Birth Center Law Revisions in SLC

[xochitl]

I thought this would be as good of a place to post this as any! The Birth and Family place in SLC, UT is fighting to have the laws revised to allow a wider variety of women to birth at a birthing center and make it easier to open birthing centers here in Utah. There will be a meeting before the department of health on March 25th, 2009 at 9 AM (the building is located on 288 N. 1460 W). Becky (the mid-wife) and Susan (the owner) are trying to arrange a large group of people who support natural birth and a woman's right to choose where she gives birth to show up at the meeting to simply say "women should have the right to choose". They're up against big medicine and big money. Their hopes are that having a large number of supporters there will 1.) show the health committee how many of us support natural birth and a woman's right to choose and 2.) throw out the committee's misconceptions of who chooses to birth outside of a hospital (apparently we're all a bunch of under-educated hicks).

I just want to say that I LOVE the Birth and Family place. I gave birth to my first daughter there and am preparing to give birth to my second child in September at the center as well. I love Becky and Susan and would do anything for them. Please please please please PLEASE if you are able to make this meeting, do so. Utah is far behind other states in the nation as far as women and their rights to birth are concerned and we need to fix this.

For additional information, you can go to Becky's site at womenandbirthcare.com and look under political action OR you can join my facebook group I created specifically for the Birth center. I send out regular updates on meetings, etc. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref...id=54767221023

Thank you everyone in advance for reading this!

[mrsshunk]

My husband and I intend to be there. We had a wonderful experience at the Birth and Family Place with our youngest son. One of my nieces was also born there after my sister had a less than pleasant home birth. I would be so excited for birth centers to be more accessible in Utah.

[fresh_veggie]

I really wish I'd read this just a few days ago - I would've been there for sure. I'm a student at BYU and my husband and I are waiting just a ocuple of years for children, but I know about the birthing center and know how wonderful it is.

BYU just had a seminar a week or so ago called Birthing - It's YOUR Choice. They had a midwife speak, I believe, among others. I didn't attend as I was working, but I was very glad to know that she would be there! It seems as though all the young LDS mothers are eager to induce at a hospital and circ their baby boys immediately and then start them on formula. It makes me very sad to think of the chances that these small infants are missing out on that could affect them for life.

Is there anything that could be done post-meeting? I'd like to know how it panned out.

[MamaQuest]

Sadly, I didn't hear about this either until today, and it did not apparently go all that well.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11995030?source=email

If anyone does know what can be done for next time this comes up, I'd love to know as well.