Have Shirts, Will Travel!

My daughter, Cassie, and I are getting ready to head for the hills, the Black Hills that is. We will start our journey Thursday morning with our first Walk in Spearfish at 8am Friday morning. Get the complete schedule of Walks here.

That means that your last chance to pre-order T-shirts (and make sure your size is reserved for you) or get the pre-Walk price is this Wednesday, August 19^th, at 8pm CST. You will still be able to have shirts shipped to you via the website after that for a $5 shipping charge, but they change to regular prices which are $15 for adult shirts and $10 for children shirts after the 19^th. That’s still a bargain for such cool shirts. You can order them here.

Cassie & I will be spending our first two nights with Travis and Chandelle Brink in Box Elder. Travis is a complete techno nerd (I mean that in a good way!), so I’m sure we will be able to post from there…after that we will see. We are going to do our best to add pictures daily to the website and the blog for all of you out there walking in solidarity with us in your own corner of the world or maybe just in the corner of your mind.

Birthday Girl Walks for Birth Options

On August 22, Miranda Chaney from Platte, SD will turn 8 years old and she will be doing something a bit unusual to celebrate. She will be walking 8 miles with her mom and other midwife supporters to raise awareness of the need to change South Dakota's laws regarding Certified Professional Midwives.

Eight years ago, Miranda was born at home with the assistance of a skilled midwife. Last year her mom was forced to go out of state to receive the same care at her baby brother's birth, because Certified Professional Midwives are no longer allowed to practice in South Dakota. Miranda and her mom agree, South Dakota mothers should be able to have their babies in their own homes with the assistance of a CPM. They are definitely doing their part to make that a reality.

Miranda's mom, Tammi, has been working very hard to organize the Walk in Chamberlain that begins at 9:30 am on Miranda's birthday. But 4 miles isn't enough for Miranda! She is planning on attending the Walk in Mitchell that evening beginning at six. When the day is over, she will be able to say she walked 8 miles on her 8th birthday for midwives and the South Dakota families who so desperately need them.

So if you are wondering how you can fit one of these Walks into your hectic schedule, please think of Miranda and the sacrifices she is making to contribute. It will be a real privilege for me to be walking with her on her special day. Come join us if you can and don't forget to wish Miranda a Happy 8th Birthday!

Only One Week Away

It is hard to believe that the Walk starts next Friday. I am so grateful for the outpouring of support and all the efforts of the Coordinators at each location. They are working so hard to make each Walk a success.

Yesterday our media alert went out to all the local media outlets, and thanks to The Big Push for Midwives, all over the country. Today our Location Coordinators were busy doing follow-up calls and thanks to Ronda Kvigne, I got to visit with a reporter from the Dell Rapids paper. I also was able to deliver some T-shirts to Elegant Mommy in Sioux Falls.

Tonight I'll work on a letter to legislators inviting them to join a Walk for Midwives near them. I hope all of you will take the time to personally write or call your legislators and tell them about this event and why it is important to you that Certified Professional Midwives be able to practice legally in our state. If you need some help with talking points check out "Lobbying Lessons" under "Resources" on the South Dakota Safe Childbirth Options website.

Keep up the great work, everyone! Let's use this opportunity to reach out to the public, the press and legislators to the max!

Peace,
Debbie

What a fun day! DreamIt Designs delivered the "Midwives" T-shirts to our door (and we live way out in the country). Then our whole family donned the shirts, took the cool banner that had arrived on Friday, and headed to the park for a photo shoot. Here's a shot that didn't make the website.

A HUGE thank you to all of you who are working so hard to make this Walk a success. Now that the website is up, we can really start networking!