PRESS RELEASE

Allied health professionals from around West Virginia met recently to organize behind a national campaign to promote the profession of midwifery. “The Big Push,” a national movement to increase midwife service in all 50 states – begins January 24th. The group adopted the name West Virginia Birth Policy Coalition and accepted the organizational statement of the campaign, which is:

“Increasing access to the Midwives Model of Care in all settings is essential to the health and well-being of childbearing women and their babies. The National Birth Policy Coalition supports legislative initiatives that promote the autonomous practice of Certified Professional Midwives and Certified Nurse-Midwives, and that ensure the availability of safe, evidence-based care during pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum.”

Martha White, from Arthurdale, attended the meeting in Elkins. She explained that the Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes. “By adopting the Midwives Model of Care,” White said, “allied health professionals will work to decrease the cesarean section rate and minimize other technological interventions; provide mothers with individualized prenatal care, counseling, and education; and monitor the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle.”

Present for the meeting were midwives, nurses, doctors, chiropractors, doulas, educators, and consumers from all regions of West Virginia. The group set its agenda to promote midwifery, educate the public, increase the availability of midwives to provide care in areas of WV that are underserved or have no maternity services, and work with the WV legislature to recognize the Certified Professional Midwife, a national certification accepted in 26 other states. Participating in the Elkins forum were representatives from the Midwives Alliance of West Virginia, the WV Chapter of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, WV Chiropractic Association, WV Family Practice Physicians, WV Citizens for Midwives, the Mountaineer Birth Network, WV Psychological Association and the International Cesarean Awareness Network.