As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, I’m wondering what it was like for Mary being so far away from home for the birth of her child. Did she have the help of a local midwife or did she and Joseph birth “unassisted” by other humans? Like Mary, most women in South Dakota today do not have the option to have their baby in the safety of their own home with a trusted midwife.

The evidence continues to mount that our cultural norm of high-tech birth practices is not beneficial to most mothers and babies. Interventions like fetal monitoring, induction and cesareans that were developed for high-risk births are now being used on more women with healthy pregnancies. As rates of cesareans and inductions have risen, so has the number of babies that are being born premature. And although our high-tech health care system heroically intervenes to save younger and younger babies, it seems a more effective solution would be to prevent the problem in the first place.

The March of Dimes is recommending that hospitals start reviewing every induction and cesarean that takes place before 39 weeks in an effort to reduce the number of these interventions that are being done for convenience rather than medical necessity. The Milbank Memorial Fund Report (see page 8) has come out with other recommendations geared to help our nation get back to evidence-based maternity care including encouraging Medicaid reimbursement for certified nurse midwives (CNMs), certified midwives (CMs) and certified professional midwives (CPMs). The Midwives Model of Care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section. That is why SDSCO is so passionate about increasing the number of skilled midwives practicing in South Dakota.

Passing the Home Birth Safety Act is one way we can achieve that goal. This bill will license and regulate CPMs who specialize in home births. Our goal is to increase the safety for those families in our state who choose to have their babies at home by giving them access to a licensed professional held to evidence-based practice standards and connected to the healthcare system.

This bill can not pass without your help. We have a dedicated leadership team who is working to get you the resources you need to network with all your acquaintances and make a huge impact on the legislators. Please read over the suggestions on page 3 and do whatever you can to positively influence your legislators about our cause. Over a third of the legislators are brand new. They have been receiving mailings from SDSCO since April, but they need to know that this issue is important to their constituents. Educating these new legislators is a huge opportunity for us.

Legislators realize that this issue is really important to you when you take the time to come to Pierre and talk to them in person. We are doing everything we can to make it possible for you to come. We are again renting a house in Pierre for our legislative team and as many supporters as will fit on any given night. Please check with Alaina (534-9821) to see “if there is room in the inn” on the night you plan to be in Pierre. We have started a gas fund which is available to all our supporters to help more people to be able to afford a trip to Pierre (see page 7); and a member of our leadership team will be on hand to make sure your visit is as effective as possible.

Many of you have been working on this issue for years and you are probably wondering when this will ever end. I don’t know when that time will be. I do know that this is in God’s hands and when the time is right and He opens the door, we need to be ready to walk through it. All the hard work of the past has helped us gain recognition in the legislature; we are working past the stereotypes and the prejudices. Many legislators are listening. Please keep talking!