Ayla Birth Community Doulas

No Orientation Tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Orientation tonight has been canceled due to two sick children in the house.

Sorry!

2010 Famers Market WIC Vouchers this week!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 21:24:00 +0000

If you are in Washington County and getting WIC, you qualify for the 2010 Farmer's Market Vouchers

Show up at the WIC office at the following:

Sunday, June 5th, Beaverton Resource Center (1,00 vouchers) 8am - 1pm
Tuesday June 8th, Hillsboro WIC Office (800 vouchers available) 2pm -6pm
Wednesday, June 9th Hillsboro WIC office (800 voucher available) 8am -12pm

If you need more information, please call Washington County WIC at (503) 846-3555

Regence Radio Podcast: VBAC

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Fri, 21 May 2010 22:23:00 +0000

Listen to our president, Anne Lenzi talking about VBAC and informed choice on the Regence Radio Podcas t

Official Address!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Ayla Birth now has an official mailing address!

Ayla Birth, Inc.
P.O. Box 6063
Aloha, OR 97007

Great Article - Doulas Supporting Teens

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:15:00 +0000

For several years, Lane County has had a group of dedicated doulas who help teens pregnancy and birth. Midwifery today recently published an article about Doulas Supporting Teens out of Lane County.

Here is a small snippet:

"The program is currently meeting or exceeding these goals. With a cesarean section rate of 12.9%, which is about 60% lower than the national average, low birth weight at 4.8%, compared to the Oregon average of 6.1%(3) and a breastfeeding initiation rate of 99%, DST is affecting health in many beneficial ways for Oregon’s teen parents, as well as saving money for taxpayers and insurance companies (the majority of DST’s clients are on the state-funded Oregon Health Plan)."

If you are, or know someone, who is a teen and pregnant in Lane County Oregon, please contact Doulas Supporting Teens for help

You speak, we listen!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:15:00 +0000

Are you an experienced doula looking to expand the types of birth you attend?

Are you a new doula looking for experience?

Are you interested in serving women who otherwise would no access to a doula?

Ayla Birth could be for you!

We are currently in the "volunteer" phase of Ayla Birth until we obtain the funding we need to pay each doula.

This means that we are unable to pay doulas at this time.

If you are unable to attend births on a volunteer basis, but are interested in becoming an Ayla Birth doula when we are fully funded, please fill out the application and check the box "I am applying for a paid position." Please note, consideration for inclusion as an Ayla Birth doula will be weighted towards who can volunteer, but will not exclude those who unable to do so at this time.

Aylabirth.org is live!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:16:00 +0000

Aylabirth.org is now live!

Please take a moment to check it out and give feedback!

Thank you!

NIH releases findings on VBAC deliveries

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:38:00 +0000

The National Institutes of Health has just released the results of their NIH Consensus Development Conference on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: New Insights.

This panel was convened to discuss the rising cesarean section rate and parallel drop in Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) delivery from 1997 to 2007. The panel concludes many of the reasons for an Elective Repeat Cesarean Section (ERCS) are not medically motivated, but instead by money, fear, politics and the practice of defensive medicine.

After a review of the pertinent data, the panel indicates a VBAC delivery is “reasonable option for many pregnant women with a prior low transverse uterine incision.” The panel also recommends the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) revise their official policies regarding VBAC and make public their data surrounding both VBAC and ERCS deliveries.

For the complete article, please click on the above link.

We Did It!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:21:00 +0000

Yesterday we received notification in the mail from the IRS, Ayla Birth is officially a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit!

We are going to be beta testing our model of care shortly, so if you know of any clients or doulas who would like to participate, please let us know!

The new year brings...more paperwork

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:04:00 +0000

Well, we have received our answer from the IRS...for more paperwork. It was sent off on 1/25/10 and hopefully we will hear back soon. Basically, it can go one of three ways:

1) They ask for even more paperwork.
2) They deny it and we apply again with a narrower focus (most likely eliminating the debt reduction part...which kind of kills me, but I also know that most doula services don't do this)
3) We get approved and can start applying for grants.

If we are denied because of the unorthodox nature of what we are trying to do, then we may have to look into finding a benefactor and becoming a private foundation (similar to the Gates Foundations but with far less money).

I know this seems to be taking a very long time, but it's actually pretty quick by IRS standards and I'm hoping all of this front end work will help Ayla Birth withstand the test of time.

-Anne

First Drop off!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:08:00 +0000

Last week we dropped off half of our items to Yolanda House, a domestic violence shelter in Portland, Oregon.

Final Tally!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:06:00 +0000

Well, we did it! In a year with low charitable donations all over the place, we were able to collect:

26 blankets
4 pairs of booties/hats
several items of clothing
a HUGE bin of toys

These items make a huge difference to struggling family, thank you all!

Thank you Twisted!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:04:00 +0000

Thank you to the wonderful patrons of Twisted yarn shop in Portland!

Thank you Sandy Area Fiber Artists

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:24:00 +0000

Thank you to everyone who dropped off items at Designer Yarn in Sandy! Your donations make a BIG difference!

Thank you Hillsview Community Church!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:17:00 +0000

Thank you Deana, Peggy and all the ladies from Hillsview Community Church for your bag of blankets and clothing!

Thank you Girl Scouts!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:15:00 +0000

Thank you Girl Scout Troops...

40054

40873

41873

Thank you The Knitting Bee!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:51:00 +0000

Thank you to The Knitting Bee owners and patrons! The 8 blankets you made will keep 8 little bodies warm and loved this year.

IRS Paperwork submitted

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:38:00 +0000

Well, we have submitted our paperwork to the IRS for 501(3)(c) non-profit status. I have no idea how long it will take to get a determination, but you can all rest easy knowing we have officially been an Oregon Charitable Organization since June of 2009.

I am also really excited to confirm that we have taken over the Baby Love Blanket Drive this year and we have already been notified that the first batch is ready to be picked up from the Knitting Bee!

Thanks Nurture!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Thank you to Mychelle Mortiz and Nurture, who have pledged to make blankets for the drive this year.

"Nurture is... A space for your family to tend to your hearts, minds, and bodies. A place to create, learn, nourish, and grow."

To find out more about Nurture, click on the link above or under "participants"

Thanks!

Special Thanks to Hillsview Community Church!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:36:00 +0000

Today we received some happy news! The Women’s Ministry at the Hillsview Community Church in Damascus, Oregon have opened their hearts and hands by pledging to create blankets for our kids through the blanket drive. They are also setting up donation bins in their lobby for clothing items. If you live in Damascus, feel free to drop by their church and say hi or give them a call at (503) 912-0116!

No October Meeting & an Update

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:24:00 +0000

There will be no October Meeting for Ayla Birth, but I will go ahead and update everyone here.

1. Ayla Birth is still on track with our 10/31 501(3)(c) submission and I'm hopeful it will be accepted by the IRS on the first try.

2. We got our baby/mom pictures and they look awesome!

3. There is a potential for one of our doulas, Jane, to meet with Health Connections in Chicago over the Thanksgiving holiday.

4. The website is a little bit behind, but since Mr. Evans is doing it for free, I'm rather hard pressed to complain about it .

5. I have met with Madia from Right After Delivery Doula Service is working on our postpartum side and I'm very excited to have her expertise on board.

Thanks everyone!

-Anne

Drop sites confirmed for 2009!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:15:00 +0000

The three wonderful yarn stores which served as our drop sites for 2008 have confirmed for 2009!

Portland

The Knitting Bee (off Hwy 26 @ 185th)
18305 NW West Union Rd.
Portland, OR 97229
(503) 439.3316

Twisted
2310 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97232
(503) 922-1150

Sandy

Designer Yarn
38871 Proctor Blvd.
Sandy, Oregon 97055
(503) 826-0123

By Mail:
Baby Love Blanket Drive
4408 SE 67th Avenue
Portland, OR 97206

Meeting Agenda 8/19/09

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:19:00 +0000

1. Introductions

2. Business Plan

3. What is a Community Birth Doula?

4. Feedback

Reminder: Meeting tonight!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:04:00 +0000

Tonight @ 6pm at Old Wives Tale 1300 E Burnside, Portland, OR.

I have the meeting booked until 8, but hopefully it won't take that long for me to drone on about business plans!

September already?

noreply@blogger.com (Ayla Birth Community Doulas) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:15:00 +0000

Well, I can't believe we are coming up on September already! Stay tuned for this year's charities, drop sites and participants!

Happy fiberwork everyone!