Birthing Families Need Your Help!

Please consider these facts:

According to the CDC over 99,000 people die each year in the United States after picking up bacterial infections in the hospital and newborns are especially susceptible to these infections.

Newborns are generally protected from germs in their own homes by the antibodies they receive through the placenta before birth and through their mother’s breast milk.

The Cesarean section rate has risen to over 31% in the United States. According to a 2006 CNN report, the United States has the second worst newborn death rate in the modern world despite having the most neonatalogists and neonatal intensive care beds per person. The countries with better outcomes utilize many more midwives and integrate them into the healthcare
system. Using less technology and following the midwives model of care as standard procedure has helped these countries to save lives and money.

There are two types of midwives that are nationally accredited by the NCCA, Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) and Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs).

South Dakota only licenses nurse midwives and limits their practices.

Twenty-four states already license home birth midwives and twenty other states including South Dakota are working on licensure legislation.

The CPM 2000 study published in the British Medical Journal in 2005 (which included over 5000 home births mostly in the United States) showed that home births attended by professional midwives had an equal mortality rate with far fewer interventions when compared to low risk hospital births.

South Dakota families can legally have home births but most cannot find a qualified attendant to assist them. (This is because professional midwives are currently not recognized in SD law and nurse midwives rarely attend home births – less than 1% nationwide.)

Are we ready for the next disaster?

Disaster preparedness has become a top priority in South Dakota, and Governor Rounds has encouraged all citizens to be prepared for any emergency, proclaiming August 31, 2007 as “bReady Day”.

1 What preparations are being made for pregnant women and newborns? Where will pregnant women birth their babies if hospitals become overwhelmed with disease and infection or power outages make technological birth services unavailable?

Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are the only childbirth attendants with required training in out-of-hospital birth and could be an invaluable asset to South Dakota’s disaster preparedness plan. These midwives are astute in out-of-hospital births with limited technology and they are highly educated in the natural process of birth including the physiological needs for mother and newborn.

CPMs are a key component to ensure pregnant and birthing women and their newborns are safely cared for during emergencies.

1. See the website: www.bReadySD.com.
Revised 10/24/08
South Dakota Safe Childbirth Options urges South Dakota legislators to provide a means for CPMs to practice in our state, so that we can all be ready when disaster strikes.

Do us a favor. If we don’t have your name or address correct, please let us know. Call 605-563-2363 or email
chair@sdssafebirth.org. We also would appreciate your current email address. Thank you.