Quickening_Winter17_FINAL-2-28-17

Region Updates
Region I Update
CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT, Non-US Locations
Meeting the Challenge of Inclusion
Midwifery school taught me how to recognize the boundary of my circle
of safety. Today I reinforce this understanding with my students: how
to identify a boundary in one’s scope of knowledge and move safely
forward, trying not to compromise a patient’s confidence or one’s own
professional relationships.
One of our greatest challenges and an essential element of clinical
practice is knowing what we don’t know. Yet in 2017, most midwives
are Caucasian and live within a reality that reinforces that the white
experience is “normal,” rendering many of us largely blind to what
we don’t know.
For example, most white Americans take for granted a sense of security
and freedom from suspicion. Would you be surprised to be pulled over
by a police officer for no reason or followed by store security while
shopping? Do you question everyday cultural assumptions, such as
the hue of Nude panty hose?
Midwives of color comprise about 6% of ACNM members, while people
of color make up 40% of the US population, according to 2015 Census
data. To remedy this inequity, ACNM prioritizes addressing disparity
and inclusion in its 2015–2020 Strategic Plan.
Meeting the challenge of inclusion requires white midwives to “imagine
the unknown” and tap into the empathy that we as a profession are
so practiced in offering. Are you aware that in ACNM’s 2015 report,
“Shifting the Frame: A Report on Diversity and Inclusion in the American
College of Nurse-Midwives,” midwives of color were significantly more
likely to report a feeling of “not belonging” to the organization? To
ground yourself, make sure to read that report, a stunning document
that speaks to the heart of the need for inclusion.
The November/December edition of the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s
Health offers another powerful look at inclusion, diversity, and health
equity. The issue includes a Racial Equity Toolkit and articles on racial
discrimination and adverse birth outcomes, and on infusing diversity
and equity into teaching. Don’t miss it.
Each of us as individuals can be part of the solution. It is OK to go out of
your way to be welcoming and helpful so every midwife can succeed in
practice and within ACNM. Be generous and patient with yourself and
others. Most importantly, get excited about welcoming wholeheartedly
the richness, beauty, and strength of diversity and inclusion.
By Kathryn Kravetz Carr, CNM, MSN
Region I Representative
kkccnm@gmail.com
Region II Update
DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, WV, International Addresses
Getting to Work on What Matters
As I write this, I am looking out my dining room window at the leaves
swirling earthward. Thanksgiving is just past and the winter holidays
approach—this is the season of gratitude and giving. I am grateful for
my family and friends, and for the extraordinary privilege of serving
women, babies, and families every day of my life. However, by the time
this edition of Quickening is published, the holidays will be over and
a new administration will have come to Washington.
Living in or near the nation’s capital gives DC-area midwives front-row
seats to governmental changes, so we may talk about politics more
than people in the rest of the country. This year the transition of power
has been more present in our conversations than ever before. We have
some folks who figure politics will be business as usual, others who
think we’ll have a huge and welcome change, and still others who
agree about the magnitude of the change, but view it with trepidation.
From a women’s health perspective, I find it hard to predict what will
happen. Certainly some of the protections our current laws provide for
women’s health choices will be under threat, based on the stated goals
of the incoming administration. I believe the coverage of maternity
care and contraception services that are cornerstones of the Affordable
Care Act can no longer be taken for granted. This includes some of
the smaller benefits such as the guarantee of a free breast pump.
In addition, some of the bills currently in play that could affect our
practice as midwives will require close monitoring.
Meanwhile, as the political landscape continues to shift, now is not
a time for believing all the “news” we read on social media. Nor is
it the time for complaining on Facebook, wringing our hands, or
rolling our eyes skyward. Now is a time for vigilance and diligence,
for searching within to identify what is important to us, looking at
reliable sources for the best information, and putting our time and
energy into working toward preserving or achieving the goals we
value, whether by writing letters to legislators, organizing community
actions, or simply getting more involved in our ACNM affiliates. Region
II is a high-functioning region with affiliates working hard for our
profession in every state. Each of them (and affiliates elsewhere) could
use more of the valuable talent and help of our members to carry out
our agreed-upon objectives. My new year’s resolution: I am going to
roll up my sleeves and get to work for the things that matter to me,
to my family, to my profession, and to my country. What about you?
By Mairi Been Rothman, CNM, MSN
Region II Representative
mairicnm@gmail.com
6 American College of Nurse-Midwives