Michigan Midwives Association ~ www.michiganmidwives.org ~ Home

Pregnant Profile

The Michigan Midwives Association (MMA) is an expanding network of midwives, apprentices and childbirth educators who represent a wide spectrum of philosophies. We support the rights of parents to make informed decisions about childbirth. We believe comprehensive homebirth practices, combined with trained, experienced midwives, are a viable option for low risk, healthy women. The MMA gives definition and credibility to the profession of midwifery so it can continue to provide vital services in the community and be compatible with the present health care system. The MMA is a non-profit corporation.

The Michigan Midwives Association has a Directory of Midwifery Services to aid in locating midwives, childbirth educators, doulas, etc. If you would like to receive an MMA Directory, or be included in the Directory, you can contact us for more details.

The Michigan Midwives Association
is proud to announce that Michigan will be hosting MANA '08!
October 16th - 19th in Traverse City
at the Grand Traverse Resort
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

MANA '08 Conference News:

We hope you can check out the our big national midwives conference in Traverse City Michigan next month! We've been working so hard on it, and it is going to be just fabulous! And timely, considering the media, political, and legislative frenzies developing around birthing women's rights and midwifery in the U.S.

Go here: http://mana.org/mana2008/index.html for conference registration and program information.

Go here: http://pushmana2008.blogspot.com/ for our blog updates!

Contact Wendy at nineshortmonths@hotmail.com if you can donate an item to our raffle.

Email Patrice at pbobier@voyager.net if you'd like to help us by making a tax deductable donation to help sponsor the conference. If you have a baby-in-arms, come to our Thursday night MotherBaby parade! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Bring a Friend Special

Any current Midwives Alliance member and any non-MANA member (who joins MANA with conference registration) can attend MANA 2008 together for the deeply discounted conference fee of $300 per person. At registration, you will be required to tell the name of the person you encouraged to join and attend or the MANA member who encouraged you to join and attend.Contact Jessica English if you would like help matching with a member or nonmember! JessicaAEnglish@gmail.com

Traverse City Motherbaby International Film Festival

While you are in Traverse City, you may also want to check out the Motherbaby International Film Festival, October 15 - 17, 2008.

Visit their website at http://tcmiff.org/ for more information.

Balloons The Michigan Midwives Association would like to congratulate Geradine Simkins (MMA's very first President) for becoming the new President of The Midwives Alliance of North America! We are so proud of you, Gera, and thank you for all that you have done for mothers, babies and families through the years - congrats!!

Please consider joining The Midwives Alliance (MANA) if you are not already a member. http://www.mana.org

in response to the New Yorker magazine article about birth
How Childbirth Went Industrial: A Deconstruction
By Henci Goer
Web Exclusive - November 27, 2006

the birth center
women enter this place,
frightened, in pain
in this place they are born as mothers:
strong and upright
in this place children are born:
beloved and protected.
in this place families are born:
united and proud.
in this place i am reborn:
present, giving and receiving.

thoughts about the term "m'yaledet"
(Hebrew term for midwife which literally means "she-who-causes-one -to -birth")
today i don't want to be called "m'yaledet
for i have no wish to deliver anyone.
once we were called "wise ones"'
like in the old saying: "Who is wise? (he who sees what is being born).
and indeed we possess a treasury of wisdom
a sense which whispers when to fold the woman in our hands
and when to sit with our hands folded.
we support the labouring woman
we enter with her the holy of holies
but in the end it is the woman herself who births,
both her child and herself as a mother and an empowered woman.
we are with her, believe in her, reveal the secret power held in her female form.
At times we stroke, suggest or remain quiet
but in the end it is she that gives birth.
today i don't want to be called a "m'yaledet"
for i have no wish to deliver anyone.
today i want to help women birth themselves
and dream about the time when again they will call us wise ones.

Written by Israeli midwife, Tia Pinsky