Thursday, February 28, 2008

Motherhood- The Transformation

Here at Dar a Luz Network we are always reading about the experience of pregnancy, birth and motherhood as a way to gather information for our chapters as well as deepen our own maternal experiences. One book I am currently reading is Sheila Kitzinger's "Ourselves as Mothers- The Universal Experience of Motherhood". This book was published in 1992 and it is interesting just how universal the experience of birth and motherhood is cross culturally and across the landscape of time. I was struck instantly by the accuracy in which she writes about the shift that occurs for women during birth from statements in the introduction.
"To be a mother is to take on one of the most emotionally and intellectually demanding, exasperating, strenuous, anxiety-arousing, and deeply satisfying tasks that any human can undertake. It is a task that shapes and changes you so that you see yourself, and other people see you, in a different way. It also entails a commitment that, in one form or another, lasts for life." She goes on to write, so poignantly I might add, "When a women gives birth to her first child it can seem as if there has been an elaborate conspiracy to prevent her from realizing this, as if somehow society has cheated her by focusing on having a baby, rather than on her transformation into motherhood."

We as women often neglect the fact that two births take place upon the arrival of a baby, that of the child and that of it's mother. Our transition to this role should be celebrated and honored, but sadly, it is often forgotten, even by ourselves.

We believe this is why organizations such as Dar a Luz are so important. Our hope is to build a community for women where every aspect of pregnancy and birth has the opportunity to be acknowledged and the experience of motherhood is one of support and sisterhood, not isolation and disillusion.
Stop by a local meeting to see for yourself. No Dar a Luz Network in your area- contact us about starting a chapter and bringing the light to your community.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Gathering Information: ACOG Statement on Home Birth

One of the main purposes of Dar a Luz Network is to encourage and support women in gathering all of the information they can, and then filter it until they come up with their own decisions regarding their pregnancy and birth. The gathering of information can be both daunting and confusing. There is just so much information out there and some sources contradict each other. How do you wade through everything and make any sense of it at all?

First, you have to look at the source of the information. Is it a reputable source with referenced studies to back up their points, or is it someone with an agenda? Does this source have a vested interest in wanting you to believe what they are saying? Who funded the study that is being quoted? Are you seeing actual data, or data that has been pulled out of context to further a point?

Secondly, it is important to gather the broadest range of information you can and then weigh the sources against each other and also with your own experience and knowledge. If you only get information from one source, no matter how reputable or how much you like that source, you are still only getting one "take" on the subject, regardless of how objective that source tries to be.

With all of that said, we wanted to address the recent statement on home birth that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published. ACOG is the largest trade union for OB/GYNs in the United States and they have long had a negative stance on out-of-institution births. Their latest statement (which you can read at http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr02-06-08-2.cfm) is even more negative.

There have been many well-researched open letters and statements in response to ACOG's statement. You can read some of those here:
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Midwives Statement on Homebirth (these are the UK's equivalent to our ACOG and Association of Certified Nurse Midwives)
http://www.rcog.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=2023

International Cesarean Awareness Network's Statement
http://www.ican-online.org/advocacy/ican-responds

Childbirth Connection's Statement
http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10465

A humorous but well-researched statement
http://theeducationofgenevieve.blogspot.com/2008/02/parody-of-recent-acog-statement.html

We encourage you to read everything you can about this hot topic and make up your own very capable mind.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Moms Rising

2008 is an election year and with concerns about toy safety, breastfeeding rights and health care, moms have more reasons than ever to get to know the issues. A great place to get information about candidates and current news is MomsRising.org. They work hard to keep up with the latest information on everything that affects moms and what you can do to make your voice heard if you choose. You can also play MomsRising Candidate Bingo during political debates to see which candidates are talking about issues that are important to you. Become informed and have fun at the same time! Stop by and check out MomsRising and feel free to let us know what family issues are important to you this election season in our comments section.