http://familymidwiferycare.ca Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:31:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://familymidwiferycare.ca/international-day-of-the-midwife-may-5th/ http://familymidwiferycare.ca/international-day-of-the-midwife-may-5th/#comments Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:54:06 +0000 admin http://familymidwiferycare.ca/?p=845 May 5– Guelph Midwives and Family Midwifery Care are hosting a screening of Ricky Lake’s award-winning documentary The Business of Being Born to celebrate International Day of the Midwife. The film is a provocative and entertaining exploration of the modern maternity system, and discusses unnecessary interventions, skyrocketing caesarean section rates, and the controversy surrounding natural birth. The showing is at The Bookshelf on May 5th at 3 pm with a reception in the Green Room following the show.
Midwives are an integral part of Ontario’s maternity care plan. Lobbying by more than 10, 000 Ontarians to the provincial government resulted in a recent commitment to develop two freestanding midwifery-led birth centres. Local midwife and one of the organizers of the International Day of the Midwife Celebration, Rebecca Carson, says, “This is a day to celebrate what has been achieved for women of Ontario but also to remember the work that still needs to be done here and around the world.” The Association of Ontario Midwives reports that 4 out of 10 women seeking midwifery care in Ontario are unable to obtain it. Carson says that midwife retention and pay equity are key issues that need to be addressed in order to provide the best care for Ontario women.
Throughout the world, 350, 000 women die each year as a result of preventable maternal causes while 800 000 newborns die during childbirth. Almost all of this is readily preventable with proper midwifery care. The evidence shows that access to midwifery care for all childbearing women is the most effective way to reach Millennium Development Goals 4&5 targeted at reducing maternal, neonatal and infant deaths worldwide. Midwives save lives.
The world needs midwives now more than ever. Join the conversation at International Day of the Midwife. Tickets are available at Family Midwifery Care of Guelph, Guelph Midwives and at the door for $5-$10 (sliding scale). Any profits from the event will be donated to the Ghislaine Francoeur Fund– a fund committed to reducing maternal and infant mortality in Haiti by promoting the development and education of midwives.

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