Hitting close to home..

Just wanted to update you guys on what's going on in Mississippi right now...

Last year, a bill was introduced that would have restricted childbirth attendants to OBs and CNMs (Certified Nurse Midwives) in hospitals. This would have made the Direct Entry Midwives (DEMs) that attend home births in MS illegal. The bill went right through the House of Representatives and over to the Senate without hesitation. Just then, word spread to the home birthing families in MS about the legislation and there was a strong outcry against the bill. Senators let the bill “die in committee” by not bringing it up for a vote by the deadline.

Fast forward exactly one year….After a lot of hard work by MS Friends of Midwives and the MS Midwives Alliance, House Bill (HB) 207 has been passed by the house and now sits in the hands of the very same, Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee with that same deadline approaching, March 1^st.

The Medical community is at the Capitol every day lobbying AGAINST this bill. Women in Mississippi have enjoyed the right to birth at home with the care provider of their choice since the beginning of time. However, there are organizations in our state (such as the Mississippi State Medical Association and the Mississippi Nursing Association) that are working to see that right taken away and limited to their services in their hospitals. The organizations that tried to make home birth illegal last year did not and will not give up. They are working to kill our “pro-homebirth” bill and rest assured, they will take another shot at eradicating it next year.

(adapted from source)



Here are the plain sense facts:

~Currently in MS, midwifery is granted an exemption from any regulation. This means, the state allows the practice of midwifery without any training or skills assessment. Anyone can put an ad in the phone book and declare themselves a midwife. This is even more of a problem because surrounding states require licensure. Mississippi has become an asylum for unsafe midwives fleeing states with regulation. This bill changes that- to require MORE training for midwives and to be registered with Mississippi.
~27 states use the CPM credential for licensing. No state has ever recinded a program using the CPM as the standard for confirming a midwife’s skills. The CPM credential is administered by NARM (North American Registry of Midwives). This is nationally accredited certifying agency. The certification requires a rigorous educational and training process including a clinical internship that takes a minimum of 3-5 years to complete and a national board exam.

SO-----Why would anyone oppose this bill? The argument against this bill is from OBs and Nurses. Their professional organizations work actively to make home birth illegal and say that it is unsafe. However, it has been proven time and time again that Home birth with a CPM is safe. CPMs only work with the lowest risk clients. The pregnancies are evaluated regularly and any client that is not low risk is made aware of her situation and advised to consult with an OB.

What can you do to help? 

Email the Senators on the Public Health and Welfare committee - ask them to schedule a hearing for the Midwife Safety Act - HB207.

hbryan@senate.ms.gov,
tburton@senate.ms.gov, 
bclarke@senate.ms.gov, 
bdearing@senate.ms.gov,
jfillingane@senate.ms.gov,
mflowers@senate.ms.gov,
hfrazier@senate.ms.gov,
bhewes@senate.ms.gov,
bhopson@senate.ms.gov,
jhorhn@senate.ms.gov,
chydesmith@senate.ms.gov,
gjackson@senate.ms.gov,
kjones@senate.ms.gov,
tking@senate.ms.gov,
cmcdaniel@senate.ms.gov,
nmettetal@senate.ms.gov,
wsimmons@senate.ms.gov,
bturner@senate.ms.gov,
lyancey@senate.ms.gov

Don't just take my word for it...

Read more here, here, here and here

Questions? Opinions? Let's discuss!!!!

A Midwife and A Homebirth

After much praying and seeking the word, Paul and I have decided to have a homebirth with a midwife.

What is a midwife?

the modern midwife is a health professional who provides holistic care to the childbearing woman and newborn. She respects a wide range of women's needs, including personal and cultural values. Focusing on the natural processes of pregnancy, labor, and birth, she combines traditional skills and modern medical techniques to safeguard normal childbirth. The midwfe maintain associations with physicians and other health care providers to ensure that mother and child have the best knowledge and technology available.

Midwifery is based on a strong belief in partnership with childbearing women and respect for birth as a normal life event. Midwives strive to empower parents with knowledge and support their right to create the birth experience which is best for them. Midwives respect intimacy, privacy, and family integrity, and draw on their own patience and understanding to provide care during pregnancy and birth.

Why were choosing a homebirth:

Matthew 9:12
But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.

Midwives consider birth a natural event in women's lives. Midwifery is based on the belief that childbirth is natural, healthy process and that most women are fully capable of giving birth. Midwives see pregnancy as part of the full spectrum of life's experiences, and they believe women have the right to a fulfilling, as well as a safe, childbirth experience.

Midwives improve the outcome of labor and birth.

National research shows that midwives achieve the same outcomes as physicians without disrupting the natural birth process as often. Research also shows that midwives have reduced cesarean section rates by more than 50% with no compromise in safety. In fact, care from midwives has significantly lower rates of induced labor, episiotomies, and forcep births. Midwives are most actively involved in a woman's preparation forchildbirth. That kind of support reduces the length of labor, avoids unnecessary interventions and improves birth outcomes. Midwifery care is proven to be safe!


I like the idea of being at home and I definitely feel comfortable here. On Monday we had our first visit with the midwife, who met us in our home. She weighed me, measured me, did a basic physical, took blood pressure, took blood to check my iron (which was a little low, at 11.5), and check all kinds of different levels like glucose and protein (there were about 6 more) from a urine sample. My protein and iron was her true concerns being that I haven't eaten meat in 2 years and my protein level was well below normal. As a holistic midwife, she went over my record of my food chart and told me to eat more of certain foods and less of others. ( i have to write down EVERYTHING I eat and drink) she then gave me another chart to be writing down my food and drink for this month that she will check on June 4th at our next appointment. We also heard that precious heart beat for the first time...167 bpm!!! That was truly an awesome experience. At the June appt., I will record it so you guys can hear that precious sound as well.

We are truly blessed to have this opportunity.

DISCLAIMER: I, in no way feel that because we want to birth this way, that you should too. I fully respect the hospital and the doctors that serve there, and fully intend to use these services if need be. If you have had hospital births, I fully respect that...especially the ones I've been to :) This is just what we see for US to do.