What we're doing today

Zari, Dio, and Inga are drawing pictures in the library. Right now they're talking about "balloon fish" (puffer fish?).

I'm putting our finances together in preparation for being overseas.

Ivy is sitting on the couch next to me eating a Granny Smith apple. Now she just spit out her apple pieces because nursing is way better than apples.

And Eric is doing the most fun thing: house painting. Our friend lent us his lift so we can paint the 3rd story gables.

Upon hearing the diesel engine start up, Inga ran outside, came back, and said: "We heared the thunder outside and we heared the thunder when we was in the library, when we drawed things."

What are you doing today?

Birth options in/near Rennes, France?

A blog reader is expecting her third baby in October and will be moving to Rennes, France.  She prefers an out-of-hospital birth and wants to know if that option even exists. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! This might include:

• recommended midwives/doctors
• birth centers (if they exist in that part of France) or good hospitals (public or private)
• traveling midwives who could come to her?

Thanks!!



~~~~~

I am an American moving to Rennes, France in August and having a baby in October. I am wanting to know my options for natural birth at birth centers and how to find them and midwives. Can you direct me to a website or contact? I've been disheartened by what I've read online.


We live in Fairbanks, Alaska and have an AWESOME birthcenter and midwives. I had my first child in the hospital and it was terrible -- every unnecessary intervention possible. Then at the birth center, they just helped me along naturally and our baby came out just fine. I'm worried that if I have this baby in the hospital, I won't trust the workers or myself and will end up saying "ok, well if you think we need to do that, then go ahead."

I'm just getting worried that after having been converted to natural out-of-hospital birth, I may have to be forced to go the hospital intervention route again. You are the first person who has responded to my concern about my options. Is it possible for you to ask your readers about options in Rennes? I'm kind of feeling desperate here.

Zari talks about cyberbullying

A conversation between me and Zari on the way home from school yesterday...

Mama, what is uploading?

Uploading is when you transfer information from your computer to the internet.

Oh. We talked about uploading and cyberbullying in school today. Do you know what that means?

Cyberbullying is when someone is mean to someone else on their computer.

Yeah, our teacher told a story about two girls who were best friends, and then they got mad at each other and they shared their passwords and they said mean things about each other. That's not right.

Did you know that sometimes adults are cyberbullies?

Really?

Yes. Did you know that there is a doctor who says mean things about me online?

Really? And she's an adult? And a doctor?

Yes.

That's not good.

She says mean things about me because she doesn't think anyone should have their babies at home. She says that mamas who have their babies at home do not love them and do not care about them.

But that's silly. You love your children!

I know.

What did you say to the doctor?

I told her she was a bully and that how she was acting wasn't right.

I'm glad that you spoke up. I think you should call the police to stop her.

No, it's the law that people can say anything they like, even if it's mean. I just choose not to pay attention to mean things that people say about me.

When I am a mama I want to have my babies at home.

Well, that will be your decision. Some women decide to have their babies at home, some decide to have them in a hospital.

Yeah, like when there's something wrong with you or the baby, then you go to a hospital.

Or sometimes women just want to be in a hospital. And that's okay.

Yes, whatever they choose is right.

I would never say mean things about a mama who wants to have her baby in a hospital. I would never say she's wrong or she doesn't care about her baby or that she's a bad mama.

Yes. If a mama had her baby in a hospital, I would say "That's great! That can be a good choice!"

Yes. I liked having my babies at home because I could have my family around me, and I could do whatever I wanted to, and nobody was bossing me around. And did you know that some mamas have their babies in a birth center?

What's a birth center?

It's a special place where you go just to have a baby, but it's not in a hospital.

Oh, that's nice.

Best Practice Guidelines: Transfer From Planned Home Birth To Hospital

I am excited to announce that the Collaboration Task Force of the Home Birth Consensus Summit drafted best practice guidelines for transferring from home or birth centers to hospital. The guidelines are free and open source, meaning you can adapt part or all to your local setting.

Having clear guidelines for both the transferring midwife/physician and for the receiving hospital staff will facilitate a respectful, seamless transfer of care. This is especially important when the mother/baby pair has transferred for an urgent or emergency situation.

The Collaboration Task Force explains how they created the guidelines:

To create the Best Practice Transfer Guidelines, the Collaboration Task Force researched existing standards for universal intrapartum transport, transfer, consultation, and collaboration guidelines for all professionals who are involved when a woman or baby is transferred to a hospital from a planned home birth, as well as the evidence on practices that lead to improved interprofessional coordination. The result is a set of guidelines designed to serve as a blueprint for all of the providers involved in a transfer, including the midwife transferring care and the receiving hospital.

The Best Practice Transfer Guidelines are open source and providers are welcome to use or adapt any part of the document as desired.

The Collaboration Task Force is accepting endorsements of the guidelines from organizations, institutions, health care providers, and other stakeholders. We are pleased to advise that the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA), and the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM) are early endorsers.

We are asking you to show your support of respectful, collaborative care for women and families who experience transfer from a planned home birth or birth center by endorsing the guidelines and encouraging the leadership of any maternity care organization that you are affiliated with to do so also.

To obtain the guidelines and provide your endorsement, please click visit www.homebirthsummit.org/best-practice-transfer-guidelines.