About This Blog....

This blog was created for the benefit of all women in Southern Illinois who recognize their right to choose what type of childbirth they want to have. Our choices are being limited more and more by the hospitals and doctors in this area and as a result we are being told how to deliver our precious children. We sincerely hope that you find some helpful information here. Please feel free to post comments and submit information to assist in our efforts to restore our rights and choices for safe and natural childbirth methods.

Monday, August 24, 2009

A TIME FOR JOY!!

A Time For Joy

What: A Time to Thank, Celebrate and Support Certified Nurse Midwife, Joy Wayman of Murpysboro, for her many years of service to the women of southern Illinois after her untimely firing by Shawnee Womens Family Health and Medicine of Carbondale.

Where: Unitarian Church, Carbondale Illinois (105 N Parrish Ln, Carbondale, IL)

When: Saturday August 29, 2009

Time: 2-4pm with Thank You, Picture and Cake Ceremony at 3pm

*If you had a Baby with Joy be sure to be there at 3pm as we hope to take a picture with as many children she delivered!*

Please come and sign petitions asking for more Childbirth Options in Southern Illinois that will be presented to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, since Joy was the Last practicing Nurse Midwives at Memorial. There will also have informoration as to the services that Doctors with privileges at Memorial are offering. So that women can try to a Health Care Provider that would best fit with her Birth Plans since Joy is no Longer an option. We hope to have enough signitures that we could convince a Doctor to take Joy into their practice.

For more information please contact us at Supportforjoy@gmail.com or look us up on Facebook under Support for Joy or our Blog at Childbirth Options of Southern Illinois http://sichildbirth.blogspot.com

Thursday, June 25, 2009

PLEASE don't Forget about our Meeting tonight (June 25th) at the Carbondael Co-op at 7pm! WE need all of you there...Please come!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to express my support for Ms. Wayman. I am a native of Southern Illinois, but I currently live in Connecticut. I have never been pregnant, but my mother was grateful to have many birthing options when she was pregnant. She birthed her first child in a hospital at age 16 where she was forced to undergo a spinal (due to her young age, not her medical condition), given medication to dry up her milk, and dissuaded from breastfeeding by her doctor and attending nurses. By the time I was born, she was determined to have more control over the birthing process, but new nothing about midwifery, and so opted to birth me at a hospital in Evansville, where her preferences for natural childbirth and breastfeeding were respected. My younger siblings were both born at home with a local doctor (and half of our family) in attendance. Because of my mother´s steady efforts at self-education about birthing practices and options in Southern Illinois, and her first-hand experience with both medical and natural childbirths, my siblings and I grew up with a better than average understanding of how the medical profession often limits women´s birth choices and persuades them to undergo unnecessary medical interventions. It wasn´t until I was older of the valuable role that midwives play in their respective communities and how hostile the medical community (and the community at large) can be towards them. I was made aware of Ms. Wayman´s predicament because my younger sister, Maggie Dorsey, delivered both of her children with Joy Wayman´s assistance, and though my sister normally shies away from political activism or contraversy of any kind, she is going out of her way now to voice her support of Ms. Wayman and spread the word in her behalf. In addition, I have many other close friends and relatives who have had midwife-assisted, natural births -- some of them at home -- and their experiences have all been positive. Not so for my friends who have gone the medical route! I am convinced that midwife-assisted childbirth is a vital service to the women of Southern Illinois, without which the community will suffer a tremendous loss. Please let me know what I can do to help Ms. Wayman get her privileges back!

Sincerely,
-- 
Katy Balma

FIRED!!!

Joy Wayman of Murphysboro, Certified Nurse 

Midwife, Has Been FIRED!

Women of Southern Illinois OUR Options are now one less and at a Great Cost!

Upset, Confused as to Why or How this could happen?

Come add YOUR Voice on Tuesday June 9th @ 7pm at the Neighborhood Co-op in Carbondale or on our Blog at http://sichildbirth.blogspot.com

For more Information contact us at

Supportforjoy@gmail.com



Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Testimonials

Please submit a testimonial about your birthing experience in the comments section of this post. Here are some examples of what we're looking for:

-Positive natural childbirth experiences
-Negative experiences with regards to medical interventions in childbirth
-Experiences relating to positive or negative issues with hospital policies or procedures
-Experiences specific to Shawnee Women's Health
-IF YOU'VE NEVER GIVEN BIRTH: tell us what you would look for in a practitioner, what options you would like to be available to you, what procedures you are comfortable with and what you're not comfortable with.
-IF YOU HAVE BIRTHED WITH JOY WAYMAN (OR ANY OTHER MIDWIFE): tell us about your experience and what you appreciated about the midwife model of care and why it's important to you
-Tell us about differences in your birthing experiences between natural and medicalized births
-Tell us anything about why you want your birthing options expanded in Southern Illinois

Monday, May 25, 2009

Meeting in honor of Joy Wayman


Joy Wayman of Murphysboro, our Certified Nurse-Midwife, had her Privileges revoked at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale by the doctors in her office after 17 years of loving care to the Women of this area!!

This means that NOW the Women of Southern Illinois have fewer options when seeking midwifery care and waterbirths.

Come meet with us For A SECOND TRY on May 26th at 7pm at the Neighborhood Co-op of Carbondale.
Please join us to show your support and appreciation for all Joy has done for the birthing families of Southern Illinois. We also want to brainstorm about finding a way to have her attending privileges reinstated.

Together WE can make a difference like SHE has.

For more information or if you would like to know how you could help,

please contact us at: SupportforJoy@gmail.com

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Information on Midwives

Below is information on Midwives as found on americanpregnancy.org:

The term midwife reflects a philosophy of care; one that is directed at the woman and her individual reproductive needs. A midwife usually offers a variety of options and seeks to eliminate or minimize unnecessary interventions.This philosophy of care is represented by the Midwives Model of Care:

The midwives model of care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes. The midwives model of care includes:

*Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
*Providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
*Minimizing technological interventions
*Identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention

What is a midwife?
A midwife is a health care professional that provides an array of health care services for women that may include medical histories and gynecological examinations, contraceptive counseling, prescriptions, and labor and delivery care. Providing care during labor, delivery, and after birth is a specialty of midwives that makes them unique experts.

What services do midwives provide?
The services of a midwife depend on the certification and licensing credentials obtained and the practice restrictions within each state. Because of the additional licensure in nursing, a nurse-midwife provides the most comprehensive array of health care services to women.

These services include: annual gynecological exams, family planning and preconception care, prenatal care, labor and delivery support, newborn care, and menopausal management. Midwives generally provide reproductive education directed at fertility, nutrition and exercise, contraception, pregnancy health, breastfeeding, and quality infant care. Midwives often serve as a quality economical option for birthing care. Find a local midwife.

What are the different types of midwives?
Midwives are qualified health care providers that go through comprehensive training and examinations for certification. Certification is offered by the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) and the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). The practice and credentials related to midwifery differ throughout the United States. Below is a description of each of the types of midwives:

Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM): an individual trained and licensed in both nursing and midwifery. Nurse-midwives possess at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education and are certified by the American College of Nurse Midwives.
Certified Professional Midwife (CPM): an individual trained in midwifery that meets practice standards of the North American Registry of Midwives.
Direct-Entry Midwife (DEM): an independent individual trained in midwifery through a variety of possibilities that include: self-study, apprenticeship, a midwifery school, or a college/university program.
Certified Midwife (CM): an individual trained and certified in midwifery. Certified midwives possess at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education and are certified by the American College of Nurse Midwives.
Lay Midwife: an individual who is not certified or licensed as a midwife, but they are trained informally through self-study or apprenticeship.

Where do midwives practice?
Midwives believe in facilitating a natural childbirth as much as possible. Accordingly, it is common to receive care from a midwife in a private and comfortable birthing center or in the comforts of your own home. Because of their professionalism and expertise, midwives are often part of a labor and delivery team associated with the local hospital. You may choose to use the services of a midwife whether you elect to give birth at home, a birthing center, or in a hospital.

What are the benefits of using a midwife?
One of the main reasons that women elect to use a midwife in their homes, at birthing centers or in hospitals is to experience the childbirth process as naturally as possible.

A focus on options is another benefit associated with electing midwifery care. Midwives often have payment plans, sliding fees, and accept most insurance plans, including Medicaid.

According to the doctoral research conducted by Peter Schlenzka, an election to use a nurse-midwife and natural delivery may result in the following benefits:

*Lower maternity care costs
*Reduced mortality and morbidity related to cesarean and other interventions
*Lower intervention rates
*Fewer recovery complications

Electing to use a nurse-midwife is appropriate for low risk pregnancies which make up 60 to 80% of all pregnancies. In Schlenzka’s review of over 800,000 births, he reports there are no advantages of an obstetric hospital approach as compared to a nurse-midwife setting inside or outside of the hospital.

What are the concerns related to using a midwife?
Low risk pregnancies make up 60 to 80% of all pregnancies, which means that between 20 to 40% of all other pregnancies could have potential complications. There are times when either the mother or the baby will require medical interventions that are outside the scope of services offered by a midwife. Midwives routinely consult with obstetricians, perinatologists, and other healthcare professionals and will refer women to the necessary medical professionals if complications arise.

If complications are anticipated, it is recommended that women elect a hospital setting where there is easier access to obstetricians, perinatologists, and other experts prepared to deal with a variety of complications related to either the mother or the newborn baby.