WNC Parent March ad preview

Since ya'll were so good to give me feedback, thought you might like to see the preview of my next WNC Parent ad:

which one do you like better?

I am designing my ad for the next WNC Parent magazine. It's the camp guide issue. Which one of these do you like better for the ad?

I love my job...

As promised, here is one of the wonderful families I met through my holiday giveaway. If I didn't know better, I would never have guessed the turmoil this family went through over the past 6 months. This active, adorable little boy was fine one day and then woke up the next day stumbling. By the following day, he was almost completely unable to walk unassisted. The doctors couldn't find an answer to this rapid decline and it continued for months. It wasn't until the parents found a doctor in IL who was treating children with a condition called OMS that they found an answer. A week after beginning treatment, there was a dramatic improvement in his condition. And now he is a running, jumping, playing little firecracker.

This is Walter and his family. You can read more about his story and OMS on his web site: www.walterthomas.org. His improvement is the good news, the bad news it the insurance company is denying the claims for Walter's treatments...to the tune of $300,000. Please consider donating to help Walter and his family. It's your turn to share the spirit of giving.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am busy editing photos from my shoot-a-thon last week...so check back soon and I'll have some photographs of these great families to share.

I just thought I would take a quick break from my editing to share this little bit of sweetness from my daughter, Sacred. She came over and hugged me over and over very excitedly. She is also sure to give the baby in the belly lots of hugs and kisses too! Then she says, "I have the best family in the whole world. I like you so much!"

melt my heart! Add that to the very creative, homemade Valentine's Day cards my kids gave me, and my hubby taking the girls out with specific instructions that I take at least 15 minutes away from the photography "to do" list to just enjoy myself...and I would say it's been a good day!

Hope yours is too!

Asheville's Holiday Giveaway in action

Today was my day to block sessions for the nominees of the holiday giveaway. It was amazing to photograph these families and get to know them a little better. 4 families in 4 hours...I didn't realize how tired I was until I got home and sat down! Of course, I couldn't do anything else until I looked at the images, which took me 3hrs. Yes, 3 hrs. just to LOOK at the images! There were 1310 frames from today's sessions!

And we're not finished yet...I still have 3 more families plus our grand prize winner to photograph. So there should be lots of activity on this blog in the next few weeks. And if there isn't, well, I won't be able to blame it on no images to post!

Here's just a fun family photo...Savannah enjoying some homemade beeswax candles given to her by one of her school friends.

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!