Kylie Brewer of Southeast Idaho is ICAN’s Newest Chapter Leader!

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Tell us about the birth climate in your area.

Our chapter covers all of South East Idaho, including Idaho Falls, Blackfoot, Shelly, Pocatello, and Rexburg. There is a high volume of women giving birth in our area. And I love seeing mothers supporting mothers everywhere I go! I feel that most women in our area never really look into natural childbirth, and I’d love to make that interest more widespread—to help with avoiding that first intervention, as well as get more people interested in taking advantage of the two birth centers in our area. I’d also, love to help petition and help change the laws impeding women who have had multiple cesareans from giving birth outside of hospitals.

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After 2 C-sections, and being told that women were having 5 C-sections safely, so it shouldn’t affect the amount of children I wanted–which was my main concern at that point–I completely accepted my road to all cesarean births. One day, while talking birth stories with a friend in the park, she asked me if I had heard of ICAN, an International Cesarean Awareness Network, that it might be something I was interested in. I figured if I was going to have all C-sections, I should look into a cesarean organization. But I had lately felt a desire to research my options for a VBAC one more time. I was surprised through reading about CPD myths on ICAN’s website as well as all the risks of placenta accreta that no doctor had ever told me about all of this information (especially since a lot of it comes from ACOG)! So, that initial feeling that ICAN was for me to help me with my cesareans, and then the discovery that my CPD diagnosis was a myth, drew me to ICAN. I knew I had found an organization that not only had reliable information on birth statistics and options but also cared for women and knew that the birth experience itself was just as important as a healthy baby. I went to my local chapter meetings, received education and went on to have a successful VBA2C. It changed my life and now I can’t rest until every woman has the same opportunity to take control of her birth options!

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After realizing how little information I knew about birth, multiple cesarean/VBAC myths, and my body’s abilities–and feeling that empowerment of “I CAN” birth my baby—I am most excited about having the opportunity to share birth education, and help women achieve the birth they desire without fear and with TRUE informed consent. It is a high-quality organization that is a reliable source of birth facts and education. Over the past two years, I went from being someone who wanted to be the easiest patient I could be to a doctor while I was in labor, to being someone who people might describe as a headstrong patient! I’ve received so much information and a love of my body and the birth process, I can’t even describe the journey. ICAN has made so much of that education possible and I can’t thank them enough for changing my life and the course of my birth history. This organization is doing a good thing for so many women everywhere.

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My friends would say I was passionate, easy to talk to, and fun! And they’d probably say I was strong willed too. I got my Associates in early childhood education and Bachelors Child Development. I love to draw, paint and create things of beauty. I love trees and nature as a whole. I plan to open a preschool someday in the Montessori and Reggio Amelia methods. I am a mom to 3 beautiful kids, with one on the way. And my husband is a College Professor.

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We have yet to set the actual date, but as soon as possible! I’m excited to get our chapter back up and going. The topic will most likely be a reunion of our chapter, in celebration of its reopening, as it has been closed for a year, and an opportunity to share birth stories.

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