Meetings are generally held the second Wednesday of the month in from 7-9 pm.  Starting in the summer of 2015, meetings will rotate between the North Shore/North of Boston area and Boston.  We are looking for a leader to lead a once quarterly meeting on the South Shore.  Please contact us if you are interested: eastern.ma@ican-online.org

October 2015 Meeting (North Shore)

Birth Plans- When VBAC turns CBAC

Acelleron Maternal Health & Wellness

July 2015 Meeting (North Shore)
What is ICAN?

The International Cesarean Awareness Network of Eastern Massachusetts is hosting meetings on the North Shore this summer!

Join us at Acelleron Maternal Health and Wellness in North Andover (16 High St., Suite 201) on Wednesday, July 8th from 7 until 9 pm. This will be an open forum meeting to introduce ourselves, share our birth stories, and discuss option around cesarean and vbac in the North Shore area. As always, there will also be a short introductory discussion on postpartum mental health including risk factors, stories and resource lists.

All supporters, Mamas and Mamas to be are welcome regardless of birth history.

Non mobile infants always welcome! Sensitive subject matter and adult language will be discussed in this meeting (birth stories) and there is no childcare available. We respectfully ask that older children stay home.
Hosted by Chapter Leader, Kira Kim.

Kira has had a primary cesarean, a repeat cesarean from a homebirth transfer (CBAC) and a footling breech HBA2C

May 2015 Meeting
Birth Story Sharing

Sharing birth stories can be a wonderful way to form community among women. This circle is for cesarean Mamas, VBAC Mamas and currently pregnant Mamas hoping to VBAC. Stories of joy, stories of pain, elation, trauma, all are welcome. Listeners are welcome too. So if you aren’t ready to share your story, come and listen and feel validated by the shared experiences of others.

April 2015 Meeting
Open Forum-Advocacy Work

This month, we will have an open forum at Birth and Beyond of Jamaica Plain.

Topics include, but are not limited to:
-Current projects in our chapter
-Open positions within the chapter
-VBAC stats in MA
-Birth Stories for new Mamas

If you are interested in helping ICAN of Eastern MA grow, are a pregnant Mom, cesarean Mom or a supporter, and if you have any questions around Cesarean birth and/or VBAC in our state, please join us for tea and chat.

This meeting will be 2 hours, from 7-9 pm.

February 2015 Meeting

Optimal Fetal Positioning

Join us for a discussion with local midwife Laurie Hanrahan CPM on Fetal Positioning

We will go over different fetal positions and how they can impact labor and delivery.

Including, but not limited to:
-OP (Posterior)
-Asyncliticism
-Breech (flipping the breech and options if they don’t flip)
-A discussion on how optimal fetal positioning can shorten labor/why it can be important if birthing at the hospital

There will be time for questions and answers afterwards!

January 2015 Meeting

Emotional Healing after Cesarean

When: January 14, 2015

Where: Birth and Beyond of Jamaica Plain (520 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA)

Topic: Come talk about the road to emotional recovery after an unexpected cesarean and the importance of emotional work before VBAC attempt with Lois Freedman, M.Ed, C.C.C.E.  As we are welcoming a special guest, this meeting is open to all women who have had a traumatic or emotionally turbulent birth (cesarean section or not), supporters, and professionals.

About Lois: For more than 25 years, Lois has counseled women coping with anxiety, grief, traumatic birth experience, loss of a child, cesarean section, mother loss, miscarriage, infertility and death of a loved one. In addition to her private practice, Lois offers a range of classes and workshops for expectant parents and new mothers. Lois has a special interest and expertise in preparing women and couples for VBAC – vaginal birth after cesarean.

RSVP: To RSVP, please send an email to Kira at eastern.ma@ican-online.org or Join the event via facebook by clicking here