The Other Side of the Glass

The Other Side of the Glass - Buy the film

I am grateful for and overwhelmed (in a good way) with the response to the trailer and the requests to purchase the film.

The intro is short so that fathers and professional caregivers can get the overview of the information now. Fathers/Partners will be inspired about how to advocate for the mother and baby -- whether with a doctor or midwife, or at home or the hospital.

Thanks again for your support for the film. My heart soars with gratitude.


Janel Mirendah

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Midwifery in Missouri

My post on the Columbia Tribune page about Governor Blunt signing the legislation legalizing midwifery. He is getting a lot of positive responses from Missourians.

Amazing. Missouri could go from being last to being first; that is, last to legalize midwifery and first to de-legalize doctor’s/hospital’s/ACOG's misuse of power over and disproportionate responsibility for a woman's body and a baby's birth. From conception beyond, labor and birth are the ONLY period of time a woman is not legally, morally, personally, and socially held responsible for her life choices that impact her baby's emotional, psychological, and physical development and well-being. Why is labor and birth the domain of medicine to such a degree? The Show-Me state could be the first to do real tort-reform in obstetrics and take away the disproportionate power and responsibility for birth and outcomes FROM THE doctors and give the responsibility for birth and their bodies back to the birthing women -- where it belongs.

A small number of mothers and babies are saved by medical intervention, but far more are harmed by invasive, non-necessary procedures done only for the doctor's schedule, and malpractice avoidance. Mothers and their children have to live with the consequences -- when the primary, human relationship phenomenon of mother-infant attachment is so disrupted and abused.

Let MSMA and ACOG sue – and we, the people, will let them know what we want! Humane birth! It's time someone stood up on behalf of the women and babies of MO. I hope MO legislators and citizens will stand up and create legislation demanding that doctors work in healthy, respectful, evidence-based partnership with midwives and women and their partners - not just legalize midwifery, only to have women and babies brutalized when they do need to transport. Make midwifery a legal, moral, personal relationship partnership like in every other country where doctors care for high-risk women and midwives care for moderate to low-risk pregnant women. Don't let MO women and babies continue to be the chattel of the medicine profession. Obstetric tort reform will be too bad for hospital coffers and litigation lawyers, but good for babies and good for the economy.

Way to go, Loudon! Thanks, Blunt! Now, just go the distance. Get with it, Graham and Wilson. Babies (children), not doctors, are "our greatest resource." Remember?


And, a quote my daughter tacked on ...

“I have a story to tell, but are you willing to listen?”

- Mariah M. of the 21st Century

1 comment:

Mountaineer said...

This is awesome. I had DFS called on my by the doctor's office after I had my youngest at home by myself.

My husband and I are talking about having children together (my other children are from my first marriage). I want another homebirth. He has been insisting on a hospital. For me, having a midwife is a concession, for him a birthing suite is a concession. I'm working on him, though. I've been working on him, though, I think he's getting there.

Review of the film

Most of us were born surrounded by people who had no clue about how aware and feeling we were. This trailer triggers a lot of emotions for people if they have not considered the baby's needs and were not considered as a baby. Most of us born in the US were not. The final film will include detailed and profound information about the science-based, cutting-edge therapies for healing birth trauma.

The full film will have the interviews of a wider spectrum of professionals and fathers, and will include a third birth, at home, where the caregivers do a necessary intervention, suctioning, while being conscious of the baby.

The final version will feature OBs, RNs, CNMs, LM, CPM, Doulas, childbirth educators, pre and perinatal psychologists and trauma healing therapists, physiologists, neurologists, speech therapists and lots and lots of fathers -- will hopefully be done in early 2009.

The final version will include the science needed to advocated for delayed cord clamping, and the science that shows when a baby needs to be suctioned and addresses other interventions. Experts in conscious parenting will teach how to be present with a sentient newborn in a conscious, gentle way -- especially when administering life-saving techniques.

The goal is to keep the baby in the mother's arms so that the baby gets all of his or her placental blood and to avoid unnecessary, violating, and abusive touch and interactions. When we do that, whether at home or hospital, with doctor or midwife, the birth is safe for the father. The "trick" for birthing men and women is how to make it happen in the hospital.