New Bill Opens Opportunities for Local Midwives and Nurses
Last month House Bill 2186 was signed into law with flying colors, passed by the House of Representatives on a 95-0 vote, and the Senate on a 49-0 vote. This new law will allow nurses for the first time to coordinate with and work at the direction of licensed midwives in our state. Rep. Barbara Bailey, who [...]
READ THE FULL ARTICLE
A Job Opportunity for Area Midwives
Denise Midstokke CPM, recently contacted Bloom to let us know of a job opening at her beautiful birth center in Sandpoint, ID. We don’t have a classified section on our website, perhaps this is something that we will develop in the future, but we still wanted to share this opportunity with our readers. Denise says: [...]
Protect Midwifery in Washington
I received the following email from the Midwives Association of Washington today and thought Bloom readers would also like to support the organization’s efforts to protect midwifery care in our state. Please read the following letter and follow the instructions to write your state legislators. They need to hear from those of us who have benefited from the care of midwives first hand! [...]
Hooray for Washington & Idaho
It wasn’t until recently that I realized how lucky we are to live here in the Inland Northwest. Did you know that Washington and Idaho are helping pave the way toward national regulation and licensure of midwives by legally authorizing Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) to practice in our states? Idaho passed this legislation just a few months ago in April of 2009. Visit the Idahoans for Midwives website to read about the journey to victory in that state. There are still 24 states in America where CPMs are not legally authorized to practice, including much of the Midwest and the South. Many of those states are currently working to change their laws, mostly through the efforts of grassroots advocacy groups. [...]
Today Show’s “Perils of Home Births”
On Friday morning The Today Show ran a very detailed story called “The Perils of Home Births.” As the title suggests, it questioned the safety of home birth and midwifery—even going so far as calling home birth “the equivalent of a spa treatment.” However, it does put the topic on a national stage for discussion. Part of me wants to jump in right now and respond, but I’d like your help first. Please tell me what you think! My plan is to go through your comments and write a blog post reflecting the thoughts of the birth community and our Bloom readers. [...]
