Inn and Suites, 1801 Martin Springs Drive in Rolla, Missouri. Hotel phone: 573-364-7000.

Our Annual Meeting affords us the chance to review the past year and look ahead to the coming years – your questions and ideas are important! This is a great opportunity to meet with and talk to CfM’s Board of Directors in person. And of course we’ll count the ballots for the election of Board Members for the next year

Following the Annual Membership Meeting, a Birth Activist Gathering will bring together CfM members with Friends of Missouri Midwives and anyone else who is interested, including other consumer activists, midwives, and other birth professionals. CfM will give a brief presentation about our current work and projects, including our response to the AMA Resolution, an open discussion about "what’s next in MO" and how CfM can help, and how we can work together to sustain birth advocacy. This event is free and light refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to molly@cfmidwifery.org if you plan to attend the meetings. CfM’s Board of Directors looks forward to hearing from many of you, and even seeing some of you in November!

Please pass this message along to other interested persons or organizations (including activists in our neighboring states of IL and KS, if you have contacts there).

Mark your calendars! I hope to see you there.

Postpartum Reading List

noreply@blogger.com (CfM Molly) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:54:00 +0000

As a follow-up to the presentation I gave at the FoMM retreat about "Planning for Postpartum," this is my list of suggested postpartum reading (for my annotated list, see here):

The 2008 FoMM Family Retreat

noreply@blogger.com (FoMM) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:50:00 +0000

Over 90 friends of Missouri Midwives enjoyed a weekend together at Pin Oak Camp in the Lake of the Ozarks State Park Sept. 12-14. It was a terrific time!

Friday night, we had a bountiful potluck dinner and lots of time to visit with old and new friends. And there were S'mores! The campground had a great firepit encircled by benches and logs for sitting and visiting. The fire was a highlight of the weekend, especially for the kids, and we managed to get by with very few burns.

Saturday was full of insightful sessions, a productive business meeting, lovely crafting. We even managed to stay on track with our schedule so that we had quite a bit of free time!

Our sessions on Saturday included Fathers and Home Birth (where the guys actually talked about birth... don't tell!); Mothers (with kids) and Midwives (crafting!); Planning for Postpartum; Preparing for a Hospital Birth; and Celebrating Birth with Exercise, Yoga, and Dance.

The weather on Saturday, though a bit muggy, was a wonderful change from the expected rain. It did not begin to rain until Saturday night, and on Sunday morning most of us were thankful for our sweatshirts!

In our business meetings, we passed 7 (Seven!) proposals and killed one (following a helpful discussion). We also held elections. Our new president is Samanda R., vice-president is Jen K., Secretary is Allison D., and Treasurer is Jessica K. There has been tremendous growth in Friends of Missouri Midwives over the past year, and we are eagerly looking forward to the future.

Many thanks are deserved for bringing this weekend together - Samanda and David, who did an amazing job of pulling everything together; Brian, who cooked us terrific meals; Kolbi, who waited for the parks folks on Sunday afternoon; the presenters of various sessions; and all of the attendees, who pitched in and made everything work!

Here are some pictures from the weekend. If you have some you would like to share, email them to admin@friendsofmomidwives.org, and they will be uploaded to the Picasa page.

If you attended the retreat, please add your thoughts in the Comments section.

Looking forward to next year already!

The Birth Survey is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (CfM Molly) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:57:00 +0000

Well, the moment we have been waiting for has arrived. The Birth Survey project has launched nationwide. This is an exciting moment!

Here are all the details and information about how you can help from the CIMS Grassroots Advocates Committee:

The Birth Survey Now Available Nationwide!

For years, consumers have enthusiastically shared online reviews of movies, restaurants, products and services, but readily available information about maternity care providers and birth settings was nearly unattainable--but no longer. The Birth Survey is now available to all women in the US who have given birth in the last three years. Women can now give consumer reviews of doctors, midwives, hospitals, and birth centers, learn about the choices and birth experiences of others, and view data on hospital and birth center standard practices and intervention rates.

Thank you to all the tireless volunteers who have worked so hard since 2006 to make this project a reality. And thank you to all our new project ambassadors and friends who are helping to make the Transparency in Maternity Care Project: The Birth Survey a reality.

To help spread the word about The Birth Survey, please:

Send E-mails out to your contacts encouraging them to take thesurvey (e-mail text provided at end of this message). Suggested language is provided below. An automated “Invite a Friend” email tool can be accessed here. Invite your friends with a personalized message!
Post the downloadable web banners and buttons to The Birth Survey on your personal or organizational websites. Download these here.
Add a link to The Birth Survey Project in your email signature and on your website.
Distribute postcards inviting women to take The Birth Survey. These cards can be downloaded here and printed as needed or preprinted cards can be ordered from CIMS here. Preprinted materials are currently being printed and will be mailed out in about two weeks.
Send Press Releases to local press outlets. Press releases will be sent out nationally on Monday morning 8/18. A pdf press release that can be used for distribution by anyone will be available here on Monday. We encourage those of you who have been trained as a Marketing Ambassador and have signed a MOU to request a customizable press release by e-mailing admin@thebirthsurvey.com. We will provide these ambassadors with a customizable press release in which their personal contact information can be added if they plan to act as a local press contact.

Thank you all for your support of this project. If you have questions please e-mail admin@thebirthsurvey.com.

Language for Distribution Below:

Longer Project Description for Distribution:

For years, consumers have enthusiastically shared online reviews of movies, restaurants, products and services, but readily available information about maternity care services was nearly unattainable—but no longer. The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) has developed www.TheBirthSurvey.com, a consumer feedback website where women provide information about the maternity care they received from specific doctors, midwives, hospitals, and birth centers. Families choosing where and with whom to birth can utilize this consumer feedback, along with data on hospital and birth center standard practices and intervention rates, to make more informed health care choices.

Have You Given Birth in the Last Three Years?

If so, take The Birth Survey and provide feedback on your doctor, midwife, birth center or hospital at www.TheBirthSurvey.com.

Help Spread the Word About The Birth Survey!

Forward this e-mail and download buttons, banners, and promo cards at www.thebirthsurvey.com. Are you interested in helping to get the word out about The Birth Survey in your community or working to obtain official facility level intervention rates? To get involved, contact us at info@thebirthsurvey.com.

Support this non-profit project by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) by donating or becoming a member here and sign up for e-cims newsletter here.

For information visit www.thebirthsurvey.com or email info@thebirthsurvey.com.

Short Email Template for distribution:

Hi!

I found this great site, check out www.thebirthsurvey.com

The Birth Survey works by asking birthing women nationwide to provide feedback about their doctor, midwife, hospital, birth center or homebirth service. Responses are made available online free to other women who are deciding where and with whom to birth.

The Birth Survey is…

FREE
Available to women who have given birth in the US in the last three years
Accessible online 24/7 at www.thebirthsurvey.com

Take the Birth Survey and provide feedback on your maternity care experience at www.thebirthsurvey.com. Help women in your community or around the US find quality providers and birth settings that are compatible with their needs and philosophies.

Help spread the word about The Birth Survey! Forward this e-mail and download buttons, banners, and promo cards at www.thebirthsurvey.com.

Support this non-profit project by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) by donating or becoming a member at http://www.motherfriendly.org/online_contribution.php and sign up for e-cims newsletter at http://www.motherfriendly.org/e-cims.php

A Celebration of Legal Midwives in Missouri!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:06:00 +0000

July 12, 2008 ~ St. James, Missouri

According to the Missouri Supreme Court, Certified Professional Midwives became legal to practice in Missouri on July 4, 2008.

It's a long story, beginning with a little word, "tocology" and ending with a historic Missouri Supreme Court decision that overturned a lower court's ruling. The Missouri Supreme Court stated that the physicians associations who sued the State over the new midwifery law (passed in 2007) had no right to be in court over this in the first place. So, the injunction that they had placed against the midwifery law in August of 2007 was thrown out, and the law stood as passed.

And Certified Professional Midwives became legal to practice in Missouri on the day we celebrate in honor of FREEDOM!

Since most people already had 4th of July plans, we had to postpone our statewide celebration a bit. (Actually, the St. Charles and St. Louis Friends of Missouri Midwives area chapters held celebrations the day the court ruling was handed down - June 24 - and a few days later at their usual monthly meetings.)

Our statewide celebration was planned rather last minute and the Nisbett's graciously offered their spacious home near Rolla.
Here are a few pictures from the Saturday afternoon party (July 12).

The Nisbett's have a dream yard for children...

Their house is really kid-friendly (and fun) as well.
All the kids had a blast!

Jesse and Emily (who take care of all of the accounting and web up-keep for Free the Midwives!) were at the party showing off their new little girl - Ellie.

Senator Mike Gibbons (President Pro Tem of the Missouri Senate)
showed up while we were eating lunch.
Here he is, chatting with folks in the kitchen.

After visiting for awhile and joining us for dessert, Senator Gibbons spoke to our group, congratulating us on the recent court ruling allowing professional midwives to practice freely and reminiscing about several funny incidents that happened at the Capitol, involving "the midwives." He said that every grassroots effort that he has seen in his 16 years as a legislator pales in comparison to the one that the midwives have put on at the Capitol.
Eventually he had to head off and hit the campaign trail again (for his Attorney General race).

Collene agreed to be MC for our afternoon program, which was mostly informal story-telling by those who had been involved in trying to legalize midwives in Missouri over the last thirty-some years.

Dr. David Stewart, Ph.D, and his wife, Lee, joined us for the day and spoke first. They told their story of having their first baby at home in Rolla without a midwife or a doctor in the 1960's, because there was no one to attend a homebirth at the time. They have been working to allow access to Missouri midwives and homebirth since 1967. David Stewart has written many books on the subject and is the founder of NAPSAC International (International Association of Parents and Professional for Safe Alternatives in Childbirth).

Keith and Kim Nisbett came next in the history as they moved to Missouri in the late 1980's and were shocked to find that they couldn't open the Yellow Pages and find a midwife. Keith told the story of writing up the first midwifery bill with their illegal midwife in their bedroom and taking it to the Capitol where he learned the legislative process over the next few years as the bill passed the House of Representatives many times. It was always blocked by a filibuster in the Senate, till families eventually burnt out and went home for a few years.

Margaret spoke next about Friends of Missouri Midwives organizing in the 1990's and deciding that a foundation of public education was necessary before success would ever be secured at the Capitol. (She's speaking way in the back in a white shirt in this picture.)

Then it was Debbie and Mary's turn to tell the story of how tocology really happened behind the scenes the day it was passed in the Senate.
Right in the middle of telling the tocology story, much to our surprise, we looked up and saw Senator Chris Koster (also a candidate for Attorney General, and a friend of ours at the Capitol) walk in! He took a seat and listened intently to all of the details that most of the legislators were never privy to hear about.
(Above, Chris Koster and Jonathan Smith listening.)

Then Collene told a touching story about the 2008 legislative session. She talked about how she was walking around the Capitol on one of the very last days, knowing that Senate Leadership was killing our bill behind the scenes.
She said that in desperation, she finally went into the little coffee room near the chamber and shut the door. She told us all how she had knelt down on the floor by the ice machine and cried out to God, "Why does this have to be so long and so hard and so painful? Why does our bill never pass? I've been coming to this place for 20 years and, God, you know how much I HATE it! I don't ever want to come back! Why can't our bill just pass?!"

She said that she stopped and thought about it before she said it, but then she ended her prayer with, "But I will come back if I must."

Then she recounted the last agonizing day of session and the feelings she had as she left the Capitol, tears stinging her eyes when, once again, our bill hadn't passed... not because it wasn't a good bill, not because it didn't have majority support or any other good reason. But simply because it was all about a few men who wanted to ensure their campaign donations in an election year. She had gone home and cried and wondered why things were so unjust.

And then she nearly brought the whole roomful to tears when she said, "And now I see why God didn't let that bill pass and gave us something better instead. Now I'm so happy that I didn't get what I asked for when I was crying in the little coffee room. Justice was served, and better than I could have imagined or asked for."

Afterwards, Senator Koster (above, speaking) added his own funny stories about "midwives in the Capitol".

... And then we posed for pictures!
Mary, Senator Koster, Debbie

Lastly, we all took a big group picture, and people began to head for home, feeling extremely thankful that midwifery had become legal in Missouri in a way that was far beyond anything we had ever imagined or hoped for. We also went away, realizing the gravity of the situation and the need for us to guard our new-found freedom vigilantly.

President's Editorial - Response from MANA President to Res. 205

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:20:00 +0000

President’s Editorial
July 11, 2008

Midwives Alliance of North America
611 Pennsylvania Avenue SE # 1700
Washington, DC
20003-4303

Contact:
Geradine Simkins
president@mana.org
888-923-MANA (6262)
info@mana.org
http://www.mana.org

Doctors Ignore Evidence,
AMA Seeks to Deny Women Choices in Childbirth

One wonders what process the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates used to determine that “Resolution 205 on Home Deliveries” was a prudent and reasonable proposal to adopt. AMA Resolution 205 attempts to outlaw a woman’s choice to birth at home or in a freestanding birth center by calling for legislation to establish hospitals and hospital-based birth centers as the safest place for labor, delivery and postpartum recovery. Further, Resolution 205 seeks to establish that hospital-based midwives who work under the control of physicians are the only safe midwifery practitioners.

The Midwives Alliance of North America, which has represented the profession of midwifery since 1982 and whose members are specialists in homebirth, finds AMA’s Resolution 205 to be arrogant, patronizing and self-serving. We have three major objections to Resolution 2005. First, Resolution 205 patently ignores the vast body of scientific evidence that has documented homebirth to be a safe, cost-effective and satisfying option for women who prefer this alternative to hospital birth. Second, AMA Resolution 205 is seriously out-of-step with the ethical concept of patient autonomy in health care (encompassing both informed consent and informed refusal), which has gained widespread acceptance in the medical community. And third, Resolution 205 distracts from other critical issues in maternity care to which healthcare professionals should be giving substantial attention, including increasing access to care, improving perinatal outcomes, reducing health disparities and fostering client satisfaction. AMA Resolution 205 is anti-homebirth, anti-midwife, anti-choice and is unsupported by scientific evidence.

Why is the American Medical Association not asking the real questions instead of trying to debunk existing research evidence on the safety and efficacy of homebirth and attempting to corner the market on maternity care? For example, why are midwife-attended births far more likely to have fewer interventions, fewer postpartum infections, more successful breastfeeding rates, healthy infant weight gain and result in more satisfied, empowered mothers ready to embrace their newborns and parenting experiences? Why are so many women across the nation left emotionally traumatized by their childbirth experiences in hospitals and consequently why do rates of postpartum depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress continue to escalate?

It is ironic that the AMA should have a quarrel with a known safe birth option such as homebirth at the same time when the epidemic rise in coerced or elective cesarean sections puts healthy mothers and infants at greater risk than normal vaginal birth and causes excess strain on the limited resources of our healthcare system. The rate of cesarean sections in the United States is unacceptable—one in three pregnancies end in major abdominal surgery—and the decline in availability of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is deplorable. It is unethical to expect that women and infants should continue to bear the brunt of increasing medical malpractice risks by over-treating them with obstetric technologies such as c-sections while denying them safe evidence-based options such as VBAC. It is past time that the AMA in collusion against homebirth with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) realizes that women and their partners are choosing to labor and deliver at home and in freestanding birth centers to avoid ethically unsupported obstetric interventions.

Modern medical ethics have evolved to embrace autonomy—patient choices and patient rights—over medical recommendations based on paternalism or physician preference. In almost all areas of modern medicine, except obstetrics, the locus of control rests firmly with the client or patient and not with the medical provider. It is a commonly held principle that it is not appropriate to force medical treatment upon clients or patients against their will, including medications, blood transfusions, chemotherapy or even life-saving surgeries. Informed consent has appropriately become the gold standard in healthcare decision-making. Why then do the AMA and ACOG believe that they can promote legislative efforts to deny women choices in maternity care providers and childbirth settings? In the 21st century this concept is outdated and absurd.

The AMA and its members might consider using their considerable energy, intelligence and resources to focus on promoting the health and well-being of mothers and babies and devote less time to limiting women’s access to midwifery services. All maternity care providers should band together to reduce the unacceptably high rates of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity in the United States, increase access to maternity care for all women, reduce unnecessary cesarean sections, encourage vaginal birth and VBACs for healthy women, reduce health disparities of women and infants in minority populations, and promote increased breastfeeding. These challenging but attainable goals would improve the health of mothers and babies far more impressively than reducing the rates of homebirth.

The Midwives Alliance joins the other individuals and organizations, including individual AMA and ACOG members, who have grave concerns about the AMA taking the stand articulated in Resolution 205, and calls for the AMA to abandon this resolution. Midwives everywhere honor and respect the numerous friendly physicians with whom we already partner and look to the day when midwives and obstetricians will consistently work collaboratively to support women’s choices in childbirth and provide the best possible and most appropriate range of services for every situation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
References

1. K.C. Johnson, B.A. Daviss, Outcomes of Planned Home Births with Certified Professional Midwives: Large Prospective Study in North America, British Medical Journal 2005; 330: 1416 (18 June).
2. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Royal College of Midwives Joint Statement No. 2, April 2007. See http://www.rcog.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=2023
3. Wiegers TA, Keirse MJ, Van der Zee J, Berghs GA. Outcome of planned home birth and planned hospital births in low risk pregnancies: prospective study in midwifery practices in the Netherlands. BMJ 1996; 313:1309–13.
4. Olsen O. Meta-analysis of the safety of the home birth. Birth 1997; 24:4–13.
5. Ogden J, Shaw A, Zander L. Deciding on a home birth: help and hindrances. Br J Midwifery 1997;5:212–15.
6. Canadian Institute for Health Research Giving Birth in Canada:
Regional Trends From 2001-2002 to 2005-2006.
http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/en/downloads/Childbirth_AiB_FINAL_E.pdf
7. CMAJ Maternal mortality and severe morbidity associated with low-risk
planned Cesarean delivery versus planned vaginal delivery at term
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/176/4/455.pdf
8. Listening to Mothers II Report (2006.) Childbirth Connections,
http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article

News coverage of the Legalizaton of CPMs in Missouri

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:48:00 +0000

Midwives Brace for Future Battle - Post Dispatch

Legalization of Midwifery...a technicality that began with a tuck

Door Opens for Midwifery - Columbia Tribune

Feature Story

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:37:00 +0000

On home birth in Ohio

Press Release - 6/24/08

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:47:00 +0000

News from Missouri Midwife Supporters
CONTACT: Mary Ueland (417) 543-4258, grassroots@friendsofmomidwives.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Missouri Women and Families Declare Victory
Independence Day Comes Early for Midwives as State Supreme Court Upholds Right to Practice
JEFFERSON CITY, MO (June 24, 2008)—Today's Missouri Supreme Court decision is a tremendous victory for Missouri families, who have been working for 25 years to gain legal access to professional midwives. The ruling increases access to maternity care in the state and allows women and families more birth options and affirms their ability to exercise their rights to choose how their babies are born.

In a 5 to 2 ruling, the Court upheld a law that legalizes Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) who practice in the state. The Court determined that the physician groups that brought the suit to overturn the law lacked standing because their only interest in the case was economic.

“The Missouri Supreme Court made the right decision today, and after 25 years of legislative struggles to ensure more birth options for families, we are very excited,” said Mary Ueland, Grassroots Coordinator for Friends of Missouri Midwives (FOMM). “Now, we can commence with creating a system in Missouri where CPMs are part of a team of caregivers, where mothers are truly informed and able to determine their own birth preferences, and where midwives can appropriately transport when the need arises, without fear of reprisals, and without intimidation and harassment of the parents.”

The decision makes legal Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) and removes the threat of prosecution to professional midwives who assist families who choose out-of-hospital birth. State and national birth and midwives advocates hailed the ruling as a triumphant and historic moment in Missouri’s history and evidence of a tipping point at hand on the national scale.

“Certified Professional Midwives must pass rigorous exams to obtain the credential, and participate in continuing education and peer review to keep current. They practice according to their Practice Guidelines within national standards for CPMs,” said Debbie Smithey, president of the Missouri Midwives Association, “Missouri was one of only nine states to prohibit CPMs from practicing, and now the number drops to eight states remaining.”

The Court’s opinion summary is posted online. The ruling makes Missouri the 23rd U.S. state to allow professional midwives.

“Today’s victory over Big Medicine is a real shot in the arm to the growing campaign to legalize midwives across the nation,” said Susan Jenkins, legal counsel for the National Birth Policy Coalition and a consultant to the Missouri midwives. “This case confirms the message that’s been reverberating loud and clear in both the mainstream media and the blogosphere ever since the American Medical Association launched its attacks against midwives and home birth last week—physicians do not have the right to speak for patients when it comes to deciding who delivers their babies. Missouri families now have legal access to CPMs, who provide high-quality, cost-effective care and fill significant gaps in the state health care system.”

Across the nation, many have stepped up to help in a case that has been likened to a David-and-Goliath battle, with midwives supporters hosting bake sales and garage sales to stand up to the enormously well-financed Missouri State Medical Association, an affiliate organization of the AMA. In February, an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief was submitted by:
Citizens for Midwifery (CfM)
Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA)
National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)
Our Bodies OurselvesThe National Birth Policy Coalition (NBPC)

The amicus brief submitted by the coalition urged the Court to reverse the injunction against the midwives law and made the case that increasing access to trained and qualified CPMs and out-of-hospital birth is beneficial to Missouri citizens.

The new Missouri Midwifery law was supposed to take effect Aug. 28, 2007, but the Missouri State Medical Association (MSMA) organized a well-financed challenge to the new law and was granted a temporary restraining order on July 3. Then on Aug. 8, Circuit Court Judge Patricia Joyce, who serves on the Board of Directors for St. Mary’s Health Center in Jefferson City, disallowed the Certified Professional Midwives provision contained within HB818 regarding portability and accessibility of health insurance.

Judge Joyce ruled the provision was unconstitutional and unrelated to health insurance, despite hearing from Assistant Attorney General John K. McManus and Midwifery Coalition attorney Jim Deutsch that decriminalizing midwifery does indeed relate to health insurance as they recalled that the Missouri Supreme Court has already ruled health insurance is interdependent on health services, and the two subjects are related.

During the Circuit Court appeal to Judge Joyce on Aug. 2, Deutsch cited nine other states where Medicaid covers home births attended by Certified Professional Midwives and many others where CPMs receive private insurance reimbursement. Both McManus and Deutsch argued that families obviously cannot get health insurance reimbursement for their midwives if their providers are considered felons by the state. They agreed that legalizing Certified Professional Midwives is a first step to home birth families being able to have their maternity care providers covered by insurance. They also cited the lower cost of midwifery care, which in turn could encourage insurance companies to lower their rates for healthy women.

Midwives Supporters Seek Donations to Help Pay Legal Fees
To help pay for the legal fees incurred over the past year, families across Missouri have undertaken fundraising efforts, including bake sales, garage sales, and other community fundraising events. “Through our own efforts, we have steadily chipped away at our legal bills, but we still need help,” said Laurel Smith, President of Friends of Missouri Midwives. Smith added that donations to help pay the legal fees of the coalition of midwives and their supporters can be made at http://www.freethemidwives.org/.

Missouri is a priority of The Big Push for Midwives Campaign <http://www.thebigpushformidwives.org/>, a nationally coordinated campaign to advocate for regulation and licensure of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and to push back against the attempts of the American Medical Association Scope of Practice Partnership to deny American families access to legal midwifery care. The Big Push for Midwives Campaign is the first initiative of the National Birth Policy Coalition (NBPC). Through our work, we are playing a critical role in the building of a new model of U.S. maternity care delivery at the local and regional levels. At the heart of this new model is the Midwives Model of Care, which is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes.

Media inquiries about the Missouri Supreme Court case should be directed to Mary Ueland at (417) 543-4258, grassroots@friendsofmomidwives.org. Media inquiries about The Big Push for Midwives Campaign should be directed to Steff Hedenkamp at (816) 506-4630, RedQuill@kc.rr.com.

Friends of Missouri Midwives http://www.friendsofmomidwives.org/
Missouri Midwives Association http://www.missourimidwivesassociation.org/
Show-Me Freedom in Healthcare http://www.showmefreedompac.org/
Free the Midwives http://www.freethemidwives.org/
The Big Push for Midwives http://www.thebigpushformidwives.org/

NOTE: The Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling today legalizes Certified Professional Midwives and how they practice within their scope of practice for pregnant women, and has nothing to do with abortion, c-sections, or epidurals.

The Midwifery Amendment 376.1753. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, any person who holds current ministerial or tocological * certification by an organization accredited by the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) may provide services as defined in 42 U.S.C. 1396 r-6(b)(4)(E)(ii)(I).

** * Tocology is the science of midwifery or obstetrics. The National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) certifies more than 160 credentials, most of which are in the medical field. The Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) are the only tocological certifications under NOCA. CNMs are already allowed to practice under their own statute. There are no ministers certified by NOCA. Therefore, the CPM is the only credential affected by this language.

** This portion of the US Code says “services related to pregnancy (including prenatal, delivery, and post partum services).”

Missouri Wins!!

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:56:00 +0000

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled today in favor of Missouri families by rejecting the case of the Missouri State Medical Association, et al. over language that was signed into law last year to legalize certified professional midwives in Missouri. The ruling was based on the fact that the MSMA et al did not have "standing" in the case - which means they have no true legal interest in the case as the only possible effect for them would be economic. Our lawyers made a terrific case on that!

You can see the opinon and summary here - http://www.courts.mo.gov/Courts/PubOpinions.nsf/0f87ea4ac0ad4c0186256405005d3b8e/f291298ad8cf21978625747100797615?OpenDocument The plantiffs have 10 days to request a rehearing. We've been told is it very rare for the SC to agree to rehear a case, but the decision won't be "final" until that's over. So keep praying.

If you'd like to help, the Missouri organizations and families who joined the case have $32,000 in legal fees still to pay. You can make donations of any size at freethemidwives.org.

The result of today's decision is that certified professional midwives are now legal in Missouri!

New Maternity Care Handout from Citizens for Midwifery

noreply@blogger.com (CfM Molly) — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:21:00 +0000

There is a nice new handout available from Citizens for Midwifery called "What Does Good Maternity Care Look Like?" that presents three models of good maternity care side-by-side--The Midwives Model of Care, the Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care, and Six Care Practices that Support Normal Birth. The handout is a nice, simple representation of the compatibility between all of these evidence based models of healthy, effective maternity care!

Home Birth

noreply@blogger.com (CfM Molly) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:46:00 +0000

I recently finished reading the book, Mamatoto. (I wrote more about this book here.) This book is a look at birth in a variety of cultures around the world and explores various customs in various cultures. I liked this quote from the book about homebirth:

"'Home birth' can mean different things to different people. It can mean a bedroom, dimly lit and scented with myrr; a sweatbath perched on a Guatemalan hillside, or a birthing pool in an English flat; a warm fireside in a Himalayan kitchen; the packed-snow sleeping platform of an Inuit igloos; or a one-room shack in Jamaica, with a washing line dividing the family bed and the children waiting on the other side for a first glance at the baby who will be held up for them to see. When a woman gives birth at home, she and her family have a degree of control over the event; it's their domain."

Another favorite quote is this:

"Pay attention to the pregnant woman! There is no one as important as she!"

(Chagga saying, Uganda)

Pregnant women in Missouri want and need midwives. We need our legislators to pay attention! :-)

Fundraiser!

noreply@blogger.com (CfM Molly) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:39:00 +0000

There is a fundraising auction and raffle for Friends of Missouri Midwives and Free the Midwives set up at Hyena Cart (it will be active until Sunday, 3/16). Some of the items donated are a fitted cloth diaper, wool soaker shorts, beautiful yarn if you knit/crochet, project bags, stuffed toys, newborn hat/booties, and wool soaker/t-shirt set! Please visit and bid on some lovely items and support Missouri midwifery at the same time!

Supreme Court Oral Arguments - Links

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:06:00 +0000

Post will be updated as more coverage is released.

Official Information from the Supreme Court - includes mp3 of today's oral arguments

Press Release from Missouri Midwife Supporters - .pdf file

Videos -
6:42 long video of interviews with Sen. Loudon and Mary Ueland

News Articles -
Missourinet 3/5/08 - includes the above linked video - original article
KWMU 3/5/08 - original article
The following three links are to the same text article, with different videos on each page:
Kiefer Family
Mary Ueland
Senator Loudon

Columbia Missourian 3/5/08 - AP article - needs comments!
Joplin Globe - 3/5/08 - AP article - start a discussion!
SE Missourian 3/5/08 - AP article - needs comments!
St Louis Examiner 3/5/08 - AP article - needs comments!
St. Louis Post Dispatch 3/5/08 - brief of AP article

The Loudons on YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:26:00 +0000

Little mom, big baby

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 07:52:00 +0000