The Safe Baby Resolution

This is draft was co-written and co-sculpted by Janel Martin-Mirendah of Missouri and Star Newland of Hawaii and presented to the proposers of the resolution. It holds the bigger picture of what the Safe Baby Resolution proposes to create. It has been submitted to the offices of Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland and Representative Josh Green, MD. The resolution introduced in the 2007 will likely be a negotiated and modified version.

THE SAFE BABY RESOLUTION
WORKING DRAFT – 10-06

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH BRANCH, TO STUDY THE ROLES OF GESTATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS, GENTLE BIRTHING PRACTICES, WELLNESS EDUCATION PROGRAMS, DOMESTIC HARMONY AWARENESS, APPROPRIATE AND SUFFICIENT TOUCH, AND THE SCIENCE OF HEALING BIRTH TRAUMA, AND THEIR CONNECTION TO PUBLIC POLICY CONCERNS THAT INCLUDE SUBSTANCE ABUSE, ALCOHOLISM, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND OBESITY.

WHEREAS, in memory of Puna, Hawaii resident, Sarah Marie Faye, whose life, beauty, intelligence and passion were cut short as a victim of domestic violence, and whose yet to be born child was saved through heroic medical intervention, and for whom the Legislature shares in the public outcry for the need to educate, collaborate, and develop strategies for addressing the issue of domestic violence, especially against our expectant mothers, and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that deliberation of societal issues such as abuse of controlled substances, alcoholism and domestic violence and obesity are of serious public concern; and

WHEREAS, it is relatively well-known that wellness education improves responses to stress, which leads to the more healthy development and harmonious co-existence of family members; and

WHEREAS, it has been well-known and accepted that the health and well-being of a pregnant woman is linked to the health and well-being of her yet to be born child; and

WHEREAS, recently scientific findings in a variety of disciplines have converged into an emerging new understanding of the primal, developmental needs of the human being from conception through early infancy;

WHEREAS, it has been asserted that domestic harmony and caring during the prenatal period, birth, and in a newborn baby's domestic environment may lead to a propensity for that child to perpetuate domestic harmony in the future; and;

WHEREAS, it has been suggested that the environment and practices employed in the birth experience imprints the basic personality of the newborn child; and

WHEREAS, it has been suggested that appropriate and sufficient touch and human contact between an infant child and its caregivers is integral to that child's development; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that women have the right to choose to continue a pregnancy, the Legislature now recognizes that women have a right to their body during the birth,
including to be responsible for how they gestate their baby, and where and with whom they birth;

WHEREAS, the Legislature further recognizes the differences in the practice of obstetric medical care noting a rising incidence of surgical birth is correlated with increasing pre-term births and other long-term health conditions; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes the positive impact of the trained birth coaching professional, and in particular, the profession of "Doula", defined as a person trained and experienced in childbirth assistance, providing continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and soon after childbirth; and

WHEREAS, current scientific findings in brain research, cellular and neurobiology, physics, pre- and peri-natal psychology, and more, provide a foundation for theory, practice, and research of new technologies and techniques that exist to treat the impact of traumatic and violent physical and emotional issues during conception, gestation, and birth which are now known to contribute to drug addiction, violence, physical and emotional dysfunctions, including obesity; and now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Health, Maternal and Child Health Branch, is requested to study the roles of gestational environments, gentle birthing practices, wellness training and education, domestic harmony awareness, and appropriate and sufficient touch, and their connection to reduction of the abuse of controlled substances, alcoholism and domestic violence, and health issues such as obesity; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health, Maternal and Child Health Branch, is requested to report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature prior to twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2008; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Office of the Governor.

Update

This blog has not been updated recently because I have been consumed with my new project, a film for fathers called The Other Side of the Glass.

It is a film about the baby during birth and calls for us to see the full impact of birth on the human baby. It is about creating safety by embracing that the baby is a fully aware and sentient being who is experiencing birth, and recognizing that the baby's brain is imprinting the birth experience so that even though it is not remembered consciously, it is remembered in the brain and is expressed emotionally and behaviorally for life.

The film calls upon society to support women and men in birthing their baby in the safest way possible where ever birth is, and with whomever. It demands that we expect doctors, nurses, and midwives to release control of birth to the mother and father, and to work in partnership with them, and to treat our babies with conscious, respectful, and gentle care. Fathers will learn the information they need to demand that he and his partner are equal partners with the birthing team. He will become the rightful protector of his family on the most important day of their baby's life.

The film is a one-woman, self-funded project for the most part; however, I do appreciate camera assistance from my daughter, Mariah, and my fellow video production buddy, Brenden Caughwell, along with his keen mind that challenges me. And, I appreciate my colleagues from BEPE.info (Birth and Early Parenting Educators in Nevada City, CA) who supported me in multiple ways -- housing, equipment, and now we near getting the editing software. Meanwhile, I am using the Community Access Television editing lab and I appreciate it but the time limited to only certain hours a day. I appreciate beyond words their support as well as the support of my friend, Rich Winkle, who bought a new MAC for me to use as long as I need it. He said, "This film has to be made." I proudly share his writing here. I appreciate my friends and relatives in CA, AZ, and MO (Uncle Worth, Cousin Deloris, the Mekahil's, Mom and Dad, my producer Audra Kelly-Collier and her family, the Remingtons and their Peace Haven, and Paula Green) who have shared their homes with me during my travels. I am forever grateful as the journey is just unfolding and I head back to California.

BEBE Coordinator, Donna Chamberalain and I have interviewed many of the BEPE members and in February we started a production team with the Nevada City, CA Community Access Television station. We plan to be completing many projects sharing multiple aspects of the birthing baby and family. Some of these will soon be featured in MEMBERS CIRCLE section on the website of the Association for Pre and Perinatal Psychology and Health, http://www.birthpsychology.com/ hosted by yours truly.

Soon ... very soon ... I will be posting a fundraising trailer for the film here as well as excerpts from interviewees.

I have interviewed the following physicians:

Sarah Buckley, MD, http://www.sarahjbuckley.com/,
Michel Odent, MD from France/UK, author of several books and his site is http://www.wombecology.com/,
Gladys McGarey, MD in Arizona, http://www.mcgareyfoundation.org/,
George M. Morley, MD, http://www.cordclamp.com/ in Michigan.

I am very excited about my most recent interview with Ralph Boling, DO, an obstetrician in Kirksville, MO who is seeking to engage the local homebirthing community with the hospital as the hospital renovates the labor and delivery floor. Dr. Boling is seeking to build partnerships with the local women and homebirth community to provide a supportive environment in the hospital for homebirth transfers and to create a hospital enviornment that honors women and the baby. Wooo hooo.

Others I interviewed for my film are:
Marilyn Milos, founder of NOCIRC, http://www.nocirc.org/, and a few folks at the Santa Barbara Graduate Insitute http://www.sbgi.edu/.,
BJ Lyman, PhD, Director of the Pre and Perinatal Psych program and
Marti Glenn, PhD., founder and director of the institute, as well as
Ray Castellino, DC and his colleague, Mary Jackson (midwife), http://www.beba.org/,
William Emerson, PhD, pioneer in birth trauma healing, http://www.emersonbirthrx.com/, Wendy McCord, PhD., http://www.wendymccord.com/,
Karen Strange is the neonatal resuscitation instructor at http://www.newbornbreath.com/,
William Sexton, PhD, medical school physiology professor who explains fetal circulation transition to adult circulation at birth, and
David Chamberlain, PhD, author of The Mind of Your Newborn Baby and co-founder of the Association for Pre and Perinatal Psychology and Health, http://www.birthpsychology.com/ and his own group, http://www.bepe.info/.

BEPE Coordinator, Donna Chamberlain and I have interviewed many of the BEPE members.

And the real stars of the film are the three babies and the many fathers who share their stories that range from homebirth, birth on the way to the birthcenter, and hospital births. They share with other men their best advice for preparing for their baby's birth.

Watch for some video coming soon. I promise.