Awareness...

We had a fantastic time today celebrating Cesarean Awareness Month in Minnesota by watching the film, "Laboring Under an Illusion," eating cake, and reading Governor Pawlenty's proclamation. Here are a few pictures. Thanks to all who turned out!

Sarah Shannon reading Governor Pawlenty's proclamation declaring April 2010 Cesarean Awareness Month in Minnesota.

Delicious lemon creme filled VBAC Victory Cake!

ICAN Twin Cities Board Members (left to right): Heather Deatrick, Kara Wurden, Sarah Shannon, Chandra Fischer.

Save the Date: "Laboring Under an Illusion"

ICAN of the Twin Cities is proud to announce a film screening of "Laboring Under An Illusion: Mass Media Childbirth vs. The Real Thing" to celebrate April's Cesarean Awareness Month. Please save the date and time on your calendar!

Saturday, April 24th, 3:00pm
Washburn Library, Minneapolis

Donations will be accepted for admission. Refreshments will be served!

A brief description of the film:
"Breathe!  Push!  Hurry!  Give me drugs!  Oh no!  I love you!  I hate you!  Help!  Are we bonding yet? There are more pregnant women watching TV birth scenes than attending childbirth classes.  So when labor starts, they may be surprised by the real thing. A new documentary film, “Laboring Under An Illusion: Mass Media Childbirth vs.The Real Thing,” contrasts actual birth footage with the fictionalized commercial version.  In
over 100 video clips, anthropologist Vicki Elson explores media-generated myths about childbirth."

More information here.

Birth & Baby Expo TOMORROW!

Twin Cities Birth & Baby Expo
Tomorrow, 10:00am to 5:00pm
Midtown Global Market

Over 50 Exhibitors (see below)
Door prizes
Goodie bags
"Meet the doulas and midwives" event @ 11:00am

Resources, products, services for healthy birth & parenting!

Presented by: ICAN of the Twin Cities

Sponsored by: Blooma Yoga & Wellness, the Childbirth Collective, Family Times Inc., Health Foundations Family Health & Birth Center, Helping Hands Birth Services, Lake Pointe Chiropractic & Wellness, Morningstar Women's Health and Birth Center, Peapods Natural Toys & Baby Care


Exhibitors:

• 3 Bears Chiropractic & Wellness and Bodywork by Liv
• American College of Nurse Midwives, Chapter 11 Region
• Americare Chiropractic Wellness Center
  
• Awesome Nannies
• Bellies to Babies
• Bliss Yoga Studios/Veronica Jacobsen, CD(DONA), LCCB, CLC
• Blooma Yoga & Wellness
• Brelle Co. LLC/Child's Health Journal
• Chamindika Wanduragala (unique, artist-designed baby clothes)
  
• Child & Family Chiropractic Center
• Cindy Miller, Farmers Insurance
• Cultural Care Au Pair
• Diaper Free Baby
• Discovery Toys (Marlene Zoller)
  
• Do Good Diapers
• Earth Mother Midwife
• E. Dahl Photography
• EMERGE - MSP
  
• Everyday Miracles
  
• Family Tree Clinic
• Health Foundations Family Health & Birth Center
• Helping Hands Birth Services/Nickie's Naturals
• Hennepin County Medical Center, Nurse Midwife Service
• Intentional Environment
  
• International Cesaren Awareness Network of the Twin Cities
• It Works Marketing
• Joeys by Dar
  
• Lake Pointe Chiropractic & Wellness
• Mama Luna Doulas
  
• Minnesota Better Birth Coalition
• Minnesota Council of Certified Professional Midwives (MCCPM)
• Minnesota Families for Midwifery
• Minnesota International Center for Trad. Childbearing
• Morningstar Women's Health & Birth Center
• Optimal Health Zone
• Parenting Oasis
• Pregnancy & Postpartum Support of Minnesota
  
• Revolution Wellness Center
• Sally Kirwin, RN
• Soft Bums
• Spellbound Jungle Photography
  
• St. Croix Valley Doulas
• Swami Baby
  
• Sweet Pickles, LLC
  
• Ten Moons Rising
• The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth
• The Childbirth Collective
• Victoria Welch (henna, natural baby items)
• Vida Baby Boutique
  
• Wildtree Herbs
  
• Wonderment
• Young Living Essential Oils

Expo Exhibitors as of 9/17

We have the following confirmed exhibitors for the Expo on October 10th: Blooma Yoga & Wellness, Morningstar Women's Health & Birth Center, Helping Hands Birth Services/Nickie's Naturals, Lake Pointe Chiropractic & Wellness, Health Foundations Family Health & Birth Center, The Childbirth Collective,International Cesaren Awareness Network of the Twin Cities, Family Tree Clinic, The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth, Cultural Care Au Pair, Optimal Health Zone, Awesome Nannies, St. Croix Valley Doulas, Do Good Diapers, Child & Family Chiropractic Center, Cynthia Miller - Farmers Insurance, Brelle Co. LLC, Wonderment, MN Families for ...Midwifery, MN International Center for Trad. Childbearing,Ten Moons Rising, Parenting Oasis, Bellies to Babies, Swami Baby, Soft Bums, MN Better Birth Coalition. There's still room for you - email us for more information to exhibit: twincitiesbaby@gmail.com

Celebrate healthy birth & parenting!

The first-ever Twin Cities Birth & Baby Expo will take place on Saturday, October 10th from 10:00 to 5:00 at the Midtown Global Market (920 E. Lake St, Minneapolis).

What the Expo is all about:

This exciting event is presented by our ICAN chapter and sponsored by eight awesome Twin Cities organizations and businesses: Blooma, Childbirth Collective, Family Times, Inc., Health Foundations, Helping Hands Birth Services, Lake Pointe Chiropractic and Wellness, Morningstar Birth Center, and Peapods.

The purpose of the Expo is to showcase the phenomenal and diverse resources in our community that promote and celebrate healthy birth and parenting. Exhibitors will include doulas, midwives, childbirth educators, wellness service providers, natural products, support groups and more!

The event will also feature door prizes, goodie bags for the first 350 guests, and special times to "Meet the Doulas" and "Meet the Midwives."

What you can do:

* Attend and bring friends! It's FREE!
* Encourage a business or organization you love to exhibit at the Expo. Visit our website for info on exhibiting.
* Promote the Expo. Become a fan on Facebook. Contact us for fliers or postcards to distribute.
* Volunteer to help with spreading the word, setting up, or cleaning up. Email us to find out how to help

Twin Cities Birth & Baby Expo - October 10th

Only seven weeks to go until October 10th!

Twin Cities Birth & Baby Expo
Saturday, October 10th
10am-5pm
Midtown Global Market
Minneapolis, MN

The mission of the Twin Cities Birth and Baby Expo is to connect local families with empowering, multicultural resources and education that promote healthy birth and parenting and to celebrate the transformative experience of becoming parents.

The Expo will showcase local businesses and organizations that operate in line with this mission. We aim to connect parents and families in the Twin Cities with businesses and organizations that offer products or services promoting healthy birth and parenting from diverse perspectives.

Sponsors: We have collected an amazing line-up of sponsors for the Expo and our heartfelt thanks go out to them: Blooma, Childbirth Collective, Family Times magazine, Health Foundations, Helping Hands Birth Services, Lake Pointe Chiropractic and Wellness, Morningstar birth center, and Peapods.

Advertising: We will be offering reusable welcome bags with goodies and informational inserts to the first 350 visitors to the Expo. For $25, you can have your organization's or business' inserts included in the bags. If your organization or business would like to donate goodies forthe bags, let us know (e.g. product sample, promotional pen/magnet/waterbottle/etc). We will also be doing door prizes. If you would like to donate an item for the door prizes, please contact me.

Exhibiting: Prices for exhibitor tables are: $75 for a for-profit business, $50 for a non-profit. If you feel that the prices are out of reach for your organization, we encourage you to join up with someone else to share a table or contact us to discuss. The deadline for applications is September 25th.

Volunteering: We are also looking for volunteers to help out the evening before, during, and after the Expo. Email me if you think you might be available to help with set-up, clean-up, or during the Expo.

Cesarean Prevention Webinar

There is still time to register for ICAN's cesarean prevention
webinar!

http://ican-online.org/none/ican-birth-class-cesarean-prevention

ICAN Birth Class: Cesarean Prevention
NEW Online Webinar

Planning YOUR birth? Are you keeping your fingers crossed and hoping
for the best? Well, take charge and find out ways you can increase
your chances of having an easier and safer birth. First-timers and
experienced mothers both can benefit from this class.

This 2-hour online session will help you learn:

* Different kinds of care providers you can use, and the pros and cons of each
* How to empower yourself to make educated choices during your
pregnancy and during labor
* What factors contribute to your chances of having an unnecessary or
preventable cesarean
* What is the "downward spiral of intervention"
* Why avoiding an unnecessary cesarean is safest for you and your baby
* When cesareans are truly necessary

Tuesday, June 23rd - 10:00 pm EDT (7:00 pm PDT)

$20.00 fee benefits ICAN - click here to register:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/999201490

March for Better Birth: Ending VBAC Bans in MN!

The Minnesota Better Birth Coalition, of which ICAN-Twin Cities is a member, is promoting "better birth at lower cost for all women in Minnesota by organizing public support for legislation that will remove barriers to evidence-based, woman-and family-centered maternity care."

Please join us for a Day on the Hill on Monday, March 9th to celebrate better birth for Minnesota women and hope for an end to VBAC bans in Minnesota:


DAY ON THE HILL SCHEDULE
11:15am Meet at St. Joseph’s Hospital or Region’s Hospital
11:30am Depart for the Capitol
12:45pm Assemble on the Capitol Steps
1:00pm Rally in the Rotunda
2:00pm Talk With Your Legislators!

Maternity care costs are increasing while maternal and infant outcomes are
getting worse:
• Minnesota’s infant mortality rate, compared to worldwide figures,
surpasses our national standing but still ranks 32nd.
• Surgical births, which cost up to 3x more than vaginal births, are
performed at a rate of 26% and rising, with some metro area hospitals at
57%. Research suggests a cesarean rate of no more than 10-15%.
• Over 1/3 of Minnesota births are paid for with public dollars..
• Women, lacking appropriate information to make informed choices, are
experiencing unprecedented rates of postpartum depression.


THE PROBLEM?
Current practices are not governed by evidence-based care,
which provides the best care with the least harm.

Bring the whole family and join us in front of St. Joseph’s or Regions Hospital with signs sharing your message about how BIRTH MATTERS to you. Our two groups will meet and march up the Capitol steps together to let legislators know that Minnesota families deserve: better birth. lower cost.

ICAN Conference Scholarships!

Thanks to our fundraising efforts this past year, we are pleased to offer TWO $500 SCHOLARSHIPS for women from ICAN of the Twin Cities to help defray the costs of attending ICAN's 2009 International Birth Conference. The conference takes place April 24-26th in Atlanta, GA. More information on the conference can be found here.

Application deadline is January 25th. DON'T MISS OUT!

Scholarship Application

Well done!

Five years ago, a friend who visited me not long after my first son was born told me, "Well done, Sarah!" It meant a lot to me at the time, especially because I was struggling with the trauma and disappointment of my cesarean section. I now make a point of saying the same to all of the new mamas I know: Well done!

I've been thinking about all that has happened in 2008. Personally, it was a triumphant year for me, having given birth to my second son by HBAC (home birth after cesarean) on Memorial Day. As a chapter, we have also accomplished much to be proud of. Below is a review of our chapter's highlights this year. To all of us, I say, "Well done!"

• Launched a new website
  
• Hosted a sold-out screening (300+) of The Business of Being Born
• Formed a board of directors for our chapter
• Surveyed 100+ hospitals in Minnesota about their VBAC policies
  
• Co-sponsored a screening of Orgasmic Birth with other local birth organizations
• Held a booth at the St. Francis Baby Fair
• Hosted our First Annual ICAN Twin Cities Family Picnic at Minnehaha Park
  
• Started this blog
• Began sending monthly E-newsletters
• Held well-attended monthly support meetings
• Welcomed new members
• Honored mamas and babies who birthed in 2008

It's been a great year...and there's much more to come in 2009!

Comin' Up!

We've got some really good stuff coming up this fall. Please come when you can for support, encouragement, and to help other women have better births:

Thursday & Friday, September 25 & 26: Minnesota Screening of Orgasmic Birth and related events. Click the link for more info.

Monday, October 13: Monthly Support Meeting - Birth Stories from recent VBAC mamas*

Sunday, October 26th: VBAC Policy Calling Party, 2-4pm. Email for more info. - icantwincities@gmail.com

Monday, November 10: Monthly Support Meeting - Fetal Positioning & VBAC with Gail Tully, CPM of Spinning Babies *

Monday, December 8: Monthly Support Meeting - Pregnancy & Nutrition with Karen Bruce, doula and Bradley Instructor*


*All monthly support meetings take place from 6:30-8:30pm at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1720 E Minnehaha Parkway in Minneapolis.