Alabama ACNM Affliate

Collaboration in Action!

This week, NPAA (Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama), the Alabama Pharmacy Association, and the American College of Nurse Midwives (Alabama Chapter) joined forces to attend the Medicaid Joint Health Committee Session! Our collective voices make a stronger impact, and we’re proud to work together towards a common goal.

By this point, you probably have all seen the recent decision by the Alabama Supreme Court stating that cryogenically frozen embryos are "extra-uterine children," which allows a wrongful death suit to be filed in the event that the embryo dies/becomes unusable. This was intended to allow specific families in South Alabama to be able to sue their fertility clinic because a patient was able to gain access to the storage area and drop several trays of embryos. In reality, the actual implications and future effects are far-reaching and devastating to the families in need of IVF technology, the IVF industry, and providers.
Representatives Daniels, Chestnut, Travis, Tillman, and Warren have already introduced a bill to put into law that embryos cannot be considered people to protect families and providers impacted by this decision.
We have drafted two letters. One is in gratitude to the Representatives who swiftly introduced H.B. 225, and one is asking other legislative members to support the bill.
I ask each of you to take a few minutes today to look up your legislators at https://pluralpolicy.com/find-your-legislator/?address=35244 and send them a letter asking them to support H.B. 225. It would be great if you added a few personal things about yourself and/or your district and what this means to you personally.
If your legislator is the one who introduced the bill (Daniels, Chestnut, Travis, Tillman, Warren), please send them the thank you letter.

Thank you letter:

February 23, 2024
The Honorable _
11 South Union Street Suite 428
Montgomery, AL 36130

Dear Representative _,
As health care providers who provide gynecological, family planning, prenatal, labor and birth services for families all across the state of Alabama, we write to express our endorsement of your legislation to provide that any fertilized human egg or human embryo that exists outside of a human uterus is not considered an unborn child or human being for any purpose under state law, H.B. 225. As you know, the ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court has had far-reaching ripple effects that undermine the desires of persons in need of assistive reproductive technologies, especially in vitro fertilization. This decision has also put healthcare workers who provide these services at risk. We are grateful for your leadership in championing the reproductive needs of Alabamians.

Signed,

Alabama Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives

Letter for support:

February 23, 2024
The Honorable _
11 South Union Street Suite _
Montgomery, AL 36130

Dear Representative _,
As health care providers who provide gynecological, family planning, prenatal, labor and birth services for families all across the state of Alabama, we write to request your support of legislation to provide that any fertilized human egg or human embryo that exists outside of a human uterus is not considered an unborn child or human being for any purpose under state law, H.B. 225. As you know, the ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court has had far-reaching ripple effects that undermine the desires of persons in need of assistive reproductive technologies, especially in vitro fertilization (IVF). This decision has also put the healthcare workers who provide these services at risk. We urge you to consider taking action to rectify the unintended consequences and remove the undue burden on Alabama families seeking to have a baby through IVF.
Signed,

Alabama Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives

**More details about the process in the comments section.**

Find Your Legislator - Plural Policy Find your Local Legislator. Data here now has been updated to reflect the 2020-2022 redistricting process. Results here now show who currently represents you, under the new maps. See a possible error? Email [email protected] to let us know! Known exceptions: Montana finalized their redistrict...

Please pass this along to anyone you know looking for a CNM job in Alabama. We are trying hard to recruit for this position and would be happy to consider a new graduate. It’s a position with UAB but working in Mobile with a physician who has a population highly desiring midwifery care.

https://acnm.midwifejobs.com/jobs/19645352/certified-nurse-midwife?fbclid=IwAR00lKmBRNZPuKAS0HzTU6x1PXoSZtwAygv6qNu13QE48fSIbmxaTV98Uk8_aem_AbWTuOJCfI6cJ3NPDCiIeeVS1STPrbEGVCUja3TY_zOZzCD4wf7aTuvFCRCciBOKejo

Certified Nurse-Midwife in Mobile, AL for University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Exciting opportunity in Mobile, AL for University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing as a...

Passing this along, looks to be very interesting

📢📢CALL TO ACTION 📢📢
PLEASE follow the link: https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/wlkvHsRBJEj-EQcNZ_z_wA
and let your legislators know that we NEED the Preceptor Tax Credit in AL.
This will give medical professionals a tax credit when they are NOT compensated for their work as preceptors, which is typically the case for advanced practice nurses such as nurse-midwives. This will help support the continued growth of the workforce in Alabama, which is especially important in our rural areas!

Please share to your friends, family, and collegues too!

It has been clearly demonstrated that integration of midwifery into health systems improves maternal, neonatal, and social outcomes with reduced costs to the system. Why are we still sleeping on it?

Bringing Midwifery Back to Black Mothers | The New Yorker In the face of disproportionate childbirth mortality rates, activists are fighting to make midwifery more available to Black mothers in the South.Still haven...

In the spirit of , please check out the article," Applying a critical race lens to relationship‐centered care in
pregnancy and childbirth: An antidote to structural racism" which gives a practical framework for shifting patterns of racial inequity in perinatal care and childbirth.

Applying a critical race lens to relationship‐centered care in pregnancy and childbirth: An antidote to structural racism Click on the article title to read more.

Did you know Queen Anne's Lace has been used for centuries as a contraceptive ?
Check out this interesting tid-bit below:

Queen Anne's Lace

Classified by many states in the US as a noxious w**d , it is interesting to note how valuable this plant once was to us.
Daucus carota or Queen Anne's lace or wild carrot is a biennial plant that grows a rosette of leaves in the spring and summer, while building up the stout taproot that stores large amounts of sugars for the plant to flower in the second year.
Soon after germination, carrot seedlings show a distinct demarcation between the taproot and the hypocotyl. The latter is thicker and lacks lateral roots. At the upper end of the hypocotyl is the seed leaf. The first true leaf appears about 10–15 days after germination. Subsequent leaves, produced from the stem nodes, are alternating (with a single leaf attached to a node, and the leaves growing in alternate directions) and compound, and arranged in a spiral. The leaf blades are pinnate.
Queen Anne’s lace earned its common name from a legend that tells of Queen Anne of England (1665-1714) pricking her finger and a drop of blood landed on white lace she was sewing. Belonging to the carrot family, Queen Anne’s lace is a biennial that is also known as wild carrot. Early Europeans cultivated Queen Anne’s lace, and the Romans ate it as a vegetable. American colonists boiled the taproots, sometimes in wine as a treat. Interestingly, Queen Anne’s lace is high in sugar (second only to the beet among root vegetables) and sometimes it was used among the Irish, Hindus and Jews to sweeten puddings and other foods.

The Queen Anne's lace flower resembles lace, and oftentimes the flower has a solitary purple dot in the centre. In addition the root smells like carrots!

Queen Anne’s lace flowers have a flat-topped white umbel, sometimes with a solitary purple flower in the center. These flowers bloom from late spring until mid-fall. Each flower cluster is made up of numerous tiny white flowers. The flower cluster start out curled up and opens to allow pollination. The cluster then rolls itself shut again, like a reverse umbrella when it goes to seed at the end of the season.
Feathery leaves resemble those of the domestic carrot. The bases of leafstalks are broad and flat. Queen Anne’s lace leaves also closely resemble the leaves of the poison hemlock, fool’s parsley and water hemlocks, all poisonous cousins of Queen Anne’s lace.
Wild carrot can grow tall, most average about 1 metre tall.
Queen Anne’s lace is found in fields, meadows, waste areas, roadsides and disturbed habitats. They are very hardy and thrive in a dry environment.
Using first year Queen Anne’s lace plants are recommended. Roots are long, pale, woody, and are finger-thin and are used in soups, stews and in making tea. First year leaves can be chopped and tossed into a salad. Flower clusters can be ‘french-fried’ or fresh flowers can be tossed into a salad. The aromatic seed is used as a flavoring in stews and soups.
Herbal warning
Interesting to note that women have used the seeds from Daucus carota for centuries as a contraceptive, the earliest written reference dates back to the late 5th or 4th century B.C. appearing in a work written by Hippocrates. John Riddle writes in Eve's Herbs, that queen anne's lace (QAL) seeds are one of the more potent antifertility agents available, and a common plant in many regions of the world. "The seeds, harvested in the fall, are a strong contraceptive if taken orally immediately after coitus."

Research on small animals has shown that extracts of the seeds disrupt the implantation process, or if a fertilized egg has implanted for only a short period, will cause it to be released. There has been some research done on wild carrot seeds mostly in other countries, the results of those experiments have been encouraging. The Chinese view QAL as a promising post-coital agent, "recent evidence suggests that terpenoids in the seed block crucial progesterone synthesis in pregnant animals." When asked about the contraceptive effects of wild carrot, some herbalists have described it as having the effect of making the uterus "slippery" so the egg is unable to implant.

Please check out DONA's important message about doula work in healthcare facilities, please share!

It has come to the attention of DONA International that some healthcare facilities are requiring all doulas to adhere to DONA International’s Standards of Practice & Code of Ethics (SOP/COE). DONA has not instructed or partnered with any facility to do so.

DONA International recognizes the incredible value that doulas bring to their clients’ perinatal experiences. DONA recognizes that the doula role precedes the modern profession, and affirms that a birth doula:

-is widely recognized today as a trained professional;
-advocates for and provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to their clients before, during, and shortly after childbirth;
-supports clients to have safe, dignified, and empowered birth experiences.

DONA International supports practices that promote equity and foster relationships to increase access to the evidence-based best practice of doula care. DONA acknowledges that there are more than 180 doula training and/or certification organizations. Doulas are not required to become DONA members or DONA certified doulas in order to positively impact birth and postpartum experiences. DONA does not hold non-DONA certified doulas or non-DONA members to our SOP/COE.

Feels like a historical day when 5, yes, 5! CNMs got together for a working lunch planning the future of midwifery in Alabama!

Check out and spread the word about these scholarship opportunities through the ACNM foundation:

The A.C.N.M. Foundation, Inc. Submission Manager Scholarships and Awards ApplicationsThe following awards and scholarships are offered by The A.C.N.M. Foundation, Inc. Award applications currently being accepted have applications listed below.

Happy Indegenous Peoples Day. Morning Star Designs

Happy Midwifery Week to us all!! May the practice of midwifery continue to feed our souls, particularly through the tough times. We are so needed!

Dr Skanes in Birmingham is after a midwife!!!

Hey guys! Thanks to you all my practice is growing and my office is hiring! I’m looking for two full time medical assistant, office manager and a certified nurse midwife. Send your CV/Resume and a letter of recommendation to [email protected]