Proprietary
Welcome to our October issue of Empower! Women as Leaders, with
inspirational quotes, midwifery related news tidbits, and more.

Visit our BRAND NEW Web Page with current and past issues of Women as
Leaders (in PDF files) at www.HarttWeb.com/WomenAsLeaders



About Midwifery


It was earlier this year that I discovered that several of my
ancestors were accused (and two hung) in Salem as witches (for more
info visit www.pearllakehist.com/witch). One of them is portrayed as
a midwife in some works. In some ways this year has been one of
serendipitous discoveries (like the witch connection) - many of those
have drawn me closer to midwifery. I wonder at times what it is that
makes our profession so unique - there seems to be an almost surreal
feeling to the experience.

This month I started teaching Sunday school with my good friend Greg.
He is an educator by trade and has been doing childrens' ministry for
years. As for me - I am more of a new age Episcopalian, drawing from
the Universe (and nature) my primary connection to my spirituality -
haven't been in a Sunday school class since grade school. We make a
great team in many ways - and the interaction has inspired me to
think more about the Biblical roots of midwifery - can they answer
some questions about the unique experience of our profession?

I first learned of the Biblical connection a few years back from a
poster at ACNM convention with a Bible quote on it: "The Midwives did
not as the King of Egypt commanded them to do, but saved the children
live." Cool poster - but what does it mean? It turns out that there
are two midwives, Shifra and Puah. The Israelites are being used as
slaves in Egypt. Despite the efforts to oppress them with heavy
manual labor, the people of Israel are increasing their number at an
astonishing rate. So the Pharaoh's plan to weaken the people is
backfiring; in fact, "the more they were oppressed, the more they
increased and spread out, so that the [Egyptians] came to dread the
Israelites" (Exodus 1: 12). In a desperate attempt to cut off this
astonishing capacity to multiply, Pharaoh approaches our two midwife
friends - who attend births of the Israelite women. The Pharaoh tells
them that all male babies must be killed. The midwives defy the order
(not the midwives!) and allow the children to live. When asked why
they have not followed the Pharaoh's orders, they explain that the
Israelite women give birth too rapidly - they are arriving after the
births - so they can't possibly obey the command. Because of this
they were rewarded (by God) with "houses" (And because the midwives
feared God He made for them houses). Some versions say, "gave them
families" instead of houses. Interestingly, Shiphrah and Puah's
descendants became families of priests and kings. WOW!

I see the connection with modern midwives being protectors of women's
health issues. I even see a connection with other mammals that
have "midwives" and how the primary role is to be sure the women
aren't bullied (by the males) during labor and birth - and to assist
with bonding/breastfeeding. What must have gone through the minds of
Shiphrah and Puah as they decided how to respond to the order? - and
they followed spiritual rather than political mandates. They knew - I
believe midwives have high intuition and can often read the spiritual
messages from the Universe/Higher Power. They were rewarded - or at
least their offspring were - with prominent families.

So, OK - then what happened in Salem to my great aunt, Rebecca Nurse?
She was a healer (perhaps a midwife) and tried hard to be a model of
Puritan values. How does her story fit the same spiritual laws as
Shiphrah and Puah's experience? Rebecca was rewarded with the hanging
tree and forever separated from her family.

Both were times when authority figures feared external cultures,
religions and beliefs enough to end lives. Both were times when the
focus was on seeing separateness from other humans - on judging
others harshly if they are "different" - rather than a focus on
connection with all humanity. (I also see a connection with our own
experience on 9/11.) So, perhaps that is the thread of commonality -
it is the Israelites who, perhaps, represent the "witches" (threats
to the values system) to the Egyptians. In order to put an end to the
threat, the midwives were ordered to murder the male babies. They
chose not to murder and Moses is saved. There were no
clear "midwives" (those who prevented the killings) in Salem - so the
hangings happened - at least for awhile. There were those who did see
the light from the earliest days of the witch-hunts and used their
political power to eventually stop the hangings - many were
Episcopalians, mind you.

To me, the bottom line message is that when we kill a person or a
people out of fear - or the need to control - we are acting in
opposition to the laws that rule the universe that say we are all
part of the same whole. What scares or threatens us about someone
external to our "ego" (or lower self) is usually something more about
our own dark side than theirs. When we are threatened - we humans
abuse, reject and murder. This works in opposition with the law that
we are all one Spirit; all people are have imperfections and all are
part of a perfect creation. In the Bible, the midwives respected this
law by not being threatened - either by the Israelites' ability to
propagate or by the Pharaoh. In Salem, witches (mostly women - some
healers - some men) were the threat that appeared to be propagating
out of control - they were x-communicated and hung on the command of
the Puritan church leaders.

The role of the midwife is present in either scenario - Strong enough
not to surrender our values even if it means taking a huge risk in
defying authority - Courageous enough to surrender to death without
confession in order to honor what we know in our soul is the truth. I
see the connection and I am proud to be a midwife.

VISIT OUR SITE AND DOWNLOAD A COPY OF OUR NEW FALL ISSUE of EMPOWER's
PRINTED QUARTERLY ISSUE at www.HarttWeb.com/empowerfall2002

Visit our latest Salem Witch article: Sarah Cloyce - A Spirit
Imprisoned at www.pearllakehist.com/witchsarah

Remember our quarterly issue is available FREE via snail-mail for
anyone without web access or to nursing/ midwifery programs (for
educational use)! Contact cathycnm@... for more information.

EMPOWER SEEKING ARTICLES: Empower is currently seeking articles on
midwifery, general women's health, and abuse prevention for our
upcoming print issues. We rely on contributions from our readers to
keep our subject matter fresh and current. We also need articles on
women who empower (reach out to help) other women and families. This
is a great way for women to get the recognition they deserve! Please
share your expertise and experiences with our readers. We cannot pay
for articles - but the real pay off comes in reaching out to others
and sharing our knowledge! Please contact cathycnm@... Thanks!


Quotes About Midwives

"Working quickly and efficiently, Mama Chia - midwife, healer,
kahuna - again checked Mitsu's vital signs and prepared to turn the
baby. This might be a difficult birthing, but God willing and with
the help of the island spirits, she would save the mother and,
together, they would bring a new life into the world." - Dan Millman
in Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior

"Medieval midwifery was a combination of common sense, herbal
knowledge, and superstition, passed from woman to woman through oral
presentation and apprenticeship" - The Midwife's Apprentice by Cushman

"For thousands of years labor and delivery had been in the hands of
female midwives. Hypocrites, the father of the scientific approach
to medicine, did have some teachings about the management of
childbirth and the midwives regarded him as 'he-grandmother'.
Midwives continued to be in charge, seeking the advise, not the help,
of the physicians in difficult cases." Birth Days by Wirvin


Please submit quotes with references to cathycnm@... for
possible future publication in our monthly "Women as Leaders"
feature. We value your contributions of quotes and short stories
which exemplify women as leaders - please send us your submissions!

Hugs! Positive Affirmations for Healing the Soul
Here is our Hug for October

"I sidestep others' negativity. My peace of mind lies in not
becoming defensive. I protect myself in negative situations."

(repeat the above affirmation to yourself silently several times and
feel the positive energy embrace you like a hug!)
Reference: The Woman's Book of Courage by Sue Patton Thoele


Women's Health and Midwifery Announcements

(Empower! does not necessarily endorse the products or services which
are publicized in this section):

Just for Fun: A Middle-Wife's Story

Betsy, a grammar-school teacher from Miami, remembers this Oscar-
worthy birth tableau from one of her students...

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids
myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own
second-grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few
sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and
experience a little public speaking. And it gives me a break and
some guaranteed entertainment.

Usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles,
model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I
never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want
to lug it to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very out-going
kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a
pillow stuffed under her sweater. She holds up a snapshot of an
infant.

"This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his
birthday. First, Mommy and Daddy made him as a symbol of their love,
and then Daddy put a seed in my mother's stomach, and Luke grew in
there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord."

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not
to laugh and wishing I had a video camera rolling. The kids are
watching her in amazement.

"Then, about two Saturdays ago, my mother starts going, 'Oh, oh,
oh!' "Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. "She walked
around the house for, like an hour, "Oh, oh, oh!' " Now the kid is
doing this hysterical duck-walk, holding her back and groaning.

"My father called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she
doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my
mother to lie down in bed like this." Erica lies down with her back
against the wall.

"And then, pop! My mother had this bag of water she kept in there in
case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the
bed, like psshhheew!" The kid has her legs spread and with her little
hands is miming water flowing way. It was too much!

"Then the middle wife starts going push, push, and breathe,
breathe.They start counting, but they never even got past ten. Then,
all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff
they said was from the play-center, so there must be a lot of stuff
inside there."

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her
seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, if it's
show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder - just in case another Erica
comes along.

Annual Montrose, Colorado Healthcare Mini-Grant

Abundance is what the gift for Montrose (e.g., Montrose Mini Grant)
is all about every year. Abundance that comes through giving back.
In our culture, we often focus on scarcity that says "there is only
so much so we need to conserve it." Scarcity leads to power and
control tactics. If there is only so much of something, then everyone
feels a need to get into a position of control in order to survive.
It is a fear-driven approach. . . (For more information and
application instructions visit
http://www.harttweb.com/montroseminigrant.html)

The Proactive Pregnancy: Defeating Cesarean Prenatally

May 9-11, 2003

Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort

St. Petersburg, Florida

The birth we desire is not an accident. It is the result of planning
and action to defeat cesarean birth before it grips us. This
conference will help mothers and all childbirth professionals lead
and not follow. Act instead of react. Offense before defense. Join us
in the beauty of the Florida Gulf as the International Cesarean
Awareness Network and keynote speakers Gail Sforza Krebs, author of
The Brewer Pregnancy Hotline, and Pauline Scott, author of Optimal
Foetal Postitioning, forge new trails in the prevention of cesarean
section. From the United States to New Zealand, from Ontario to
Florida, be ready to Take Action! Contact Birthdance@... for more
info.

Dear Friend of ICAN:

Physicians, hospitals, birth centers, insurance companies, and health
regulatory agencies are no longer allowing a woman the right to
choose a VBAC where and with whom she desires. Despite recent media
attention declaring VBAC unsafe, a truthful examination of the
research indicates that VBAC is still safe when spontaneous labor is
allowed to proceed without induction or augmentation. The website of
the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) contains
information regarding the safety of VBAC and may be visited at
www.ican-online.org.

Sponsored by the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN), a
petition is being signed now at www.petitionpetition.com to Support
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) as a safe method of childbirth
and require childbirth professionals, hospitals and birth centers to
allow VBAC. By signing this petition, you believe that VBAC should
continue to be allowed as a safe option in childbirth where and with
whom the mother chooses. To sign the petition, which will be sent to
the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, American
Hospital Association, Aetna, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Cigna, and
Kaiser Permanente, visit
http://www.petitionpetition.com/cgi/petition.cgi?id=4208 or to
www.ican-online.org and click on the petition link.

Please sign this petition now! Your support is vital to keep VBAC
safe and available! Please forward this email to any concerned
parent or childbirth professional. The petition is only available
for a short time, so please sign now by visiting
http://www.petitionpetition.com/cgi/petition.cgi?id=4208 or www.ican-
online.org. Thank you!

Sincerely,
International Cesarean Awareness Network, Inc.
1304 Kingsdale Avenue
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(310)542-6400
www.ican-online.org
info@...


Midwifery Today presents The Hague, Netherlands Conference,
Revitalizing
Midwifery

November 13-17, 2002

Come and explore the world-renowned Dutch Model of midwifery care!

This international conference is unique in that it will begin with a
two-day International Midwifery Education Conference. Teachers from
around the world will share their ideas, techniques and programs and
our emphasis will be on keeping the midwifery model in education.
These same educators will then teach in the next three days of our
regular conference.
This conference will focus on allowing midwives from around the world
to share what is best from their practices, countries and
experience. Our first payment deadline of May 22 has passed, but I
will extend the first deadline price until July 19. Please use Code
1906 on your registration form if you plan to attend in order to
receive the extended deadline price. You can find our full program
and registration form on our web site at
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/conferences/netherlands or email me
with your mailing address and we will mail you a program. Our hope is
that you will be filled with insights and information from midwives
around the world and be evitalized to serve women even better. Our
desire is to inform, not annoy. If you do not want to receive notice
of upcoming conferences, please advise me by emailing the original
email back to me so it shows who it was originally sent to. I
apologize for any inconvenience & thank you.

Warm Regards,
Karen Navarro
Conference Coordinator
Midwifery Today, Inc
http://www.midwiferytoday.com
Phone: 541-344-7438
800-743-0974
Fax: 541-344-1422

Guatemala Update

You are awesome and your work is wonderful. I really really enjoy the
personal sharing and spiritual focus.....beautiful !
Keep up all your good work.........we all (midwives, women) need this
so !

We continue to work here in Guatemala empowering traditional
midwives. Visit our web page when you have time. Midwives for
Midwives and Women's Health International (MFM) is designing a
healing workshop for burned out midwives or simply midwives who want
to work with the elements (earth air fire and water) and spend a week
with us in Antigua Guatemala next summer doing healing, personal
growth work as it relates to who we are as midwives. I will let you
know more as it develops.

Thanks for being who you are and for doing what you do
With respect
in sisterhood
Jenna Houston, CNM
Director of Midwives for Midwives & Women's Health International
www.midwivesformidwives.org


Baby Sleep Articles
Since you are a professional who works with parents of babies I would
like to offer you a set of 4 newsletters based on information from my
new book: The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby
Sleep Through the Night (Foreword by Dr. William Sears) I have
provided links and information below.

If you would like a set of these one-page reproducible articles,
please let me know. I will be happy to send you a set (free for a
limited time!). You may use these as handouts in your work, print
them in your newsletter, or use them on your website. Please let me
know if you would like Microsoft word text files by email, or
formatted "newsletter" style reproducible copies by post mail, and
include your address for these. The topics included in this set are:

Newborn Babies and Sleep
What is Preventing Your Baby from Sleeping Through the Night?
Regular Naps Improve Nighttime Sleep
Early Bedtime Means Better Baby Sleep

If you have any questions or feedback please feel free to email me.

Thank you!
Elizabeth Pantley

http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth



Postpartum Doula Workshops

Birth Works® , Inc. is pleased to announce our calendar of postpartum
doula
training workshops for 2002. The program, now in its second year,
provides
certification opportunities for women seeking professionalization of
postpartum doula care. Our program is based on research and on the
extensive experience of the founders and others involved who believe
in the
value of postpartum doula work.

November 18, 19, & 20 New York City Area/Bergen County, NJ


For more information about Birth Works® postpartum doula certification
program, including philosophy and certification requirements, please
see our
website at http://www.birthworks.org/ppdcert.html .

For more information about the workshops visit www.seventhmoon.net .


Babycatcher

I'm a California (Berkeley) CNM, and I've written BABY CATCHER:
Chronicles of a Modern Midwife, a memoir that Scribner is
publishing. It concerns 15 years of home births and hospital births,
a lawsuit and its fallout, etc.
The book can at last be ordered, and by mid April, it'll be in
bookstores everywhere. Rosie Magazine is printing an excerpt in their
May issue, and two book clubs (Literary Guild and Doubleday) have
chosen BABY CATCHER as an alternate
selection.
To read the first chapter, open the website www.babycatcher.net and
click on Excerpt. Then sign my Guestbook, if you like.
I'll soon begin a national book tour. Keep track of the scheduled
appearances under Latest News on my website. Please pass this
information on to everyone in your email address book. Marketing only
to midwives and their clients is like preaching to the choir; to have
an impact, my book must reach the mainstream reading audience, so
please help spread the word.
Thanks...
Keep catching those babies, in the name of midwifery!
Peggy Vincent, CNM
www.babycatcher.net

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
BABY CATCHER: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife, Peggy's memoir, can now
be pre-ordered, with availability estimated in early April. To buy
the book: http://www.babycatcher.net/buybook.html Support your local
bookstores!
'Midwives help people out.'


In Search of Intern

Suzanne Arms is ready to take her next intern and can handle two
interns at the same time, in case two friends want to come together.
The work is in Bayfield Colorado in the foothills of the western
slope of the Rocky Mountains in Native American land. Please look at
her website for more information about being an intern.
www.birthingthefuture.com

Nurse-Midwifery Service/Practice Directors New Web Site

The CNM Service Directors Network, is pleased to announce that we are
have moved and improved our web site. Visit us at
www.ServiceDirectorsNetwork.com and please update any links you may
have to SDN on your web site to our new
URL - thanks! Watch our site for updates on upcoming meeting plans
and elections. Also check out the link to the new ACNM on-line
store!

An Invitation to Visit Midwifeinfo.com

A great place for expectant parents to start learning about who
midwives are, why you might want to have a midwife care for you and
your baby. Find and post job opportunities and offers here.Search our
database for a midwife or practice site near you, or add your
information to the database. Search by city, credentials, practice
site, and more. Over 600 midwives in our database! Contact Nancy
Sullivan nancy@...


To submit your midwifery related announcement, email
cathycnm@... - We welcome you to use
this free publication to spread the word about your event and, of
course, we cannot not guarantee that all announcements will be
published. Please put the words "Women as Leaders" in the topic so
I will know you desire publication in our newsletter. Thanks!



Please support our Empower! advertisers and sponsors:

Meet our advertisers:

Midwifery Today - www.midwiferytoday.com - From The Heart and Science
of Homebirth to the Tricks of the Trade, Midwifery Today offers the
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The Pink Pages (Our Business Directory)


GREAT ONLINE SHOPPING FOR MIDWIVES! Visit the new ACNM shopping page
at www.midwife.org/shop for books, clothing and more.

The Midwifery Model of Care Brochure explains midwifery care beyond
the "bare bones" definition. The brochure allows space for
personalization. Send SASE for a fee copy. Citizens for Midwifery,
PO Box 82227, Athens, GA 30608-2227. See URL at www.cfmidwifery.org

Interested in learning more about pregnancy, childbirth and
breastfeeding? Check out Birth Partners.com on-line at URL
http://www.birthpartners.com Also, if you are a midwife, the price
now is a flat $25 per year to be listed on this newly expanded
midwife search web page.

Women of Wonder Now has a Newsletter!: Issues and Resources for
Women of All Ages and Stages. Our viewers call us the "A to Z" site
because of the varied topics we cover. We prefer "A to Y" ~ cause
the one thing we won't do is put you to sleep! No ZZZZZZZZZZZZZs
allowed. Check out this article on the history of midwifery and
more: We Deliver! History of Midwifery in US
www.womenofwonder.com/family.htm#midwife Jacque Carbone CEO of
YIOW. Web Design & Consulting. Email yiowd@... or visit our web
site at http://www.womenofwonder.com >*

LEARN ABOUT PREGNANCY AND BIRTH: Subscribe to the Online Birth
Center News, a free weekly birth activist newsletter! Topics include
midwifery, homebirth, breastfeeding, complications, natural health,
and herbs. Send "sub obcnews wom" to The Online Birth Center to
djz@... The Online Birth Center http://www.moonlily.com/obc/

LEARN HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SAFE AND HEALTHY. Donna Dolezal
Zelzer donna@... Subscribe to Nanny's Notes, a free weekly
email newsletter for people who love and care for children, birth
through 8 years old.Just send your email to nanny-join@...
with sub nannysig in the subject
http://www.moonlily.com/nanny/nannynote/

EMPOWER! - Our ads reach over 2,000 women and midwives via our
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"When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about
to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of
two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on, or
you will be taught how to fly." -- Barbara J. Winter