Tell me about SD (esp. Sioux Falls)

[notjustmamie]

We're job hunting right now and are considering relocating from Illinois. Sioux Falls in one of our options and I'm hoping to get some more info on what the natural/alternative atmosphere is like, including the legal climate.

I am specifically interested in:

• midwifery & homebirthing
• alternative medicine
• homeschooling
• playgroups with naturally-minded mommies (and daddies!)

Also, we're planning to visit sometime in September and would love to meet up with local MDCers.

[100%mom]

Hi! I just heard from a Doula in Brookings, SD that midwives are now legalized in SD. If you want more information on that you can E-mail the group. She said the group that got the bill passed is the South Dakota Safe Childbirth Options. There E-mail address is [e-mail]. I don't have any more information on that as I haven't E-mailed them myself.

[notjustmamie]

Thanks!

I'll follow up with that. I did find one CNM's website that listed homebirth, but she was just over the border from Wyoming.

ETA: The e-mail address for South Dakota Safe Childbirth Options is [e-mail]

[Learnintolaugh]

I hadn't heard that about midwives being legalized in SD, awesome if it is true. I know that up until now the only type of home birth you could have was UC. It would be great if that is slowly becoming more progressive (in my MOPS group last year there were actually 3 or 4 homebirths, unusually high for an area that I really would not consider all that crunchy.)

So, what can I say about Sioux Falls? I've only lived here for 4 years but these are my observations.

I think that the natural/alternative climate is growing, but it is still very typically midwestern (i.e. - set in their ways). I will occasionally see a mom babywearing, but def. not the norm.

There is one natural foods co-op store, they aren't very big but you can usually find a good selection of of items. There is a downtown farmer's market in the summer on Saturdays, I was a bit disappointed at first but it is growing. There are several options in the area for CSA's and if you know where to find them you can find local sources for eggs, meat, etc.

I don't know a lot about alternative medicine, but I did notice in the community education brochure for the fall that there are several doctors teaching some classes in alternative medicine related subjects, so I am assuming they would practice in similar ways.

Homeschooling...again, I'm not a home schooler so I can't speak specifically to this but I believe there is a fairly good sized home schooling community here. If you Google home schooling sioux falls you should be able to find their website and someone who could tell you more.

I think you will find that you just have to keep your eyes open to make connections to moms that have similar views. And often I will find bits and pieces of alternative life style in women I didn't expect. I recently found out that there are some other non-vaxing moms in my church, and some who were intrigued by the idea when we discussed it. There are moms who are striving for a HFCS/trans-fat/modified food starch free diet for their family.

Overall I think it is a nice community to raise a family in. There are lots of free activities, community centers, a great park system, a bike trail which is great if you live close enough to have access to it.

I don't know if that helps at all, like I said I haven't lived here that long. Overall I think you would enjoy it, you just have to dig a bit to find the alternative communities, but they are there. (Reading the bulletin board at the co-op is probably a great place to start getting plugged in.)

[notjustmamie]

Thanks for all the info, Learnintolaugh!

I did hear back from Debbie at South Dakota Safe Childbirth Options and she confirmed that SB 34 allowing CNMs to attend homebirths was signed into law and became effective July 1st.

It's good to hear that there are some naturally-minded options, even if it might take some seeking out to find them.

Anybody else with other thoughts?

[Angi]

Originally Posted by notjustmamie

Anybody else with other thoughts?

Well, I'm from North Dakota, so I say move there.

Just joking. Both the Dakotas are great place to raise kids. I've been to Sioux Falls a few times, and I know it's a nice town. It's growing, but your neighbor will probably still come over just to see who the new people are.

I have a friend that gave up a close to six-figure salary in Minneapolis just to be able to raise his daughter in Bismarck.

As for the crunch side of SF? The PP was definitely more knowledgeable. I just know that I will always fondly look back on growing up in North Dakota. I think it's a great place to raise your kids in a environment where they will be able to gain an appreciation for nature and the value of good neighbors and friends.

Even if you are moving to South Dakota... :

[123]

I've lived near Sioux Falls for most of my life. The natural/alternative atmosphere here is fairly sparse, but growing. There is now a shop that sells slings and cloth diapers (a first for Sioux Falls), but it is still relatively rare to see a baby being worn. On the other hand, I was stopped by three different people to ask about my sling when I wore dd to the fair last month.

* midwifery & homebirthing - The law now allows CNM's to do homebirths. The catch is that the only one in the state who is willing to do so lives in Rapid City (the far west side of the state). We're working on getting a lay midwife bill passed, but it will take time. You can UC or there is at least one midwife who will do out-of-hospital births at a home in Minnesota or a hotel. It's really not that far to the MN boarder from Sioux Falls and the home is about 10-15 inside MN (this is what we did last time).

* alternative medicine - I haven't seen so much of this, though there is a place called Four Winds or something that does accupuncture and some herbal stuff. I haven't actually been there, but I've heard of it. You can find some decent doctors and the midwife I mentioned above does well women care and uses a lot of herbs.

* homeschooling - There is a really big homeschool group in Sioux Falls. South Dakota has great homeschooling laws and lots of homeschool groups. Most of them are Christian-based, but there are secular homeschoolers here as well.

* playgroups with naturally-minded mommies (and daddies!) - There is a group that used to be La Leche League until the leader left. Now it is South Dakota Nursing Moms (based in SF despite the name). Not much has happened with it this summer, but in the winter people get more active. There are also a number of people who have connected through Bradley childbirth classes and get together from time to time. The shop I mentioned earlier has workshops from time to time on slings or cloth diapers. That can be a good place to meet like-minded parents.

I'll pm you some links to a SF parenting forum and a few other links.

Overall I think this is a great place to raise kids. People are generally friendly and respectful, even if they think you a nut. And there is a lot less crime and pollution than in some places.

[notjustmamie]

Thank you so much for all the links, 123! This is great. I'll have to check them all out.

Also, we have our trip to Sioux Falls is set for the 2nd week in September. If anybody is interested in meeting up for a visit/play date, please PM me.

[Learnintolaugh]

Wait...there's a shop that sells slings and cloth diapers? Where is it? I'm beyond that stage, but it would be nice to have a place to direct people to who might be interested. I would have loved to have been able to actually look at some CD's before ordering them.

[mclisa]

Originally Posted by Learnintolaugh

Wait...there's a shop that sells slings and cloth diapers? Where is it? I'm beyond that stage, but it would be nice to have a place to direct people to who might be interested. I would have loved to have been able to actually look at some CD's before ordering them.

I'm curious as to the shop as well!

[123]

The shop is Elegant Mommy. It just started up this spring. It's mostly consignment maternity, but they also have new and used cloth diapers and slings made by a local mom and Bravado nursing bras among other things. It's a great shop. They also put on workshops sometimes.

http://www.elegantmommy.com/

It's across from Campbell's on 49th St in that mini-mall next to the gas station. Probably not the clearest directions, but the actual address is on the website.

[Learnintolaugh]

So THAT'S what that store is! I drive by there all the time. Not that I will be needing any of that stuff anymore, but it is nice to know there is a place I can send people to if they actually want to see slings and cloth diapers before they buy them. Maybe I can talk a lot more people into starting late cloth diapering that way! I know that was my biggest challenge, what size do I buy for a 2 year old when I can't see how big the diapers actually are.

[peaceful_mama]

Hi!

I'm one of the people trying to keep the nursing moms' group going. We actually have had our regular Thursday evening meetings all summer, but I think next year we will move them outdoors. And we recently bumped up playgroup from once a month to weekly.

Playgroup is EVERY FRIDAY 10 AM. It will be at McKennan Park (large, in the middle of SF) until weather forces us indoors. Then we will be at Oyate Community Center except for the first Friday, when we will go to the Washington Pavilion art room. We will also go to the Pavilion if there is a school event going on in the playgroup gym. (which happened a couple times last year, we really have no warning on that. This year, I would *like* to have phone numbers for most people so that if I show up and that's happening I can call people before they get there.)
We have children 0-6 in regular attendance currently. Pretty much everyone that comes regularly are/have been babywearers. Obviously currently or past breastfeeders. Mostly not or selective vaxing, some cloth diaper users, some have had homebirths, most all of us are open to the idea and have had natural births. Many of us are working with South Dakota Safe Childbirth to change the laws in our state to allow CPM-attended homebirths.

"Regular Thursday evening Meetings" These are every 3rd Thurs. at Morningside Comm. Center. We also have some weekend events--past have included occasional playgroup to include some working moms, tie-dying and screenprinting days.

As I mentioned there's a group called South Dakota Safe Childbirth Options (SDSCO) currently working to change our state's midwifery laws. You can PM me if you decide to come here and want to get involved. The Sioux Falls group has just really started to get active this year, we've done a booth at the fair in town, a couple potlucks, a showing of Business of Being Born and What Babies Want, and we're periodically meeting to talk about what to do next in our law-changing quest.

Overall not the 'crunchiest' place ever, but you CAN find us.