Birth Survey at CIMS Forum

Results of The Birth Survey to be featured prominently at the 2010 CIMS Forum!

Plus... Don’t Miss Ricki Lake , Judy Norsigian, Rima Jolivet, Penny Simkin, and many more!

Where do we begin? We have a spectacular line-up planned for the 2010 Mother-Friendly Childbirth Forum and Annual Meeting, Feb. 26-27, in Austin , Texas . Start planning now to attend this important conference--learn more at www.motherfriendly.org.

CIMS proudly announces that acclaimed actress, filmmaker, family advocate and author Ricki Lake , along with 15 distinguished faculty, will address attendees at the 2010 Mother-Friendly Childbirth Forum and Annual Meeting. Lake, an integral figure in the birthing community since the 2007 debut of the documentary The Business of Being Born and subsequent projects that encourage childbearing women to become informed maternity care consumers, has traveled tirelessly around the United States to discuss the state of the birthing “industry” in an effort to demonstrate how all parents-to-be can benefit from taking a more active role in their birth experiences.

CIMS' [and CfM's] own Nasima Pfaffl will present an important session titled "Thank You for Listening to Me: Trends and Patterns in the Results of The Birth Survey." As you know, The Birth Survey has been collecting national data on women’s birth experiences for the last 18 months. This presentation will provide information on the patterns and trends in the data captured through The Birth Survey. Questions such as, how do different provider types compare; do women who had a c-section or an induction report feeling pressure to have these procedures; patterns of responses about midwifery care; and how women have reported they feel about the quality of the care they have received. Data will be presented that is not available via the public website!!

Online registration to open soon. Please visit www.motherfriendly.org for additional program details, travel/lodging information, and to sign-up for our electronic newsletter.

Hope to see you there!

New Faces for Old Friends

Several birth-related organizations have unveiled lovely new websites over the past several months or so.

We've been excited to see new looks for:

The Association of Labor Assistants & Childbirth Educators (ALACE)--this training program for childbirth educators and doulas has a fresh new site with bright colors and an attractive layout.

Childbirth & Postpartum Professionals Association (CAPPA)--launched their newly laid out site this month. This training program for childbirth educators, doulas, and lactation educators has a clean new design and a crisp, professional look.

International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN)--launched this month, the new ICAN site has clean, eye-catching appeal and is a helpful resource for both consumers and activists. There are a number of fact sheets available on the site.

International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA)--ICEA launched their attractive new site last year. ICEA has an extensive book catalog and this section of their site is easier to navigate than before.