The California Maternal Quality Care Collective, a group of physicians and other health care professionals, has released a white paper on the increasing percentage of cesarian deliveries and their consequences for both mother and child. You can read the executive summary or entire study here:
http://www.cmqcc.org/white_paper
Tags: cesarian, maternity care
Here’s a story in the Washington Post that describes a long-term collaboration between DC’s only free-standing birth center and a large Washington hospital: read it here
Tags: birth, birth center, midwife, midwives
AABC is proud to have been voted “Best Birthing Center” in the Central Texas Doula Association’s Mother-Friendly Birth Awards held in October. More than 4,000 Central Texans cast votes in the organization’s annual recognition event, organized in collaboration with the Get Babied! doula collective getbabied.com. As the organization says on its Website, “CTDA wants to recognize the Austin birth professionals that are going out of their way to provide quality care for the women of Austin. It’s the job of a doula to provide educational support to women throughout their childbearing years. A result of the yearly poll is a list of the best referrals for pregnancy care in Austin, selected and voted on by real people to determine the best and brightest mother-friendly birth professionals the city has to offer.”
We thank all the great doulas who work with our clients and are so grateful to all the people who voted for us. We will continue to strive to provide the best birthing experience possible and continue to earn the trust and confidence of so many mothers and their families.
Tags: awards, birth center
This sounds like it came straight out of a tabloid at the HEB: a friend of AABC midwife Leonora Colen is working in Paris (France) this summer and ran into actress and “The Business of Being Born” executive producer Ricki Lake. Ricki wondered how Leonora’s friend knew who she was, and the friend explained that Leonora works at this great birthing center in Austin and that she’d watched Ricki’s DVD. Ricki arranged to get this great photo to us.
Tags: Ricki Lake
Thank You
When I was 19, a good friend of mine had a baby at your old location off of Mopac. The experience was so amazing to me that I swore that when it was my time to give birth, this was the only place that would do. To my 19 year old mind, it was the perfect birth at the perfect place and nothing else made sense. Flash forward 16 years, my husband and I moved to NYC for several years and when it was time for us to start a family, all I could think about was your birthing center. To my 35 year old mind, your birthing center still was the only place I wanted to go! We looked all over NYC and Brooklyn and found only one birthing center that was in the process of closing down and it was in a not so nice area of Brooklyn. It’s crazy to think that there are so few places like yours. For that and other reasons, we decided to move back to Austin and have our babe at your birthing center.
I am sure that you get this all of the time, but I just felt that I had to write to you and say thank you. My husband and I have had such an amazing experience with the center and everyone involved with it that I am so sad that I’m not pregnant anymore to give us a reason to go. I felt so lucky to have all of the resources given to me, from centering to yoga to the breast feeding classes, the lengthy appointments and the personal touch that a I would never receive had I gone anywhere else. When I would go to yoga late in the evening, I would always think what a great lady you were for sharing your space with us. You don’t have to be this awesome, you just are and I thank you. The experience was just as amazing as it was when I visited the center 19 years ago, except maybe a little more because it involved me and my babe.
I wish that I did more than just hair because I would give back in a heartbeat to show how grateful I truly am, but I guess for now this will have to do.
Xxoxo,
Farah R
Tags: testimonials
We appreciate all the kind words our moms share about their experiences with AABC. Here’s one that singles out some of the AABC staff who work at the William Cannon location:
From: Melody Drew Buchanan
Date: August 2, 2011 4:29:52 PM CDT
To: “Jean Stokes” <jstokes@austinabc.com>;
Subject: Thank You!
Jean:
I wanted to let you know how impressed I was with your staff, the center and my birthing experience as a whole. I couldn’t have asked for or imagined a better sitution for us.
Monika was great during our prenatal visits! I really connected with her. You can tell she is very passionate. Vicki is wondeful. She gave me so much support! I felt so calm around her and could tell she has a lot of experience!
Michelle is amazing. With a 2 hr labor and a 9 lb 15 oz baby, it was fast and furious and she didn’t let me tear! Plus I had a leep done in the past and she quickly moved the scar tissue for me to push! I am forever greatful for her! Leonora did our home visit which went great! She is very personable. Sam did our 2 wk post natal visit and she was so good with us!
Stacey is so welcoming at the front desk! Cat is phenomonal with her Yoga! Denise answered all of our billing questions spot on! You have a wonderful team and I hope you share this with them! If I left anyone off I apoloize. We will always be thankful to everyone for making this such a positive and wonderful experience for us! You guys are great at what you do! I am so glad we have advocates such as you all that promote natural child birth in this great town we live in!
Thanks again!!
Melody Drew Buchanan
Tags: testimonials
We are so proud of this recent testimonial from Leslie Williamson, who gave birth to her son Wyatt at AABC’s Wm Cannon location on January 15, that we had to share it:
“I wanted a natural childbirth, but was intimidated by the idea of a home birth. The new [AABC] South facilities are beautiful and after the tour with [AABC owner] Jean and [midwife assistant] Cat we felt at home and comfortable. Suddenly birth was not as scary to me anymore. I started out at an OB/GYN, then transferred to AABC, and the difference in prenatal care was incredible. I felt comfortable asking questions – I didn’t feel like I was just “one more appointment” for the staff to get through. When I started having early contractions, I felt safe calling the midwives – I am not sure what I would have done if I had still been with the OB/GYN. My pregnancy and birth could have gone completely different. [AABC Certified Nurse/Midwife] Samantha [Evans] was fantastic! She was so patient and calm throughout everything. Even with some minor complications, they all seemed so minor because Samantha was so calm, reassuring and confident. Cat was also an excellent assistant. After the birth she was so kind and gentle to me and baby Wyatt. I really appreciated the home visit – Heather [Harper] was fantastic. David and I talk all the time about how AABC is some of the most well spent money we have ever paid. We could have had a hospital birth for free, but the experience we had with AABC was priceless.”
Tags: testimonials
There has been much confusion over the past few years about whether birthing professionals outside hospitals could safely handle vaginal births after cesarians (VBACs). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the leading nonprofit organization for physicians specializing in women’s health, has stated that VBACs can be safely managed by accredited birthing centers. The American Association of Birthing Centers, the leading nonprofit organization representing birthing centers in the U.S., agrees with ACOG that birthing centers such as Austin Area Birthing Center that meet stringent requirements for accreditation are qualified to give care to women who want a natural birth despite having had one or two previous births by cesarian section. Austin ABC is the only accredited birthing center in Central Texas and routinely provides care for women who want a VBAC.
Local mosaic artist Aly Winningham has completed a beautiful custom work for AABC’s center on Wm Cannon. The work was inspired by AABC’s logo, which depicts a mother and her newborn baby. The new mosaic will be installed between the Folklife and Art Gallery rooms.
To see more of Aly Winningham’s work, visit Terra Firma Studios.
Tags: art, william cannon
Baby Love: an hour a week to learn loving techniques for the health and wellness of your baby (and some benefits for moms, too!)
New mothers with babies up to 6 months old are welcome to join our circle each week to learn and practice baby massage and yoga. Both baby and mom benefit from the experience of loving touch…..
~ baby feels loved and valued, which allows self esteem and confidence to develop
~ Mom develops sensitivity in understanding baby’s needs, which also builds confidence in herself as a parent
Everyone enjoys a respite of relaxation and intimacy from the busy world. Meet other moms, have fun, and develop healthy habits early in your baby’s life. By connecting with your new child and other mothers, you can also help manage the postpartum blues, which affect as many as one out of six moms.
Look at the event calendar on AABC’s main website for details: http://www.austinabc.com/~austinab/event/baby-love/
Tags: baby
