If you are going to ICAN’s 2011 conference in St. Louis, don’t forget you can pre-order the speakers books or Cesarean Voices. You must pay by paypal and pick it up at the conference.
Check it out!
International Cesarean Awareness Network
Education, Support, & Advocacy for Birth Justice & Healing
If you are going to ICAN’s 2011 conference in St. Louis, don’t forget you can pre-order the speakers books or Cesarean Voices. You must pay by paypal and pick it up at the conference.
Check it out!
This review comes to us from ICAN Education Director Krista Cornish Scott. The DVD is available from the ICAN online bookstore for $39.95. Click here to check it out!
DVD Review: Dance of the Womb: Belly Dance for Pregnancy and Birth
By Maha Al Musa, 2009
http://www.bellydanceforbirth.com
This elegant and arrestingly beautiful DVD is a very personal and heartfelt offering from Maha Al Musa, a dancer with a passion for birth. She was born in Kuwait to Lebanese and Palestinian parents but has spent most of her life in Australia where she now resides. Although when I first heard about this DVD I was most interested in the practical belly dancing aspect, an unexpected bonus was the artful and inspiring video and stills of the birth (at age 46!) of her third child, a daughter. A wonderful conversation about birth with her midwives is also interspersed with the footage.
I am not one to promote the idea that all women should have a particular experience of childbirth, and I do not believe that all of us were meant to have a painless experience. Al Musa and her midwives talk frankly about pain as well. Yet seeing beautiful labors and births like this should inspire and encourage those trying to block out the intense and all-pervasive cultural message that birth must be frightening and painful, and that women in labor are screaming and out of control. The beautiful images of Al Musa swaying, dancing and undulating to her own internal rhythm as she labors are enhanced by the gorgeous accompanying music and some wise words about birth that come from her midwives. Their clearly close relationship and care for her are evidenced in their thoughtful reflections upon her recent birth. Seeing Al Musa effortlessly meet her young baby’s needs while they sit and chat was a great reminder of how deeply personal and yet how completely open this DVD is to the observer.
If the birth video “bonus” were all that were on this DVD, it would still be worth the price. But luckily for pregnant women looking for something a little exotic and nurturing of their new shape, the DVD’s main focus is an easy-to-follow guide for prenatal belly dance. Even a woman who has previously taken belly dance lessons will gain from this DVD as movements during pregnancy are certainly different than those one would undertake when not pregnant. After a gentle but thorough warm-up and stretches, there are individual chapters which go more in-depth into belly dance moves. This would be a great addition to any pregnant woman’s prenatal self-care.
WARNING: Watching this DVD made me yearn to get pregnant again just so I could dance. Perhaps it will have the same powerful effect on you! You can order from the ICAN Bookstore.
ICAN’s next webinar:
Confused by the controversy over single layer vs. double layer? You’re not alone. Whether you’re a mom worried about your own single layer closure, or a birth professional seeking more information, this online session is for you. You’ll learn what the research says about the differences between single layer and double layer closures, including often overlooked information about the role played by suturing patterns and material. Presented by Gretchen Humphries, DVM, this online session provides the information you need to be informed about VBAC.
Date: Sunday, February 28, 2010
Time: 9:00 pm EST
Other Time Zones
U.S. Central 8:00 pm
U.S. Mountain 7:00 pm
U.S. Pacific 6:00 pm
Buenos Aires 11:00 pm
GMT – Monday, January 25 2:00 am
Rome – Monday, January 25 3:00 am
Istanbul – Monday, January 25 4:00 am
New Delhi – Monday, January 25 7:30 am
Tokyo – Monday, January 25 11:00 am
Canberra – Monday, January 25 1:00 pm
This webinar is free to ICAN subscribers ($30 level or higher). If you are not a current subscriber, you may subscribe or renew through the ICAN Bookstore or through your local chapter to attend this and future ICAN webinars for free.
Non-subscribers: $15 or become an ICAN subscriber (see above).
Comments or questions? Click here to contact us.
Gretchen Humphries is the Advocacy Director for ICAN, the ICAN email list administrator, and co-leader of the ICAN of Ann Arbor Chapter. She is also a Veterinarian, working in emergency and critical care at the Animal ER Center in Southeastern Michigan. She has written extensively on birth topics and many of her essays can be found at Birth Matters. She is the mother of 4 wonderful children and the wife of a man who realized how much they’d both lost with the cesarean, after his third child was born at home. Gretchen has had one cesarean for breech twins and 2 wonderful HBACs.
The ICAN Bookstore now offers 1st Class & Media Mail as shipping options! ICAN continues to be a valuable resource to birthing women and hopes that cheaper shipping options along with our low rates will allow us to reach even more women.
Check out this month’s specials, buy access to the January 24th webinar or pick up a 2010 ICAN Calendar. This month’s specials are (click on the image for more information):
Looking for a last minute gift for a woman you love?
Need a place to spend that holiday cash from grandma?
How about a subscription to ICAN?
Here are 10 very good reasons to become a subscribing member of ICAN in 2010. Thanks to several chapter leaders for these great ideas!
Top Ten Reasons to Subscribe to ICAN in 2010
10. Discount at the ICAN Online Bookstore
9. Discount to the 2011 ICAN Conference
8. Be eligible to hold a volunteer position with ICAN
7. Full access to ICAN’s educational and support webinars
6. Receive the quarterly Clarion newsletter
5. It’s a “mother-sized” way to help prevent unnecessary cesareans and promote VBAC
4. ICAN is a 100% volunteer organization. Every dollar directly supports our mission.
3. Increase ICAN’s impact: what if we could say we have 10,000 members against unnecessary cesareans?!?!
2. Support your local chapter’s work in your community
And the number one reason to become a subscriber to ICAN in 2010 is….
1.The satisfaction of supporting one of the most worthy causes in the world: the health and well-being of moms and babies!
ICAN encourages you to join through your local chapter whenever possible so that some of the funds can remain in your community. Click here to find a chapter near you. In lieu of a local chapter, click here to subscribe.