mama's body: CHOICE - Birth Options in Columbus

CHOICE is an organization of parents and professionals supporting the rights of parents to choose more humane options in their birth experiences.

CHOICE offers a unique program to the community, not found in most midwifery practices. As a non-profit organization, CHOICE provides the following services:

CHOICE Services:
- Free one-hour consultation with midwives, regardless of whether or not you choose to use our services.
- Free Lending Library (including books and videos and DVDs)
- Childbirth Preparation Classes
- Birth and Postpartum Doula Services
- Parent Support Group with weekly meetings and an active e-list
- Referrals to practitioners who can meet your needs
- Public Speakers for community education
- Supplies and Products:
  - Slings
  - Supplements
  - Herbal Products
  - Parent Resource Center (free maternity clothes, baby clothes and baby equipment)

CHOICE Midwives:
- Our midwives have over 30 years of experience and are committed to providing individualized midwifery model of care.
  - CHOICE believes that skilled and responsible midwives should be readily available to all families in our community.
  - CHIOCE believes midwives are the guardians of normal birth.
  - CHOICE believes that midwives provide compassionate, skilled, and woman-centered care.
  - CHOICE believes in a woman’s right to choose her birth attendants and place of birth and to involve those she identifies as her family in the bonding of the birth experience.
- CHOICE requires all their midwives to be Certified Professional Midwives (CPM).
  - CPM certification validates entry-level knowledge, skills, and experience vital to responsible midwifery practice.
  - CPM certification preserves the unique, woman-centered forms of practice that are common to midwives attending out-of-hospital births.
  - The North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) guidelines for certification approval have been developed to meet national certifying standards formulated by the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA).
  - CPM certification assures our midwives:
    - will provide the skills and experience vital to responsible midwifery practice.
    - meet professional standards of accountability that support midwives to remain active lifelong learners, confirming the ideals of competent practice.
    - meet NARM’s continuing education requirements that provide consistent opportunities for current knowledge and growing professional awareness.
    - maintain confidentiality, current practice guidelines and CPR certification.
    - practice informed consent which provides flexibility for individualized care.
    - have the benefit of continued understanding and problem solving through weekly CHOICE Peer Review.
    - participate in NARM’s accountability process to address concerns regarding competent midwifery practice.

CHOICE Policies
- Unlike most midwifery practices,
  - CHOICE requires two CPMs to work with each client who desires a home birth.
  - CHOICE requires that at least one of these two CPMs must be an “experienced midwife”. CHOICE defines “experienced midwife” as a midwife who:
    - has attended at least 75 births AND
    - has been in practice at least 5 years.
    - This policy assures that:
      - at least one of the two midwives assigned to each birth will have skills and experience that exceed the national standards for competent entry-level midwifery practice.
      - even when more than one client is in labor at the same time, the client can be assured that she will have at least one of her assigned midwives present during her labor and birth.
      - two fully qualified midwives will be present at each birth to deal with complications that may develop with either the mother or the baby. Should complications develop with both the mother and the baby simultaneously, a fully qualified midwife will be available to handle each situation.

CHOICE Home Birth Midwifery Services include:
- Complete Prenatal, Labor/Birth and Postpartum Care
- Support for:
  - Waterbirth
  - VBACs
  - Breastfeeding
  - Nutritional Counseling