by Kelly Camden, Albuquerque Birth Network

On another warm, sunny morning in New Mexico , I spoke with a doula friend, Suzanne, on my cordless phone, while pacing about my yard with my five month old son on my hip. I felt riled up about our current healthcare system. We were talking about a mother's right to bring the doula of her choice into a hospital. Some women believe that they need to ask for a doctor's permission to have labor support. I've heard that some hospitals want mothers to use only staff doulas. Isn't it written in the patient bill of rights that a mother has the right to choose labor support for herself? It seems that everyone is aware of a mother's right to receive an epidural for discomfort, but few people know that a mother also has the right to labor support, which is another tool for increasing comfort during labor.

Those thoughts, about patient's rights and advocacy for mothers, lead to the discussion of birth networks. Suzanne told me about the upcoming mini-grants from Lamaze. We only had a couple of weeks until the deadline, so I began working on the application right away. I had no previous grant-writing experience, but I felt that it was well worth my time to apply, if it meant gaining the opportunity to start a birth network here in Albuquerque .

In the beginning, we held a series of informal discussions, during which Albuquerque doulas offered their thoughts on our community's needs, in terms of classes and resources for parents and professionals. After considering some of the birth resources already in place; doulas, midwives and childbirth educators, we searched for ways to bring individuals from these professions together. Knowing that what happens before and after a birth is equally as important as the birth day, we began compiling the contact information of various professionals who work with families throughout the childbearing year, such as massage therapists, acupuncturists, yoga instructors and lactation consultants. Gradually, we designed a basic framework for fos teri ng “Happy Births and Healthy Babies,” by promoting practitioners who support healthy pregnancy and normal birth.

The Albuquerque Birth Network (ABN) is essentially a marketing collaborative. The network advertises in 5 publications, runs a web site, publishes a newsletter, and coordinates parent classes. To become a member, practitioners sign the CIMS document supporting Mother-Friendly Maternity Care and pay a $50 membership fee, which goes back into the network for advertising and printing costs.

Since January, we have evolved from black and white; basic ideas on a sheet of paper, to full color with sound; parents and birth professionals coming together. Birth networks, as independently operated resources for parents, are needed everywhere. The following are effective ways to pool resources and implement a birth network:

• Find businesses that will donate space in which your network can hold meetings. When making the arrangements, ask them to list your event on their calendar. Also, some businesses will supply drinks and snacks for the parents! Meeting places that Albuquerque Birth Network has used include Wild Oats, Babies'R'Us, and Body, Mind and Spirit, where childbirth and parenting classes are normally held.
• After securing a meeting space, the network may be able to offer free or low-cost classes. ABN is designed to educate parents about options that encourage healthy pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Following each of our monthly business meetings, a member of ABN offers a one hour class on a subject within their area of expertise. Topics have included: Spinal Health for Infants, Waterbirth, Choosing a Care Provider, Hypnobirthing, and Comfort Measures for Labor. Members of the birth network have the opportunity to share their time and passion for birth with the community, while promoting their businesses. Parents have the opportunity to meet the practitioners and educators, and to join in candid discussions with other parents.
• Take advantage of established community resources in order to find free advertising for your classes and events. These listings may be in local newspapers, community calendars, or on bulletin boards. They may be through the free press, health & wellness centers, playgroups, church childcare, maternity stores, bookstores, or childbirth classes.
• If your network has funding, consider ordering a market expansion line with voicemail from your local phone company. This is a convenient way to have a phone number without having an actual office or telephone. Another bonus is that this service includes a listing in the phone book!
• Consider using free web space from someone's internet server, and a template to create a simple web site. A specific domain name can be purchased inexpensively. We spent about $50 on our web page, in order to purchase a domain name and pay fees.
• Find web sites that will link to yours. They could be sites run by members of your birth network, businesses that cater to pregnant women, or larger organizations such as CIMS.
• Set up a table at local baby fairs, health fairs and children's clothing sales to promote your group to parents. Our busiest table was at one of our local grower's markets, where pregnant women and parents of small children love to socialize. We have brochures from all of our members for display on the tables, along with information about breastfeeding, induction, cesarean birth and our calendars.
• Don't forget Public Service Announcements on the radio! This is a sure way to reach many, many people. If they aren't reading calendars of events, they will still hear about your network.
• Consider recycling used childbirth and parenting books as a fundraiser for the network. We have a small collection of books to get this project started and will be accepting donations of books on an ongoing basis. Books are available for purchase during our classes or by contacting the network. Parents can support the network by returning a book after they are finished with it. The network will also donate books to the public library.
• Think locally! If your network is supporting local childbirth resources, spread that energy by collaborating as much as possible with other types of local businesses that can meet your needs. Examples from ABN include:
  • Making our web site visually interesting by inviting local artists to display their pregnancy and birth-related art on our web pages, in exchange for the exposure.
  • Hiring a woman-owned print shop to do our largest print job. She gave the network a small discount in exchange for putting her business name in the margin.
  • Holding a monthly book club at Bound to be Read, an independent bookstore. We choose the books that we'd like to explore, the store offers a discount on those books, and coordinates visits from some of the authors!   

In the months since our original paperwork was written and the web site was designed, we have changed and updated almost everything, as our goals and identity have solidified. It is necessary to have a plan for starting a birth network, but allowing it to evolve according to the skills and interests of the people involved is crucial for its continued growth.