2 Doulas on a Mission

I have come to know and love a beautiful woman, Natalia Hari Gopal. She is an inspiration to those around her and has a spark that will put a smile on anyone’s face.

This summer she is going to Guatemala – for an internship with a social impact venture that trains women how to vermicompost (create compost with worms) to generate income assisting them to stop working as wastepickers in Central America’s largest landfill.

She is having a fantastic online raffle – with prizes for all! We have donated a pregnancy pampering gift basket, and a placenta preparation gift certificate. Tons of other great prizes! Scroll down to see them all.

She is going down to Guatemala to assist a social entrepreneurial venture called Byoearth that began 5 years ago and has since recruited 45 women in their Worms for Change program. The women are trained in vermicompost- they then sell the compost back to Byoearth who in turn sells it at affordable prices to subsistence farmers of GUatemala to assist them to ween off of chemical pesticides. Byoearth also helps to train rural farmers in creating their own vermicompost organic fertilizer. Part 2 of her mission is also to conduct fieldwork for a fellowship I was accepted into to enhance social impact ventures in Guatemala in general

Watch a great video on this subject: http://vimeo.com/27420349

She has created a Facebook event page   to help raise funds to go to Guatemala to complete the internship/fellowship.

How do you participate?
1) Make financial contribution (in support & for raffle tickets) -
Paypal (choose friends & family so there is no fee deducted : nnperez1@asu.edu) – can take cash/ & CC see details after prizes.

2) go to google doc, register & choose how many tickets you want to go to each prize http://tinyurl.com/cudph95

Raffle tickets are as follows:
1 for $2
3 for $5
15 for $20

Here are the list of Prizes:
1) **OK FOR OUT OF PHOENIX TOO ** 1 hr of Graphic Design Services with Nellie M. Mullins, Creative Director/Graphic Designer http://www.nelliemmullins.com/

2) ** OK FOR OUT OF PHOENIX TOO ** Customized Calligraphy Stamp by Calligrapher Leita DeRouen Schiemann of Twinkle Calligraphywww.twinklecalligraphy.com

3) *OK OUT OF PHOENIX TOO*Private Kundalini Yoga Class with Natalia Hari Gopal Kaur – can be done live or over skype ☺

4) ** OK FOR OUT OF PHOENIX TOO** 1 Transformational Life coaching Session with Susan Harlos (Amrit Sadhana Kaur) http://truelightcoaching.wordpress.com/coaching-services/

5)**OK For OUT OF PHOENIX TOO** 2 Long Magic Silk Skirts from Natalia, convertible to 100+styles sizes 0-18

6) Gift Certificate to a cooking class with Denise of Denise is Cookingwww.deniseiscooking.com

7) A Pregnancy Pamper Basket by Katie DiBenedetto of Two Doulas on a Missionwww.2doulasonamission.com

1 hour Nurturing Massage at Seva Tea & Healing Temple with Sarah of Seva Sanctuary

9) Placenta Prep Services by Katie DiBenedetto of Two Doulas on a Missionwww.2doulasonamission.com

10) Photo Session with Kim Blake of Kim Blake Photographywww.kimblakephotography.com

11)Cognitive Fitness Training with Claranita Gorman of Cognitive Inspiring Media & Wellness

12) Private Juggling or Twirling Class with Chase Archer

13) Acupuncture & Bodywork Session with Alejandra Rodriguez of Pure Intent Acupuncture http://www.pureintentacupuncture.com/
14) Essential Healing with Paradigm Busting Jason Stahl of The No Bullshit Zone: Speak Directly to Your Perceived Limitations

15)Orginial Photo or Photo Session – Katie Rudderham of Katie Rudderham Photography

16) Energetic Prayer Touch, Hypnotherapy, Holistic Nutrition
Coaching and Manifestation Coaching with Jessica Eck of Blissful Energy Transformations

17) Initial Health Consultation & Free Pass to cooking class with
Holistic Health Counselor Danielle Del Castillo Hughes of
Nutriciousness www.nutriciousness.com
18) Casino night with the Danimal*!

19) BodyTalk Session with Cristiana Cole

20) A holistic haircut, and organic raw conditioning treatment with Alex martinez atwww.abloomsalon.com & https://www.facebook.com/a.bloomSalon?fref=ts

21) Ultimate Massage/Reiki Bodywork with Nicole Duran of Raise the Vibration Reiki Studio https://www.facebook.com/raisethevibration.org

22) Reiki Session. Energy healing and cleansing. By Katia NiñoDeRivera.
Thank You Bless you All.

3) Raffle Drawing will be held on 5/18 @ the Fundraiser Party Celebration – Attendance at the party is not required to win. If you are not at party you will be missed! and contact via the contact information you provided on the raffle registration form.

4) Spread the word – let all your friends and fam know- this raffle has something for everyone!

HOW TO MAKE FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS FOR TICKETS:
VIA PAYPAL: Monies for raffle tickets can be sent via Paypal nnperez1@asu.edu – (choose gift from fiends and family – to avoid fees )

CASH: Don’t have paypal ? Live in Phoenix? Natalia can meet up with you for cash-

CREDIT CARD: Email Natalia: nnperez1@asu.edu with how many tickets you want & she can send you a paypal invoice and then you can pay with credit card

Prior to the Raffle Drawing-ALL RAFFLE TICKETS WILL BE PRINTED OUT AND YOU WILL GET A CONFIRMATION by 5/15 email from Natalia that confirms that your tickets were printed out and with what prizes you chose ~ email Natalia @ nnperez1@asu.edu if you have any questions or any changes occur to your information.

Details on RAFFLE PRIZES & to register and choose what prizes you want your tickets to go to ~ : See http://tinyurl.com/cudph95

I was scrolling thru my Facebook newsfeed on my phone at breakfast this morning. For some reason the link to this Blogtalk Radio program, “The Witch Hunt: Midwifery & The Myth of Freedom”, caught my eye. I had only missed a few minutes and was compelled to tune in.

I have been reading a lot lately about the history of midwifery, and the history of obstetrics – in this country specifically. It is sickening, but that is a whole other post and story. If you’re intrigued by that concept at all, start by reading this blog. And then go pick up this book right away. Be prepared to go down the rabbit hole and question everything that you believe to be true.

There is also a lot of political drama going on in Arizona right now regarding home birth and midwives. To put it in a nutshell – the consumers (birthing families) and the home birth midwives want some things updated and changed with regards to what is legal for home birth in Arizona. The hospitals and the OBs see this as “dangerous” – god forbid women think for themselves, or midwives know the scope of their own practice & skills. Why on earth would midwives want rules changed and permissions granted to do things that would put themselves as midwives + women and babies at risk? This makes no sense whatsoever. Not to mention – rules changed = more home births = equals less profit for hospitals and OBs. It’s turned into a petty debate with fingers being pointed, fancy degrees being touted, everyone turning on each other, and the original intent being entirely forgotten. Where a woman gives birth and who attends her during her birth is her right to choose. Why midwives are being attacked is beyond me. It’s WOMEN that are choosing to birth at home. Midwives aren’t picketing in front of hospitals saying to laboring woman, “No, no! Don’t go in there – come birth with me!!” I suppose it’s easiest to attack the group of midwives – with the thinking that, if you remove midwifery and the option to birth at home, that women will have no choice but to go to a hospital. That’s a whole other story as well.

Anyway, back to Rowan, and this radio program this morning. I’ll sum it up as best I can. Rowan Bailey is a home birth midwife in North Carolina. Home birth midwifery is (basically) illegal in North Carolina. Women can either go to the hospital, or birth at home unassisted. Or – you can go thru underground channels (a woman on the radio show compared it to trying to find a bag of heroin) to find a midwife who will attend you at home. Last year Rowan attended a woman at home. The baby died during labor. Rowan and the family went to the hospital, the mother birthed a still born baby, and all fingers were pointed at Rowan. An immediate raid took place on Rowan’s home – her journals, her personal records, everything was scrutinized and a lot of personal property was taken to be further investigated. A couple of months later Rowan and her partner received a call to go down to the police station and pick up their personal property. Upon arrival the were both arrested, having been “lured” to the police station. Rowan’s partner was later released, but Rowan remains in jail with a $15,000 bail set and she is facing life in prison for murder of the “fetus”.

If this had happened in a hospital, it would have been a “terrible tragedy”. An obstetrician would not be facing life in prison for the death of the baby. They have made an example of Rowan with front page headlines in the local newspapers, among other things. Did you know that 60% of the average hospital’s revenue comes from birth? Did you know that obstetricians who openly support home birth and “back up” home birth midwives are often threatened?

Think for yourself. Conclude what you will. Please help if you can.

Listen to the radio program here. Donate to the fund for Rowan’s bail here.  Share far and wide.