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Ibu Robin Lim & The Documentary Film-Guerrilla Midwife

My home smells of citronella essential oil – the smell is reminiscent of a local anti-mosquito oil I was given by Wayang, a friend whom I met while on vacation in Bali, Indonesia.  One inhale and I am sent back, one deep breath and my spirit is filled with the essence of all that is Bali.   It was explained to me that the land, the culture, and the people of Bali would always remain a part of me.  I never truly understood that sentiment until I left the island.

While on our five-week family vacation my husband and I jumped on a motor-bike (it was my first time) and made our way to Nyuh Kuning village to visit Yayasan Bumi Sehat.  I was overwhelmed and inspired by what we encountered.  Overwhelmed by the courageous goals of this non-profit organization: “to reduce the maternal and child morbidity rate and to support the health and wise development of communities.”  Inspired by the passion and commitment of all the individuals involved.  I had envisioned visiting the clinic, dropping off my donations, and leaving fulfilled.  Over two years later and halfway across the world I am still doing what I can to support Bumi Sehat.

I had been introduced to the film “Guerrilla Midwife” by one of the volunteers at the clinic that day and though I was enchanted by the title I never got around to watching it until a few nights ago.

I cried-alot…tears of utter sadness and tears of hope.  Tears of disbelief and tears of wonder. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since and have decided that I must share what I have seen.  I am hoping to put together a screening and fundraiser in our community to share this amazing documentary and what I have learned-I am also hoping to raise a few dollars to donate to the foundation.

The film is about midwife Ibu Robin Lim the founder of Yayasan Bumi Sehat-which by the way means Healthy Mother Earth foundation.  We are given a glimpse into the life and work of Ibu Robin as she attends births in Bali where the center was first established.  We then journey to Aceh, Indonesia where Ibu Robin and her team offer aid after the 2004 Tsunami devastated the area.  We also learn about the foundations latest efforts in Haiti.  Did I mention the director is the daughter of the Guerrilla Midwife?

What was so insanely powerful about this film and the work of Robin Lim is the bigger picture.  It is not just about the people of Indonesia, it is not just about disaster relief-it is about birth, its about women, it is about our children, it is about our mother earth and it is about a connection. 

Ibu Robin Lim’s message that gentle births can heal mother earth is so beyond a fancy slogan.  It is a message that is profound and significant.  One need not read the research though its there if you want it-Google Michel Odent’s work, look up Marshall & Phyllis Klaus to name a few.  This declaration is something we mothers know deep down to our core. 

I would like to leave you with an excerpt from the film’s synopsis-a message that I am confident will remain with you as you continue on your day-a message that I hope will inspire you to click on the links below to learn more, donate, and/or get involved.

“In every country on this planet, there is a WAR being fought to gain an asset more precious than gold or oil. The battlefield is a woman’s body when she is most vulnerable and in need of protection… when she is giving BIRTH.  In this war we stand to loose our humanity. At this pivotal moment of life individuals develop either an intact or impaired capacity to love. Protecting our capacity to love is essential to saving our planet.  The inappropriate use of technology during birth has disempowered women, harmed the bonding process between mother and child, and has sabotaged breast-feeding and our essential human right to peace.  At the heart of this war, perpetuated by the agendas of big business and by our misunderstanding of the physiology of birth, we find the guardian of natural childbirth – the midwife.”

http://www.bumisehatbali.org

www.skwattacamp.com 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKi65IOaXco

It is startling to find out that the United States ranks 29th amongst industrialized nations in terms of our infant mortality rate...that's right 29th! Wait-it doesn't stop there-did you know that African Americans have 2.3 times the infant mortality rate as non-Hispanic Whites? Also-more than one million babies die each year because they are born prematurely and about 13 million babies are born too soon according to the March of Dimes.  I think I will stop there for now-its a bit too much to take in all at once.

The National Healthy Start Association has sponsored a campaign to raise awareness about this issue and has designated September as National Infant Mortality Awareness Month.  I knew that our numbers were not great but I work in the field-I make it my business to know whats happening to and with women and children around the world.  Think about how many American's do not know these statistics-think about how many of us are in the dark! The numbers are astounding and to put it quite simply-unacceptable.  

I am writing this blog to ask you all for your help in getting the word out.  To make this task easier the Healthy Start Association has put together a toolkit originally designed to assist federally funded public health organizations however if you look it over you will discover many ideas for those of us who are working at a grassroots level in our own communities.  The toolkit can be adapted for our use.  It includes background information and statistics, ideas for fundraising, advocacy tips, plans for working with the media, as well as public relations and marketing-there are also sample letters to send to the editor of your local paper and/or state representatives.  

Change will only come when we ask for it. Thanks for your help! Please come back and post-let us know what action you took in your community.

"A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
-Margaret Mead

www.healthystartassoc.org/2010NIMAM_toolkit.pdf

www.healthystartassoc.org/

www.reducinginfantmortality.com/ 

In my classes we often talk about images of birth or birth messages that we are exposed to via the media or even stories we hear from family and friends.  Though I do hand out a recommended reading list I can honestly say I don’t think I spend much time discussing the books they have read or plan to read.  Of course I suggest surrounding themselves with positive stories and images but I think I may have undervalued the power of the books they have read before they walked through my classroom doors or the books they will read once they have left.

I was recently flipping through an old issue of Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care when I stumbled upon an article that caught my interest.  The title was “Top-Selling Childbirth Advice Books: A Discourse Analysis.”  Apparently there have been few formal evaluations of childbirth advice books-despite their significant influence. One of these few studies found that most books could be categorized in one of two ways: one group portrays women at the center of the childbearing experience-asserts that childbirth is a normal, natural, and healthy event not to be feared.  The other group (I won’t mention any titles here) focused on the risks and inherent danger of pregnancy and childbirth-that it is a process that needs to be controlled, manipulated, and managed.  The study focused on the top ten best-selling books in the U.S.-some of my favorites made the list and at least one of the scariest books I have ever read appeared as well.   It is quite fascinating to step back for a moment and think about how much impact these books have and how they can help or hinder a woman’s preparation for and experience of pregnancy and birth. 

I think I have opened a can of worms.  I found the questions that were asked about each individual book quite valuable and I wonder how I can utilize something like this in my own practice-whether as a doula, childbirth educator, or in my personal life.  I encourage all of us to ask these questions of the books, blogs, and articles we read every day and think about how they not only influence our views about pregnancy and childbirth but those of our clients as well.  Is this something that could be addressed in a childbirth preparation class and if so how would you present it? Here are the questions-let me know what you think…

1.  General sense of book-what is in the foreground as most important?
2.  Women’s role and agency-what level of power is ascribed to the woman?
3.  Risk and Fear-is the language of the book more about risk and negative outcomes/fear or does it provide a sense that most outcomes are positive and              minimize scary language?
4.  Presentation of care providers-how are they presented?
5.  Presentation of labor and birth-how is it described in terms of health and physiology versus medical event?
6.  Presentation of birth settings-how are birth settings described?
7.  Coping strategies-how are methods of working with labor presented?
8.  Interventions-are interventions presented as individualized to the woman’s needs? Is there full disclosure?
9.  Navigating system and understanding rights (i.e. informed consent) how does it portray a women’s need to be a knowledgeable advocate for herself and          her baby.
10. Realistic expectations of hospitals and practitioners-does it discuss the fallibility of hospitals and practitioners and the need to avoid uncritical trust?

Resources:
Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care. Volume 36, Number 4, December 2009

My son is 15 months old now so I don't have that much time for exercising these days but when I was pregnant with him I looked forward to my daily routine of prenatal belly-dancing.  Sure, I went for walks, did prenatal yoga and all of that fun stuff but I really enjoyed my time belly-dancing for many reasons.  It felt good! It helped bring awareness and movement to my pelvis and hips (an area that would and did experience many changes). It was sensual-it reminded me that no matter what was happening to and in my body I was a beautiful and sensual woman! And I firmly believe that the exercises I performed played a huge role in my amazing birth! Unfortunately these dance sessions were limited to my living room because I could not find a dance or yoga studio that offered prenatal belly-dance-I purchased any and all dvds I could find-sadly there weren't that many. 

This past weekend at a doula conference I had the fortunate experience of meeting an incredible woman who just happened to be a doula, childbirth educator, and dance instructor.  She has created not only a prenatal dance DVD but has also has begun an instructor certification program as well.  Her program is entitled "Dancing For Birth" and the DVD is "Dancing For Birth-Prenatal Dance & Birth Wisdom."  I probably don't have to mention how thrilled I was to have found her. Many of the DVDs I used during my pregnancy were created by dance instructors who I am sure have many years of dance experience under their belts but this was the first time I came across a program created by someone who works with and knows pregnant women! 

The program was created by Stephanie Larsen and incorporates different dance styles-mainly utilizing the movements inspired by Belly-dance, African dance, and Latin dance-I know-could you imagine more fun?  The exercise program helps build strength, stamina, flexibility and she even includes movements that a woman can use in birth to help enhance her experience.  After the baby is born the program is designed in such a way that you can just wrap baby up in your favorite sling and use the dvd as a postpartum exercise routine! Stephanie includes a portion on relaxation and breathing exercises and of course a cool down. The moves are simple yet powerful and easy to learn-she even incorporates the exercise or birth ball.

What is even more exciting for me and I am sure for many other doulas and educators out there is her teacher certification program.  Though I enjoyed my dvds immensely I would have loved to compliment my living room dance time with a group session. I cannot wait to take her Instructor Training Workshop so I can start teaching women in my community and we can do it together.  In the certification program you will learn how to teach women relaxation techniques, exercises that target a woman's abs, pelvic floor muscles and you will even learn a "baby welcoming dance!"  Some of the moves include "down baby down," "abundant belly," (my favorite) "dilation gyration" and "powerful woman." 

Dancing For Birth will assist many pregnant women on their journey to a healthy, gentle, and peaceful birth.  Thank you Stephanie Larson-you are an inspiration!

For more information please visit the Dancing For Birth website at:

www.dancingforbirth.com

This weekend I took part in an ICEA childbirth education workshop.  One of the topics we discussed was how to avoid burnout-how to keep things fresh.  One of the ways in which I do this both as an educator and a doula is by keeping up to date with the current research-in other words-reading a lot!  This may be one of the reasons I was drawn to this field, the need to stay informed.  I love to read-books, magazines, blogs, websites, journals-you name it and at some point I will get to it.  I am also a mother of two boys and I work about 25-30 hours a week as well so I may not always be on top of things as they happen but at some point-I will get there.

Last night I picked up a printed copy of ACOG’s practice bulletin (I know, intimidating).  I had read a few articles and blogs on facebook and other websites about the new guidelines but I wanted to go to the source-read the actual bulletin for myself, see if I could make any sense of it. 

From what I learned there have been quite a few changes in the previous recommendations.  For instance, in the past a woman with 2 previous low transverse incisions, twins, or a single previous cesarean with an unknown type of scar would not have been considered a candidate for a VBAC-now they may be.    The author seems to focus quit a bit on the idea that choosing to have a vaginal birth after a cesarean is not merely a preference but a choice based on issues of safety for the mother and baby-it is noted that “VBAC has several potential health advantages for women.  Women who achieve VBAC avoid major abdominal surgery, resulting in lower rates of hemorrhage, infection, and a shorter recovery period compared with elective repeat cesarean delivery.”

All in all I felt inspired by what I read.  Then I got to thinking about what this actually means for women and their care providers.  Do these new recommendations mean that doctors will follow these guidelines?  What if they don’t agree? Then a funny thing happened to me in the elevator.

Every month I do a hospital tour for expectant couples-tonight was one of those nights.  Not only was I approached by a woman who had questions about her options for a vaginal birth after her previous cesarean but I also met a new doula client who just happens to be a VBAC as well.  I was readily informed and excited to share what I had learned. Believe it or not I felt empowered by the research and I felt like these women walked away from our encounter better informed as well.  If they should encounter any obstacles or road bumps along their way from doctors, nurses, friends or family they will be able to use the most up to date research to back up their choice.  They could even hand over this new list of recommendations to anyone that may question the safety of their decisions-and they will be able to do this all because this doula likes to keep it fresh.

How do you stay informed (without being overwhelmed)?

For more information or to read the guidelines-please visit:

http://www.acog.org/acog_districts/dist9/pb054.pdf

http://www.childbirthconnection.org/pdfs/ACOG-VBAC-guideline-comparison.pdf