Happy La Leche League International Week!

We are thrilled to announce that Chicago Community Midwives’ advocacy efforts have paid off and in response to our request, Governor Blagojevich has issued a Proclamation honoring the Founders of La Leche League and declaring July 16-23rd La Leche League International Week! Congratulations La Leche League and congratualtions to each and every one of the incredible women who founded La Leche League 50 years ago.

CCM and La Leche League’s Gala to Honor the Founders was an incredible success and we would like to thank everyone who came together to share in this wonderful event!

Here is the text of the Governor’s Proclamation:

WHEREAS,                 La Leche League International, a nonprofit 
organization dedicated to the promotion and support of breastfeeding 
 and recognized as a world authority  on breastfeeding,  is celebrating its 50th Anniversary;
WHEREAS,                 La Leche League International,  founded and
incorporated in the state of Illinois, has spread to all 50 states and has a presence in over 75 other countries worldwide;
WHEREAS,                   The health and well being of mothers and babies in
Illinois have been greatly improved because of the efforts of La Leche League International for the past 50 years;
WHEREAS,                 Six of the organization’s seven Founders are
life long residents of Illinois: Marian Tompson, Mary White, Viola
Lennon, Edwina Froehlich, Mary Ann Cahill, and Betty Wagner Spandikow;
WHEREAS,                   Breastfeeding has been endorsed worldwide by health
professional organizations,  governmental health ministries and departments and international agencies as the optimal infant feeding method;
WHEREAS,                   The LLLI Founders and La Leche League International  are deserving of recognition for their dedication and achievements in educating and supporting parents and professionals in every aspect of breastfeeding;
WHEREAS,                   The La Leche League International 50th Anniversary will be celebrated at a number of events in Chicago during the month of July, 2007;
THEREFORE, I, Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor of the State of Illinois, do hereby proclaim
July 16 to 23 as La Leche League International Week in Illinois in recognition of the seven LLLI Founders -Mary White, Marian Tompson, Edwina Froehlich, Viola Lennon, Betty Wagner Spandikow, Mary Ann Cahill, and Mary Ann Kerwin, for 50 years of dedicated service to mothers and babies.

So go on out there and celebrate La Leche League International Week! Attend the LLLI 50th Anniversary Conference taking place this week here in Chicago. Make an automatic monthly donation to Chicago Community Midwives to support local gentle birth and breastfeeding education and advocacy. And nurse your baby in public! What better way to celebrate the incredible benefits of breastfeeding for baby, for mama and for the health and well-being of us all.

Happy La Leche League International Week, Everyone!
 

July 18th, 2007

Press Release: Governor Blagojevich Proclaims July16-23 La Leche Leage International Week in Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 12, 2007
Contact:
Jacque Shannon-McNulty
Board of Directors, Chicago Community Midwives

jacque(at)chicagocommunitymidwives(dot)org
GOVERNOR BLAGOJEVICH PROCLAIMS JULY 16-23
LA LECHE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL WEEK
CHICAGO- Governor Rod Blagojevich has declared July 16-23 La Leche League International Week in Illinois in honor of the small group of mothers in the 1950s who formed the breastfeeding support group that grew into La Leche League International.
Governor Blagojevich and First Lady Patty Blagojevich have expressed consistent public support for breastfeeding as the optimal method of infant feeding to improve infant and child health in Illinois. The Governor’s Proclamation is a continuation of his policies aimed at promoting and encouraging breastfeeding in Illinois.
La Leche League International was founded 50 years ago by a group of Chicago area mothers seeking information and support for breastfeeding their babies. Breastfeeding was not the norm in the 1950s, and the small group of nursing mothers shared information and mother to mother support through their breastfeeding experiences. La Leche League International now operates in over 75 countries and is currently based in Schaumburg.
The founders of La Leche League are Marian Tompson, Mary White, Viola Lennon, Edwina Froehlich, Mary Ann Cahill, Mary Ann Kerwin and Betty Wagner Spandikow. One of the original La Leche League babies, Paul Froehlich, son of Edwina Froehlich, now serves as Illinois Representative of the 56^th District.
La Leche League International will celebrate its 50^th anniversary this year holding a conference in Chicago July 20-23. On July 16^th , local nonprofit Chicago Community Midwives and La Leche League International will hold a Gala Dinner benefit and awards banquet to honor the Founders of La Leche League and to announce the Governor’s Proclamation. Several of the Founders of La Leche League, now in their 80s, will attend the event to personally receive their awards. The event will be held at Wishbone restaurant in Chicago, Monday July 16^th from 5-8pm . Proceeds will benefit Chicago Community Midwives’ nonprofit programs educating about healthy birth and breastfeeding.
#####
Background Information:
Press Passes for Gala Honoring the Founders of La Leche League
Contact Jacque Shannon-McNulty
Jacque(at)chicagocommunitymidwives(dot)org

 La Leche League
Organizational information and breastfeeding information and resources
www.lalecheleague.org
Chicago Community Midwives
Organizational information and La Leche League Founders Gala information and tickets
www.chicagocommunitymidwives.org
Background on the Founders of La Leche League
http://www.waba.org.my/wabalink/LLLI.pdf
Text of Governor’s Proclamation:
WHEREAS,                 La Leche League International, a nonprofit 
organization dedicated to the promotion and support of breastfeeding 
 and recognized as a world authority  on breastfeeding,  is celebrating its 50th Anniversary;
WHEREAS,                 La Leche League International, founded and
incorporated in the state of Illinois, has spread to all 50 states and has a presence in over 75 other countries worldwide;
WHEREAS,                   The health and well being of mothers and babies in
Illinois have been greatly improved because of the efforts of La Leche League International for the past 50 years;
WHEREAS,                 Six of the organization’s seven Founders are
life long residents of Illinois: Marian Tompson, Mary White, Viola
Lennon, Edwina Froehlich, Mary Ann Cahill, and Betty Wagner Spandikow;
WHEREAS,                   Breastfeeding has been endorsed worldwide by health
professional organizations,  governmental health ministries and departments and international agencies as the optimal infant feeding method;
WHEREAS,                   The LLLI Founders and La Leche League International  are deserving of recognition for their dedication and achievements in educating and supporting parents and professionals in every aspect of breastfeeding;
WHEREAS,                   The La Leche League International 50th Anniversary will be celebrated at a number of events in Chicago during the month of July, 2007;
THEREFORE, I, Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor of the State of Illinois, do hereby proclaim
July 16 to 23 as La Leche League International Week in Illinois in recognition of the seven LLLI Founders -Mary White, Marian Tompson, Edwina Froehlich, Viola Lennon, Betty Wagner Spandikow, Mary Ann Cahill, and Mary Ann Kerwin, for 50 years of dedicated service to mothers and babies.

July 10th, 2007

Chicago Community Midwives Impact Through Education

Innovative grassroots programs. Evidence-based professional education. Empowering, peer to peer public education. This is what sets Chicago Community Midwives apart.

Deeply rooted in our mission of educating the public and professionals about the midwives model of care, out of hospital birth and breastfeeding, Chicago Community Midwives strives to improve the lives and health of mothers and babies. What could be more precious and more critically important?

August 11th, 2006

Press Release: Defensive Medicine Practice Leads to Dramatic Increse in Cesarean Section Rate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2005
Defensive Medicine Practice Leads to Dramatic Increase in Cesarean Section Rate
CHICAGO- Cesarean section surgery rates have reached epidemic proportions in the United States according to new statistics released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 29.1% of babies in the United States were born via cesarean section surgery in 2004, up from 26.1% in 2003 and an increase of over 40% since 1996.
“The current c-section rate defies logic and it defies evidence-based medical practice,” states Chicago Certified Nurse-Midwife Sarah Simmons. “Women’s bodies have not changed from 1970 to 2005 necessitating a jump from a 5% cesarean rate to 29.1%. What has changed is the way obstetrics is practiced, and this change has not led to better outcomes for infants.”
Despite drastically increasing cesarean rates, CDC statistics do not show accompanying improvement in infant outcomes. In fact, both the rate of low birthweight and pre-term birth increased. Low birthweight and prematurity have both been associated with infant mortality. The United States ranks 36 in the world for its infant mortality rate, behind countries such as Singapore, Iceland, Czech Republic, and Cuba.
“Women and babies rely on obstetricians to provide exceptional, evidenced-based care. The CDC statistics reveal that for too many women and babies, this is not happening,” states Jacque Shannon-McNulty, President of the nonprofit Chicago Community Midwives.
The World Health Organization declares that national cesarean section rates should be less than 10-15% of all births.
Nationally, the American College of Nurse-Midwives has called for Congressional hearings on the skyrocketing c-section rates, noting that many cesarean sections that are currently being performed are unnecessary and risky to the mother and to the baby.
Cesarean sections are often promoted as a safe and painless birth option, however cesarean section is a major abdominal surgery with researchers noting complication rates between 20 – 50%. Known complications for mothers include hemorrhage, infection, damage to other organs, placental anomalies in future pregnancies, increased risk of stillbirth in future pregnancies, and a 4 – 7 times increased risk of maternal death. Complications for babies include respiratory problems at birth, asthma, breastfeeding difficulty and lacerations.
“The most important thing a pregnant woman can do to prevent unnecessary cesarean section surgery is to educate herself. Pregnant women can not blindly trust that obstetricians will always do what is in the patient’s best interest. Practicing defensive medicine and blanket one-size-fits-all policies that lead to unnecessary cesarean section surgeries are facts of obstetric care in the US. Pregnant women need to protect themselves and become their own best advocates to ensure that they receive the very best evidence-based healthcare,” states Jacque Shannon-McNulty.
To further effective consumer education about cesarean section surgery, Chicago Community Midwives, a nonprofit organization working to improve maternal-child health, has created a program to foster new ICAN chapters in the Chicago metropolitan area. ICAN, the International Cesarean Awareness Network, is a national organization whose mission includes “preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).”
Chicago Community Midwives Acting Executive Director Rachel Dolan Wickersham states, “Mother to mother information sharing and support has a proven track record of success. ICAN groups provide women with the opportunity to access the information, resources and support they need to take back their healthcare and improve their births, for their babies’ health and safety and for their own”
Chicago-area women interested in finding or setting up a local ICAN chapter can contact Chicago Community Midwives by calling Rachel Dolan Wickersham at 630-832-3556 x. 2 or Gail Karlovsky at 630-305-4191.
# # # #
Chicago Community Midwives is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving maternal-child health by providing public and professional education about the Midwives Model of Care, out of hospital birth and breastfeeding.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics document, “Preliminary Births for 2004: Infant and Maternal Health”
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/prelimbirths04/prelimbirths04health.htm
American College of Nurse-Midwives call for Congressional hearings on rising c-section rates http://midwife.org/display.cfm?id=773
World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/en/
International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN)
http://www.ican-online.org/
Lamaze International
http://www.lamaze.org/About/documents/Cesarean-section-position-paper.doc

November 19th, 2005

Press Release: Study Finds for Healthy Women, Planned Homebirth with a Certified Professional Midwife as Safe as Birth in Hospital with a Doctor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 17, 2005
Contact:
Jacque Shannon-McNulty
President
Chicago Community Midwives
jacque@chicagocommunitymidwives.org
Study Finds for Healthy Women, Planned Homebirth with a Certified Professional Midwife as Safe as Birth in Hospital with a Doctor
CHICAGO- The British Medical Journal publishes a study in the June 18th edition finding that women experiencing low-risk pregnancies who give birth at home under the care of a Certified Professional Midwife fare as well as low-risk women giving birth in the hospital under the care of a physician. “This study is the most current and most comprehensive North American study of Certified Professional Midwives and it clearly demonstrates that homebirth with a Certified Professional Midwife is safe,” states Jacque Shannon-McNulty, President of the nonprofit Chicago Community Midwives. “The Illinois State Medical Society has consistently opposed homebirth and Certified Professional Midwives as unsafe. Today’s study proves that the ISMS position is outdated and needs to be revised to reflect this peer-reviewed medical research. Chicago Community Midwives calls on physicians to examine the evidence and support Certified Professional Midwives and homebirth as safe, healthy birth options for the women who choose them.”
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) differ from the more familiar Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs). CPMs and CNMs are two distinct professions, with this study examining the practice of Certified Professional Midwives. Certified Nurse-Midwives are trained primarily as nurses with advanced training in midwifery. Certified Nurse-Midwives, according the American College of Nurse-Midwives, can provide the Midwives Model of Care ™ in a variety of settings including hospitals, freestanding birth centers or at home. In the Chicago area, the vast majority of CNMs practice in hospitals with a few local CNMs providing homebirth services. Certified Professional Midwives are non-nurse midwives with expertise in out-of-hospital birth, especially homebirth. The CPM credential is the only healthcare credential validating experience and competency in out-of-hospital birth. Twenty-one other states license Certified Professional Midwives. In Illinois, CPM practice is outlawed by judicial interpretation. Efforts at CPM licensure in Illinois are ongoing.
The study finds “Planned home birth for low risk women in North America using Certified Professional Midwives was associated with lower rates of medical intervention but similar intrapartum and neonatal mortality to that of low risk hospital births in the United States.”
According to the BMJ article:
· Planned home births “had a low mortality rate during labor and delivery, similar to [rates] found in most studies of low risk hospital births in North America.”
· “Rates of medical intervention, such as epidural, forceps and caesarean section, were lower for planned home births than for low risk hospital births.”
· “A high degree of safety and maternal satisfaction were reported, and over 87% of mothers and babies did not require transfer to hospital” care.
· “At 6 weeks postpartum, 98.3% of babies were in good health, with no residual health problems. At six weeks post partum, 95.8% of these women were still breast feeding their babies, 89.7% exclusively.”
· The study found no maternal deaths of women studied giving birth at home with Certified Professional Midwives and at the 6 week postpartum check-up, “98.4% of mothers reported good health, with no residual health problems.”
“These findings are very compelling,“ notes Shannon-McNulty, “For the well-being of mothers and babies, Illinois needs to increase access to this evidence-based model of maternity care.”
Chicago Community Midwives is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving maternal-child health. CCM provides public and professional education about the Midwives Model of Care ™, out of hospital birth, and breastfeeding as evidence-based and health-giving modalities for improving maternal-child health.
# # # #
References:
Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America — Johnson and Daviss 330 (7505): 1416 – BMJ http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/330/7505/1416?ehomI

For information about the Midwives Model of Care ™ http://cfmidwifery.org/mmoc/define.aspx
For information about the CPM credential http://www.narm.org/
Chicago Community Midwives www.chicagocommunitymidwives.org

June 17th, 2005