Upcoming Events
Do you have an event that BirthGirlz should know about?
White Ribbon Alliance Global Dinner Party
Saturday March 20, 2010
7:30 pm
Nue Studio
3470 East Coast Avenue Suite 113
Miami, Florida 33137
Did you know that every MINUTE, a woman is lost to the
world.....dies.....while giving birth?
Do you know that as of 2007
statistics that the U.S. ranks 41st in the world in Maternal Mortality!?
It must be changed!
The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA) is an international
coalition to promote increased public awareness of the need to make
pregnancy and childbirth safe for all women and newborns. The white
ribbon is dedicated to the memory of all women who have died in
pregnancy and childbirth. WRA is asking people around the world to wear
white and hold a dinner party this month for the 100th year of
International Women's Day on March 8.
People across the world
are pledging to hold dinner parties/ gatherings to share information
about the issues and build support! From women's political leaders to
celebrities to engaged and informed women everywhere, we know bringing
women together in solidarity for an issue can bring about real change.
"Hope
has two beautiful daughters: their names are anger and courage. Anger
that things are the way they are. Courage to make them the way they
ought to be.” Come to our Miami dinner party and join millions of women
who are part of this global movement!
The event is a Potluck and
will include music by local artists. Bring foods or drink ---finger
foods and appetizers are best. A weekend at a Sofi Hotel on South Beach
will be raffled along with other items to benefit WRA, Florida Friends
of Midwives & Birthgirlz.
For more information, please call: 786.704.8328.
Birthgirlz support TPPC for a
Community Baby Shower!
April 18, 2010
Birthgirlz are supporting the activities of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Center and are in the process of planning two huge baby showers in late January and mid April 2010 for young women residing in the Brownsville community, which encompasses the 33142 and 33147 zip code areas of Miami, Florida. These events will be part of the National Office of Minority Health's "A Healthy Baby Begins With You" Campaign. We're expecting 75-100 women at each event! This geographic area encompasses a significant portion of northeastern Miami-Dade County, including the high-risk neighborhoods of Opa-Locka, Liberty City, Brownsville, Overtown, and Allapattah. These areas are predominantly African-American and have some of the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS and infant mortality, as well as inter-generational cycles of teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, public housing, and unemployment in Miami-Dade.
For more than 15 years, TPPC has been working with girls and women of childbearing age, providing information on available resources in the community, providing linkages to care and services, and providing prevention information on pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. TPPC is a community service center that provides an array of services that target young women who have “fallen through the cracks” of the traditional social and health service programs. TPPC's 'Closing the Gap' Maternal & Infant Mortality Project expands existing outreach activities within the Black community by promoting health education through the distribution of preconception educational materials; offering educational classes for women of childbearing age and increasing awareness about Black infant mortality through community based events and training programs.
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Center
4638 NW 27th Avenue
Miami, FL 33142
Staff Contact: Tamara Taitt, Program Coordinator
Phone: (305) 423.9622
Birthgirlz VBAC Summit 2011
Miami, Florida
February 2011
Details Coming Soon!
Luna Deniz Ekendiz, May 29, 2009.
Successful Homebirth VBAC
Cesarean sections are on the rise nationwide. Nowhere is this trend more evident than right here in South Florida, where there can be little denial that cesareans, both primary and repeat, are reaching epidemic proportions. In response to this health care crisis, BirthGirlz, South Florida ICAN, and Florida Friends of Midwives present the 2010 VBAC Summit.
Cesareans, by the Numbers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended an optimal cesarean rate of 5-10%, which is supported by findings that cesarean rates above 15% appear to cause more harm than good. However, in 2007, the national rate for births by cesarean section in the United States was 31.8%. With a 2.0% increase over the cesarean rate for 2006, this number marked the eleventh year in a row that the national cesarean rate increased. As a state, Florida’s cesarean rate of 38.2% in 2008 is well above both the WHO guidelines and the national average. Finally, in South Florida (comprised of Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties) the cesarean rate in 2008 was an astounding 46% -- which means that any mother in South Florida with low risk, singleton pregnancy has nearly a 50/50 chance of giving birth by cesarean section. Compounding the increasing rate of primary c-sections are actual, and de facto, bans on mothers attempting a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), which limit, and often completely eliminate, the opportunity for VBACs for no reason other than a prior cesarean.
The VBAC Summit
The 2010 VBAC Summit will look beyond the anecdotal reasons given to support VBAC bans and look at the evidence-based facts surrounding VBACs. Additionally, we will:
· discuss healing after a disappointing or traumatic birth experience
· examine the risks and benefits of a VBAC versus a repeat cesarean
· explore the impact of cesareans and VBACs from both the perspective of mother and baby
· address the legality of VBACs and mothers’ rights in regard maternity care and birth
Please join us for a full day of education, resources, and advocacy. We will welcome Nancy Wainer, author of the renowned book “Silent Knife: cesarean prevention and VBAC”; local physicians who will provide a balanced perspective on the impact of cesareans and the safety of VBACs; and other local advocates, organizers, and mothers.
Althabe, Fernando., and Jose Belizan, “Cesarean Section: the paradox”, The Lancet, v. 368, issue 9546 (2006). Hamilton, Brady, et al., “Births: Preliminary data for 2007”, National Vital Statistics Reports, v. 57, no. 12 (March 18, 2009). http://www.floridahealthfinder.gov/researchers/QuickStat/cesarean-buffer.shtml Florida Department of Health “Cesarean Rates 2000-2008”.
"Soap Box Derby" Community Forum for MamasJanuary Date and Location TBA
FREE, donations appreciated
For more information, call Kristin 305-342-5844
Every mother has a story. A powerful, overwhelming, joyous, disappointing, unexpected, inspiring, satisfying, transformational story! Come share yours.
Why a soap box? Because mothers need to be heard. We need a platform to share what makes us us. A forum to listen to each other. A place to step up and speak, but not so high that the village can't hear...
Why a derby? A derby is a race. We're running that marathon everyday, making dinner, making decisions, making people! We're running, but not against each other, for each other, together...
Come pass the baton. Get up on the soap box!
