News

by Mary Esther Malloy, MA Our Species’ Best Medicine for Parenting a Baby Following a Cesarean “Cesareans are good for many reasons,” says Nils Bergman, a South African physician and international promoter of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). “Yes, if medically … Continued

Orgasmic Birth to screen May 2nd in Switzerland Naît-sens Présidente : Sarah Duflon writes: Chers amis,  Je vous invite à la projection du fabuleux documentaire “Orgasmic Birth” sur la naissance, dont vous trouverez l’affiche en pièce jointe.    Cette projection est … Continued

Orgasmic Birth to screen in Québec- Un film la naissance en Montérégie Jeudi le 23 mai 2013, 19h30 Projection du film “Orgasmic Birth” suivi d’une rencontre avec la sage-femme Christine St-Onge Au Centre Multi-fonctionnel Francine-Gadbois, Boucherville (Qc) entrée: 5$ Organisé … Continued

Now Is the Time to Let Our Voices Be Heard Submitted by: Hermine Hayes-Klein The United Nations has devoted this year’s Human Rights Day to “the rights of all people…to make their voices heard in public life and be included … Continued

My Day at Feldbach Birthing Suites & IMBCI demonstration site Each time I enter Fedlbach Hospital and see their amazing birthing suites I have to ask myself why can’t other hospitals do this? Why have so many hospitals set up … Continued

Orgasmic Birth screens at ISPPM Conference in Germany The Film “Orgasmic Birth” was shown at the annual congress of the International Society for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Medicine (ISPPM e.V.). International experts from around the world met from September … Continued

Improving Birth: National Rally for Change – New Jersey   Billee Wolff, RN, LCCE, CD, is featured in the Orgasmic Birth movie and took the time to report from the Improving Birth National Rally/New Jersey yesterday. In the picture to … Continued

Please follow link ( click on view ) : An interview with Lamaze 2011 Annual Conference Keynote Speaker, Debra Pascali- Bonaro An Interview with Lamaze 2011 Annual Conference Keynote Speaker, Debra Pascali-Bonaro

girl-god’s Trista Hendron writes about the Orgasmic Birth movie The Orgasmic Birth movie was beyond moving for me. I found myself sobbing through most of it and for about an hour afterwards. It brought up many things that I had … Continued

Brazil CREMERJ: Support Respect for Patient’s Autonomy Take action before Brazil outlaws midwives & doulas at hospital births and doctors at homebirths! Sign & share the petition in the link below. Petition to be delivered to: Federal Medical Council (CFM), … Continued

Doula officially entered into the Oxford English Dictionary   Doula officially entered into the Oxford English Dictionary Every month, the Oxford English Dictionary adds new words. In June, doula (noun) was one of the new words added. In case you are curious … Continued

Zero Separation MotherBaby As Orgasmic Birth’s Debra Pascali-Bonaro travels all over advocating human rights in childbirth we had some advocacy right in NJ, USA with Dr. Nils Bergman’s Skin-to-Skin, It’s What’s in . . . the Evidence, the Research and … Continued

Is childbirth a medical condition or a beautiful natural event?  “It’s become a war over our perception of pregnant women and the nature of pregnancy. Is it a potentially deadly medical condition requiring massive intervention to produce a “good outcome” … Continued

A Day dedicated to Mother’s: Safe Motherhood Quilt Rally   ]]> My speech from rally: I am a mother, grandmother, doula, educator, Filmaker and Chair of the International MotherBaby Childbirth Organization. What an honor to be here today with mothers, … Continued

Choices in Childbirth, NY/CT Region By Joyce Havinga-Droop It’s all about Birth choices Did you know you can have a home birth in Larchmont? Did you know you can choose not to have your water bag broken in the hospital? … Continued

Orgasmic Birth to screen in Germany              Orgasmic Birth will screen in Germany this June 2012 at a “Birth Day” celebration in Cologne: A Day of Action Around Birth http://www.koelner-geburts-tag.de/ Celebration features programs and lectures … Continued

Debra on HayHouseRadio with Dr. Christiane Northrup Wed. 4/11/12 Mark your calendars and tune in online to hear Dr. Christiane Northrup & Debra Pascali Bonaro talk about pleasure and all that is possible in birth and beyond on the Flourish! radio … Continued

Debra Pascali-Bonaro, Ambassador for Human Rights in Childbirth Debra is honored to have Chaired the International MotherBaby Childbirth Organization since 2006 and works together with everyone at IMBCI to raise awareness and educate communities about achieving optimal MotherBaby maternity care, … Continued

EAT PRAY DOULA Bali Blog #2: Baby Naming Ceremony BABY NAMING  March 18 2012  Sunday was our day off from the Eat Pray Doula workshop. Today we had the great honor of being invited to share in a traditional Balinese … Continued

SO MANY WARM WELCOMES: Debra writes about arriving in Bali Debra Pascali Bonaro arrives at Eat Pray Doula workshop in Bali Day 1 ~ March 10th, 2012 ~ Yayasan Bumi Sehat Nyuh Kuning Village:  Waking this morning as the sun was … Continued

ABC 20-20 Happy and Healthy New Year to all. A great kick off to 2009 was the airing of the ABC 20-20 segment  January 2, 2009 http://abcnews.go.com/2020 The direct video link is: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6569030 We are thankful to ABC, JuJu Chang … Continued

Debra in Molakai: A Small Part in This Love Story March 7, 2012 Returning from Hawai’i, Debra Pascali Bonaro As I look out the window soaring at 38000 feet in the air, I see an expanse of white below.  It … Continued

The heat rises, the sun grows strong, the energy from within and around grows strong. More stories, More tears, smiles and warm embraces, we open our hearts, share our vision, the doula spirit within grows stronger. We reconnect the circle of … Continued

Human Rights in Childbirth Conference        To visit the website: http://bynkershoek.eu/activities/bh-research/bhr-reproductive-rights/bhr-human-rights-in-childbirth-conference/   To download the Human Rights in Childbirth Conference Flier in its full form, please click on the file attachment below.   

Orgasmic Birth Screening in Salt Lake City   Orgasmic Birth will screen on April 6th & May 4th in Salt Lake City, Utah at Moontime Rising’s Women’s Movie Night! Movie nights feature compelling documentaries focusing on women’s health, wellness, and … Continued

Join Debra at the SEXUALITY & (M)OTHERHOOD Conference at the Museum of Motherhood Monday Feb. 6th   Join Debra at the Museum of Motherhood’s Women, Girls & the People Who Love Them – SEXUALITY & (M)OTHERHOOD Conference alongside : Baba … Continued

Orgasmic Birth Team starts production on latest documentary! For the first time since completion of their award-winning documentary, the ORGASMIC BIRTH production team reunited to begin capturing video for their newest Documentary – BIRTH in COMMUNITY. Debra Pascali Bonaro joined … Continued

Happy Thanksgiving At this special time of the year, I wanted to take time to reflect on the amazing journey we have had with Orgasmic Birth and to share my gratitude.   From waking with a dream to make a … Continued

Historic Times: Congresswoman Roybal-Allard Speaks to the House of Representatives about the Home Birth Consensus Summit  These are historic times in the United States when Home Birth is presented at our House of Representatives,  within the rights of women to … Continued

Join us in celebrating National Midwifery Week in October by sharing your pictures and your stories of how a midwife touched you Join us in celebrating National Midwifery Week in October by sharing your pictures and your stories of how … Continued

21st Century Mother’s Movement Discount Flyer – 50% Discounts Available   Please click on link to view flyer ….. /default/files/21st_century_moth_movement_discount_flier_web1-1.pdf

DEBRA in Graz, Austria, June 30, July 1 and 2 , 2011 Birth Doula Workshop DONA Approved Doula Trainer:  Debra Pascali- Bonaro Dates: June 30, July 1 & 2, 2011 Location: Graz, Austria Contact: Angelika Rodler  angelika.rodler@ekiz-graz.at

Debra in Hungary, July 5-8, 2011   DONA approved postpartum doula workshop Debra Pascali-Bonaro, LCCE, CD(DONA) PCD(DONA) Dates: July 5 – 8 2011 Location: Hungary Contact person: Réka Dézsi Email: info@4dbabamozi.hu  

Orgasmic Birth ~ Voted 2nd for Best Birth Support Page and 12th on Babble’s top Facebook Pregnancy Resource Pages ! We at ORGASMIC BIRTH would like to extend our sincere thanks to Babble, and to all of you who follow … Continued

Ecstatic Birth Tele-Summit: The Body Series!! We want to share this information about a REMARKABLE upcoming tele-series: The Ecstatic Birth Tele-Summit: The Body Series which kicks off April 20th. Last year, Debra Pascali-Bonaro had the privilege of being a teacher in … Continued

What is so sexy about birth?!? Recently, I was telling a friend about Ecstatic birth and my upcoming Ecstatic birth Tele-Summit and I noticed that she had a dubious look on her face. When I questioned her she asked- “So, … Continued

Debra in Bulgaria and Bali Bulgaria March 19, 2011   I had a very special time in Sophia, Bulgaria!  My hostess was Daniel, an amazing women who is working on many levels to create global awareness about ecology, human connectedness, … Continued

Introducing Dr. Allemann My name is Elizabeth Allemann and I’ll be blogging for Debra, describing her travels and advocacy.  I’ll also be adding my own comments about birth.   I’m a Family Physician in central Missouri (midwestern US state).  Over … Continued

A little social media love… Hello! I’m so excited to be working with Debra — my name is Kathy Lopez, and I’m going to be helping the Orgasmic Birth team with some wild-n-crazy social media action.  I’m looking forward to … Continued

End Obstetric Violence – Promote Respectful Care at Birth  With a growing focus on improving maternal and infant health around the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals,  and the new commitments for women’s and children’s health and other initiatives … Continued

Pleasure in Birth: Is there a limit? The upcoming Ecstatic Birth Tele-Summit (http://www.ecstatic-birth.com/ecstaticBirthTele_Summit.html) has been generating a lot of buzz, opening possibilities, and raising questions about the potential of childbirth. The purpose of the course is to raise awareness that … Continued

Finding your tribe  It feels like coming home to my doula tribe as I am reconnecting with many of the founders of DONA International, Penny Simkin, Phyllis Klaus, Marshall Klaus, Annie Kennedy as well as past presidents, doula trainers and … Continued

MOMS for the 21st Century Bill Filed in House of Representatives! I felt this news is too important  so I am posting the recent enews directly from Childbirth Connection. Please share with your networks and contact your representatives to ask … Continued

ACOG revises guidelines on Vaginal Births after Cesarean Section (VBAC) The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the nation’s leading professional group of women’s care providers, changed its ten-year-old guidelines regarding Vaginal Births After Cesareans (VBACs) this week. The 1999 … Continued

Orgasmic Birth, The Book: Some Feedback! Posted on Facebook:  Orgasmic Birth: Your Guide to a Safe, Satisfying, and Pleasurable Birth Experience is getting great reviews…but I’d love to hear from any of you that have read it…what do you think?The … Continued

“Orgasmic Birth” book available June 8! If you loved the Orgasmic Birth movie, then you won’t want to miss the Orgasmic Birth book.  Acclaimed Orgasmic Birth filmmaker Debra Pascali-Bonaro has joined forces with renowned author and activist Elizabeth Davis to … Continued

“Birth Models That Work” review Jordan Levinson is a graduate student, writer, musician, and aspiring doula. She is completing a Masters in Public Health at New York University with a focus on international community development and maternal mortality reduction. She … Continued

Dr. Christiane Northrup’s revised edition of “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” now available The newest version of the groundbreaking classic “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” by Christiane Northrup, M.D., is now available in bookstores across the United States.  “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” … Continued

International Week for Respecting Childbirth: May 16-23, 2010 This week you have an official reason to celebrate childbirth: it’s the International Week for Respecting Childbirth! Orgasmic Birth’s world premiere was during the 2008 International Week for Respecting Childbirth, so we … Continued

“Women of Earth Take Back Your Birth!”  I have been waiting for the launch of our re-desinged web site  to begin my blog for 2010. I am looking forward to providing you with regular updates. I have been asked by … Continued

Being a Change Agent: Not as Scary as it Sounds Why is it that when we talk about birth in the U.S., more of the conversation focuses on WHERE it takes place than on HOW it takes place? When I … Continued

Legal barriers cause difficulty for midwives Two weeks ago, over 130 birth activists in New York lobbied in Albany for the passage of the Midwifery Modernization Act. What is this Act all about? As you may be aware, New York … Continued

Making dreams a reality: Childbirth Connection’s roadmap to better maternity care The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported this week that the U.S. Cesarean section delivery rate rose for the 12th year in a row in 2008, to 32.3% of … Continued

How does the new health care reform bill impact maternity care in the U.S.? The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law last Tuesday, March 23, 2010. It includes a number of changes that will improve the … Continued

ACNM responds to AMA Resolutions (regarding home birth and doctor supervision of midwives) The American College of Nurse Midwives has responded to recent AMA Resolutions (regarding home birth and doctor supervision of midwives) with a letter to the AMA and addenda.  You … Continued

C- Sections a Critical Factor in Preterm Birth Increase This article speaks for itself about the tragic consequences from the overuse of what can be a life saving surgery when used appropriately. C- Sections a Critical Factor in Preterm Birth … Continued

Choices in Childbirth: A Statement by Physicians, Midwives and Women’s Health Advocates who Support Safe Choices in Childbirth Women’s choices for how and where they want to give birth have been consistently eroding these last few years. Whether these directives … Continued

Community Life It has been a very busy and exciting few weeks as I have attended our Long Island, NY, Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington and Brooklyn, NY screenings of Orgasmic Birth.  As well as numerous interviews for magazines, radio and … Continued

HOMEBIRTH ON YAHOO HOMEPAGE !!! http://news.yahoo.com/home-birth-rise-dramatic-20-percent-184157307.html

Med Students for Homebirth I thought I would share a recent email I received from Missouri:  I’m so thrilled with Orgasmic Birth and we here in Missouri have had several wildly successful screenings, filled with mainstream people who have left … Continued

Mother’s Rights are Human Rights Do you know how many women in the United States die every day from pregnancy-related reasons? The answer is shocking: two or more. This rate has actually increased since 1987. A new Amnesty International report, … Continued

My Interview with Deirdre Morris Recently, I had a wonderful opportunity to speak with Deirdre Morris from MagicalBeginningsforBaby.com. Deirdre is a psychologist who now provides Spiritual Life Coaching (Law of Attraction) for couples seeking to enhance their fertility, facilitate a … Continued

Once a Caesarean, Always a Caesarean? National Institutes of Health says not necessarily. The number of women giving birth vaginally after a previous Caesarean section delivery has declined almost 20% since 1996, contributing to the dramatic rise in our national … Continued

One Million Campaign for Breastfeeding Please join me in supporting the One Million Campaign at http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.onemillioncampaign.org%2Fen%2FDetails_Petitions.aspx    I just signed on. It took less than two minutes.    The key fact for me is that the goal of this campaign … Continued

Orgasmic Birth Featured in Film Festival! Orgasmic Birth has been selected as one of the very best independent films from around the World! The European Independent Film Festival 2009 (ÉCU), being held at La Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris, will host a screening of … Continued

Orgasmic Birth Travels Orgasmic Birth is opening peoples hearts to all that is possible in birth as our documentary  travels around the world beginning with the world premier at World Respected Childbirth Week in both the Czech Republic and Puerto … Continued

Prevent Cesarean Surgery Video Prevent Cesarean Surgery Please watch this informative video on you tube   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZy0JPtubiQ   Prevent Cesarean Surgery is a short inspirational and entertaining production. Using real quotes spoken by women who have had both a cesarean … Continued

The Society of Obstetricians and Gyneacologists of Canada, – calling for a reduction in cesarean sections These are very sad times when American Medical Associations are asking for legislation that would erode further women’s rights and take away the ability … Continued

A Day to Remember  As I opened my email this morning I received a note from a friend, doula and  writer, Kim Collins sharing on her blog about the work that many of us did in the NY and NJ … Continued

90th Anniversary Symposium of Childbirth Connection             Early last Thursday morning my alarm clock woke me when the sky was still a dark purple, and the morning birds were still fast asleep.  It was time to hit the road and … Continued

A Historic Time of Change At this  historic time of the inauguration of Barack Oboma, our  44th President of the United States,  we are called to create change in our nation, our  communities, in our lives and to see the … Continued

Austria, Scotland, England  I am currently speaking in Graz Austria and had an opportunity to share Orgasmic Birth last night with a group of dedicated women who are working to improve care and support for women in Austria during pregnancy, … Continued

Big Medicine’s blowback on home births A recent op-ed in the LA Times by author Jennifer Block provides much to consider:  Why do U.S. doctors strong-arm women into our standard maternity care system? http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-oe-block9-2008j…   In her typical style, Jennifer … Continued

Birth and the Media Stories and discussion about giving birth and home birth are hitting the media.   I look forward to having Orgasmic Birth add to the discussion soon as we await our release this spring.    Orgasmic Birth asks viewers … Continued

Cesarean Awareness Month The beginning of April brings with it unexpected rain showers, the budding of new crocuses in winter’s forgotten garden, the first warm breeze and that joyous first jacket-less day.  It also brings the start of Cesarean Awareness … Continued

Concerned About Coerced Abortions? Try Saying No to Cesarean Surgery Lynn Paltrow’s recent commentary on the Huffington Post brings to light a very important discussion about informed decision making for all childbearing women. “Last year Idaho passed a law making … Continued

Dr. Lawrence D. Rosen one of our “experts” featured in NY Times article Weighing Nondrug Options for A.D.H.D New York Times Health June 17, 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/health/17well.html?ex=1214280000&en=bd…   I was pleased to see this article including our “Expert” Pediatrician Dr. Lawrence D. … Continued

Global women’s health and rights It is an exciting time as the world becomes united in new ways like Twitter and Facebook to discuss important issues.  Americans for UNFPA is hosting a chat on Twitter today to share ideas about … Continued

Home Birth and Hospital Birth are Equally Safe In this time where many question the safety of home birth and use hospital birth as our standard,  there is growing data that home birth and hospital birth are equally safe for … Continued

International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative The International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative: 10 Steps to Optimal Maternity Services (IMBCI)  was launched on March 8th  2008, on  International Women’s Day in Orlando, FL at the CIMS Mother-Friendly Childbirth Forum.    As a co-chair of the … Continued

Is a Woman in Labor a “Person”? New Assaults on Pregnant Women’s Civil Rights in a NJ Case The article today in the Huffington Post  about a NJ decision involving a woman who refused to consent to a c-section and … Continued

Making normal birth a reality Ob-gyn and midwife organizations in the UK are endorsing a new consensus report calling for action to increase rates of ‘normal birth’ where appropriate in order to minimize morbidity and complication rates. http://www.rcog.org.uk/resources/public/pdf/normal_birth_consensus.pdf   The … Continued

Millbank Report on Evidence-Based Maternity Care What an exciting time in maternity care. The release of a new report, Evidence-Based Maternity Care: What It Is and What It Can Achieve, by authors Carol Sakala and Maureen Corry, at Childbirth Connection, … Continued

Mother’s Index – Maternal Mortality and Women’s Status In a recent Citizens for Midwifery www.cfmidwifery.org e-news, Susan Hodges wrote: About 99% of births in the US take place in hospitals. If standard obstetric practice is so good, why does the … Continued

Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark  Every country, every provider, every woman and man wants to have the best outcome for their baby as possible. Yet the way we achieve this could not be more different as we look at maternity care systems … Continued

New Mothers Speak Out Childbirth Connection has just announced the release of their New Mothers Speak Out survey report, the third report in their Listening to Mothers series. “The report was developed from pertinent results from the Listening to Mothers … Continued

Orgasmic Birth in Popular Media -WMMR radio It’s been an interesting two days as Orgasmic Birth has been referenced in an article  about Jenna Jameson giving birth naturally to twin  sons: http://www.anorak.co.uk/celebrities/207307.html  And today on WMMR radio on the Preston … Continued

Out- of -hospital maternity care issues briefing I wanted to share  an important email that I received today.  Please help the PushNation rise up to tell Congress about how access to out-of-hospital maternity care and Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs), who … Continued

Peaceful Revolution: Why Breastfeeding Needs To Be Part of Health Care Reform I saw this informative post on breastfeeding on the Making Pregnancy Safer forum and thought it was worthy of sharing in full here.   I welcome your comments … Continued

Peru Embraced Vertical Birth to Save Lives Vertical Birth – Stand up and deliver   I found the following article and video very interesting in discussing improving maternal mortality with the use of upright birth positions for women in Peru. … Continued

Physician Group Seeks to Outlaw Home Birth: Is Jail for Moms Next? I recently returned from screenings of Orgasmic Birth in London, Glasgow, and Graz, Austria, as well as talks about the film in Paris and at the International Confederation … Continued

Sponsor legislation that tells Medicaid to pay for birth centers I just received an important update from Childbirth Connection.  Please read, share with other’s and help us make sure that all women will have the right to give birth where … Continued

The Big Push for Midwives Campaign Orgasmic Birth will provide viewers with an understanding of all that is possible in giving birth for women, babies and families.  I hope that as people understand what is available to them during childbirth, … Continued

The Birth Survey Is Now Available Nationwide As part of the Transparency in Maternity Care Project, the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) developed The Birth Survey as a free online resource for new mothers in the United States to share their consumer reviews … Continued

The Birth Survey It is time for all people to get involved to improve maternity care.  We must share our birth stories and discuss what constitutes quality, safe, satisfying care.  Maternity care effects women, babies, families and ultimately touches all … Continued

The Miracle of Birth: Uniting Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science            I would like to share with everyone an exciting opportunity that I will be participating in at the end of the month, and hope that those of you with … Continued

We are about to give to birth to our documentary It’s an exciting time for us as we are about to give our last pushes to birth/ finish our documentary Orgasmic Birth.  In anticipation we are applying to film festivals … Continued

Women Deliver I am back home after 6 weeks traveling and speaking in the Netherlands, Austria, UK , Portugal, and attending the Women Deliver conference on Safe Motherhood.  Women Deliver brought together  2,000 participants from 109 countries to create the energy, … Continued

World Premiere Orgasmic Birth had its world premiere on May 16th in both Prague, Czech Republic and Rio Piedras Puerto Rico during World Respected  Childbirth Week.  What a special and appropriate release/ birth for our long labor.  First comments included, … Continued