Below is a forward from Midwife Katherine Bramhall about her
inspirational quest to raise one million dollars - one dollar, one
mother at a time - for the Yayasan Bumi Sehat birth center in Bali,
Indonesia.

I first read about Yayasan Bumi Sehat on the website of author
Elizabeth Gilbert (who wrote the amazing book "Eat, Love, Pray").

Midwife Robin Lim and many volunteers have created a safe haven for
pregnant and birthing women in a country where so many lost family &
friends in the tsunami, where maternal mortality is high and adequate
nutrition and resources are often lacking.

I hope you will join me in sending your donation - $1, $5, $100 or
any amount you can!

Please pass this message along to all the mothers you know and
together let's help make Katherine's BOLD dream a reality!

Cathleen

+++++++++++++

Yayasan Bumi Sehat
http://www.bumisehatbali.org

A Million Mothers
http://www.amillionmothers.com

Mail your donation to:
Katherine Bramhall
25 Colby Street
Barre, VT 05641 USA
___________________________________________________
My friends, my beloved, beloved friends,

Every day I receive a phone call from someone who has heard the news
on radio or television about a tragic happening and wonder what it is
that they can REALLY do to make a difference.  The powerlessness is
overwhelming for all of us when we are faced with the magnitude of
humanity's loss…in war, in natural and in manmade disaster.  In
profound, senseless illnesses.

My response to these phone calls varies and has always left me with
the question of what I can do to help people answer the call in their
heart to help and REALLY KNOW they have made the difference that will
answer that call in their heart.
___________________________________________________________
A month ago Robin Lim was emailing me all weekend, telling me about
the sudden increase in births at the clinic over the prior 2 months…
there are now about 80 births/month at the Bali clinic, up from 50
last September.  Between receiving babies that weekend she would
email me, telling me that they had just birthed a baby on the massage
table in the office, then again.  It's poignant and beautiful that
her messages contain love for each mother and baby she receives, even
when she's panicked that she is out of room at the clinic.  And way
over-capacity.

Her message was clear to me and it left me temporarily paralyzed:  we
are out of room at the clinic and we need the money for a new clinic
NOW.

***From Robin to Katherine:***

From: Ibu Robin
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 8:45 PM
To: katherine@...
Subject: Re: From Robin Lim

Dear Katherine...
This morning we have a mom laying-in in our office on a massage
table.  Two in each birth room. Two in doctor room, four in recovery -
--- that's 11 in less than 2 days... We are clearing out three of
four to go home early this morning... But it's wild... And I am in
constant stress that someone will get turned away... We had almost
all first time moms yesterday – that was 6 in 14 hours.

We rented Eka's house for the new Australian Volunteers International
midwife.... She has a one year posting starting in June and we get
another one right away to replace her.  We are working on that same
deal for Aceh.
     Aceh – just about a baby a day now.
     Land... Working on it.  some glitches but we know the perfect
place is already in  existence.

     I dropped my handphone in the birth tub again.
     I miss you so darn darn much... It's painful

love, robin

SO ROCKY-CHARLOTTE-KATHERINE...(Robin's nicknames for me)
with the numbers of births just skyrocketing... We will be in trouble
soon... As there are legal limits as to how many can fit sideways in
a room.  Today I am draining the mosquito pond so we can find a way
to build a temporary building in its place – extra birth room right
there – I want to do it cheap and clean... As we must move ahead with
every rupiah for the new, permanent clinic.  Pray for the right piece
of land.  The guy who is selling us the rights to the road land is
doubling the price.  We are looking elsewhere, knowing in our hearts
that the right place for Bumi exists in the heart of QuanYin and all
of Gods that we are.  It is just taking some time, and Sagitarius
that I am, I want to fly ahead straight.  Patience.  Keep spinning.

We have had some nice births. My cell phone went into the birth tub
one too many times - terminal.  I was bummed when Pastika forced me
to get on the motorbike and go with him to pick out a new phone.  But
it's pink and beautiful and I am actually able to use it.  I still
miss my old half broken one.  Go figure.

please help, Charlotte.
Love, Robin
__________________________________________________________
I spent that entire weekend looking into ways to raise a million
dollars for Yayasan Bumi Sehat.  At the same time I couldn't shake
all the voices of all the strangers and people in my heart who call
and who ache to make a difference with exactly what they have to
give.  I found out that it takes time, resources and knowledge that I
don't have any of, in order to get grants, apply to foundations and
talk to corporation-heads for contributions.  It all takes too much
and it is a "job" that doesn't feel true to me.

I headed up to bed knowing I had failed the women and families in
Bali…that I'm not a fundraiser, per se…that I had failed Robin.
__________________________________________________________
That was 11:45 pm on a Sunday night 4 weeks ago and I was ½ way up
the stairs to go to bed, having the words in my head—"I've failed"
when this thought was given to me from some divine source-- "I just
need one million mothers to give me a dollar!"

The voice came with such strength and certainty (and not from me)!

It stopped me in my tracks and I KNEW that was not only the answer to
Bumi Sehat, but also to all of us who want to know that we HAVE made
a difference, that we have answered our heart's longing for helping
others in a significant and very personal way.

It would be a way for all of us to connect and create a divine army
of caring and effectiveness which alone each of us, would never be
able to affect.
_________________________________________________________
I have spent the last four weeks setting up this new initiative and
want to introduce you to our new "baby"—

A Million Mothers  www.amillionmothers.com

The concept is simple, as the website says—if everyone who receives
this message donates one dollar, then passes it on to all the people
they know, who pass it on…

You get the picture.

To date I have received almost $900 in envelopes from all over the
country—in the name of their mothers, from mothers, in the name of
their sister-who-is-a-mother…all full of a dollar, or a few dollars
or a check.  Many anonymous dollar-donors.  From places like
Wisconsin and Nebraska.

I don't know anyone in Wisconsin and Nebraska.

Envelopes with little notes saying things that amount to:  "don't
quit."

I have a large stack of envelopes which came to my home full of love
and hope.  All with a dollar in them.

It is profound.  And heartwarming.

And I learned something I never REALLY knew before now---

Those of us who have committed to the Bali clinic REALLY make a
difference to the families in Bali.  To Robin.
_____________________________________________________
A few last things (for now):

MY IMMEDIATE GOAL IS TO CREATE SOME CHAOS WITH THIS—TO HAVE PEOPLE
SEND IN THEIR DOLLARS DURING THE WEEK OF JUNE 1, 2008.  ON THE
WEBSITE IS MY MAILING ADDRESS AND I'M HOPING TO RECEIVE 10,000
ENVELOPES IN THAT WEEK SO THAT MY POST OFFICE (THEY LOVE ME THERE) IS
INUNDATED WITH ENVELOPES OF HOPE.

THEN I CAN CALL THE MEDIA (THEY LOVE THAT KIND OF STUFF).  WE WILL
THEN BE ABLE TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE EVEN FASTER AND FURTHER.

I THEN HAVE VOLUNTEERS ALL LINED UP TO PROCESS THE ENVELOPES.

Every envelope is logged with the amount of donation.  Please see the
website for all the details to donate.  Then send this email along to
EVERYONE you know with a personal message from you, inviting them to
send in their envelopes.  You can also donate online.

Please.

  · I will be posting a YouTube video about our initiative in the next
couple of weeks…but for now a woman called and asked if she could do
a "my space" thing about A Million Mothers.  I don't really know what
My Space is, but here's the link and it's BEAUTIFULLY done:
http://www.myspace.com/amillionmothers
Please forward this to everyone you know with your own personal
note.  We all love and ache for personal.  Please keep this alive.

· I will be posting updates to myspace and to the website every week
so that the initiative can be tracked.

· My goal is to have raised this money by September 1, 2008 so I can
take it with me to Bali on the 18th.

I will be in close touch with updates in the next weeks.

Bless your golden hearts and thank you from the depths of mine.

Yours in true, true love,
Katherine Bramhall
Licensed Midwife
25 Colby Street
Barre, VT  05641
802-279-3158
Katherine@...
www.GentleLanding.com

BIRTHNETWORK NATIONAL OF GREATER HARTFORD HOSTS
A SPECIAL BENEFIT SCREENING OF

  "THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN"

Directed by Abby Epstein, Executive Produced by Ricki Lake

Tuesday February 12, 2008

Mandell Jewish Community Center
335 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT.

7:00 p.m.

$5 At the door

Please join us for a special grassroots screening of this
groundbreaking documentary.  Recently seen on "Today," "Good Morning
America," "Larry King Live," "The Ellen Show," and being talked
about across the nation, Ricki Lake, former talk show host and
actress, shares the experiences of the home birth of her second
child, as director Abby Epstein explores the world of maternity care
today.  Along the way, Epstein conducts interviews with a number of
obstetricians, experts and advocates about the history, culture and
economics of childbirth. The film's fundamental question: should
most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every
delivery be treated as a potential medical emergency?

A "must-see" for anyone thinking about having a baby, this film also
acts as an introduction for young women and men into advocating for
themselves for their health care, and shows positive images of
normal birth; something rarely seen on the big screen.

Call BirthNetwork National of Greater Hartford at (860) 233-8914
or email bnnhartford@... for more information.

---

To: BOLDBookClub@yahoogroups.com
CC: larissa@...
From: karenbold@...
Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 14:09:49 -0500
Subject: [BOLDBookClub] BOLD Book Club suspended

Dear BOLD Book Club members,

I'm writing you all to express how wonderful it has been to create a book club that reads BOLD books about childbirth and how sad it is to me that after a recent BOLD strategic planning meeting we have decided to suspend the book club.

Ironically, in the past month our number of BOLD book club members has grown considerably, BOLD's decision to suspend the BOLD club mostly comes from a place of wanting to take a breath in our third year and put energy into our thriving programs. Unfortunately the book club, while successful in number of members, has not had active participation this year in our teleconferences. So instead of devoting staff time to setting these conferences up and having only a few people call in we've decided to take some time to build the book club into a wider long strategy for BOLD and look for funding so the book club gets proper attention. We value your input and would love to hear from you about what you'd like to see happen in the book club. You can email any feedback to boldbookclub@gmail.com.

I started the book club because when I was interviewing mothers about their birth experiences for my play I couldn't believe how many of them had never heard of classic childbirth books. I interviewed educated mothers who were giving birth with midwives and had never heard of Ina May Gaskin! I thought why not create a place where people can get to know these books on an intimate level and speak to the authors.

I still believe in the BOLD Book Club's roots and that there is a need out there for us to exist. In the coming year BOLD will hopefully be able to put more energy into the book club so that it lives on for generations of mothers.

We'll keep this listserv active and please feel free to share with everyone BOLD childbirth books you come across. BOLD will also send you updates about us.

I hope you all can make it to a BOLD event in 2008. This year is gearing up to be quite spectacular with BOLD Performances and Talkbacks already scheduled in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Phoenix, New Jersey, Cinncinati, and Canada. There will even be a French-translated BOLD Performance and Talkback in Paris in May (their Labor Day is May 1st!).

And, since I'm plugging, a paperback edition of my play will be out for Mothers Day this year. (hint: it's a great present!) It includes notes at the end with my reflections on the play. It will be available on Amazon and the BOLD website will link you to how you can purchase it.

Keep being BOLD. It's the only way change happens.

Warmly,
Karen


--
Karen Brody
Artistic Director
BOLD
www.birthonlaborday.com
BEBOLD!

I recently saw this presentation and it is wonderful and full of
food for thought!
Michal
----------

Spread the word!  All are welcome!  Free!

LABORING UNDER AN ILLUSION:
PORTRAYAL OF CHILDBIRTH IN THE MASS MEDIA

Monday, February 11, 4:30 pm
        --- AND ---
Monday, February 11, 6:00 pm

Duke's Room, UMass Student Union
Amherst, Massachusetts

A one hour lecture/video presentation with Vicki Elson, MA, CCE Just
updated with nearly 100 video clips from movies and TV!

Fiction, reality, comedy, drama...

*Media motifs that empower and disempower women and men

*"Reality" shows that normalize medicalization and exoticize
natural birth

*The addition of gratuitous drama

*How imagery affects viewers, shapes cultural beliefs, and
influences medical decisions

*The importance of media literacy

*Suggestions for helping viewers become less vulnerable to
frightening imagery

*Examples of imagery that restore confidence in women's bodies

Vicki Elson, MA, CCE
(413) 369-4900 phone
(413) 369-4933 fax
vickielson@...

"Statistically, the probability of any one of us being here is so
small that you'd think the mere fact of existing would keep us all
in a contented dazzlement of surprise."

                                  --Lewis Thomas, The Lives Of A Cell

I cannot yet imagine a world without the voice and work of
Waterbirth International - we get calls and emails every day from
women who need help convincing one hospital or another to let them
labor or birth in water. If we die - a big part of the movement
dies. Waterbirth has shown us all that women know how to give birth
and babies know how to be born. Waterbirth gave us "hands-off", sit
back and let the baby out. I see waterbirth mentioned on Blogs every
single day, not to mention Baby Story on the TV. I took Waterbirth
International to ACOG two years in a row - and was the ONLY booth
showing birth films to obstetricians and especially to student
physicians. There were tears, laughter and outrage - just the thing
to stir up those young crop of doctors. I am finally realizing a
life's dream.
But now I am faced with letting this dream go. Perhaps I have done
enough. Perhaps it is time to quit.

About 18 years ago, maybe it was longer, when Mothering Magazine was
facing bankruptcy Peggy did a heartfelt plea asking their readers to
consider ordering a Life-time subscription. I think the
subscriptions were $1000 or $1200, I can't remember now. I do
remember that I couldn't imagine not reading my Mothering. So, I
bought two and gave one to my obstetrician's office.

How can you help us stay open to take the next phone call? - to
convince the next obstetrician to incorporate waterbirth into
his/her practice - to work with the nurse midwives to install pools
in their facilities? To educate an entire hospital on the benefits
of allowing women freedom of movement in the water. How much is it
worth to see waterbirth become the norm in the US, like it is in the
UK? I think we only need a few more years to make that happen. Do
women really want waterbirth to be an available choice in every
hospital? I think so.

Can you help us by getting the word out on blogs and lists? I had to
let go of all of the staff except one person to process orders.
Miraculously, we made payroll today, but we can't hang on much
longer. We need a miracle.

If I need to call every single waterbirth parent personally, I will.
I don't want 25 years of work to end over a measly $200,000.

The work that we have done the last few years has been phenomenal.
How God arranged for me to teach in hospitals and medical schools
around the planet - Taiwan, Venezuela, Turkey, Mexico, Canada,
Holland, Portugal, China, Trinidad, Croatia - I'll never figure that
out. I laugh out loud sometimes when I get up in front of an
audience of physicians in a medical school overseas - who all want
to hear about waterbirth and the incorporation of Gentle Birth
practices and principles into their routines.

Think about what you can do and call me if you want to chat or if
you have some great ideas on how we can quickly move into the black
and keep waterbirth alive and thriving.

We need your help. Barbara Harper needs your help. The
waterbirth/gentle birth movement needs your help.

Blessings,
Barbara
Barbara Harper, RN, CLD, CCE
Founder/Director
Waterbirth International
www.waterbirth.org
503-673-0026 -office (out of US or in Portland)
800-641-2229 - toll free
503-710-7975 - cell phone

We LOVE helping women get into Hot Water!!

And have been doing it for 24 years!!

I agree completely, Karen! I loved hearing Ina May's sentiment "Your body is
not a lemon" echoed in your play!

Three of the most important things I tell my students come directly from Ina
May:
1) that their bodies are not lemons
2) sphincter law
3) the jaw needs to be loose for the bottom to be loose.

I am a big proponent of the horse raspberries sound (like a horse blowing
out in that blubbering way they do). I have all my moms practice that, and I
found it very helpful when I gave birth in July!

I have read each of Ina May's books at least three times through and I can't
wait for our discussion!

Shay

--
Shaileen Pokress, Ed.M., HBCE, Doula
Peace on earth begins with birth!
_______________________________________
HypnoBirthing Classes in the Greater Boston Area
http://www.birthintuition.com
_______________________________________
Arlington, MA ~ sec5@... ~ 781-646-9199




> From: karen Brody <karenbold@...>
> Reply-To: "BOLDBookClub@yahoogroups.com" <BOLDBookClub@yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2007 10:51:31 -0500
> To: "BOLDBookClub@yahoogroups.com" <BOLDBookClub@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: Re: [BOLDBookClub] ina may
>
> I think so too! I am always shocked when I meet women giving birth with
> midwives that they have never even HEARD of Ina May.
>
> To me her Guide to Childbirth should be required reading for all pregnant
> women.
>
> Karen
>
> On Nov 17, 2007 9:34 AM, <EmpoweredBirth@...> wrote:
>
>>    I love her two books.  In fact, we recommend our clients read her Guide
>> to Childbirth.  It has so many wonderful and positive stories about birth.
>> You really can't find any other books out there that have the kind of
>> content that Ina May provides in hers.
>>
>>
>>
>> Lasi Leavy, CD, HCHI, CHt.
>> 610-451-0786
>> ALACE Birth Doula / Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis Instructor
>> Founder Mothering & More Birth Network
>> State Coordinator Operation Special Delivery, PA, NJ, DE
>> www.MotheringandMore.org <http://www.motheringandmore.org/>
>> www.MySpace.com/Hypnosis4Childbirth
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> See what's new at AOL.com <http://www.aol.com?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001170>and
>> Make
>> AOL Your Homepage<http://www.aol.com/mksplash.adp?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001169>
>> .
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Karen Brody
> founder/playwright
> www.birthonlaborday.com
> BEBOLD!

Hi Everyone!
This is very late! i just finished Pushed. I loved
this book...I am have been MIA since I've been in
midwifery school and I also started a new job as an L
and D nurse. Reading this book while working on the
labor floor was great. I resisted this line of work
since I've been a nurse, as some others mentioned, it
is really hard to see the injustice that goes on. I
just want to encourage those of you (including
Jillian!). We need more people who believe in birth on
these L and D units. Everyday I make a huge difference
in these women's birth experience, sometimes more than
if I was in an environment where everyone thought
birth is normal. It took a long time to get here
though, and I definitely couldn't do it forever.
Also, since I've read both of this month's books a few
times, I think I can participate w/ out falling behind
in school. And I would love, love, love to be in on
the call.
Hope everyone is well!
Rebecca
--- Elisabeth Christian
<parentingnaturally@...> wrote:

> Hello BOLD Book Club,
> How is everyone doing?  How far are we into the
> book?
> Let's get the discussion rolling!
> I will be posting soon with the details of this
> months teleconference
> with the author - Jennifer Block (last Sunday of the
> month in the
> evening)
> I would love to have higher attendance at this
> months discussion!
> (last month we had two people in addition to myself
> and the author)
>
> I hope that all is well and to see some discussion
> starting soon!
>
> In the BOLD Spirit,
> Elisabeth Chrisitian, CD(DONA)
> BOLD Global Coordinator
> BOLD Book Club Facilitator
>
> www.birthonlaborday.com
>
>
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Welcome to NOVEMBER BOLD Book Club Readers....
I cant believe its here already! For November and December we have
decided to provide you with a package deal.
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth & Spiritual Midwifery!
(both by Ina May Gaskin)
A very exciting duo to dive into!!!!!!!!!

I am working on scheduling a teleconference for mid-december! More
details to follow!

Thank you to all who joined us for the teleconference with Jennifer
Block last weekend! It was a great conversation! We had a larger
turn out as I had hoped. I hope the next is even better.


Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns
that you have! BOLDbookclub@...

BOLDly,
Elisabeth Christian
BOLD Global Coordinator
BOLD Book Club Facilitator

Hi,

I want to give you the information for the teleconference call for
Sunday evening at 8pm eastern.

Call 605-990-0200 and use access code #570006

Anyone else who thinks they might have time and would like to join us,
please do! Even if you haven't read the book, you can join in our
conversation.

Looking forward to chatting with you tomorrow evening!

Elisabeth Christian