$peak Up

It's quite late and I should really be getting to bed, since I've got a dentist appointment in the morning and a client ready to deliver a baby at any given moment... but my head is spinning from the documentary I just watched. It's available free online to stream until September 22nd if you are interested in watching it. The movie is called Genetic Roulette and it was created by the Institute for Responsible Technology. It's only about 85 minutes long and well worth your time. Even if you don't believe a word of it, awareness of what people are saying/researching/thinking/protesting is valuable.

So, why has it got my panties in a twist? GMO's and genetically modified foods terrify me, and they should terrify you. Watch it. This isn't about instilling fear, this is about educating and informing the public. This is about encouraging consumers to ask questions and request proper labeling. This is about discerning what our choices are and what the consequences of those choices are.

Why am I writing about it? Because women make up 80% of the buying power in America and when our women make informed choices, our communities can be improved. If we want something to change, then sometimes we need to use our dollar as our voice. If we expect Monsanto and other multi-million dollar corporations who run our country from behind the political scene to listen to us, we have to use the language they understand: Money. Many women do not feel eloquent or confident enough to speak up, but spending your money on certain products, or NOT spending your money on certain products, speaks volumes to the companies that respond to consumer demand.

So $peak up.

Let the funding, BEGIN!

Here we go! I've launched my capital campaign for the birth center finally. It's taken two long weeks to prepare, but I wanted to make sure it was just right. Please visit http://igg.me/p/173326?a=880637 to read about it, and consider donating. Then, spread the word! Share the link on facebook, twitter, linkedin, and everywhere else you can think of. This project will only succeed if a little is given by a lot of people. Please help in any way you can. Thank you!

I also have to send a huge thank you to my sister, Missy, for helping me with the video production. She spent countless hours perfecting it and getting my message across. Much appreciated!

I choose not to accept it

If you've been online, watched television, or listened to the radio in the past month, you've probably heard about the rape discussions by politicians, the infidelity of Kristen Stewart, the breastfeeding photo on Time Magazine's cover, and the healthcare reform debates over women's reproductive choices. What do these issues all have in common? Women's sexual health.
From a recent article on Huffingtonpost.com regarding Kristen and Robert's split, I want to echo this: "For any girl growing up who pays attention to the media, it's a terrifying time to understand what it means to be a girl in society." Terrifying.
The article is written by a man, Nico Lang, and paraphrases quotes from famous male personas in the media who have all contributed their two cents regarding women's sexual health, and it got me wondering: Where are the women? The author dubs this year of filthy media as a "war on women" and I found myself asking how I was going to fight it, then asking... ARE women even going to fight? Are we going to DO anything about it? Why aren't we speaking up for ourselves? Many women in the public sphere are not doing much to lend momentum to the women's movement started decades ago. In fact, some of them are downright taking us backwards! We've got famous females like Rihanna returning to their abuser and conservative Sarah Palin running for political offices to represent us. Where are the culturally intelligent, well-respected, and confident women with integrity? Where are society's women that represent me, my sisters, my cousin who started her own law firm, my co-captain from college ultimate who has worked on carbon reducing projects, and so many other incredible women in my life?
We're working hard in the communities we live in. We're right here, and here, and here. We just need to stand up and represent ourselves. How?
By choosing to not care about the trivial relationship status of two young actors which will likely change several times as they explore their early 20's. By not embracing a culture of sexualizing women. By breastfeeding normally, and maybe even in public, so people understand that boobs serve a purpose and it's not a sexual one. By challenging the balance in media attention - when men are caught cheating or sleeping around, they're applauded, but women are bullied and harassed to the point where their careers may be over. (If you haven't read the article I mentioned above about Kristen Stewart, please do so.)
We can choose to raise our daughters with healthier perspectives. Rather than focusing on how cute, how pretty, our little girls are, we could focus on how good they are at writing or drawing or playing soccer. We can encourage our young women to treat others with respect, to treat themselves with respect, and to demand that others treat them with respect. We can encourage sexual health education so women understand their bodies and their choices. The biggest thing we can all do, I think, is to simply choose not to accept that this is the way our culture is.

National Birth Rally 2012

I had the privilege to be a part of history this past Monday. I attended a national birth rally in Minneapolis at Lake Calhoun with roughly 200 other people who gathered to walk around the lake in hopes of raising awareness. Awareness for what? Evidence-based maternity care. The rally was organized nationally by www.improvingbirth.org and nearly 100 cities across the US organized rallies on the very fitting holiday of Labor Day. Visit their site for more information! This may possibly be the largest women's movement in decades. It's not just for women, though. This is for everyone. You were born, weren't you? You may want to have your own kids someday or you may already have children. You may have nieces or nephews and/or have witnessed a woman in your life go through the process of labor. Birth is a normal process and should not be treated like a "condition" or a disease that needs to be cured. Fear and/or money should not be the basis for our decision making around birth: clinical research and evidence should.

Some rallies may have looked more like protests, with individuals carrying cardboard signs on stakes or people gathering on the steps in front of hospitals. This was NOT a protest. This was an attempt to help educate our communities where everyone is affected by birth outcomes. The education and awareness we hoped to raise is simply this: Ask questions. Ask why policies and protocols are in place. Ask why procedures and interventions are done or not done. Ask yourself what is best for your body, for your family, and for your baby.

Our hope is that the research that has been done in maternity care will not take 20 years to come to fruition. We, as a society, can not wait that long. Women deserve quality care and to have their voices heard. Women and babies deserve the best possible outcomes and America, being the leader in spending on healthcare, deserves to have lower rates of maternal and infant deaths.

I was honored to walk around Lake Calhoun Monday morning with some incredible women and families. Several strollers and toddlers made the trek, complete with their yogurt-covered raisins and sippy cups. Each woman at that rally gave birth in her own way: some at home in a tub of water, some at the hospital with their doula by their side, some by C-section, and some in a neighboring birth center. Birth occurs in different forms and can take place in a variety of settings. Women deserve to have the information available to them so they can make the best choice for their own pregnancy.