Nebraska Friends of Midwives

Rally is Postponed

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:23:00 +0000

Notice to all: The June 4 Rally has been postponed. Please plan to 1. show support for the Norfolk area which is concerned about the potential loss of future access to midwifery care 2. attend a rally in the 2014 session to show support for LB 428 3. attend a moms-only M&M day at the Capitol on June 4 at 10 am.

Read more about M&M Days at the Capitol here.

Bring Us Home- by Emmy Northam

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:15:00 +0000

{The Rally has been postponed, but Emmy's story is a good one.}

Emmy and her midwife friends from around the world. Emmy is wearing a scarf, second in on the left.

I was born (at home!) and raised here in Omaha, NE. At the time of my birth, my family was fighting the same fight; for women to have choice in their place of maternity care and birth. I grew up believing that Nebraska would soon follow the lead of other states.

I am now 25 years old, a newly graduated Certified Professional Midwife and on the road to getting a masters in Nurse-Midwifery and currently cannot practice legally. A quarter of a century later, I am in the same position of the midwife who delivered me.

I tell myself that I can’t practice because I’m too busy studying and saving up to pay off those student loans. Telling myself that I can’t practice because it’s illegal makes for an afternoon of tears and heartache. I've been in a state of mourning since I left midwifery school, I can’t imagine the mourning of my mother, a CNM, who’s lived most of her life here and has left the state to be able to practice her calling of home birth. If LB 428 does not pass, I will have to continue in the footsteps of my mother and leave my home.

I hope all of you will attend the rally. I hope you all will tell other women and families to attend. You do not need to be a home-birther or have had a midwife to believe in LB 428. This bill is about women’s and family’s rights. Every family in Nebraska should care about this bill. We need to educate the masses. I would step on my soapbox about now and tell you all how ridiculous it is that we are still fighting for this right in 2013, but I’m sure you all are on the soapbox with me and there’s probably not enough blog space for my rant!

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the rally in person as I will be in Argentina at the time of the rally. I will be talking with midwives and doulas in Argentina about the possibility of a job for me out there. Not only is Nebraska behind every other state in this Union, besides Alabama, when it comes to midwifery and home birth; they are behind many other countries. Argentina allows the practice of all kinds of midwives; Traditional midwives, CPMS, Hospital trained midwives, and Homebirth OBs. Not only do they allow all midwives to practice, women are allowed to birth anywhere, with anyone they choose! It is explicitly written in federal law and every state law in Argentina! Think about that. South America is leaps and bounds ahead of us. I love Argentina, and would love to work and live there.

But, I love my home. I love my hometown and have always dreamed how I would practice here, all the ways I could change the community with midwifery care. LB 428 is my mother’s ticket home. It’s mine too. Bring us home.

Emily Northam

Jumping in, Demanding Change

Find out more about the rally!

A Panhandle Perspective on LB 428

Jumping In, Demanding Change

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:07:00 +0000

{The Rally is postponed, but Kelly's letter is still worth the read!}

My name is Kelly Langfeldt and I am a co-owner of Five Stones Massage and Birth Services LLC in Omaha, NE. I've been attending births in our community since 2002 and have been privileged to witness over 100 babies born. I'm a huge supporter of Nebraska Friends of Midwives and the work they are doing to open up birthing options for all the women in our state.

I'm also guilty of doing the minimum.

Sure, I've written some letters. I even opened up my home and invited people to write letters with me. It made me feel positive and helpful and then that year the bill didn't pass. Which leads me right back to doing the minimum; "liking" and "promoting" posts on Facebook and daydreaming of a time when home birth will be a legal and safe option for us ladies in Nebraska.

Truth is, my attitude is only going to get minimum results. It's time to step up my game and I'm asking you to step yours up as well. Find the time to attend the rally. (It's a great excuse to take a half day off of work!) Find the time to make the phone call to your senator. Talk to people and spread the word. Are we really okay with living in one of only 2 states where it is not legal for a certified nurse midwife to attend a home birth? Really?!? We should be embarrassed that our neighbors on all sides of our state have more freedoms than we do. I am!

Join me on June 4th. I'm begging you. It's only a few hours of your day but it has potential to create a huge impact on our future. Let's all stop participating from the sidelines and see what we can get done if we jump in and demand change as a group. Let's make it the largest supported event of NFOM history. I'll see you all in Lincoln!!

-Written by Kelly Langfeldt

Find out more about the rally!

A Panhandle Perspective on LB 428

May 14 Facebook Status by Lauren Smith-Kuckkahn

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:32:00 +0000

{The Rally is postponed, but Lauren's story is important.}

"My grandmas were in drug-induced sleep when they gave birth.

My mom was the first in a few generations to not only give birth with a midwife, but give birth at home. My sister, Jessica, and I both had midwife-attended births with our kids, after we ditched our doctors so we could search for midwives.

OB/GYNs are definitely there for a purpose, but for a normal birth, there's no replacing the model of care that a midwife can offer. :)

The reason I am so outspoken about my choice in health care is because it is marginalized and often scarce, or even illegal in some places. It's not as easy to find midwifery care as it is to receive health care from a doctor or nurse or dentist.

In western Nebraska, there is only one legally recognized, legally protected midwife, and she can't attend home births. I had to drive 200 miles round-trip just to receive care from her during my pregnancy. Several women I know have unassisted births because there are no midwives to attend their home births.

There is a law in Lincoln right now which would allow certified nurse-midwives to attend home births, and if this bill passes, it could attract MORE midwives into our state and women would have more access to the health care providers of their choice. If you are interested in writing to a state senator, collecting a petition, or attending the rally, please get involved now. Each year that passes means more women and more births that are deprived of midwifery care."

Click the links to read more about:
LB 428
The author, Lauren
The June 4 Rally
The Panhandle Chapter of NFOM

LB 428 Rally at the Capitol!

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:05:00 +0000

**The Rally is Postponed**

Date: Tuesday, June 4

Time: Meet at little before 10:00 am

End Time: 11:00 am

Location: West Plaza of the Capitol in Lincoln

Join the Facebook event page here- it's a good idea, because what if there is inclement weather on June 4? The Facebook event page will have updates.

Dress for the weather, wear comfortable shoes.

Kids and babies are welcome.

Bring water! And snacks!(Be sure to pack out trash.)

Bring signs! (Look at images from last year's rally for inspiration- or signs from other Pro-Midwifery groups.

Call ahead to schedule a brief chat with your senator expressing and requesting support for LB 428. It's a lot easier than most people think, and an NFOM board member or other midwifery supporter will be happy to go with you.

Here is some more information about going to the Capitol, although not all of it applies since this is a much less formal event. Skimming through the information can't hurt, though.

Will people meet after the rally for lunch? Probably. Probably at a restaurant within walking distance.

Main rules for the rally are:

You can look at the official guideline form here.

This is a 3.5 x 5 jpg image intended for downloading and posting in appropriate public venues, or as a handout in classes.

Why is this rally important?

Increased access to midwives in Nebraska hits at the root of so many problems existing in maternity care today. Midwives are low-cost, high-touch, primary care providers, helping keep routine medical intervention to a minimum. The midwifery model is proven to yield fewer cesarean sections and more VBACs, increase rates of breastfeeding, and improve both maternal and infant morbidity rates.

Nebraska needs to remove the barriers currently preventing more midwives from practicing in this state- the statute prohibiting CNMs from attending home births is one of them. Two CNMs, Heather Swanson and Kelly Northam, are both practicing out of state (TX and PA, respectively) when they would like to be here, living the good life, catching babies in Nebraska homes. They are completely qualified, and both experienced.

Come to the rally, and help bring our midwives home!

The Required Written Practice Agreement- Kicking it to the Curb

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 02:40:00 +0000

Excerpted from the NFOM Website:

Currently CNMs in Nebraska may only practice when they are fortunate enough to be able to find physicians willing to sign the legally required written practice agreement.

Although a written practice agreement (WPA) can sound like a way to ensure collaboration between physicians and midwives, in reality it often serves as an to obstacle practicing, and accessing care.

The following is a statement of opposition to WPAs by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM): "It is the ACNM position that safe, quality health care can best be provided to women and their infants when policy makers develop laws and regulations that permit CNMs and CMs to provide independent midwifery care within their scope of practice while fostering consultation, collaborative management, or seamless referral and transfer of care when indicated." -(ACNM Position Statement, 2006 “Requirements for Signed Collaborative Agreements between Physicians and Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) or Certified Midwives (CMs)”)

Removing the WPA is not a new or untried idea. At this time seventeen states have no WPA requirement for midwives: AK, AZ, CT, DC, ID, IA, ME, MN, MT, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, WA, and WY. New Jersey lifted the requirement in June of 2010. On August 2, 2010 New York state signed into law the Midwife Reform Bill, allowing licensed midwives to practice independently.

Consider the following complications caused by the WPA requirement:
• In some communities where WPAs are required, for a variety of reasons having nothing to do with the quality of care provided by CNMs, physicians are unwilling to sign WPAs, even though they will consult with CNMs and accept transfers of care.
• In other communities, there are simply no physicians available to sign a WPA- communities that could be served by CNMs.
• When a WPA is a requirement for licensure, a CNM who cannot find a physician to sign an agreement, who loses a job and can’t find another, or whose signing physician becomes ill, retires, leaves the state or dies must turn in her (his) midwifery license and stop practicing altogether.
• Some CNMs have had to make career and major life changes when their WPA signing physicians have become unavailable. The women in those communities can find themselves suddenly without a care provider, at a time when they have been building a relationship in anticipation of giving birth.

In Norfolk, Nebraska a CNM worked together with her signing physician to build a freestanding birth center. When the physician became unable to continue with the process, the entire venture ended and the midwife lost her investment. The CNM testified about this experience at a Health and Human Services Committee hearing for LB 457 in 2009. Click here and scroll down to the red type, then open the PDF to read her testimony.

There are CNMs in Nebraska who can not find signing physicians. This restriction is unduly limiting the access Nebraskans have when seeking midwifery care. If you have sought a CNM but have been unable to find one in your part of the state, this law likely played a part in preventing access.

For these reasons, Nebraska Friends of Midwives pursues legislation to remove this requirement. To read even more about the WPA, click here.

(That's the end of the excerpt.)

During the testimony given on behalf of LB 428 on a little over a month ago, CNM Heather Swanson testified about the problems associated with the WPA, and the plans of the American College of Nurse Midwives to introduce legislation to remove the restriction. Watch Heather's testimony here.

Why doesn't NFOM work NOW to pursue legislation removing this restriction? Actually, NFOM has pursued this legislative change in the past. There have been several efforts to modernize midwifery laws regarding the WPA in Nebraska, but none have been successful. At this time, ACNM is working to create uniform and comprehensive legislation (based on laws in many states) to address the WPA requirement; when the legislation is ready NFOM will actively support it. ACNM will draft excellent legislation, taking into account the nuances of the profession.

Although Nebraska does have to wait to remove the WPA, the good news is that there are physicians that have expressed a willingness to sign WPAs, in the meantime, with CNMs who want to attend home birth. So, there you have it. Baby steps. And the one before us right now (which really doesn't look anything like a baby step from this perspective) is LB 428.
http://nefriendsofmidwives.weebly.com/lb-428.html
http://nebraskafriendsofmidwives.blogspot.com/2013/03/when-will-we-know-if-bill-gets-out-of.html (There is a link to watching testimony in this one.)
http://nebraskafriendsofmidwives.blogspot.com/2013/03/lb-428-and-407-review.html
http://nebraskafriendsofmidwives.blogspot.com/2013/04/lb-428-update-interim-study.html
{Did you read all those links? If so, you can give yourself a gold star and consider yourself up-to-date.}

Whether the twelve words prohibiting CNM-attended home birth are removed from Nebraska's statutes now or after the WPA requirement is ended, they have to be removed in order for home birth to be a reality. So NFOM is choosing now. Let's work together on removing them now.

To read more info on the NFOM website, click here.

Win Tickets to Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:35:00 +0000

Nebraska Friends of Midwives is giving away a pair of tickets to the 2:00 p.m. showing of Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives at the Ruth Sokolov Theater (aka Filmstreams) in Omaha.

Wow! Look at all the hands waving in the air- "Pick me, pick me! Send me to the Ina May movie on Saturday!"

How to enter to win these tickets:

"Like" the Facebook post about this blog post on the Nebraska Friends of Midwives page. It is pinned to the top so it should be easy to find.

AND

Become a follower* of NFOM's blog (if you are reading this post, you are on the blog right now!).

Here are some handy instructions on becoming a follower of the NFOM blog:

*Previous blog followers can enter by liking the Facebook post and sending an email to nfom.pr@gmail.com.

PS: Apologies to those who are having difficulty "following". It seems as though some phones have a hard time or don't show the option. From a regular computer you may need to click on the NFOM header in order to get the black bar to show up on the right side of the screen. Tricky, tricky.

Entries end Thursday at 10 p.m.

The winner of the pair of tickets will be announced on Facebook on Friday at 8:00 a.m. An email from Filmstreams with printable tickets will be sent to the winner.

Who is Ina May Gaskin and why would someone make a film about her?

Although there is more to Ina May Gaskin than midwifery, she and a group of her friends are best known for and generally credited with reviving the practice of midwifery at a time when it was dying in the United States. Ina May has authored four books- three about midwifery and one about breastfeeding, and coined the term Sphincter Law.

Rather than a being Certified Nurse-Midwife, Ina May is a Certified Professional Midwife, like the other midwives on the Farm. You can read her short biography here.

Read about The Farm Midwives and the services they offer here.

Elsewhere in the US...

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:46:00 +0000

Nebraska is not the only state with midwifery legislation pending. While not necessarily an exhaustive update, you'll know more about efforts in other states once you read through this short blog post. NFOM is happy to create another legislative update focusing on other states; please post links to bills or advocacy efforts on NFOM's Facebook page, or send an email to nfom.pr@gmail.com.

Alabama:

Two bills to license CPMs: S106 and S107

http://ncfom.org/

Indiana:

HB 1135: A bill to license CPMs. Watch this super cute video created by Conceive the Truth, LLC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9GchsB80wM&feature=youtu.be

Iowa:

Cookie Day at the Captiol in Iowa. Iowa Birth Organization, supporting CPM legislation.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php

fbid=10200109039741604&set=a.1076233818924.2013728.1018562944&type=1&theater

Missouri:

House Bill 308 would require CPMs to carry $1,000,000.00 of malpractice insurance, and it just had a short-notice hearing.

Seven physicians & physicians' associations asserted that this bill, which would keep nearly every Missouri CPM from practicing, is good public policy. Missouri Friends of Midwives says, "The cost, per midwife, for this level of malpractice insurance, is $20-50,000 annually. Many midwives don't make that much in a year."

Interestingly, Missouri does not require physicians to carry malpractice insurance unless they are on staff in urban hospitals and then only in the amount of $500,000.

http://summerdoula.com/2013/04/03/missouri-midwives-at-risk-again/

North Carolina:
Follow the link below to find:
Two bills to license and regulate CPMs introduced in the General Assembly.
A mom and dad discussing their decision to hire a non-nurse midwife.
Discussion of the question: Who is qualified to work as a midwife?
Information about a NC planned home birth ending in a stillbirth.
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20130407/NEWS/304070065?fb_comment_id=fbc_161878627310040_401834_162050433959526

LB 428 Update: Interim Study

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:22:00 +0000

A New Direction

There are different ways for a bill to make its way toward the Unicameral floor.

The committee can just vote the bill onward.
The committee can send it for a 407 Review.
The committee can send it for an Interim Study.
And then there are other ways that this particular post doesn't need to address (but, for example, the committee could ask proponents and opponents of a bill to work out a compromise in the legislation).

When we last left our hero, LB 428, the bill for Mothers and Midwives was headed for the 407 Review. While certainly preferable to seeing the bill killed in committee, the review was not a process that NFOM was interested, for a variety of reasons, in pursuing.

When the bill, however, was considered for candidacy by the Credentialing Review program it was not found to qualify for the 407 process, which reviews "proposals for changes in scope of practice or for new credentialing on the part of representatives of Nebraska health professions."

So, what then? More information is needed before the Health and Human Service (HHS) Committee members take further action on the bill. If you attended or watched the HHS hearing for LB 428, you heard the committee ask thoughtful questions regarding:

Prenatal risk assessment

Logistics of transfers during labor

Required Written Practice Agreements

Collaborative relationships between Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) and physicians

Pre and postnatal care

Continuity of care during a labor transfer

Appropriate equipment for home birth

Studies about US home birth

Nutritional counseling

Education and training of Certified Nurse-Midwives

Legislation in other states

These are all excellent questions, each with a lengthy answer- certainly requiring more time than a hearing.

Well, the Health and Human Services Committee (like all committees) has more than one tool available for finding information. Enter: the Interim Study.

How is the Interim Study different from the 407 Review?

The Interim Study is a much less formal process.
Studies are conducted in the interim period (the time when the legislature is not in session- this year that time frame will be between June and January). 407 Reviews are required by law to be completed within nine months.
Interim Studies are conducted by the Legislative Research Office. 407 reviews are conducted by the Credentialing Review Program.
Reports regarding the studies are sometimes published but not always. 407 Reviews are always published.
Recommendations might or might not be made. In the 407 review, three sets of recommendations are always made.
The quantity and quality of the studies vary. 407 Reviews are more uniformly structured and executed.
Committees studying an issue are usually headed by the chair and vice chair of the committee referring the issue for study.
At the conclusion of a study or the 407 Review, legislative committees maintain the same options as at the outset: pass, ignore, kill, amend, or recommend reintroduction of legislation.

What kinds of questions should be researched in the Interim Study?

NFOM and health care professionals supporting LB 428 understand the desire of the HHS Committee to have more information regarding the specifics of this legislation, especially information regarding how home birth attended by Certified Nurse-Midwives works in other states.

Why is an Interim Study [even] needed?

Some might wonder why a study is needed when 48 states already don't legislatively block access to the care of Certified Nurse-Midwives for families choosing home birth. Why is it needed when the rate of home birth in Nebraska is at least keeping up with the national rate despite complete lack of access to licensed care? Many recognize that the issue at hand is not "home vs hospital birth". It is simply: Are CNMs a safe care attendant for those choosing home birth?

Here is a good answer:

When legislation allowing CNMs to attend home birth is heard on the Unicameral floor, ONLY SENATORS will be allowed to speak. Advocating on behalf of LB 428 will best be done by senators with a full understanding of the issue.

Information demonstrating the education, training, and professional standards of CNMs, model legislation, and more information about the practicalities of practice from other states are an important piece of the puzzle. Or the mosaic, as it were.

"I always feel the movement is a sort of mosaic.

Each of us puts in one little stone, and then you get a great mosaic at the end."

-Alice Paul

Have You Had a Home Birth with a CNM?

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 01:35:00 +0000

If you know how to pronounce the town names "Beatrice", "Norfolk", "Kearney"...you might be from Nebraska.

If you don't think people are wearing red on Saturdays to get into the Christmas spirit...you might be from Nebraska.

If you've ever had a Runza in Johnny Carson's childhood town...you might be from Nebraska.

If you can find Nebraska on a map of the US...you might be from Nebraska.

If you've ever given birth at home with a Certified Nurse-Midwife...you're definitely not from Nebraska. But you can help the families of Nebraska by sharing your story.

Nebraska Friends of Midwives publishes birth stories of Nebraskans who have given birth with midwives, or who have given birth at home unattended when they would have preferred to hire a midwife. You can read those stories here. Their purpose is to demonstrate the excellent care of midwives, and that home birth is happening in this state even without access to licensed midwifery care.

There is legislation to change that lack of access, however, sitting in committee awaiting a further gathering of information. Before the Health and Human Services Committee gives LB 428 more consideration it needs, among other things, to understand how CNM-attended home birth happens in other states. While efforts are made to collect and provide that information it would be interesting to post some real stories of that nature on the NFOM blog.

Guidelines for sending in your story of planned home birth with a CNM are as follows:

Stories must be authored or co-authored and submitted by their leading characters, to whom the content and the copyright belongs.

As NFOM appreciates submissions and respects the personal nature of the stories, contributors are free to revoke NFOM's usage of submitted stories and/or images at any time and for any reason by simply contacting NFOM and requesting that the content be removed from the site.

Submissions should include all content you believe is relevant to your story. This includes the birthing process, the decision-making process, and the ease or difficulty you experienced in accessing midwifery care and/or insurance or other financial coverage for your desired option. Consider what makes your story unique, and what makes it universal, what you would do again, and what you would change.
Stories of planned, CNM-attended home birth are welcome whether or not the actual birth took place at home. Stories of hospital transfer are appreciated- it is important to recognize that sometimes birth happens differently than planned, and that CNMs follow professional protocols and standards.
Please make anonymous the names of any institutions or care providers, but do include their correct credentials.
Please provide details about how you found your CNM, how you paid for the care you received, where you were seen prenatally, any visits you had with your CNM's collaborating physician, how far you live from a hospital and the level of care that hospital provides (should be easy to find in a quick phone call).
There is no such thing as TMI (too much information).
There is such a thing as TMW (too many words). All submissions are edited with the goal of ensuring both voice and coherence. Great writing and editing skills are welcome but not at all required. All edits are sent to contributors for approval. Nothing is published without that approval.
Please feel free to include photos. If they are your photos please simply include a statement that you are the photographer and you allow NFOM to publish them on the site. If the images are professionally done, please obtain and share with NFOM a release from your photographer for use on the site. NFOM will happily post a photo credit, but does not include links. Images with large watermarks cannot be included.
To find out more about submitting your story, please contact NFOM.

We'll give this a try- and see how it goes!

LB 428 and the 407 Review

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:04:00 +0000

**3/26 UPDATE: At this time plans to send LB 428 for a 407 Review have been revised. LB 428 is no longer heading for the 407 Review, but instead to an Interim Study. This post remains simply to inform readers of the path of this legislation.**

You might want to sit down for this.

Any rumblings you have been hearing about a recommendation that LB 428 go through the Credentialing (407) Review Process are true.

It's okay if you have to take a minute.

This news is disappointing, and concerning.

If it helps, you're not alone. There are many Nebraskans who are unhappy about this recommendation. You may recognize your friends pictured above; these are actual images of real, broken-hearted, frustrated Nebraskans who were hoping for more expedient passage of the bill for mothers and midwives, allowing them and their fellow citizens access to care already available in 48 other states, as well as almost everywhere else
in the world.

So, what is The Credentialing Review (407) which has been requested by the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee? It is three-step process that can be done in order to collect information and recommendations for Nebraska state representatives when they are asked to consider a new credentialing or a change of scope in practice for health care professionals.
Follow this link to read about the three parts.

So, quick overview: the 407 is a way for senators to get information and recommendations when there is a request to change the scope of practice of a health care profession. Because senators don't have time to do research and interpret it for each and every bill- the work load is just too great.

NFOM and health care professionals with whom the organization has spoken understand the desire of the HHS Committee to have more information regarding the specifics of this legislation, especially information regarding how home birth attended by Certified Nurse-Midwives works in other states.

This, however, is material that can be gathered and assessed without a formal review process.

For this reason, and others which can be addressed in a future NFOM blog post, NFOM is, at this time, not considering applying for the 407 Review Process.

NFOM will continue, however, to take action to pursue this legislation, and will continue to provide updates as to how

midwifery supporters

CNMs and collaborating physicians

bloggers and journalists

in Nebraska and other states can help to meet the needs of the committee and see LB 428 become law.

***Those who wish to take action now (which is, hopefully, everyone!) can get started by contacting HHS Committee members and sharing their disappointment as well as asking the senators exactly what were the sticky points in committee discussion.

It is important to find out:

What about the 407 review makes it uniquely qualified in providing information for the committee- or is it just the only instrument available for gathering material?
What questions remain about the legislation, and what information, from what source do they think will address it?
What information would help them vote in favor of LB 428?

Links to HHS Committee members email addresses are here.

Complete contact info for HHS Committee members:

Senator Kathy Campbell (Chair)
District 25
(402) 471-2731
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509

Senator Tanya Cook
District 13
(402) 471-2727
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509

Senator Sue Crawford
District 45
(402) 471-2615
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509

Senator Mike Gloor
District 35
(402) 471-2617
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509

Senator Sara Howard
District 9
(402) 471-2723
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509

Senator Bob Krist
District 10
(402) 471-2718
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509

Senator Dan Watermeier
District 1
(402) 471-2733
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-2733

When Will We Know If The Bill Gets Out Of Committee?

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 15:07:00 +0000

Nebraska Friends of Midwives Legislative Chair Becky Sherman testifying on behalf of LB 428.

So many interested midwifery supporters are asking, "When will we know if the Heath and Human Services Committee will pass LB 428 through to the legislative floor?"

Helpful answer: It could be quick, or it could be a really long time. (Just like labor, right?)

The committee doesn't have to do anything with the bill. They can hold it in committee, or they can vote on it, in which the hope is for them to vote it out. However, NFOM does not want them to vote until we know that there are going to be at least 4 out of the 7 committee members that will vote for the bill.

Additionally, committees have many bills to consider- the HHS committee heard two others after LB 428 testimony wrapped up.

Nebraska Friends of Midwives will continue to work with the bill's sponsor, Senator Ken Haar, to determine advocacy and lobbying actions, and encourages Nebraskans to write to HHS committee members expressing and requesting support for LB 428, the bill for mothers and midwives, as well as continue efforts to raise public awareness.

To learn a little more check out this handy and very cute custom explanation of the legislative process created by E-Custom cards.

A summary of the hearing is in the works, but you can already watch video of testimony posted by a member of Nebraska Friends of Midwives.

Stay tuned, and stay active!

LB 428 Hearing Event

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:38:00 +0000

Friday, March 1 at 1:30 p.m.
Room 1510 at the Capitol.

Find the Facebook Event and indicate your intention to attend here.

This is a PUBLIC hearing. ANYONE can attend, and anyone is allowed to speak, although the committee can limit the number of testifiers and the length of testimony.

LB 428 is scheduled as the first bill to be heard on Friday, but the committee has discretion to make changes to the schedule.

Those who attend the hearing are encouraged to WEAR YELLOW as a sign of support for the bill. Yellow roses were a sign of support of the women's suffrage movement (check out Iron Jaws Angels- the movie), so yellow is an appropriate color for legislation allowing expanded access to care for women.

All the links you need to be informed and to be active in this effort are probably below. IF, however, you have a question that is not addressed please just post on the event wall.

If you are planning to attend the hearing, or think you might, PLEASE join this event page so that you can receive updates directly.

Dress for this event is business to business casual.

**Please take a look at the links below so that you know what is available and can direct others here if you see questions on facebook or hear them in conversation.

Find a letter to copy, paste, and send to your senator here:http://www.facebook.com/notes/nebraska-friends-of-midwives/letter-to-your-senator/550250338320234

Learn more about the bill here: http://nefriendsofmidwives.weebly.com/lb-428.html

Learn about Going to the Capitol here:
http://nefriendsofmidwives.weebly.com/going-to-the-captiol.html

See which organizations and businesses have expressed support for LB 428 here: http://nebraskafriendsofmidwives.blogspot.com/2013/01/organizations-and-businesses-which.html

Learn about communicating with your senator here: http://nebraskafriendsofmidwives.blogspot.com/2013/01/to-each-person-out-there-who-wants-to.html

Find links to the Health and Human Services Committee here: http://nebraskafriendsofmidwives.blogspot.com/2013/02/not-just-for-lobbyists.html

Read here about why it TAKES FOREVER to get laws changed: http://nebraskafriendsofmidwives.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-does-it-take-forever-to-get-laws.html

Watch the hearing online on Friday here: http://www.netnebraska.org/interactive-multimedia/government/nebraska-health-and-human-services-hhs030113-1330

Not Just for Lobbyists

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:58:00 +0000

Did you know constituents are not supposed to contact Nebraska senators other than their own about legislation unless they are registered as lobbyists?

There is, however, one big exception: Anyone can contact the senators serving on committees about any of the bills they are hearing- no need to be a constituent or a lobbyist.

There are fourteen standing committees and any number of select and special committees that serve as gatekeepers to the legislative floor. Folks have to convince committee members that the bills that are introduced to them have merit, and are supported by and will benefit Nebraskans.

The Health and Human Services (standing) committee will hear LB 428- the bill for mothers and midwives- on March 1. The senators sitting on that committee for the 103rd Legislature are listed with links below; Senator Sara Howard has expressed support for the bill already. If you have not already done so today would be a great day to send quick notes expressing your support for this legislation- and requesting theirs.

Sen. Kathy Campbell, Chairperson
Sen. Tanya Cook
Sen. Sue Crawford
Sen. Mike Gloor
Sen. Sara Howard
Sen. Bob Krist
Sen. Dan Watermeier

Senators are always especially interested in hearing from their own constituents. If you discover that your senator is on the HHS committee please let NFOM know.

Senator Kathy Campbell- District 25
Roughly: The most eastern part of Lincoln and the surrounding farmlands east and north of Lincoln. Including Waverly.

Senator Tanya Cook- District 13
Roughly: A chunk of North Omaha, both eastern and central. The most southern part of the district is Manderson Street, the most northern part is County Road 1/the Douglas County boundary. The most eastern edge is the Missouri River, the most western portion is 96th Street.

Senator Sue Crawford- District 45.
Roughly: East Bellevue, Olde Towne Bellevue, Offutt/ Birchwood Drive south to Platte River.

Senator Mike Gloor- District 35
Roughly: The greater Grand Island area.

Senator Sara Howard- District 9
Roughly: Parts of Dundee, Midtown, Field Club, Elmwood, Asksarben and their surrounding areas in Omaha.

Senator Bob Krist- District 10
Roughly: The northeast edge of Omaha, Bennington and the surrounding area.

Senator Dan Watermeier- District 1
Roughly: Otoe, Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee, and Richardson counties. Includes Nebraska City, Auburn, Tecumseh. Falls City, and Lewiston.

How Many Pounds? How Many Ounces?

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 12:18:00 +0000

By Erin Valasek, RN

I really wanted to give birth at The Midwife’s Place. I planned to give birth there and hadn't completely prepared myself for other outcomes. But, all does not always go as planned. I ended up at the hospital and received lots of IV fluids (also not my plan). Thanks to my husband, my midwife, my mom, my friend/doula and great nurses I made it through 24 hours of active labor and my son was born at 8 lbs 5 oz. He nursed right away and we went home after only a short stay.

Once home he was nursing around the clock. I was resting and drinking lots of water. I felt like we were doing everything right. Despite what felt like constant nursing, he continued to lose weight for about 5 days after he was born- a whole pound all together. His pediatrician had us coming back until he gained weight and at one point, although she is a lactation consultant, suggested that I could supplement if I wanted. I did not want to, and her suggestion made me feel as if something was wrong even though my son appeared to be doing great otherwise.

I ended up seeing a different physician that many Eastern Nebraska moms have seen for breastfeeding issues and she shared some very interesting information with me. Sometimes the birth weight of a baby is artificially inflated by the IV fluids a mom receives during labor!! Most likely my son was not supposed to be born 8 lbs 5 oz. Perhaps he would have been only 7 lbs 5 oz. if it weren't for the fluids I had received.

There is new research (Aug 2011) that suggests just this. You can read the summary or the actual research study for yourself if you’d like.

One recommendation from Dr. Joy Noel-Weiss is that babies be weighed 24 hours after birth, and that weight should be used to track weight loss to determine if there are potential breastfeeding issues. I think this makes a lot of sense and I wish I had known this five months ago. Since I can’t go back and share this with my worried new-mom self, I am paying it forward hoping to turn worried new moms into relaxed new moms. Or at least give them one less thing to worry about.

Scavenger Hunt: Your Senator's Legislative Page

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 02:04:00 +0000

Did you know that every Nebraska senator has a legislative page? Every single one.

They are all found at the Nebraska Legislature website, and they offer a multitude of clicking options:

A biography of the senator- some are very short, others are more informative.
Official photos of the senator.
Bills introduced by the senator.
A map of the district the senator serves.
The Unicameral Update (which is like the Unicameral's online newsletter or newspaper).

In addition to those resources, any committees on which the senator is serving are listed, and the senator's contact information at the Capitol is available.

Some senators post blog updates about their bills or their work in their districts- those that have been in office for a few years often have more posts archived that readers can browse.

If you don't know who is representing you in Nebraska's legislature, that is easy enough to find- just click here.

There is a goldmine of Nebraska information on that website, actually- including fascinating stuff like:

Everything you forgot you learned in social studies as a Nebraska fourth grader.
Transcripts. Read what people have said about things.
Bills- search for proposed legislation, old and new.
Qualifications to be a senator. Maybe YOU want to be a senator. Have you thought about it?

48 other states allow Certified Nurse-Midwives to attend home birth.
Let's make Nebraska 49!

Valentine's Day- A Midwife is a Great Catch!

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:25:00 +0000

Print this valentine or make your own with your kids.

It's time to let Nebraska's legislators know that we love our midwives!
Need more info about LB 428? Click here!
Find your senator here.

Send one of these or a home made valentine to your favorite midwife, too!

Click and scroll down for addresses.

If you see midwives that work in a cooperative practice this one is for you:

Short, Sweet, and Often

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 23:26:00 +0000

To each person out there who wants to help change the law preventing Certified Nurse-Midwives from attending home birth in Nebraska but is hesitant to contact YOUR senator:

PLEASE PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE just do it anyway.

Several times.

For three reasons.

Reason #1. It is important to allow senators time to acclimate to the idea of the change you are requesting.

Most midwifery advocates can point to a time in their lives when they believed that home birth was a crazy idea, and can relate to the need to process the idea over a period of time ñ experiencing a paradigm shift. Even if that's not you, even if you and all your brothers and sisters and your own children were born at home, you can think of a time when it took awhile for you to care about something or to change your mind. Here is a fun Ted Talk about the universal experience of having one's mind changed.

Reason #2. The contacts should be short and sweet. Concise, specific, short conversations or written communications are easier to manage for both constituents and senators than putting together or reading one comprehensive, long essay, or trying to commit to a long conversation.

Offer one or two reasons at a time for supporting the bill- more than that can be overwhelming.

Reason #3. Keeping LB 428 at the forefront is important. There are many bills that demand the attention of senators; as a constituent you can help your senator to remember that LB 428 is an issue that her/his constituents support and that it needs attention.

Now that you are convinced that multiple, short contacts is a good way to communicate you want to know "how". How does one become the squeaky wheel? It is just so much easier than you'd think. Maybe pick a day of the week to contact your senator and do it twice or three times a month- faithfully. Remember- short and sweet.

Beginning with common ground is excellent- check online for information about your senator and find out what interests or background you share, or about which other issues you agree. Isn't that one of the first things people usually do when they meet others?

An example of your first contact:
"Hi Senator______. My name is ______ and I am a constituent in your district. I noticed that you are supporting _______ /campaigned on ________ which is such an important issue. Thank you for working to address that. OR... I saw on your website that you went to X School, or served in the military- I/my husband/mother did, too. [You get the idea.]

I wanted to let you know about an issue that has been important to me for awhile: changing the Nebraska statutes to allow Certified Nurse-Midwives to attend home births in Nebraska.

Senator Ken Haar has introduced LB 428- the bill for Mothers and Midwives- which would remove the "home birth exclusion" and allow consumers to hire CNMs to attend their home births, just like they can in 48 other states. I support this bill and I hope that you will, too."

Your next several contacts can be emails about the bill- you can share an update about the issue from the news, information that you've found on the NFOM website, blog, or Facebook page, something personal (photos of your children who were born at home, a picture of you meeting Ina May, a photo of you and your CNM), or information about the bill's progress- like a hearing date (March 1), additional co-sponsors, additional supporting organizations or businesses.

A week before the bill you can remind your senator about the hearing date and invite him/her to attend. If you will be attending the hearing, you can let your senator know that you'd like to stop in to see his or her office and say a quick hello.

On the hearing date you can either drop by the office, or maybe have a five-ten minute meeting- or even have lunch together before the hearing at 1:30.

AFTER the hearing date you can contact your senator to let her/him know how it went, and ask your senator to contact the Health and Human Services committee members requesting that they pass LB 428 out onto the legislative floor where your senator can have the opportunity to vote on the bill. Learning that other senators are hearing from constituents about a bill, and that those senators want to vote for a piece of legislation can encourage action in the committee. Sometimes senators don't want to take a position on legislation until they hear what committee members have to say about it; if this is your senator's approach then be sure to be in contact following the hearing.

Keep reminding your senator about the bill and the reasons you want to see it become legislation until it happens. The 2013 legislative session is scheduled to end June 5th. It would benefit mothers and midwives to have LB 428 passed during this 90-day session. Legislation that has not been determined at the end of this year's session will carry over to 2014; the 2014 legislative session will be part two of the 103rd Legislature.

Use these same kinds of communication to contact the members of the HHS committee- they also (very much) need to hear from constituents that LB 428 is worthy of their attention and deserving of consideration by the entire legislative body.

Now, there is one more communication that is important, and that is a letter to the HHS Committee- especially one that can be included as written testimony for the hearing. This is a longer letter, not more than a page, that can summarize YOUR reasons for wanting to see LB 428 become law.

It might sound like work, but really this is an opportunity to communicate with your representatives, and to affect positive legislative change in your state regarding an issue that is important to you.

Get started today- you won't regret it.

THIS JUST IN! Hearing Date set for March 1 for LB 428.

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 12:55:00 +0000

Planning to offer testimony at the LB 428 hearing?
There are testimony tips available on the Nebraska Legislature site. You should read everything on the page. If you don't know about the sign-in sheet or how many copies of testimony to bring please go back and read the information again.

If you plan to offer testimony as a consumer, please contact NFOM. There are often many individuals and organizations willing to offer testimony, so it is important that the messages be unique, specific, and concise. NFOM's legislative chair, Becky Sherman, will work to facilitate the order of testimony given at the hearing.

It is also helpful for NFOM to know if you plan to offer testimony supporting LB 428 as the representative of an organization or business. NFOM works to order testimony so it makes the most sense for committee members.

A few more tips:

Please read through NFOM's Going to the Capitol page.
Know that the sponsor of LB 428 is Senator Ken Haar.
Know a bit about the purpose of the Health and Human Services committee and its members.
Know that committee hearings are not held in the main legislative chamber, but rather in a room more like a board room with some theater-style seating.
Stick to testimony about CNMs attending home birth. Addressing adjacent or distantly related controversial issues is a distraction.
You will be asked to spell your name at the beginning of your testimony. Try to remember, but if you forget you won't be the first to do so, and the committee chair will remind you.
Committee members may ask questions, but often reserve those for the CNMs who are testifying. If you are asked a question to which you do not know the answer, do not guess. Simply acknowledge the question and suggest that there might be someone present who is better suited to provide the information.
Time is limited, so reading complicated or lengthy testimony is fine, rather than trying to remember it all. Look up sometimes.

Others ways to show your support for LB 428:
Testifying isn't the only way to offer support- many midwifery advocates come to watch hearings and demonstrate support with their presence. There are two options for watching the hearing at the Capitol.

First, supporters can sit in the hearing room. It is a quiet room where business is done. Keep in mind that LB 428 will not be the only bill heard that day in the same room, and seating is limited to about 100 theater-style chairs.

Second, supporters can take advantage of the overflow room. In this room the hearing will be shown live, but the noise level of a "busy buzz" will be expected. This will be a much more casual space, and food is permitted. The room number for this space is yet TBA.

Going to the Capitol is good to read for both those testifying and those demonstrating support through their physical presence. Please contact NFOM or join the event page on Facebook (link coming soon) if you plan to attend so that NFOM can keep you updated about any changes, and plan appropriately for those attending.

Wish you could attend but know it is an impossible dream? Hearings are aired live online. Often there is a live chat happening on Facebook with supporters during committee and legislative hearings.

Written correspondence can be included as testimony. Letters should be sent to the office of Kathy Campbell, the HHS committee chair, and should be clearly marked "To be included as hearing testimony on behalf of LB 428."

Learn more about LB 428 and how you can support the bill here.

LB 428 Support from NAFP

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:22:00 +0000

More good news!

LB 428 is adding the Nebraska Academy of Family Practice and Lifecare Family Medicine to its growing list of supporters.

Nebraska Friends of Midwives is happy to share that Dr. Brian Finley of Lifecare Family Medicine will be be testifying in favor of LB 428 as President of Nebraska Academy of Family Practice.

Are you a midwifery supporter? Do you want to see home birth protected with Certified-Nurse Midwives, not from them? Get involved- get this legislation passed!

Organizations and Businesses which Support for LB 428

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:06:00 +0000

Commitments of Support for LB 428- the bill for Mothers and Midwives keep arriving.

So far the list includes, in no particular order:

National Association of Social Workers (NASW)-Nebraska Chapter
JKG Photography
Agape Doula Services
Doula Dorothy
Omaha Doula's Association
Omaha ICAN Chapter
Elayne Woods Photography
Mama Pepper Designs
Lincoln ICAN Chapter
Distinctly Different Doulas
Family Tree Birth Services
circleME
Omaha Area Natural Parents
Positively Beautiful Birth Service
Butterfly Kisses Family Support Services
ELITE Lactation Professionals
One World Birth
Baby Junk
Family First Chiropractic
Top To Bottom Baby Boutique
Land of Milk and Honey

To notify NFOM of the support of your organization or business, please contact NFOM.

Added 2/11/13

Nebraska Nurses Association
Nebraska Association of Family Practice
Lifecare Family Medicine
Natural Childbirth Education of Omaha
Ignite LIFE, LLC
Ted and Wally's Premium Homemade Ice Cream
Five Stones Birth Services
BBE-Tech: Pest Management and Bee Conservation
MeadowLark
Beloved Dove Doula
Stork Vision Omaha
BOLD, NE
Heartland Hypnobabies
Dynamic Birth
Elnae
Nurture and Bloom Birth Services
Four Winds Natural Healing Center
Healthy Start Chiropractic & Wellness
Omaha Integrative Care
York Doula
Meylor Chiropractic & Acupuncture
Nebraska Farmers Union
Ivanna Cone
Balance Matters

The Midwife's Place

Added 2/26/2013
YWCA in Lincoln
Team Awesome Homes
Nurture and Bloom Birth Services
Natural Littles, LLC
Vitality-Chiropractic Life Center
High Land Hills
Northeast Kansas Homebirth Service
Bright Spirit Center
Thirteen Moons Acupuncture
Life Arts Integrated Health Center

Still Coming in:
The Bridge Chiropractic & Wellness Center

Contact NFOM to add your business or organization name to the list!

Squeaky Wheel Letter Writing Campaign 2013

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:05:00 +0000

I hate to be a kicker,

I always long for peace,

But the wheel that does the squeaking,

Is the one that gets the grease.

-From the poem The Kicker by Josh Billings

Writing to senators is a good way to let them know about the issues that are important to you in Nebraska. It is uncommon for their offices to receive mail from constituents, so letters and postcards do catch the eye.

Writing YOUR reasons for wanting to see the law changed are really the most compelling- explain how the legislative change will effect you and your family.

Some Talking Points (in no particular) order are:

I simply prefer it. Or my daughter, niece, mom, sister friend does.
It is more hands-on care for less financial expense. It is a good value.
There is plenty of research demonstrating that home birth with a CNM is at least as safe for low risk moms and babies as hospital birth is for the same population type.
Home birth is within the CNM scope of practice.
The American College of Certified Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) supports a woman's right to choose home birth.
CNMs are leaving our state to practice elsewhere.
Over 2,600 babies have been born at home in Nebraska since it became illegal for CNMs to attend home births. Planned home birth is happening anyway.
Home birth in Nebraska needs to be kept safe with CNMs, not from CNMs
48 other states, including Nebraska's border states, allow CNMs to attend home birth. And so does Canada, and Puerto Rico, and most of Europe.
CNMs have standards of practice that help them determine who is and who is not a good candidate for home birth.
Giving birth at home is not the goal. Home births that transfer to hospitals are not "failed home births", they are successful transfers. CNMs follow protocols that help keep birth safe.
CNMs carry life-saving equipment and medications to address emergency situations.
Many of the “unforeseen emergencies” commonly believed to be reasons to choose a hospital setting are in fact manifestations of inherent risks of many routine practices, procedures, interventions and medications characteristic of maternity care today.
CNMs are allowed to attend home birth in many other states with significant rural area.

Kids can get into the spirit and help promote the bill as well- coloring pages are available here. Note that the bill (LB 712) in the images is from 2012; it was for the same legislation.

Feel free to use the images on this link or the images below to create postcards for a letter writing campaign to promote LB 428. (Other uses will constitute copyright infringement.)

It is actually good to communicate with your senator multiple times.
To stay tuned to the progress of the bill, become a follower of the NFOM blog, or sign up to receive emails.

Let your senator know that the bill has been introduced and why you support it.
When there is a hearing date, call or email your senator to mention the bill, the hearing date, organizations that support the bill (coming soon), and which senators are already sponsoring and co-sponsoring the bill.
Send a quick message on the day of the hearing letting your senator know that you attended, or watched the hearing online, or will message the transcripts when they are available online, and request that your senator let the HHS committee members know of her/his support.
Let your senator know when the committee has voted, and ask your senator to vote for LB 428 when it has its first reading in the general file.
Ask your senator to mention x,y, or z in support of the bill on the legislative floor (that there has been constituent support, that 48 other states allow CNMs to attend home birth, etc).

Communicating with the HHS committee can be done multiple time as well. Contacting the members letting them know you support the bill and will be attending the hearing or watching online, and

Questions about the legislative process? Click here.

Thirty Years Video- Nebraska Needs CNMs at Home Birth

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 04:17:00 +0000

Show us the faces of home birth in Nebraska!

Nebraska friends of Midwives is collecting VIDEO CLIPS from some of Nebraska's 2559+ maternity care consumers (since 1983) who are able to say:

"I had a home birth in Nebraska."

That's it!
That's all that is needed from consumers at this time. Nothing too demanding or complicated.

Certified Nurse Midwives are needed, too! CNMs from Nebraska and/or other states are needed to explain the CNM's role in facilitating home birth. If you are an interested CNM please contact NFOM at nfom.events@gmail.com

The purposes of the finished video?
1. To allow senators and the public to see that home birth is already happening in our state despite the statutory prohibition against Certified Nurse Midwives.

2. To assert that CNMs are a safe provider choice.

NFOM is hopeful that this legislative session will not end with the same twelve words in place in the Nebraska statutes: "except that a certified nurse-midwife shall not attend a home-birth."

FAQ:

My husband/partner wants to be in the video. Can he be included?

Sure! Just change the words to "We had a home birth in Nebraska."

Will my name be on the video?

If you would like your name to included in the thank you section at the end of the video NFOM can do that. If you'd rather keep your name off the video, that is fine, too.

Can I use my Cell Phone/Tablet/Laptop/Digital Camcorder/Digital Camera/Ipod to record?

Yes! Resolution should just be the best resolution you can muster.

Are there any specific instructions I should follow?
- Shoot Horizontal (wide) rather than vertical.
- Face towards a bright light or window rather than away
from it. We don't want anyone to be back-lit. No good sitting
with your back to brightly lit window.

- Send (nfom.events@gmail.com) the highest resolution you
can but use whatever you have at your disposal. Quality is
not important. YOU are! Contribute your inferior quality
clips now rather than your amazing clips in a month.

- SPEAK UP rather than being quiet.

- Shoot tight, from the chest up. We want to see the faces of
home birth in Nebraska!
- Include in the email the video file AND the release form
(scroll down in the new window) and your city/county.
- If you don't have a scanner for the release form, just take a
picture of it and send that file.
- Send in your video ASAP so the production
company can get working!

Coming M & M Days in 2013

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 14:43:00 +0000

More information about M&Ms and going to the Capitol in general is available here.

Check out images from past M&M days here and here.

Click on the dates below to sign up to attend M&Ms events:

Wednesday, January 30 10:30 am
Thursday, February 14 10:30 am
Wednesday, Febraury 27 10:30 am
Thursday, March 14th 10:30 am

Squeaky Wheel Campaign- Letter to Senator Ashford

noreply@blogger.com (NFoM PR Chair) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 14:16:00 +0000

"I can't write a letter to my senator because I don't know what to say!"

The most appropriate response to that paralyzing complaint is: Stop it. It's not rocket science. Just share YOUR reason for supporting LB 428- the 2013 bill to allow CNMs to attend home birth in Nebraska.

Kellie Northan, MSN, CNM lives in Nebraska's legislative district 20. In December, 2012 she sent this letter to him:

"Dear Senator Ashford,

I recently graduated with a Masters of Science in Nursing - Midwifery. I have accepted a 6 month fellowship at a birth center in Pittsburgh, PA. Following my fellowship, I would love to return to Nebraska, but our current nurse midwifery practice act limits the scope of practice I have been educated and trained to perform. I will be looking for a permanent position elsewhere. I want to come home to Nebraska. Removing the class IV felony home birth restriction on the nurse midwife's scope of practice in this state is in the best interest of protecting the public. Women who desire a safe home birth are denied their access to professional care in the home birth setting and therefore are either birthing on their own, or with unlicensed lay midwives with unknown educational backgrounds. Please help bring me home to serve this population of women and their families by supporting any legislation that will open the doors for nurse midwives and nurse practitioners to practice to the full scope of their education and training.

Sincerely,
Kellie Northam, MSN, CNM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIvQaVkhZ-Y"

See how easy that is?
Just write what you want!

Questions about the legislative process? Click here.

At right: Kellie speaking at the NFOM annual meeting- Fall 2012.