GIveaway update

I have some exciting news...I have scheduled the mini sessions for the nominees of my holiday giveaway. Feb. 7 I'll spend the day photographing these amazing families who were nominated by friends and colleagues because although they did not win the "grand prize" $1000 of custom photography, they all sound so wonderful. Our plan is to shoot at the Botanical Gardens, so say a prayer that the weather cooperates with me!

And then look for updates on each of these amazing families. Each dealing with their own struggles but all seem to be staying positive. I am so appreciative of the opportunity to meet them and capture the beauty of their families.

it's not all kids and families around here

Sometimes, I photograph other things too! Like a recipe for crispy kale chips for online menu planning site, www.eatrealgood.com
This is a great online resource that you should definitely check out! Menu planning with a plug for community supported agriculture (CSAs). You can enter whatever ingredient you want to use (like what came in your CSA box...or what you bought at the store, whatever) and the site will generate the recipe list for you.
Go get the recipe and try these. We love them!!!

Asheville news station airs segment on licensing midwives

Following the recommendation from the NC House Select Committee on Licensing Midwives to introduce legislation in the upcoming session to license Certified Professional Midwives, WLOS aired a piece on Thursday's 5:00 pm news. WLOS reporter, Charu Kumarhia, interviewed Nancy Koerber, CPM, co-owner of New Dawn Midwifery.

From the WLOS web site:
"North Carolina lawmakers may soon license midwives, and those in the industry say it's about time. Midwives have gained in popularity in the last two decades, and there are many types of midwives. The two most common are those certified nationally to assist in home or birth center deliveries, and those that are also RN's with master's degrees. They're certified to assist in births at home or in the hospital.
Midwives say licensing would elevate the profession and keep mothers and babies healthy.
Obstetricians have mixed views on non-nurse midwives getting licensed - especially for home births. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists officially says it supports a "certified midwife" credential."

You can view the segment online at this link:
http://www.wlos.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/wlos_vid_1967.shtml

More information is available on the North Carolina Friends of Midwives web site, http://www.ncfom.org/.

NC House Committee Recommends Licensing Midwives

Just in case you are one of the 10 people in Asheville who I did not already send this to...here I go taking the "other inspirations" title to heart again. I am on the campaign trail to get Certified Professional Midwives licensed and the conclusion of the study committee is one of the first steps. Read on and look out...we're going to make this happen! Oh, and when you're done, be sure to visit the AshVegas blog to leave some comments on this story.

CONTACT: Russ Fawcett, (910) 471-5187, spigget@aol.com
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, January 12, 2009

NC HOUSE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS LICENSING MIDWIVES
Legislation Would Let NC Join 24 Other States in Advancing Healthcare Options

RALEIGH, NC — The NC House Select Committee on Licensing Midwives released a report last week calling on the state to license and regulate Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs), who are trained as specialists in out-of-hospital maternity care. The Committee recommended that North Carolina join the growing number of states that have enacted laws to provide families who choose out-of-hospital delivery with access to highly-trained and legally-recognized maternity care providers.

“Each year, more North Carolina families choose out-of-hospital birth for religious, cultural, philosophical or financial reasons,” said Russ Fawcett, Legislative Chair for North Carolina Friends of Midwives. “CPMs also care for a disproportionate number of rural, low-income and uninsured families. All families deserve safe and affordable maternity care, and the midwives who provide it deserve legal recognition. We applaud the Committee for recommending a much-needed and long-overdue reform in current law and policy.”

Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs), who practice primarily in hospital settings, are licensed in all 50 states. Currently, there are no laws in North Carolina to regulate CPMs, who deliver babies in private homes and freestanding birth centers. Studies show that low-risk women who plan home births under the care of CPMs have outcomes equal to low-risk women who deliver in the hospital, but with far fewer costly and preventable interventions. A study commissioned by the Washington legislature found that during the last five years alone, the state’s licensed midwives saved taxpayers and private insurers more than $10 million.

Rep. Ty Harrell serves on the Committee that is chaired by Rep. Bob England. “We’ve heard testimony from dozens of public health and policy experts. The facts are clear – it is time to license North Carolina’s midwives.”

Asheville Area Birth Network Founder and Director, Sonya Stone, was one birth professional and consumer advocate that spoke before the Committee.

“From both a cost and a safety standpoint, licensing midwives is an important public health issue,” said Henry Dorn, MD, a board certified OBGYN who practices in High Point. “The Certified Professional Midwife credential is the gold standard for midwives who specialize in out-of-hospital birth, and it is critical that we do all we can to ensure that women in our state have access to the safest care possible, including collaborative care with other providers when it becomes necessary.”

A positive recommendation from the House study committee paves the way for the full General Assembly to develop and enact legislation in the 2009 session that provides for the licensure and regulation CPMs.

North Carolina Friends of Midwives is a grassroots organization of midwifery advocates dedicated to promoting, supporting, and protecting midwifery in North Carolina. We advocate for the preservation of midwife-attended births, in accordance with the Midwives Model of Care™ including those at home and in freestanding birth centers.

North Carolina is a priority of The Big Push for Midwives Campaign a nationally coordinated campaign to advocate for regulation and licensure of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and to push back against the attempts of the American Medical Association Scope of Practice Partnership to deny American families access to legal midwifery care. Through its work with state-level advocates, the Big Push is helping to build a new model of U.S. maternity care built on expanding access to out-of-hospital maternity care and CPMs, who provide affordable, quality, community-based care that is proven to reduce costly and preventable interventions as well as the rate of low-birth weight and premature births.

The Big Push Campaign Manager Katie Prown says, “The demand for safe and less-costly maternity care has been steadily increasing in recent years, as more people realize that we can no longer afford a system that produces inferior results at premium costs.”

Media inquiries about North Carolina Friends of Midwives should be directed to Russ Fawcett at (910) 471-5187, spigget@aol.com . Media inquiries about The Big Push for Midwives Campaign should be directed to Steff Hedenkamp at (816) 506-4630, Steff@TheBigPushForMidwives.org.

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session preview

Here's a preview from a session I did a couple of weeks ago. We captured 4 generations of women in Lee's family. And look at this baby and tell me you do not get the baby itch...go ahead, try it! She is a whole lot'a cute!






They were all so sweet, not just the little cutie here! Enjoy your sneak preview of your session, Lee...the gallery is only days away!

have I bragged lately...

about how much of a hunk I think my husband is???

And I have GOT to get serious about changing my blog format. These small images are killing me! Anyone who can help me work Blogger to get bigger images or who wants to recommend another format, please, help a sister out!!!

a good problem to have...too many choices! Asheville Senior Portrait Photographer, Sonya Stone

As promised, more photos! This was a really fun shoot. Lucy is such a pretty girl and a total natural. We walked the streets of downtown Asheville catching a ton of great locations. My problem now is narrowing down the images to the 30-40 that will go in her gallery. You know you are in trouble when after the first "narrowing down" you still have 200 images, and after the second you have 80! Here are some of my favorite portraits of Lucy.





And here is one of my favorites...not your typical portrait, but isn't this cool?

Goodbye 2008...Hello 2009

My blog has been seriously lacking photos lately so I'm about to make up for it. Here are some of the shots we took at the beach over Christmas. If you haven't seen me lately (or never have!), you'll get a look at the big baby belly that I'm busy growing.

And for those who have been following the holiday giveaway, I saw an update on little Shayla. They were able to remove the tumor on her kidney successfully and she is doing well. She'll be in the hospital a little longer but the outcome of this surgery sounds like the best case scenario. A good way to start the new year...let's all keep Shayla and her family in our prayers and count our blessings...most of us are so fortunate.