Day 31: There's work to be done

First things first: There aren't many websites I spread around, but the one's I do, I only do because I use them often. I'm about to share a link here. The link I'm sure you will find helpful, but really the WHOLE site is worth checking out. I subscribe to their email list and I find it COMPLETELY useful. So:
http://www.learnvest.com/living-frugally/current-events/freeze-summer-for-later-765/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=lvdaily&utm_campaign=c=guide#top-block 

Click it, use it, like it, you got it.

Now, I'd like to mention something that I feel very personal about.
As most of you know, I'm going through a training course to become a certified Doula. In my training I am learning much. Some of which being the true differences and benefits from natural birth and breastfeeding versus other options. While I wholeheartedly agree that every woman has the right to make her own decision for her birth, I do not feel like most women are given the opportunity to KNOW what each choice means.
I know I didn't know. I just thought I had a choice and whatever I decided was related to how I wanted to experience my baby's birth and ONLY related to that. Not true. I won't get into the specifics, but I will get into the fact that I was GIVEN the opportunity to LEARN about not only the different options I had but also the different resources.
I was given this opportunity from month 4 to my 9th month of pregnancy. At the time, Bassett (or my midwife at least) was trialing a program called Centering Pregnancy (http://www.centeringhealthcare.org/pages/centering-model/pregnancy-overview.php).
Centering Pregnancy is a revolutionary way of getting and providing prenatal care. Instead of 15-20 minute visits with your Midwife or OB, you get two hour sessions. It's great! All the vitals are checked, BP, weight, baby's heartbeat, all that stuff, then everyone (pregnant women and partners) gathers in a sort of round table discussion about where they are that week, how they see their pregnancy going, birthing choices, postpartum depression, diet, exercise, neonatal care, mom's healing time, grandparents, aunts/uncles, siblings, birth control, emotions, relationships, diapering, the labor and birth process; pretty much EVERYTHING pregnancy, labor and new baby. By the time I had Mira, I had about 5 months worth of training and education on not only having her, but caring for her too.
It was invaluable. And amazing. I still hang out with some of the women from my group which allows us to continue our learning experiences through one another as well as giving us other parents to talk to about our struggles with our child (or children).
Now that I've explained what Centering Pregnancy is, and what it meant for me... Well, I have bad news. For some reason Bassett turned down an over $40k grant and discontinued the program.
I am devastated.
This program was amazing for me, my daughter, my partner and I know the other couples felt the same way.
I don't know why Bassett terminated the group. I could speculate that they felt like they had given the midwives too much leeway (they used to have about as much pull as an OB). I could speculate that they need revenue after building the new unit, so they are taking measures to increase the epidural and c-section rate (both have gone UP since Centering was terminated - oh, and Bassett went for more of a medical model for labor and delivery than the previous birth center protocol). I could even speculate that they just really don't care about the education of pregnant women and their partners.
I don't know why they terminated the program. I do know that the Centering Pregnancy program is making some amazing growth across the country due to the fact that women who go through it have healthier, fuller term babies,  their labor experience is generally better (more women feel better about their experience, there are less c-sections and epidurals), there is also an increase in breastfeeding which is beneficial to both mom and baby.
SO, all this to tell you all that I am making a commitment to my community and the community surrounding mine. I want to create a program for pregnant women which offers these same benefits. I will offer educational materials, I will offer my expert opinions and advice, and I will provide group settings in which women and their partners can discuss what this information means to them.
I just need to finish my certification program.
There is work to be done.