Joint Calls to Action: Protecting Midwives to Sustain Care for Women and Birthing People, Newborns + their Families in Covid 19 Pandemic.

"International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) has connected with the majority of its 143 midwives’ associations in all regions of the world and accounts from the midwives working on the front lines during this pandemic are harrowing, unveiling an increase in gender discrimination, domestic violence, human rights abuses, the over-medicalization of birth and fear and misinformation, all culminating in growing distress among women and midwives. These findings are echoed by World Health Organization staff in country offices globally. 


As a result of our communication with midwives, ICM released a Joint Statement with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) calling for governments, decision makers, donors and health institutions to ensure the protection of midwives, women and newborns during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Sally Pairman is a New Zealander and arrived in the Netherlands in January 2017 to take up the role of CEO at International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). Before then, she had a long career spanning all aspects of midwifery – practice, education, regulation, professionalism and politics. Sally is passionate about midwives and midwifery and believes that strong midwives’ associations can lead changes in their countries to ensure strong midwifery professions and midwife-led continuity of care services for women and their families.

Bounmy Inthavong, is a current recipient of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Young Midwife Leader (YML) program and the acting Vice-President of theAssociation of Ontario Midwives (Ontario, Canada). Bounmy’s YML project complements the midwifery work that she has been passionate about in her country of heritage, Lao PDR. Bounmy founded the Lao Midwife Fund in 2017, and with the support of the YML program, is providing midwifery technical support to the Lao Association of Midwives (LAM) in collaboration with UNFPA-Laos. Bounmy hopes to integrate tools developed by ICM to enable LAM to have the capacity to be advocates for their midwifery profession and the communities they serve.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bounmy has been working in the front lines as a midwife by continuing her work to provide an individualized approach to care that ensures a safe and supportive environment that empowers clients and their families to make informed decisions. In addition, Bounmy has been outwardly spoken about how COVID and its response plans are significantly impacting marginalized and radicalized communities.

Link to the Call for Action

How to network with Sally and Bounmy:
@ Sally's Email
@ICM Twitter
@Bounmy's Email
You can find Bounmy onLinkedIn (Bounmy Inthavong)
@ICM Youtube
@ICM Facebook
@ICM Instagram

People, places and things mentioned on the podcast:

Helen Clark, 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand
UNFPA, United Nations Population Fund
Women's Business, The Story of the New Zealand College of Midwives
Karen Guilliland, the Activist
Laotion Refugee Camps (CNN article)
Enabling Environment for Midwives
Compassion Fatigue in Midwives (PPT)
Michel Odent
State of the World's Midwives, UNFPA
Birth Detroit
Black Women Arise
SHORE Centre
Mama Baby Fund
Midwifery Services Framework

In Part Two of this community based podcast, Carmen Parra Cano join the podcast to talk about their experience in the United Birthworkers of Color, AZ, a prototype envisioning resilient partnerships for the reproductive health of their communities.

Under the direction of The New School and Social Movements + Innovations, three Arizona-based organizations came together as part of a cohort of prototyping labs working on re-imagining sustainable leadership and organization while testing disruptive and creative ways to challenge white dominant culture.

"The Cihuapactli Collective, rooted in ancestral and Traditional Knowledge, is committed to inclusively empowering womxn and their families through culturally restorative education, food as medicine, prenatal care, birthing and postpartum support, as well as womb care throughout the life cycle. We support the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual self-determination of womxn through health education and exploration of opportunities."

How to network with the Cihuapactli Collective:
@Cihuapactli Collective e-mail
@Cihuapactli Facebook
@Cihuapactli Collective Instagram

People, places and things mentioned on the podcast:
Quinoa con leche (Quinoa with milk) recipe

In Part One of this community based podcast, Lakisa Muhammad and Michelle Ponce join the podcast to talk about their experience in the United Birthworkers of Color, AZ, a prototype envisioning resilient partnerships for the reproductive health of their communities.

Under the direction of The New School and Social Movements + Innovations, three Arizona-based organizations came together as part of a cohort of prototyping labs working on re-imagining sustainable leadership and organization while testing disruptive and creative ways to challenge white dominant culture. Lakisa and Michelle are the co-founders of Arizona Birthworkers of Color.

"Arizona Birthworkers of Color (AZBOC), founded in 2016, is a collective group of people of color who offer services that support families before, during, and after childbirth. We are also advocates, stakeholders, business owners, and leaders within the field of birthwork locally and nationally. The overreaching intention of AZBOC is to uplift , support, and create space for connection among Birthworkers of Color in Arizona."

Michelle Ivette Ponce is a multi-disciplinary artist, celebrant, and spiritual life coach. Her passion is in healing and building coalition while incorporating ancestral wisdom and clarity as we build our future collectively. Michelle is the owner of Sana Pueblo Healing.

Motivated by a passion to help pregnancy families experience safe and healthy births, Lakisa Muhammad serves as a community midwife. Using her knowledge and training, she works to address and debunk myths and misconceptions replacing them with facts and timeless traditions that lead to better decision making and better outcomes for birthing families at her practice, A Mother's Worth Birth Services.


How to network with the Arizona Birthworkers of Color:
@Arizona Birthworkers of Color email
@Arizona Birthworkers of Color Facebook
@Michelle's Twitter
@Michelle's Email
@Lakisa's practice, A Mother's Worth Birth Services
@Lakisa's Email
@A Mother's Worth FB

People, places and things mentioned on the podcast:
Homebirth Cesarean
Cihuapactli Collective
Amber Rose Isaac, death of a NY Mother
The Nap Ministry

About the Fund. The Birth Center Equity Fund was created to make birth center care an option for every person who wants it, by growing and sustaining birth centers led by Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). One hundred percent of funds raised go to BIPOC birth centers. Today it is estimated that there are about a dozen birth centers in the United States (less than 5% of all U.S. birth centers) that are led by people of color, and fewer than 20% of people who birth in birth centers are people of color. We believe every community should have access to the expertise of midwives and the sanctuary of a birth center for their care. The Birth Center Equity Fund was created to bridge the gap between people of color led birth centers and access to capital. We honor and acknowledge the rich and dynamic legacy of BIPOC birth activism and all that is actively happening in birth center and midwifery spaces right now. We hope to make a unique contribution by building coalition among BIPOC birth centers with the express goal of growing and leveraging financial resources for our collective growth and sustainability, and to build a maternal health infrastructure that transforms the culture of birth in our communities for generations to come. The Birth Center Equity Fund is proud to be in partnership with Resist, Movement Strategy Center, and Full Spectrum Capital Partners.

Nashira Baril  (she/her) a Black cis woman, is the daughter and great-granddaughter of midwives, who birthed both of her children at home and has experienced firsthand the transformative experience and liberation of midwifery support. She is the project director of Boston’s Neighborhood Birth Center, the city’s first freestanding birth center start up. With a master’s degree in Maternal and Child Health from Boston University School of Public Health and nearly 20 years’ experience designing and implementing public health strategies to advance racial equity, Nashira brings head and heart to the design and implementation of public health strategies that advance justice and equity. Nashira also works at Human Impact Partners doing capacity-building for health equity and racial justice and has a small consulting practice focused on training and organizational development for equity. Nashira is originally from Connecticut and resides in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston with her husband and two kids.

Leseliey Welch, is co-founder of Birth Detroit. She leads a team of birth workers, birth advocates and public health workers planning Detroit’s first freestanding birth center. She has over a decade of leadership experience in city, state and national health organizations. She served as interim executive director of Birthing Project USA and Deputy Director of Public Health for the City of Detroit, where she started SisterFriends Detroit. She provided concept development and community engagement consulting in the start-up of Corktown Health Center, Michigan’s first comprehensive LGBT health center. Leseliey is on faculty in Public Health at Wayne State University and lectures in Women’s Studies at University of Michigan. She is passionate about health equity as a daily practice, a tool for systems transformation, and a policy imperative. She earned her undergraduate degree in Women’s Studies, Masters in Public Health with a certificate in Women’s and Reproductive Health, and Masters in Business Administration from the University of Michigan. Leseliey resides in Ypsilanti, Michigan, with her partner and two kids.

Link to the Article in Rewire News


How to network with the Birth Center Equity Fund:
@Birth Equity Fund email
@Birth Equity website
@Twitter
@Leseliey's Email
@Nashira's Email
@Facebook

People, places and things mentioned on the podcast:
Movement Strategy Center
Full Spectrum Capital Partners
Resist
American College of Nurse Midwives - Diversification and Inclusion Committee
Emergence, Adrienne Maree Brown
Dr. Renee Canaday
Are You My Mother? PD Eastman/Dr. Suess
Jennie Joseph
Eugene Declercq
American Association of Birth Centers (AABC)

Indra has been on the front line of healthcare justice during the global Covid-19 pandemic, and joins us to discuss essential resources for birth workers and updates.

"National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) and Birth Rights Bar Association (BRBA) created this resource with the goal of affirming and advocating for the human rights of pregnant people in the United States, as well as to provide some concrete tools for pregnant people, doulas, partners, family members, and friends. This resource was inspired by our work with countless pregnant women, doulas, and other folks offering support to birthing people who had either experienced or witnessed violations during childbirth. Many folks have reached out to us for more information about their rights or the rights of their clients during childbirth, and we have heard resounding feedback from people calling for more advocacy tools both to identify these rights and promote their observance, as well as more accessible information about avenues to address harm after it has occurred."

Indra Wood Lusero, Esq., (Director, President) is a Staff Attorney with National Advocates for Pregnant Women, and Founder of Elephant Circle, a Colorado-based birth justice organization. Indra’s publications include “Challenging Hospital VBAC Bans Through Tort Liability” and “Making the Midwife Impossible: How the Structure of Maternity Care Harms the Practice of Home Birth Midwifery.” Indra went to law school after attending a MANA conference in 2005 where folks lamented not having a “hot shot team of lawyers” who could  help defend midwives. Indra has endeavored to develop just such a team.

Link to the Birth Justice publication
Link to the Elephant Circle Survey on Mistreatment
Opportunity for a Paradigm Shift in Maternity Care - Elephant Circle
Other Elephant Circle resources

How to network with Indra:
@FaceBook
@Birth Rights Bar Website
@Twitter
@Indra's Email
@Elephant Circle Website

People, places and things mentioned on the podcast:
Southern Birth Justice Network
National Black Midwives Alliance
National Association to Advance Black Birth
China Tolliver
Demetra Seriki
Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Cristen Pascucci - Birth Monopoly
Audrey Lorde - Uses of the Erotic
Kiara Bridges, Poverty of Privacy Rights
Childbirth Connections
White Ribbon Alliance