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Ina May in Durham, December 5, 2009

December 10, 2009

by Kate Katahdin

Wow what a Day!  It was so amazing to see the lecture hall filled to capacity and know that I'd had a big part of helping make the Day with Ina May on December 5th work here in  Durham. We can harness this enthusiasm to legalize CPM's in the state.

Ina May's lecture - Midwives: The Key to Reducing Infant Mortality in North Carolina and Safe Motherhood Across Ethnic Lines focused on Infant Mortality, as well as, the somber reality that mother's still die in this country as the result of childbirth in her Safe Motherhood Quilt Project.  30 other countries have better maternal mortality rates than the US.  Maternal death rates are greatly under reported.

I've enjoyed working with everyone.  It was nice to be able to see the project through from being one of the Ina May committee members that met back in early November to seeing the packed lecture hall and workshop rooms. Thanks to everyone for pitching in at the event.

Stay tuned for more things to do.  So when's our next event.  I hear Victoria Brown's got something up her sleeve.

 
 
Ina May Gaskin on "State of Things" with Frank Stacio

By Kate Katahdin, Ina May Event Registrar

December 3, 2009

In conjunction with the Ina May Gaskin's visit to Durham, Ina May will be on "The State of Things" with Frank Stacio on WUNC at 12 noon today, Thursday, Dec. 3rd.  She will be the first to be interviewed -- at 12pm sharp --, and her interview is just 12 minutes long, so if you tune in late you might miss it!

If you haven't registered yet for a Day with Ina May on Saturday, December 5th you can do so at NCFOM.org.  You can also contact me, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at (919) 598-9619 for more information.
 
Jennifer Block's Interview with Ina May Gaskin

I just saw Jennifer Block's November 10th, 2009 interview with Ina May Gaskin.

Her blog Ina May the mother of modern midwifery on the "Lost art" of breastfeeding is well worth a read.  Check it out at http://www.babble.com/Ina-May-Gaskin-lost-art-breastfeeding/index2.aspx

I met Jennifer Block in December 2008 in Raleigh, NC when she came to help raise funds for North Carolina Friends of Midwives and talk about writing  Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care (Da Capo 2007).

If you'd like to meet Ina May Gaskin and get a copy of her new book Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding,  she'll be at Duke University, White Lecture Hall - 1308 Campus Drive, East Campus for An Evening Lecture, December 5, 2009 at 7:00pm

Ina May will speak about:
* Reducing Infant Mortality Rates in North Carolina
* Safe Motherhood Across Ethnic Lines
* Safe Motherhood Quilt on Display
* Free CEUs Available

Registration is $20 at the door or $15 in advance. Funds benefit N.C. Midwives. Please consider an extra donation to support the legislative effort to license Certified Professional Midwives in North Carolina. See ncfom.org for more information.
 
Ina May Gaskin at Duke December 5th
Ina May Gaskin is coming to Duke University, East Campus, Durham, NC December 5th at 7pm. Copies of her new book, Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding will be available at the lecture. Come hear Ina May speak. North Carolina is now 50th in the nation on Infant Mortality.  Ina May will be sharing her wisdom about about breastfeeding and the role that midwives can play in reversing this trend. The event will be a Fundraiser for Certified Professional Midwives. Please see the text of our press release below. I'm the registrar, so feel free to contact me with any registration questions. Hope to see you there. To view my interactive blog visit http://www.breastfeeding.com/experts/blog/view/id_89/title_ina-may-gaskin-lecture/ Kate Katahdin, LMBT, CIMI.  See the events page on this site for more information and to register.
 
Ina May's coming to Durham, NC 12/5/09
I'm very excited that Ina May Gaskin is coming to Duke University, East Campus, Durham, NC December 5th at 7pm. Copies of her new book, Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding will be available at the lecture. Come hear Ina May speak. North Carolina is now 50th in the nation on Infant Mortality. Ina May will speak about: Reducing Infant Mortality Rates in North Carolina and Safe Motherhood Across Ethnic Lines.  3 panels from the Safe Motherhood Quilt will be on Display.The event will be a Fundraiser for Certified Professional Midwives. Please see the text of our press release below. I'm the registrar, so feel free to contact me with any registration questions. Hope to see you there. To view my interactive blog visit http://www.breastfeeding.com/experts/blog/view/id_89/title_ina-may-gaskin-lecture/ Kate Katahdin, LMBT, CIMI

The North Carolina Midwives Alliance and Duke University Women’s Center Present Renowned Midwife Ina May Gaskin -
Midwives: The Key to Reducing Infant Mortality in North Carolina and Safe Motherhood Across Ethnic Lines. The event will be held at White Hall, 1308 Campus Dr., East Campus, Duke University on Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 7:00 pm.

Advance tickets are available for $15 and may be purchased at www.ncfom.org
Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the day of the event and are $20. Ticket sales are final.

Ms. Gaskin is an internationally-known activist, speaker and author on pregnancy, childbirth, and maternal & infant mortality. A homebirth midwife for more than three decades, she has been called the “Mother of all Midwives,” and has been credited with the resurgence of midwifery in the US. Ms. Gaskin is the founder and director of The Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee; editor of The Birth Gazette; and author of Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, Spiritual Midwifery and Babies, Breastfeeding, and Bonding. She also developed the Gaskin Maneuver, a technique for resolving shoulder dystocia during
childbirth.

This event is open to the public and parking is free.

For information on the lecture, please contact Marnie Cooper Priest at (919) 740-7396 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it For registration information contact Kate Katahdin at (919) 598-9619 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Funds will go toward lobbying and working with the NC Legislature on a licensing bill for Certified Professional Midwives, national licensing of midwives, and the NC Midwives Alliance.

The North Carolina Midwifery Alliance (NCMA) seeks to promote unity, cooperation, and communication among midwives statewide. NCMA also strives to provide opportunities for information exchange, continuing education, peer review and support, while helping to ensure the highest quality of care for women and families seeking midwifery services.

The Duke University Women’s Center promotes the full participation and agency of women students at Duke through mentorship, leadership, and programming that addresses gender violence, equity and social justice.
 
Triangle Birth Network’s Mommy's Night Out

by Kate Katahdin, CIMI, LMBT

October 5, 2009

Triangle Birth Network’s Mommy's Night Out event was hosted at the Peace Tree Village on Friday, October 2nd at 7 pm .  Moms were pampered by Peace Tree Village Members with mini-wellness services.  The following Peace Tree Village members participated:  Tamara Cox / Karuna Acupuncture (Tai Massage);  Kate Katahdin / Birth Transforms (hot stones and baby massage);  Hart Matthews / Dynamis Homeopathic Healing;  Noel Stevens  / Relax and Reiki  & Christina Hagan /  Healthy Steps (essential oils).  Highlights included a presentation on "Nurturing the Mother" by Jessica Altemara,  minin-wellness treatments, food, wine, and music.

 
Bayer CropScience Health Fair 9/10/09

by Kate Katahdin

September 13, 2009

Thank you everyone who participated in the Bayer CropScience Health Fair in Research Triangle Park on Thursday, September 10, 2009.   A special thank you to Emily Bosak is also in order for getting us this invitation.  Their theme this year was “Grow Together toward a Healthy Lifestyle.”  Bayer CropScience has approximately 400 – 500 employees.  They indicated we were invited because of our strong presence in the birth and holistic communities. 

I was glad to be the Peace Tree Village Coordinator for this event.  Before we left we were already talking about next year at Bayer CropScience Health Fair.  We had a good showing.  There was lots of enthusiasm from Bayer CropScience employees and co-op members alike.  

When I went to lunch a woman saw my name tag and indicated that she was interested in becoming a pregnancy massage therapist like me and she pointed at one of her co-workers and proudly said, "I was her coach when she had her baby."  I told her about doulas and the process of becoming a doula and she kept her promise to come back to our booth after lunch.

At the end of the event after almost everyone had gone, one woman came up to me and said that she'd just found out from one of her co-workers that we had something to help with clearing.  I quickly called one of our energy workers and said, "It sounds like we have a sound healing emergency."  The person indicated they'd had a hard week etc. The healing sound of the crystal bowls could soon be heard and felt.  

Our eight tables were filled to capacity.  The following providers participated:  Emily Bosak / Baby Signs with Emily;  April Bosworth / Yoga for Kids;  Tamara Cox / Karuna Acupuncture ;  Cher Durham / Peace Tree Village / Mystical Womb; Joanne Estes / Shaklee; Donna Hedgepeth/ Keystone Chiropractic;  Kate Katahdin / Birth Transforms;  Hart Matthews / Dynamis Homeopathic Healing;  Noel Stevens  / Relax and Reiki;   &  Marcia Thuermer / Triangle Mothercare, Inc., Postpartum Doula Services.  We were also joined by Erin Henry of NC Friends of Midwives.  

Thank you everyone for helping to make this event a success.