Tuesday, October 9, 2012

The future

See that beautiful little girl holding that sign?  Her parents told me a story the other night that I wanted to share with you.  They told me that the morning after the Rally she was marching around her house chanting "BIRTH IS NORMAL!"  And that every time they drive past the capitol building she points to it and states, "birth is normal!"  


That my friends is social change.  

Do we even have to wonder what this little girl is going to grow up to believe about birth?  I'd say no.  Sure she'll likely still face other kinds of social pressure(s) around birth (although we're working hard to change and reduce that my sweet little one), but hopefully there will always be something inside her that will be chanting "BIRTH IS NORMAL."  

Here are the closing remarks from a paper I published in 2011: 
Just imagine if we started today telling the next generation of women (the littlest of girls now) that their bodies are beautiful and not broken, that their minds are strong and not weak, that they are made just how nature intended them to be – to start telling them now, what so many of the participants in this study longed to have heard, that they can do it and that they are okay! We need to begin building a village and providing that support to them now....What would the picture of maternity culture be in 20 years if we started doing that today? Instead of spreading fear and isolation, technology, industry, and management we spread positive messages including encouragement, support, and capability. It is not difficult to conceive the powerful trickle down (and up) affects such small and simple changes would make. This generation of girls (the babies now) will soon be consumers and as such will have a powerful and influential voice. We have the power to impact those voices such that they be ones of change! 

Hearing the story of this little one brings me such hope. It is a truly great honor to know that I (and all of us who stood with her that day) made a true (and I believe) lasting impact.  We influenced the next generation.  See her sweet little friend standing there next to her?  She heard us too!  

~ Mandi Hardy Hillman

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?


Or...

Put you're money where your mouth is.  A bit strong, but at times a necessary truth.

Here it is folks: a call to action.

This week internationally acclaimed author and speaker Suzanne Arms is coming to Iowa to give a serious of lectures.  The lecture / event series is called Global to Local: Why Birth Matters and is brought to you by Healing Passages Birth and Wellness Center (check them out - they truly are walking the walk).

These events are intended to both initiate and continue the conversation(s) in our community about our experiences in birth - as women, mothers, babies, father, families, and as a community (globally and locally).  The "grand" event is an awesome GALA being held at Jasper Winery on October 5th - get your tickets ASAP.  The gala is a fundraiser for the healing passages birth center, scheduled to be opened in the Historic Sherman Hill district in Des Moines - the building that will house the birth center is a Green & Main project and is pretty exciting on its own.   

The truth is, supporting this birth center supports access to evidence-based care in our community.  

Yes, it costs money to attend this Gala, but folks let's be honest we spend money on a lot of frivolous things every single day.

I was speaking with a friend the other day and she made a connection between our support of this project (or potentially any project which we may not use) as comparable to recycling.  Why are so many folks recycling? It's not necessarily for themselves, for their own direct gain, but for the gain of future generations.  For the gain of our planet.  For the gain of all of us collectively.  This project is no different.  Regardless of whether you'll ever birth in this amazing building or not - please consider the larger impact of your support (in whatever form that support takes).


Let's put our money where our mouths are and make something amazing happen in our community.

~ Mandi Hardy Hillman

Friday, September 21, 2012

Did you feel that?

Did you feel that?

That rumble in the air? That thunder rolling in?

Did you feel that?

That's the sound of a revolution rising-up! That's the sound of a generation of people refusing to allow the oppressors to define and dictate their births for them.

If you missed the premiere of Freedom for Birth last night find a way to see this film.  It was truly profound and powerful.  Giving voice to the abuses against women and families.  Shining light on an all to often marginalized issue.  Well done One World Birth, well done!



~Mandi Hardy Hillman

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Little Pebbles

Perhaps you do not identify yourself with the word activist.  That's okay, I didn't always define myself that way either.  And in our culture some days it is still a tough "label" to take on.   However, I find myself more and more comfortable with the role, the job, the purpose of an activist when I am reminded that activism takes many forms.  Significant social change rarely occurs because of one single event. Typically, it is a series of little events that compounded over time.  These little events, or pebbles if you will, are not insignificant by any means.  These little pebbles are still actions and they are every bit as much an intricate part of the process of change.

Even the smallest pebble will still make a splash in the ocean.

A story about a little pebble.
I am a doula.  For the past 4+ years I have encouraged all of my clients, and frankly let's be honest anyone who I talk to about birth, to request a CIMS recognized mother-friendly nurse on their birth plans.  Most of my clients are from Ames, that's where I live, so this meant Mary Greeley for a hospital birth.  I knew that Mary Greeley did not have any nurse recognized by CIMS as mother-friendly.  In fact, I was not even sure that the Birthways team even knew about CIMS to be honest.  That did not stop me from sharing this recommendation.  

My reasoning was this:  first, it will make whoever is reading that birth plan think about what is meant by this and how to find out about it - it gets the wheels turning.  Second, if they do know what a CIMS recognized mother-friendly nurse is, even if they do not have any, perhaps they will seek a nurse to "assign" to this women who is more likely to meet those standards.  Finally, if nothing else I believed that indicating this request on a birth plan was one means to suggest to the providers that this mama had done her research and knew what she wanted / deserved for her birth experience.  

I heard a few months ago that Mary Greeley was planning to begin the process of becoming a Mother-Friendly hospital.  Perhaps it was just a rumor.  Well, today I called Birthways directly and asked about what I'd heard.  Alas, it i true this is their plan.  Achieving this status is no small feat and will certainly take time.  There is lots to be done, but those details are for another post.    

The point is this.  Do I think that I am the reason for this decision?  No, absolutely not. However, I believe that maybe, just maybe, those little tiny pebbles (a handful tossed out over time) may have influenced the course.  Maybe.  

Social change takes time.  No act is too small.  The little pebbles are important and are valued here. 

Do you have a story about little pebbles you'd like to share?  We'd love to hear how you are being an activist in our state, country, and even around the globe. 

Please share.

~ Mandi Hardy Hillman

Chugga chugga...choo choo...

Let's keep the momentum from Labor Day going.  

Remember that was just the beginning.  

Up Next: 


~ Mandi Hardy Hillman

What a day



Wow! I'm still coming down from the high of Labor Day.  What a rally.  It was so wonderful to see nearly 100 women, men, and children standing in front of the capitol that day.  Truly wonderful.  What a body and a what a voice we will have if we continue to unite in this way.

Nationally, over 9000 people participated in Improving Births Rally for Change.  That's no small feat.  How exciting to get to say Iowa was part of that.  Awesome.  Change is in the air.  Let's keep it going and growing.

I wanted to say thank you to those who attended the rally and share some photos (via Blessings Photography and Birth Services) from that day.

 We had two news crews join us (WHO TV 13 and KCCI Channel 8)


 Being interview by KCCI Channel 8 - and making some pretty silly faces if I do say so, myself

Jenn Riggs, wearing her fresh baby boy Hugo, is interview by KCCI Channel 8

For more photos and to keep up with WHAT'S NEXT please join us on Facebook

~Mandi Hardy Hillman


Saturday, September 1, 2012

First Steps

The idea for the Iowa Birth Activists developed during a 12-hour car ride home from the 1st Annual Birth Activist Retreat in Summertown, TN.  The thought process went something like this for me (as it has been going for years...perhaps you can related).

"I'm so frustrated...."
"Something's got to give...."
"Someone should do something...."
"What?  What should be done..."
"Crap.  I think I'm that someone."
"What could I possibly do to make a difference?"
"Who would want to listen to me?"
"Well, doing something is better than nothing"
"Okay.  Fine. I'm going to start.....something."

Through hours of conversations, crazy big thinking, brainstorming, and several roadside stops to nurse my baby my driving companion and I had decided we were going to form a grassroots movement.  We were going to work to pull together our entire birth community from across the state.  No small feat. We wanted to work with all the special interest groups to form a larger body of people passionate about birth, about good outcomes for everyone, and about seeing change in how we do things in this state (and country).  We wanted to break through to reach out to consumers because we believe they are a major player in the mission towards change.

Well, that's all fine and good, but what is this group going to do?

While at the retreat we met a woman name Dawn Thompson from Improving Birth. She shared about a national rally that she was coordinating on Labor Day.  Why not start there?  Dawn and her team had already done so much leg work, created materials, and we ready to support various sites across the country.  Since we had just over 8 weeks to pull it off having that support and also knowing that we were going to be standing with others (across the country) sounded like a good plan.  It was a starting point.  So it was decided, we'd Rally for Change along with 1000s of others all over the country on Labor Day.

Why the capitol building?  This has been a big question and a good one.  There were several reasons for choosing this location.   First off we agreed that Des Moines was a good location simply because of its central location.  So, if we were going to be in Des Moines which hospital or location should we chose to be our site to rally for change?  We felt that we couldn't single out one hospital that was "worse" than any other and we also felt that making this distinction might divide people - we did not want to risk this division.  Secondly, we felt strongly that since this rally was only a starting point for the Iowa Birth Activists we did not want to launch our movement from a confrontational place.  Although, unquestionably our rally is planned to be a peaceful loving gathering - we know that being outside a hospital holding our signs about change could certainly be interpreted as confrontational. We decided that for right now we want people to know about Iowa Birth Activists and our mission and feel comfortable and safe in joining us.  Finally, we feel being at the capitol, even when no legislators are in session, makes a statement.  It says that we are not afraid to gather in such a public and political forum.  It also recognizes the importance of politics in this movement towards change.  In order for change to take place in birth it will need to happen at many different levels and on many fronts and the political front is certainly one of them.  As well it also lets the legislators know (because the press coverage will tell them) that we are not going anyway - we'll be here even when they are not.  We'll stand together and tell the truth about birth - whether thousands see us or just a few.  Because birth matters.

This is only the beginning, our first steps. 


~Mandi Hardy Hillman



If not me, then who? If not now, then when?

There is a gap between evidence and practice in this country when it comes to how we perform birth.  Through both research and experience I have come to understand this as truth.  As a result of this gap negative outcomes are occurring for families.  I define this situation as oppressive, unjust, and unnecessary. I am upset by this, I am hurt by this, I am saddened by this, I am moved to action by this.

My awareness of the truth about this injustice puts me, personally, in a predicament.  My heart cries out that I DO something.  Someone must stop this.  But me?  Who am I?  How can I possible change something so big?  How to solve this internal conundrum?

Here's the conclusion I came to:  If not me, then who?  If not now, then when?  Sure, it's been said before, in many different ways, and it is as true now as when first spoken.  I have a choice: I can continue to talk about the problem, define it, and discuss various ways could or should be solved or I can do something.  I can do lots of somethings.  I can act.

I am choosing action, in whatever form it takes.

For some people action means marching and rallying, for some it is writing, doing research, and teaching, for others the act is actually doing nothing (like refusing to move off your bus seat). What I'm trying to say is that activism takes many forms.  It is all kinds of people doing all kinds of things in all kinds of different ways.  What makes a social movement successful is the unity and commitment of all those people to the same purpose.

I have co-founded Iowa Birth Activists for the purpose of telling the truth about birth and promoting equal access to evidence-based care because it is a human right. If this purpose is one you feel moved by - join me and we'll stand together and act!


~Mandi  Hardy Hillman