Florida Midwifery

August 4, 2009 by midwiferobyn


The State of Florida is a great place for moms looking for a home birth midwife. Florida has established laws and regulations that govern midwifery, making it legal. During my years as a Licensed Midwife I am often asked questions like, what is the difference between midwives, what type of training do midwives have, and how do all these acronyms affect my choices in Florida? So let me elaborate on paths to midwifery to help you understand all those letters behind our names!

There are several types of Midwives through out the nation. There are Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM), Licensed Midwives (LM), Certified Professional Midwives (CPM) and Lay midwives. In the State of Florida only two types of Midwives are legal to practice, CNM’s and LM’s. This is where it all gets a bit interesting! In Florida, in order to be a LM, you must also become a CPM, even though you couldn’t be a CPM by itself in Florida. Let me explain further.

Certified Nurse Midwives have gone through a educational process that includes becoming an RN, and then continuing on through a Master’s degree program in Nursing, with a focus on Midwifery. This program can take up to 6 years or longer to complete. The focus of Nurse Midwifery is in primary care, and not just midwifery. They are not independent practitioners and need to have physician oversight. However, they do have additional privileges that other midwives do not, such as the ability to write prescriptions, and deliver babies in the hospital. They are legal in all 50 states. They may also be known as Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners or ANRP’s depending on their education path. There are very few, if any CNM’s that are currently attending homebirths in Florida. There are many that are Birth Center Midwives. The vast majority practice in the hospital setting.

Licensed Midwives are also required to complete an education process to become licensed by the State of Florida. Licensed Midwifery is not legal in all 50 states. Florida LM’s are legal, independent practitioners and do not require physician oversight. They are able to care for low risk pregnant moms only. LM’s do not have prescription privileges and while they are legally allowed to deliver babies in a hospital, no hospital uses LM’s, and most prefer homebirth to hospital practice.

The road to becoming a licensed midwife requires a 3 year educational process. This 3 year program is comprehensive and includes hard sciences like biology, embryology and soft sciences like psychology. It of course also covers extended course work in midwifery and newborn care. LM students are required to be skilled in determining risk status, normal pregnancy, labor & delivery, postpartum and newborn care. They are well versed in complication management as well. During their 3 years in school they will observe 25 births out of the hospital, and then deliver 50 babies under the supervision of a Licensed Midwife. Once a LM student has graduated, they are required to take the state test, this is where that CPM credential comes in to play.

The North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) is an international certification agency whose mission is to establish and administer certification for the credential “Certified Professional Midwife” (CPM). CPM certification validates entry-level knowledge, skills, and experience vital to responsible midwifery practice.

Many States, including Florida, use this as their licensure exam. So in addition to meeting the minimum Florida requirements for licensure, you must also meet the NARM national requirements. So each midwife in Florida is an LM, CPM. ( ahhh ..So that’s what all those initials are!) In order to maintain these, each midwife must also have a minimum number of continuing education credits each year. Some midwives also have extra training, such as being an EMT or other certification that add to the value of their services. All licensed and certified midwives are required to have certification in CPR and Neo Natal Resuscitation.

Lay midwives are those women who have no formal training, but have apprenticed with experienced midwives. These ladies gain their education through self study and observation, and then by doing. Often they become CPM’s, through NARM, although some do not and practice without a formal license in those states where that is legal. This type of midwifery is not legal in Florida.

When choosing a midwife it is important to understand the type of midwife and her training. You can feel confident that whether you choose a CNM or a Florida Licensed Midwife you are in very capable and trained hands to guide you through your journey in childbirth.

Robyn Mattox, LM, CPM, EMT
http://centralfloridagreenguide.com/

Embryonic Stem Cell Research vs Adult Stem Cell Research

Strawberries help fight bad cholesterol

glitter-graphics.com

Add strawberries to the growing list of super foods.

A 2.5-year-long study by the University of Toronto found that the
antioxidants in strawberries helped manage bad cholesterol, according
to a news release.

The study, conducted by Dr. David J.A. Jenkins, backs existing
evidence that touts strawberries as a nutrient-rich foods. It showed
that the antioxidants in strawberries can improve and maintain the
effectiveness of cholesterol-lowering diets.

According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture study, strawberries rank
third in antioxidants compared with other fresh fruits and
vegetables.

The berries also improved the taste of the cholesterol-lowering diet,
which can affect whether people will stick with an eating plan.

email newsletter from Jordan Farms

Pregnant in America

THE U.S. SCORES 2ND WORST
IN NEWBORN DEATH RATE AMONGST ALL INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS

http://www.pregnantinamerica.com/

Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher

It is heartbreaking to see someone you love go through this! Keep in mind the more informed you are , the more you can help them with informed choices regarding healthcare.



Gwen Olsen

Scary! I knew this happened to children but I guess I didn’t know to what extent. The children’s ages is what shocked me the most!

"100,000 Americans die each year from their prescriptions" None of these deaths are from overdoes, or a mistake by a Dr, pharmacist or the patient themselves... Death came only as a consequence of taking the drug as directed. from

Prescription painkillers kill more Americans 

than heroin and cocaine combined

Robert Kennedy on the Vaccine Autism Coverup

Below is the article mentioned:
Deadly Immunity

This post & website are not a replacement for a health care provider & the advice given should not be considered a diagnosis or treatment. Seeking a professional care provider is the responsibility of the reader.

Mercury In Vaccines

If you don't feel you have time to watch this 4 minute video Fwd it to a minute 45 seconds to watch what happens to you & your children's brain cells when receiving a vaccine with mercury.

This post & website are not a replacement for a health care provider & the advice given should not be considered a diagnosis or treatment. Seeking a professional care provider is the responsibility of the reader.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Here is a list of ailments ACV helps with:

ACNE BLEMISHES

AGE SPOTS

ARTHRITIS HELP

ASTHMA

ATHLETE'S FOOT

BLEEDING NOSE

BLOOD PRESSURE

BODY ODOR

BONE HEALTH

BRUISES

BURNS

CANCER PREVENTION

CHOLESTEROL REDUCTION

COLDS

CONSTIPATION

CORN AND CALLUS TREATMENT

COUGHS

CRAMPS

DANDRUFF

DIABETES

DIAPER RASH

DIARRHEA

DIGESTION

EAR INFECTIONS

ECZEMA

FATIGUE

FLATULENCE

FOOT CARE

GOUT

HEADACHES

HEARTBURN (ACID REFLUX)

HEMORRHOIDS

HICCUPS

INSECT BITES AND STINGS

INSOMNIA

JELLYFISH STINGS

LEG CRAMPS

MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS

MORNING SICKNESS

MUSCLE SORENESS

NAIL FUNGUS

NIGHT SWEATS & HOT FLASHES

POISON IVY & POISON OAK

SINUSITIS

SORE THROAT

SUN BURNS

ULCERS

UTI

VARICOSE VEINS

WARTS

WEIGHT LOSS

YEAST INFECTION

for more details visit:
http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/home-remedies.html

P.S.
In an email from a friend of mine she mentioned ACV is good for gall and kidney stones. She wrote "My mom drinks it and her diabetes count went down and so did her cholesterol! "
Thanks Jessica!!

Identifying and Treating Thrush

Symptoms of thrush may include:

• Unusually pink or red nipples.
• Cracked or bleeding nipples
• Itching or burning nipples
• A shooting pain deep within the breast
• Pain that continues throughout a nursing session
• White patches inside the baby’s mouth. (the inside of his cheeks is a “thrive” zone and an easy to identify location)
• Yeast infections in other locations (diaper area, vaginal)

Treatment of thrush with GSE

Grapefruit Seed Extract = GSE is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial compound synthesized from the seeds and pulp of grapefruit. It is an extremely potent and effective broad-spectrum bactericide, fungicide, antiviral and antiparasitic compound. Tests have shown that GSE is dramatically more effective than Colloidal Silver, Iodine, Tea Tree Oil and Clorox bleach against five common microorganisms. In studies performed by Dr. John Mainarich of Bio-Research Laboratories in Redmond, WA, samples of each of the common antimicrobials or sanitizing agents were evaluated for effectiveness against Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus faecium and E. coli. The other antimicrobials tested were considerably less effective than the GSE.

Make a mixture of 10 drops of Citricidal Grapefruit Seed Extract to one ounce of water. 

The use of distilled water to make your solution is very important. The chemicals placed in your local tap water to kill bacteria can reduce the effectiveness of the active ingredients in GSE.

Use this solution with an absorbent swab on mom’s nipples and baby’s mouth once every hour during all waking hours. Swab baby’s mouth prior to nursing and mom’s nipples after nursing.  Applying it to baby’s mouth prior to nursing will help them to  avoid the possibility of baby associating the bitter taste with nursing.

If diaper area is affected, put the same strength solution into a spray bottle or swab as above at every diaper change. 

If the infection is particularly rampant or you are having difficulty getting rid of it, mom may need to take acidophilus or GSE capsules to get rid of it systemically. 

GSE solution can also be used in laundry or as a surface cleaner to kill yeast hiding and waiting to multiply again. 

It may be  [is] necessary for Mom to eliminate [at least reduce] sugar from her diet until the yeast infection is gone.

Read full article HERE

This post & website are not a replacement for a health care provider & the advice given should not be considered a diagnosis or treatment. Seeking a professional care provider is the responsibility of the reader. 

The 20 Worst Foods in America

1. The Worst Food in America
Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing

Click here to find out the other 19 worst foods in America

Article from BOBB

Wording Changed to be kid friendly

"June18, 2008
We wanted to make sure you are all aware of the news story that has exploded over the last 24 hours regarding the recent AMA Resolution against homebirth and Ricki's response to being named in it...Since when did Ricki become an evidence-based data point? What are they so afraid of? Just last week, Medical News Today reports that 'about 8.2% of infants born in the US in 2005 had low birth weights, the highest percentage since 1968.' US infant mortality rates continue to rank us below 30 other countries, 22% of pregnancies are induced, and most worrisome of all, in the last 4 years, the maternal mortality rate has risen above 10 per 100,000 for the first time since 1977. To us, these seem like the troubling trends, not home birth.

Filmmakers Abby Epstein and Ricki Lake teamed up with journalist and Pushed author Jennifer Block to pen the response (following at the end of this email) for the Huffington Post

UPDATE: June 20, 2008

We received many supportive letters into our website from MD's including one OB/GYN who writes, "I am confident that my many patients, friends, and colleagues who choose home birth are doing so out of research and knowledge and carefully considered decisions. I don't know of ANY woman who makes birth decisions due to what is trendy amongst celebrities! We are not that stupid...If anything is "trendy" right now, it is cesarean sections on demand! Home births are still the norm in most of the world, and many European countries where midwives at home attend a majority of deliveries have much lower intervention, cesarean, and maternal morbidity and mortality rates compared to the USA. This is not an issue of protecting maternal/child health, it is clearly political and cultural. Home birth is a women's rights and human rights issue, not some trendy fad."
We also received a letter today from a recent Yale medical school graduate, who writes:
'I wholeheartedly support the work you are doing! During my third year, I saw very few [natural] deliveries in the hospital. Seeing the high C-section rates and the sense of disempowerment and lack of support and education given to women during prenatal, intra-partum, and post-partum care, I sought out the midwifery model and did an elective in natural childbirth mostly with a small CNM home-birth practice in CT and a CNM childbirth center. I now know that there really is another way. And I would prefer it for myself, and recommend it to family, friends, and patients with low-risk pregnancies.'" from BOBB email newsletter


"Ladies, the physicians of America have issued their decree: they don't want you having your babies at home with midwives.We can't imagine why not. Study upon study have shown that planning a home birth with a trained midwife is a great choice if you want to avoid unnecessary medical intervention. Midwives are experts in supporting the physiological birth process: monitoring you and your baby during labor, helping you into positions that help labor progress, protecting your pelvic parts from damage while you push, and "catching" the baby from the position that's most effective and comfortable for you-hands and knees, squatting, even standing-not the position most comfortable for her. When healthy women are supported this way, 95% give birth [naturally], with hardly any intervention. And yet, the American Medical Association doesn't see the point. Yesterday it adopted a policy written by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists against "home deliveries" and in support of legislation "that helps ensure safe deliveries and healthy babies by acknowledging that the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate post-partum period is in the hospital" or accredited birth center."There ought to be a law!" cry the doctors. The trouble is, they have no evidence to back up their safety claims. In fact, the largest and most rigorous study of home birth internationally to date found that among 5,000 healthy, "low-risk" women, babies were born just as safely at home under a midwife's care as in the hospital. And not only that, the study, like many before it, found that the women actually fared better at home, with far fewer interventions like labor induction, cesarean section, and episiotomy (taking scissors to the _____, a practice that according to the research should be obsolete but is still performed on one-third of women who give birth [naturally]). Which is why the American Public Health Association supports midwife-attended home birth. The British OB/GYNs have read the research, too, and have this to say: "There is no reason why home birth should not be offered to women at low risk of complications... it may confer considerable benefits for them and their families. There is ample evidence showing that labouring at home increases a woman's likelihood of a birth that is both satisfying and safe"The other trouble with the American MDs is that they seem to have lost all respect for women's civil rights, indeed for the U.S. Constitution - the right to privacy, to bodily integrity, and the right of every adult to determine her own health care. The "father knows best" legislation they are promoting could indeed be used to criminally prosecute women who choose home birth, say, by equating it with child abuse. Research evidence be damned, the doctors want to mandate you to go to the hospital. They don't want you to have a choice.We think they're spooked. The cesarean rate is rising, celebrities are publicizing their home births (the initial wording of the AMA resolution actually took aim at Ricki for publicizing her home birth on the Today Show!), people are reading Pushed and watching The Business of Being Born, and there's a nationwide legislative "push" to license certified professional midwives in all states (The AMA is against that, too, by the way). The docs are on the defensive.After all, birth is big business-it's in fact the most common reason for a woman to be admitted to the hospital. And if more women start giving birth outside of it, who will get paid? Not doctors and not hospitals. "The AMA supports a woman's right to make an informed decision regarding her delivery and to choose her health care provider," the group said in a statement. But if it really supported women's birth choices it wouldn't adopt a policy condemning home birth and midwives. Because if U.S. women are to have real birth choices, everybody needs to be working together to provide them, not engaging in turf wars at their expense."

By Ricki Lake, Abby Epstein and Jennifer Block for The Huffington Post

Finally an accurate Food Pyramid

http://www.freerangestudios.com

Vaccine Debate

New York Times 'When Parents Say No to Child Vaccinations'

Websites

Vaccine Truth

PROVE

Vaccination News

ThinkTwice

Educate Before You Vaccinate

Books

The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations

Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide

DVDs

Finding the Words

Vaccinations?

Shoot Em Up: The Truth About Vaccines

Articles
Vaccine-Autism Question Divides Parents, Scientists

Vaccine Companies Investigated for Manslaughter

How Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy's Son Recovered From Autism

(MMR) Vaccine as a Potential Cause of Encephalitis (Brain Inflammation) in Children

Increase in Severe Pneumonia

Are ALL Vaccines Now Mercury-Free?

"NO! They’re NOT! That’s another cry you hear over and over again: that “we’ve now removed mercury from all vaccines.” But a more accurate statement would be that mercury has been removed from MOST vaccines – not all – and several still contain traces of mercury, at a level so low the actual amount doesn’t have to be stated. Here is the most current schedule (updated January 28, 2008) disclosing the amount of thimerosal and mercury contained in U.S. vaccines. It’s also available as a printable PDF. The following vaccines still contain 25 mcg of mercury per 0.5 ml: DTwP DT (diphtheria and tetanus) multi-dose vial Tetanus Several brands of the 2006/2007 influenza formulas Meningococcal multi-dose vial " by Dr. Mercola

For vaccines:

Websites

Children’s Vaccine Program at PATH
(Program for Appropriate Technology in Health)

Allied Vaccine Group

Global Alliance for Vaccines & Immunization

The Vaccine Page

United Nations Children’s Fund

The World Health Organization: Vaccines & Biologicals

Safe Injection Global Network (SIGN)

from http://www.childrensvaccine.org/files/CVP_Occ_Paper5.pdf

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Your not alone! There Is Hope! 


What is Domestic violence?
Domestic violence is emotional, mental, physical, sexual or verbal abuse in an intimate relationship.

When should I call?

does your loved one:

Look at you or act in ways that scare you?
Act jealous or possessive?
Put you down or criticize you?
Try to control where you go, what you wear or what you do?
Text or IM [call] you excessively?
Blame you for the hurtful things they say and do?
Threaten to kill or hurt you or themselves if you leave them?
Try to stop you from seeing or talking to friends and family?
Try to force you to have sex before you're ready?
Do they hit, slap, push or kick you?

More REDFLAGS = Signs of abuse
If you said yes to even one, you are most likely in an abusive relationship.

Contact us by phone at 1-866-331-9474(1-866-331-8453 TTY) or chat online from 4pm - 2am CST. from Love is Respect

"If you or someone you know is frightened about something in your relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224." from NDVH

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence # 1-800-333-SAFE

Friends of abused Wives, FL
727-480-9243


Often the abuser threatens suicide or to harm others. These type of threats should be reported immediately to your local law enforcement or call 911. For suicidal threats call National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800- 273-8255


Understanding Emotional Abuse
"Are you aware that there are 21 forms of abuse? Some forms of abuse are so subtle that people accept them as normal. All forms of abuse are devastating and destroy individuals and their relationships." *

Understanding Verbal Abuse
Definition: "Any communication, admonition, reprimand, or reproof that does not uplift, edify, or bring conflict resolution." *


Understanding Physical Abuse
Definition: "Any touch not given in love, respect, and dignity." *

The part of the above article on physical abuse that I DO NOT agree with for every situation is where it states "Tell him, “Either we get counseling, or I’m moving out until you’re ready to help me resolve this problem.” " In some cases the spouse will kill or try to kill the person(s) before they 'allow' them to leave/move out!

If you or your children feel in danger of physical harm IN ANY WAY then LEAVE NOW or as soon as is safe to do so!!! By speaking with a health care professional or law enforcement you should be given the proper resources & directed to people who can help. If your partner is in law enforcement or has ways of finding out info & you do not trust the local authorities some ideas are: Have several 1-800 helpline #s memorized or hidden, use a payphone or business/church phone so as not to be traced, travel light & as fast as safely possible, get to a safe house. Before reestablishing a relationship, be sure you & your children are in a safe place (that your spouse does NOT know about).

I do agree with this part, but only if you feel you have time, with out endangering anyone:
"Lay your plans, line up your resources, and make your arrangements prior to packing your bags and walking out the door."

Helpful site - FREE Resources

Church leadership response to a believer who is abusive:

"Psalm 140:1-4 says "Rescue me from evil and violent men" and in Proverbs 4: l4-17 it says "Don't walk in the way of evil men for they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence". Also Ephesians 4, Colossians 3, and I Corinthians 5:9-l3, all refers to abuse, whether verbal or physical. These passages especially refer to verbal abuse, as wickedness and evil and not characteristic of a changed Spirit-filled life. So the first step a pastor must do is to recognize abuse as EVIL and SINFUL and in no way justified, or excused. Therefore that being true what do the scriptures call us to do when we encounter evil and wickedness, especially among so called Christians?" to finish this article click here

A Special Word to People Helpers

Matthew 18:15-17
If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

Matthew 25:40 Whenever you helped someone who was overlooked or ignored, that was me –you did it to me.

* Life Skills International — This organization works to end domestic violence by working with both the batterer and the victim to break the cycle of violence.