In My Mother's House

Hello, I am Sheila Simms Watson, the Miami Midwife. Traditional midwifery is my life's mission and passion. I honor childbirth as a rite of passage, a celebration of life! A friend planted the seed of midwifery... which was the seed of change in my life, in 1980. I was pregnant with my first child and my friend said, "Why don't you choose a midwife?" Midwife? I knew nothing about whom or what that was. So, my journey began! I got a book from the library and contacted the midwifery service at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City and on March 29, 1981, I had my first child with help of Midwives.

In 1983, the journey continued with a midwife attending the birth of my second child at home. She carefully and lovingly supported me on this journey of birth and midwifery. I became a childbirth educator, a birth assistant and eventually joined a midwifery study group. Midwives and Midwifery care made so much sense to me. It is such an ancient tradition. Women have been helping, supporting, teaching women since the beginning of time. I truly see pregnancy and birth as a fundamentally healthy process that is a normal, natural part of a woman's life. Midwifery became my mission and my passion in life.

In 1990, my journey led me to eventually move from the city to rural Virginia to apprentice with a midwife. The apprenticeship provided me with what I needed and wanted at that time, Traditional Midwifery training. My goal was to get my training and return to my community in New Jersey. However, I did not return to New Jersey. The opportunity presented itself for me to stay and start a midwifery practice in Virginia. I practiced as a Traditional Midwife in an independent homebirth practice in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia from 1991 to 1996.

In 1996, our family relocated to Northern California (for my husband to attend school). During that time I completed the process and attained my Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credentials and continued to do homebirths. In 1999, I relocated to the "midwife friendly" state of Florida and in 2001 completed the Midwifery program at Miami Dade College and received an Associate of Science degree in Midwifery and a license to practice midwifery.

In June 2001, I established Spirit of Life Traditional Midwifery, an independent homebirth practice. I am so honored to be a part of the wonderful tradition of midwifery supporting, caring for and being "with woman". Pregnancy and giving birth are some of the most magical and powerful times in a woman's life. It is a time of great transformation and change. I know that midwives make a difference. As a midwife, it is my mission and my desire to confidently continue to carry on this ancient time honored tradition far into the future. Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

On September 5th, 2010 at 7:00 pm, Bellymama Midwifery & Venus Rising, in collaboration with The Healthy Start Coalition, and the Power U Center for Social Change, will present Shakti Rising at the Little Haiti Community Center in Miami, Fl. I will be part of a panel discussion on racial disparity in infant mortality rates and how we as a community can reduce this following the performances. Add this date to your calendar. Ticket prices are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, kids under 12 free. More details below...

 

Shakti Rising features two pregnant dancers as it tells the story of pregnancy and childbirth through multi-ethnic dance forms, percussion, narration and ritual, with a focus on the emotional and spiritual aspects. Despite the universal nature of this experience, outcomes vary greatly by race, with black infants dying 3:1 to white.

 

In today’s fast-paced, quick fix society, pregnancy has become an annoyance, an illness to be treated, or a pathology fraught with danger at each new turn. Shakti Rising invites you on a different journey of pregnancy ~ one that will open your eyes through the power of movement.

 

Join us on this day as we remind ourselves, as well as our community, that pregnancy and birth are rites of passage, sacred miracles which involve great challenge and spiritual transformation, connecting us to a distant, primal part of ourselves and a sisterhood that is as old as time.

 

Following the performance, there will be a panel discussion to enlighten audiences on the racial disparities in infant mortality and how we, as a community, can help to close this gap.

 

Ticket prices are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, kids under 12 free. Advance tickets are available online at www.paypal.com – "send money" to corina@bellymamawidfery.com. Bring receipt to show.

 

For more information and tickets, please call 305-308-5900 or 305-308-5900 or email at corina@bellymamamidwifery.com Following the performance, there will be a panel discussion to enlighten audiences on the racial disparities in infant mortality and how we, as a community, can help to close this gap.

 

Panel Participants:

• Tamara Taitt: representing Healthy Start--discusses the organization, it's goals, services, history and role in decreasing mortality rates for black infants
• Sheila Simms-Watson: representing midwives--discusses the profession, philosophy, herstory, with focus on the legacy of black midwives, and how midwifery care improves outcomes,
• Margaret Hepson: representing BIHPI, discusses the initiative, what has been discovered in terms of what's causing more black infants to die, goals of the initiative, and what's being implemented now.
• Anjali Sardeshmukh: representing the Power U Center--discusses the organization, services offered, and how it is helping to improve outcomes in the black community.
• Dr. Spence/Dr. Muir/other OB: representing obstetricians or ACOG: discusses organization/profession, discussing issues in pregnancy/birth outcomes relating specifically to black community, ideas for improving outcomes

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Saturday, March 13, 2010

The Miami Herald

www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/13/1527325/how-to-avoid-a-c-section-in-south.html

BY CASEY WOODS cwoods@miamiherald.com

Learning that I was pregnant was joyful. Facing the prospect of giving birth in metropolitan Miami was not.

Here, where the Caesarean section rate is 51 percent, a mother has to be very aggressive -- or very lucky -- to give birth the old-fashioned way. I read books, took classes, switched doctors and queried state agencies in a quest for the serene, natural birth I'd always wanted.

It often felt like I was going to war with the entire medical establishment.

There is no question C-sections save lives. They are an important part of modern obstetrics. Yet the way they are casually meted out in Miami-Dade County is profoundly irresponsible. People talk about C-sections as if they are interchangeable with a natural birth. They aren't.

Mothers with C-sections face higher rates of future infertility and chronic pain. C-section babies have more difficulty breast-feeding and are more likely to have asthma and other respiratory problems. The National Institutes of Health cited some of these risks at a conference this week on the rising rate of repeat C-sections.

Beyond the health ramifications, this overused procedure comes at a steep price. C-sections cost nearly twice as much as a normal birth. Maternity and newborn care rank at the top in costs for private and government insurers -- 29 percent of Medicaid hospital costs.

Gratuitous C-sections also exact a sacrifice that is much more difficult to measure: they deprive women of the experience of giving birth naturally. Of course, for mothers who had a C-section, their baby's health was more important than the birth method. Yet many wish their experience had unfolded differently -- not least because recovery time from a natural birth is much faster than a C-section.

At 37 percent, Florida has the second-highest C-section rate in the country, and Miami-Dade leads in that dubious distinction. Of the 10 Florida hospitals with the highest Caesarean rates, six are in Miami-Dade.

Doctors cite a complex blend of factors driving up the rate. More mothers are older, more are overweight and more are undergoing infertility treatments. Parents are easily spooked by what were once considered manageable complications and opt for C-sections. Medical recommendations have changed, and certain women -- such as those with breech babies or who had a previous Caesarean -- are told they shouldn't chance a normal birth.

There is also no monetary reward for a doctor who patiently waits out a long labor when insurers often pay more for a 45-minute C-section. And if something goes awry and a lawsuit is filed, a doctor who has performed a C-section can say he took every possible action to prevent harm -- a powerful motivator in this litigious environment.

``I've never heard of a doctor getting sued because he did perform a C-section,'' said Dr. Salih Yasin, vice-chairman of the obstetrics department at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. ``It's usually because he didn't.''

Doctors say they perform C-sections ``only when it's medically necessary.'' I discovered during my pregnancy that's a subjective designation. For some doctors, C-sections are ``medically necessary'' 20 percent of the time. For others, it is 70 percent.

What's ``medically necessary'' increasingly overlaps with what is convenient.

I started my pregnancy under the care of a three-doctor obstetric practice that came highly recommended. It quickly became clear, though, that our philosophies differed. They were dismissive of my desire for a natural, drug-free childbirth and occasionally sarcastic about my queries. Many of the pregnancy books suggest writing up a ``birth plan'' to let doctors know your expectations, but they weren't interested.

Finally, one of them told me, ``Look, we don't do birth plans. We are your birth plan. If you're not comfortable with that, you'd probably be better off with another doctor.''

I picked up my medical records on my way out.

In my search for new doctors I was dismayed at how little information is available. Neither state medical agencies nor the hospitals give out statistics on specific doctors' rates of C-sections. Expectant mothers are dependent on word-of-mouth.

Through a friend, I found wonderful doctors committed to natural childbirth. The catch: Their practice is so popular that I often sat three hours in the waiting room for monthly checkups.

My quest for a natural childbirth didn't stop with my doctors. I exercised to build up stamina and hired a doula, a female ``labor-coach'' -- factors that studies show lead to lower C-section rates.

I was fortunate that no complications arose that would have made a C-section unavoidable. Though my 17-hour labor was arduous, in the end my son was born without drugs or scalpels.

I just wish I hadn't had to fight so hard, but that's what happens when you live in a place where natural childbirth is seen as an aberration instead of what it is: The best medical outcome for women and their babies.

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The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) is proud to be a participant in the Best for Babes Foundation's release of a unique new breastfeeding ad in a special Pregnancy Wellness Report inserted in USA Today last month in the greater metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. According to USBC Board Chair Dr. Joan Younger Meek, "The Board of USBC was enthusiastic about supporting an ad in the mainstream media that would reach a large target audience with the message that mother's milk is a miracle.  We know that women need greater support in hospitals, in the workplace, and in their communities to be successful in providing their milk for their babies, overcoming obstacles to breastfeeding, and reaching their breastfeeding goals. This ad helps to spread that message."

According to the ad, the real miracle isn't the bra, but mothers, and their ability to make milk for their own and others' babies. USBC joins Best for Babes in urging ALL parents to get the right support to navigate the "Booby Traps"--the cultural and institutional barriers that keep mothers from making informed feeding decisions and carrying them out. "Most moms want to breastfeed, and don't realize how they are being undermined by the very institutions that should be helping them. Whether they breastfeed for two weeks, two months, two years, or not at all, they deserve to achieve their personal goals," says Best for Babes Co-Founder Bettina Forbes.  

The ad is the first of its kind that aims to raise awareness of the "WHO Code"--the World Health Organization's International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. It directs parents to hospitals, doctors, employers, and resources that are WHO Code compliant. "Most parents don't know that the WHO Code was created to protect a parent's right to make an informed feeding decision at one of the most vulnerable and precious times of their lives--the birth of a child, explains USBC member representative Marsha Walker, a leading expert on WHO Code compliance. "The aggressive marketing of artificial human milk substitutes has been shown to undermine breastfeeding intention and success, and parents should be careful about where they turn for breastfeeding support." The ad also acknowledges breastfeeding industry companies such as Evenflo, Numom Nutrition, 60 Second Parent, Pumpease, My Baby Experts, Earth Mama Angel Baby, My Milkies, and Be Nice that are WHO Code compliant and support Best for Babes' mission to beat the "Booby Traps" and change the cultural perception of breastfeeding.

The Best for Babes Foundation was established in 2007 to fight the barriers to breastfeeding, and to give breastfeeding a makeover by using mainstream marketing and branding. The Best for Babes ad series is eye-catching, fun, and positive--designed to cheer on, coach, and celebrate moms. "We want moms to have an awesome, empowering breastfeeding experience, " says Best for Babes Co-Founder Danielle Rigg. "All parents want what's best for their babies. They deserve support and resources, and those who can't breastfeed deserve access to the next best substitute: pasteurized, screened human milk from a registered donor milk bank."  

View the ad OR download the full Pregnancy Wellness Report.

United States Breastfeeding Committee
2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202/367-1132
Fax: 202/367-2132
E-mail: office@usbreastfeeding.org
Web: www.usbreastfeeding.org

The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) is an independent nonprofit coalition of 41 nationally influential professional, educational, and governmental organizations. Representing over half a million concerned professionals and the families they serve, USBC and its member organizations share a common mission to improve the Nation's health by working collaboratively to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. For more information about USBC, visitwww.usbreastfeeding.org.

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Greetings all

I am overjoyed with the victory we all accomplished....The Women's Center at Jackson South Community Hospital will remain open! The Miami-Dade County Commission is going to reconsider the decision as part of their overall budget discussion in September. Commissioner Seijas stated, "We will find the $2.5 million to balance the budget." The commissioner's understand that the health of the community and the value the OB services at JSCH is more valuable than money. The commissioner's were outraged that the Public Health Trust (which was appointed by the commission) would attempt to close maternity services at JSCH without consulting the community. 

Thank you to everyone who wrote a letter and/or signed the petition and those who came out last Thursday. Your voices were heard loud and clear. Please take a moment to write your commissioner a "thank-you" note. We will keep you updated on future updates and any needed action. 

Here is a link to an article in the South Florida News.........http://cbs4.com/local/jackson.south.hospital.2.1794604.html

Video on the story 

http://www.justnews.com/video/22848567/

Sheila

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One of our Facebook friends "Gabriela Zaviezo" shared this segment from an episode of the Oprah show with us. It was absolutely intriguing the promotion for the show read as follows...

"For millions of sleep-deprived mothers around the world, this woman's findings could be a miracle! Priscilla Dunstan, a mom from Australia with a special gift, says she's unlocked the secret language of babies.  That mysterious second language took on an astounding new meaning when Priscilla became a mother to her baby, Tom. "Because of my gift for sound, I was able to pick out certain patterns in his cries and then remember what those patterns were later on when he cried again," Priscilla says. "I realized that other babies were saying the same words."

Take a look at the video below, we are sure that you that you will have a lot to say about it, so make sure that you stop by the village "Forum Community-Help for New Mothers" and post your comments, observations and thoughts...

Watch Priscilla Dunstan at Oprah show in Entertainment  | 

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VBAC: a safe alternative to repeat cesarean

by Nicette Jukelevics, MA, ICCE

As recently as 1995, one out of four women with a prior cesarean had a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). But today, the VBAC rate has plummeted to less than one in ten. This is mainly as a result of several factors, including highly-publicized (and largely unfounded) fears about the supposed “dangers” of VBAC, resistance by malpractice insurers to cover VBAC and the high profitability of repeat cesareans. As the cesarean rate continues to climb year after year, it becomes increasingly important for women to have access to VBAC, and to more information about the benefits and risks of VBAC and repeat cesarean.

Low risk of uterine rupture

The single most controversial issue regarding VBAC is the possibility of a uterine rupture, the separation of the uterine scar from a prior cesarean during labor or birth. The risk is less than 1% for women with one prior low-segment horizontal uterine scar, and 60 to 75% of mothers who choose VBAC successfully avoid a repeat cesarean. In addition, the likelihood of having a safe VBAC actually increases with each subsequent labor and birth.

Repeat cesarean is not necessarily safer

While some argue that VBAC is unsafe, the truth is there is no evidence that routine repeat cesarean is any safer than a planned VBAC. To the contrary, there is plenty of evidence about the risks of repeat cesarean delivery, including:

• Higher risk of infection, adhesions, intestinal obstruction, chronic pain, ectopic pregnancy and placental problems compared to mothers who have a successful VBAC.
• Increased risk for hemorrhage severe enough to require a blood transfusion due to placental problems from accumulating cesareans.
• Higher likelihood of being re-hospitalized for complications related to the surgery.
• Decreased fertility and increased risk of miscarriage in future pregnancies.
  • Greater likelihood of difficulty with mother-infant attachment as well as establishing and continuing breastfeeding.
  • Elevated risk for prematurity and serious neonatal respiratory problems in baby.

What if the uterine scar gives way?

Even though the risk is very low, uterine rupture is a serious complication associated with VBAC and requires immediate medical attention. If the uterine scar gives way, a rapid cesarean is necessary. With a rapid cesarean, mothers and babies usually have favorable outcomes, although sometimes serious complications can arise.

For most women, having a VBAC is safer than having a repeat cesarean and it increases the safety of any future pregnancies and births for you and your baby. For a more complete comparison of the relative risks and benefits of VBAC and cesarean, visit www.childbirthconnection.org.

Ultimately, the choice is up to you, your partner and your care provider whether VBAC is right for your upcoming birth. Arm yourself with as much information as possible about the benefits and risks of VBAC to help you make an informed choice.

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Why are a growing number of American moms dying shortly after giving birth?

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